Business objects51en
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Here are some key ways to find information in BusinessObjects documentation: - A Documentation Service on the Web: BusinessObjects maintains an extensive knowledge base of documentation online at help.sap.com. You can search or browse topics. - Multimedia: Tutorials, demonstrations, and other video content provide visual learning experiences to supplement written guides. These are available online. - Online Guides: Comprehensive user guides for all BusinessObjects products are available as online help directly from the products or as downloadable HTML files. - Online Help: Context-sensitive help is available directly from BusinessObjects products by pressing F1 or clicking the help button. - Contacting Support: For issues not addressed in documentation,
![Creating User Objects
9. Click OK.
The user object you have created appears in the User Objects dialog box. The
next time you build or edit a query on the universe, the user object you have
created will appear in the User Objects class.
Reminder: You can create a user object by clicking the User Objects button on the
Query Panel toolbar. However, using this method you can create user objects
User Objects only in the universe you selected for the query you are working on.
To write the formula of a user object
1. Display the User Object dialog box by following steps 1 to 3 under “To create
a user object in any universe available to you” on page 80.
2. Click the Formula tab, then check Get Assistance on Functions:
3. Double-click the objects, functions and operators you want to use in the user
object's formula.
• When you double-click an object or an operator, it appears in the Formula
box. The functions and operators you can select depend on the database at
your site.
• When you double-click a function, the Function[FunctionName] dialog
box appears.
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![Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes
4. In the Function[FunctionName] dialog box, type an argument in each field.
• If the function's arguments include objects, user objects, functions or
operators, you can double-click these in order to insert them in the
function's formula.
• The arguments appear in the Formula box.
5. If necessary, type text, numbers or dates in the formula.
You must type quotes (") before and after text and numbers, but type a single
quote (') before and after dates.
6. Click OK, then click Test to check the syntax of the formula.
To edit a user object
Editing a user object enables you to change the object’s name, qualification, and
definition (formula). To edit a user object:
1. Click the Universes command on the Tools menu.
The Universes dialog box appears.
2. Select the universe that contains the user object that you want to edit, then
click User Objects.
The User Object dialog box appears.
3. Select the user object you want to edit, then click Edit.
4. In the Definition tab of the User Objects editor, change the name, the type
and/or the help text of the user object.
5. In the Qualification box, click a radio button to change the user object's
qualification.
6. Click the Formula tab if you want to edit the user object's formula.
7. Click OK.
To delete a user object
1. Click the Universes command on the Tools menu.
2. In the Universes dialog box, select the universe that contains the user object
you want to delete, then click User Objects.
3. In the User Objects dialog box, select the user object you want to delete, then
click Delete.
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![Chapter 18 Formatting Charts
Selecting chart elements
You set the formatting attributes for chart elements on the Format dialog box.
There are different ways in which you can open this dialog box. You can:
• Right-click on the chart element and choose Format [chart element] from the
popup menu.
This command is dynamic: it refers to the chart element that you selected. For
example, if you right-click on the chart axis, the menu command is Format
Axis Label.
• Double-click the chart element that you want to format.
• Select a chart element, such as the slice of a pie chart, then choose the [chart
element] command on the Format menu.
A dialog box is displayed. The dialog box, like the menu command, is dynamic:
its name and tabs depend on the chart element that you first selected.
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![Formatting Cells
6. Click Add.
The new format appears in the Format list, under the Number category and
the Custom category.
The four properties for
the new format appear
in the Format list.
An example of the
format appears
below each field.
7. Click Apply or OK.
The new number format is available for use.
You can apply a color to number formats that you create. For example, if you
want negative values to appear in red, type [Red] after the number format in the
Negative field.
...........................................................
To delete number and date formats that you have created
You can delete number and date formats that you or other users have created.
1. In the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, click the Category where you
created the format you want to delete.
2. Select the format(s) that you wish to delete.
3. Click Remove, then click OK.
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![Using the Run Command
Run Command Options
You can use Run command options to log in to BUSINESSOBJECTS with your user
name and password. The table below describes the options that you can use.
Option Description
-user [user The user name assigned to you by your supervisor. User
name] names that include spaces must be written in double quotes,
e.g., “user name”.
-pass The password assigned to you by your supervisor. This
[password] option is mandatory if you enter the -user option. Passwords
that include spaces must be written in double quotes, e.g.,
“my password”.
-online or By default, the last connection mode of the specified user, or
-offline “online” the first time you launch BUSINESSOBJECTS.
Offline mode disconnects you from the repository and
therefore disables remote connections during your work
session.
repname.rep The name of the document that you wish to work with on
launching BUSINESSOBJECTS. You must include the path to
this file, for example:
c:BusinessObjectsuserdocssales.rep
-keyfile [keyfile If you are working with multiple repositories, specifies the
name] repository you want to work with.
-nologo Runs BUSINESSOBJECTS without showing the logo screen.
-vars myfile.txt Name of a text file in which variables are specified. You can
specify BOUSER and BOPASS, which manage your access to
BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can also declare your own variables in
the file. For more information on these variables, refer to
“Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables” below.
Tip: In the file you declare after the -vars option, you can also specify the variables
such as DBUSER, DBPASSWORD and DBDSN. (The names of such variables
depend on the database at your site). These variables can be used to define a
restriction on an object, for example. For further information on these variables,
refer to “BUSINESSOBJECTS Variables” in the Database Guide included in your
BUSINESSOBJECTS package.
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Business objects51en
- 1. BusinessObjects User’s Guide Version 5.1 Windows
- 2. BusinessObjects TM Version 5.1 User’s Guide No part of the computer software or this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Business Objects. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. If you find any problems with this documentation, please report them to Business Objects in writing at [email protected]. Business Objects does not warrant that this document is error free. Copyright © Business Objects 2000 All rights reserved. Printed in France. Trademarks: The Business Objects logo, BusinessMiner, BusinessQuery, and WebIntelligence are registered trademarks of Business Objects SA. The Business Objects tagline, Broadcast Agent, BusinessObjects, Personal Trainer, Rapid Deployment Templates, and Set Analyzer are trademarks of Business Objects SA. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Access, Microsoft VBA and other names of Microsoft products referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. All other names of Oracle products referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. All other product and company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. This software and documentation is commercial computer software under Federal Acquisition regulations, and is provided only under the Restricted Rights of the Federal Acquisition Regulations applicable to commercial computer software provided at private expense. The use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions set forth in subdivision (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013. U.S. Patent No. 5,555,403 Part Number: 310-10-510-01 Edition: 2
- 3. Contents Finding the Information You Need List of Examples Part I Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction What is BusinessObjects? ........................................................................................... 26 eFashion Demo Materials and Samples ................................................................... 30 Upgrading from earlier versions of BusinessObjects ............................................. 31 Part II Accessing Data Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects Overview ...................................................................................................................... 38 Workflows For Accessing Data ................................................................................. 43 Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Overview ...................................................................................................................... 54 Building a Basic Query on a Universe ...................................................................... 58 Building a More Powerful Query ............................................................................. 64 Running a Query on a Different Universe ............................................................... 74 Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Overview ...................................................................................................................... 77 Creating User Objects ................................................................................................. 78 Customizing Lists of Values ...................................................................................... 84 BusinessObjects User’s Guide iii
- 4. Contents Applying Complex Conditions on Queries .............................................................91 Applying Groups of Conditions ..............................................................................105 Building Combined Queries ....................................................................................109 Using SQL From BusinessObjects Queries ............................................................114 Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Overview .....................................................................................................................119 Using Stored Procedures ..........................................................................................121 Using Free-Hand SQL ...............................................................................................126 Using Personal Data Files .........................................................................................135 Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures ..................................................140 Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources Overview .....................................................................................................................148 Which Data Sources Are Available? .......................................................................149 Including Data from Different Data Sources in the Same Report ......................149 Linking Data Providers .............................................................................................156 Chapter 7 Managing Data Providers Overview .....................................................................................................................164 Renaming Data Providers ........................................................................................165 Getting Statistics on Data Providers .......................................................................168 Purging and Deleting Data Providers ....................................................................169 Chapter 8 Exporting Data From BusinessObjects Overview .....................................................................................................................172 Exporting Data From BusinessObjects ...................................................................174 iv BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 5. Contents Part III Creating Reports Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Overview .................................................................................................................... 181 Starting BusinessObjects .......................................................................................... 181 BusinessObjects Workspace ..................................................................................... 184 Organizing your workspace .................................................................................... 187 Report Manager ......................................................................................................... 190 Managing Reports ..................................................................................................... 194 Opening Documents ................................................................................................. 197 Using Personal Document folders .......................................................................... 198 Refreshing BusinessObjects Documents ................................................................ 205 Saving Documents .................................................................................................... 210 Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Overview .................................................................................................................... 217 What Types of Tables? .............................................................................................. 218 Creating Tables .......................................................................................................... 220 Guided Table Insertion ............................................................................................. 228 Editing Tables ............................................................................................................ 230 Free-standing Cells .................................................................................................... 236 Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports Overview .................................................................................................................... 240 Structuring a Master/Detail Report ....................................................................... 241 Re-organizing a Master/Detail Report .................................................................. 244 Managing Sections in Master/Detail reports ........................................................ 245 Undoing a Master/Detail Report ............................................................................ 246 BusinessObjects User’s Guide v
- 6. Contents Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Overview .....................................................................................................................251 Limiting the Data Displayed ....................................................................................252 Ordering Data ............................................................................................................260 Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values ...........................................267 Hiding Columns and Rows of Data ........................................................................272 Highlighting Data ......................................................................................................273 Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Overview .....................................................................................................................281 Breaks ..........................................................................................................................282 Calculations ................................................................................................................292 Converting To And From Euros ..............................................................................299 Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Overview .....................................................................................................................309 Formulas .....................................................................................................................310 Local Variables ...........................................................................................................315 Creating Local Variables by Grouping Values ......................................................319 Managing Formulas and Local Variables ..............................................................324 Functions .....................................................................................................................326 More Examples of Using Formulas .........................................................................329 Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Overview .....................................................................................................................336 Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax ....................................................337 Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations ............................................344 Quick Reference .........................................................................................................363 vi BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 7. Contents Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Overview .................................................................................................................... 369 #COMPUTATION ..................................................................................................... 370 #MULTIVALUE ......................................................................................................... 376 ####### ........................................................................................................................ 384 #ALERTER .................................................................................................................. 384 #DICT.ERROR ........................................................................................................... 385 #DIV/0 ........................................................................................................................ 386 #ERROR ...................................................................................................................... 387 #IERR ........................................................................................................................... 389 #OVERFLOW ............................................................................................................. 392 #SYNTAX ................................................................................................................... 392 #UNKNOWN ............................................................................................................. 393 Tips and Tricks .......................................................................................................... 394 Part IV Working with Charts Chapter 17 Creating Charts Overview .................................................................................................................... 400 Chart Types ................................................................................................................ 401 Creating a Chart ........................................................................................................ 403 Organizing Chart Data ............................................................................................. 407 Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Overview .................................................................................................................... 415 General Formatting ................................................................................................... 417 Formatting the Data Series ....................................................................................... 423 Chart Specific Formatting ........................................................................................ 424 Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels ................................................................ 429 Helping Users to Read your Chart ......................................................................... 435 Using Different Chart Types on one Chart ............................................................ 442 BusinessObjects User’s Guide vii
- 8. Contents Deleting Charts ..........................................................................................................449 Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts ..........................................................450 Part V Analyzing Data Chapter 19 Analysis Overview Analyzing Data in BusinessObjects ........................................................................454 On-report Analysis ....................................................................................................454 BusinessObjects Drill Mode .....................................................................................455 BusinessMiner ............................................................................................................455 OLAP Servers .............................................................................................................455 Slice and Dice Mode ..................................................................................................456 Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Overview .....................................................................................................................459 Using Drill Mode .......................................................................................................462 Drilling on Charts ......................................................................................................468 Drilling on Multiple Hierarchies .............................................................................469 Getting a Different View of your Data ...................................................................471 Analyzing Measures in Drill Mode .........................................................................476 Making Copies of Reports While You Work .........................................................478 Extending Analysis ....................................................................................................479 Drilling Using Custom Hierarchies ........................................................................483 Qualifying Data For Hierarchies .............................................................................487 Printing from Drill Mode .........................................................................................490 Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode ...........................................................491 Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode ............................................................................494 viii BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 9. Contents Part VI Formatting Reports Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Overview .................................................................................................................... 520 Formatting Sections .................................................................................................. 520 Formatting Tables ...................................................................................................... 525 Formatting Cells ........................................................................................................ 533 Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout Overview .................................................................................................................... 552 Positioning Report Components ............................................................................. 553 Using Report Manager to Structure Report Layout ............................................. 558 Hiding and Displaying Report Components ........................................................ 561 Working with Page Backgrounds ........................................................................... 570 Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Overview .................................................................................................................... 574 Multi-page Reports ................................................................................................... 575 Page Setup .................................................................................................................. 581 Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates ................................................................ 584 Inserting Document Information ............................................................................ 587 Using Outline View ................................................................................................... 589 Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Overview .................................................................................................................... 592 What Are Templates And Standard Report Styles? ............................................. 593 Customizing Standard Report Styles ..................................................................... 596 Using Templates ........................................................................................................ 605 BusinessObjects User’s Guide ix
- 10. Contents Chapter 26 Including Graphics and Other Data Objects Overview .....................................................................................................................612 Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications ...............................................613 Using Pictures in Reports .........................................................................................618 Part VII Appendix Appendix A Launching BusinessObjects with the Run Command Overview .....................................................................................................................622 Using the Run Command .........................................................................................622 Appendix B BusinessObjects and Visual Basic for Applications Overview .....................................................................................................................629 Using Macros ..............................................................................................................630 Using Add-Ins ............................................................................................................633 Converting Scripts to Macros ..................................................................................635 Using the Visual Basic Editor ...................................................................................637 Index x BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 11. List of Examples Part I Introduction Part II Accessing Data How do the official figures compare with my personal targets? ................................................ 48 I need more data ................................................................................................................................. 50 Building a query in the Query Panel and running the query ...................................................... 63 Limiting query results by using a condition .................................................................................. 68 Obtaining total ordered revenue by creating a user object .......................................................... 78 Showing family names and first names in a list of customers .................................................... 85 Assigning personal data from a text file to a list of values .......................................................... 87 Which customers made reservations for 1997 and 1998?............................................................. 91 When did each customer last pay for a product? ........................................................................ 100 Which customer made the earliest reservation? .......................................................................... 103 Which customers bought a given product in a given timeframe? ............................................ 107 Which customers bought products in both 1994 and 1995? ...................................................... 113 Prompting users to select a year when they run a free-hand SQL script ................................ 133 Accessing Email data using VBA .................................................................................................. 142 BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to link data providers................................................................ 156 Copying and pasting from BUSINESSOBJECTS to Microsoft Excel .............................................. 173 Part III Creating Reports Making a report with a year and a quarter section ..................................................................... 243 Filter data to show sales revenue for two regions only .............................................................. 252 Only display stores with weekly revenue over $200 000 ........................................................... 257 How can I get months to sort correctly? ....................................................................................... 263 Sort customers by nationality and then by name in alphabetical order .................................. 264 Display only top three-selling product lines ................................................................................ 267 Show sales revenue for top three months and compare with overall revenue ..................... 270 Which sales representatives generate revenue over $500 000? ................................................. 273 How can I show revenue subtotals for each resort in a table? .................................................. 282 What’s the difference between Count and Count All? ............................................................... 293 Displaying total revenue and subtotals ........................................................................................ 295 Displaying average, maximum and minimum revenue ............................................................ 296 Calculating the difference in revenue between two quarters .................................................... 297 Displaying total revenue as a table title ........................................................................................ 298 BusinessObjects User’s Guide xi
- 12. List of Examples Converting to euros: six-digit conversion rates ...........................................................................299 Add US dollars to the euro conversion list ..................................................................................304 Triangulation: Converting between EMU-compliant currencies ..............................................305 Calculating a running total .............................................................................................................313 Highlighting above average margin ..............................................................................................317 Group quarters to display revenue per semester ........................................................................319 How can I rank cities according to sales revenue?...................................................................... 327 Calculating a 3-week rolling average ............................................................................................329 Combining first and last names in a single cell ...........................................................................330 Combining text and data in a single cell....................................................................................... 331 Combining text and numbers in a single cell ...............................................................................332 Combining text and dates in a single cell .....................................................................................332 Comparing yearly margin growth using the Where function ...................................................333 Revenue per region per year, and revenue per region ...............................................................337 Calculating total revenue for two years ........................................................................................338 A report containing aggregations in different contexts ..............................................................340 The extended syntax of an aggregate formula .............................................................................342 Calculating the number of cities per region .................................................................................344 Calculating the minimum revenue per city for each region ...................................................... 345 A formula containing input and output contexts ........................................................................346 Calculating running total revenue per country ...........................................................................348 Using ForEach and ForAll ...............................................................................................................352 Calculating a grand total by using the Report keyword ............................................................ 359 The formula BusinessObjects writes for a simple calculation ................................................... 361 #COMPUTATION resulting from a running sum with a reset context................................... 372 #COMPUTATION caused by a conditional formula in a break footer.................................... 374 #MULTIVALUE in an aggregation ................................................................................................377 #MULTIVALUE in a break footer ..................................................................................................379 #MULTIVALUE in a section containing Name and Address ....................................................381 Solving #IERR by turning part of a formula into a variable ...................................................... 390 Part IV Working with Charts Re-organizing data on chart axes in 2-D charts ...........................................................................407 Showing multiple lines on a line chart ..........................................................................................408 Re-organizing data on chart axes in 3-D charts ...........................................................................409 Adjusting the plot area to the chart size - before and after ........................................................421 Adjusting scaling in a master/detail report .................................................................................434 Comparing revenue and quantity sold in a chart ........................................................................445 xii BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 13. List of Examples Part V Analyzing Data Why is revenue better in this resort than in the others? ............................................................ 459 Move from analyzing Resort to Sales ............................................................................................ 465 Analyzing profit margin ................................................................................................................. 476 Focus analysis on one high-profit resort using drill filters as query conditions ..................... 481 Part VI Formatting Reports Using shading to distinguish between sections .......................................................................... 521 Applying shading and borders to tables ...................................................................................... 526 Correctly formatting crosstab corners .......................................................................................... 526 Creating a number format with three decimal places ................................................................ 540 Adding a link to a web site in a report ......................................................................................... 543 Why is relative positioning important? ........................................................................................ 553 Displaying different table formats for European and US currencies ....................................... 564 Setting up a different page layout for odd and even pages....................................................... 566 How can I display page totals and recap amounts in a multi-page report? ........................... 578 How do I know when the data in my report was last updated? .............................................. 585 Inserting a query prompt in a report ............................................................................................ 588 BusinessObjects User’s Guide xiii
- 14. List of Examples xiv BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 15. Finding the Information You Need ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ It’s in the Documentation xvi A Documentation Service on the Web xvi Multimedia xvii Online Guides xix Online Help xxi What to Do for More Information xxi ❑ About this Guide xxii Audience xxii Conventions Used in this Guide xxii BusinessObjects User’s Guide xv
- 16. Finding the Information You Need It’s in the Documentation Business Objects documentation continues to deliver timely and indepth coverage of product information. Not just facts about product features, but a world of knowledge in the way of tips, samples, and troubleshooting instructions. For your convenience, Business Objects documentation comes in a variety of formats including Windows online help, HTML, Acrobat PDF, paper, and multimedia. What’s more, you can gain quick access to it at any time directly from the product you are working with. Documentation has been carefully designed to meet your needs for speed and ease of navigation. All the information you need is there just a few mouse clicks away. The next sections highlight the key features of our documentation. A Documentation Service on the Web From the Help menu of all our products, you can check out More Tips and Samples, the Business Objects documentation service on the Internet. From here, you can discover the latest updates, tips, samples, and troubleshooting. You can also get there by pointing your browser to the following URL: http://www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter From the Tips and Tricks page, registered customer support contacts can explore the electronic version of the Business Objects documentation set. It offers extensive information on all Business Objects products, updates, troubleshooting, tips, and much more. In addition, registered DEVELOPER SUITE customers can download new documentation and code samples. xvi BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 17. It’s in the Documentation Multimedia Business Objects multimedia comprises the BUSINESSOBJECTS Quick Tour, the INFOVIEW Quick Tour, and the BUSINESSMINER tutorial, all of which cover the essential features of these products. The BusinessObjects Quick Tour The BUSINESSOBJECTS Quick Tour is a multimedia presentation that takes you on a guided tour of the key features of BUSINESSOBJECTS. Its didactic approach makes it an ideal primer for first-time users of the product. You may wish to use it as an accompaniment to the guide Getting Started with BusinessObjects. An actual screen from the BusinessObjects Quick Tour BusinessObjects User’s Guide xvii
- 18. Finding the Information You Need The InfoView Quick Tour The INFOVIEW Quick Tour is a multimedia presentation that highlights the key features of INFOVIEW. Intended primarily for new users, it offers an overview of all the features necessary for managing and distributing documents. The INFOVIEW Quick Tour can be used as an accompaniment to the guide Getting Started with WebIntelligence. An actual screen from the InfoView Quick Tour The BusinessMiner Tutorial This multimedia tutorial teaches novice users how to use the powerful desktop datamining software, BUSINESSMINER. Each lesson in this tutorial has a narrated, animated presentation which shows users how to answer a business question using BUSINESSMINER. Users can then try out the demonstrated tasks themselves by following the step-by-step exercises in the accompanying guide. xviii BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 19. It’s in the Documentation Online Guides User’s Guides All user’s guides are available as Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Designed for online reading, PDF files enable you to view, navigate through, or print any of their contents. The full list of Business Objects guides is provided in the Deployment Guide. From a Business Objects product, you can open a guide from the commands of the Help menu. The Help menu of BusinessObjects provides commands for viewing documentation. During installation, the BUSINESSOBJECTS installer program automatically copies these files to: Business ObjectsBusinessObjects 5.0Online GuidesEn You can open a document from the Help menu provided that you have installed the Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 3.0 or higher on your machine. This Reader is available on the Business Objects CD-ROM. You can also download it for free from the Web site of Adobe Corporation. BusinessObjects User’s Guide xix
- 20. Finding the Information You Need The Error Message Guide The Error Message Guide is a compilation of the error messages that can appear with ordinary use of Business Objects products. This guide provides you with detailed troubleshooting information so that you can determine the reasons for an error and take the appropriate steps to resolve it. It allows you to search for error messages by code. Each error message appears with its probable cause and the recommended course of action. You can open this online guide from any of the Business Objects products by selecting the Error Messages Explained command from the Help menu. From IINFOVIEW, click Error Messages in the navigation bar. Click an error message to go to its explanation in the guide. Click the List of Error Messages bookmark to view the error messages by code The Error Message Guide in PDF format. xx BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 21. It’s in the Documentation Online Help For Business Objects Windows desktop products, online help is available in the form of .hlp and .cnt files that comply with the standards of Microsoft Windows online help. From INFOVIEW, online help is available for both INFOVIEW and WEBINTELLIGENCE. What to Do for More Information If you cannot find the information you are looking for, then we encourage you to let us know as soon as you can. We welcome any requests, tips, suggestions, or comments you may have regarding the contents of this or other Business Objects documentation. You can contact us by e-mail at: [email protected] To find out information about Business Objects products and services, visit our Web site at: http://www.businessobjects.com BusinessObjects User’s Guide xxi
- 22. Finding the Information You Need About this Guide This user’s guide is about BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 business intelligence software. It describes the different ways to access data to use in your reports, how to create and format these reports and how to analyze the data in them. Audience This guide is aimed at non-technical users who intend to use BUSINESSOBJECTS to build reports using personal or corporate business data. These users should be familiar with the Microsoft Windows desktop environment and conventions. Conventions Used in this Guide The conventions used in this guide are described in the table below. Convention How Used SMALL CAPITALS The names of all products such as BUSINESSOBJECTS, WEBINTELLIGENCE, SUPERVISOR, DESIGNER. This font The names of BUSINESSOBJECTS classes, objects and conditions. For example, Customer, Sales, Revenue, Service, etc. This font Code, SQL syntax, computer programs . For example: @Select(CountryCountry Id) (...) Placed at the end of a line of code, the symbol (...) indicates that the next line should be entered continuously with no carriage return. xxii BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 23. Part I Introduction www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter
- 25. Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ What is BusinessObjects? 26 Where does the data come from? 27 Presenting and analyzing data 28 Sharing the information 29 What about security? 30 Keeping a document’s data up-to-date 30 ❑ eFashion Demo Materials and Samples 30 ❑ Upgrading from earlier versions of BusinessObjects 31 Upgrading from BusinessObjects 5.0 31 Upgrading from BusinessObjects 4.1 31 Upgrading from BusinessObjects 3.1 31 What’s new in BusinessObjects 5.1? 31 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 25
- 26. Chapter 1 Introduction What is BusinessObjects? BUSINESSOBJECTS is an integrated query, reporting and analysis solution for business professionals that allows you to access the data in your corporate databases directly from your desktop and present and analyze this information in a BUSINESSOBJECTS document. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes it easy to access this data, because you work with it in business terms that are familiar to you, not technical database terms like SQL. You don’t need any knowledge of the database structure or technology. Once you’ve used BUSINESSOBJECTS to access the data you need, you can present the information in reports as simple as tables or as sophisticated as dynamic documents with drillable charts. You can then save those documents for your own personal use, send them to other users, or publish them to the corporate repository for potentially even broader circulation. This section gives an overview of what BUSINESSOBJECTS does and how it works. Part of a report with data displayed in a table and in a chart. 26 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 27. What is BusinessObjects? Where does the data come from? BUSINESSOBJECTS makes it easy to access data from your corporate database because it has a business-intelligent, semantic layer that isolates you from the technical issues of the database. This semantic layer is called a universe. A universe maps to data in the database, using everyday terms that describe your business environment. This means you can select exactly the data that interests you using your own business terminology. In your company or organization, universes are created by a universe designer, using BUSINESSOBJECTS DESIGNER. The designer then makes universes available to you and other users, so that you can access the data you want from the database through an intuitive, user-friendly interface A BusinessObjects Universe. Class Universes are made up of classes and objects. Objects Objects are elements that map to a set of data from a relational database using business terms. These objects allow you to retrieve data for your documents. For example, the objects in the eFashion demo universe include Region, State, and Store name. Classes are logical groupings of objects. For example, the objects listed above belong to a class called Store. Using this interface, you build a BUSINESSOBJECTS query using an editor called the Query Panel, by adding and organizing objects from a universe. Objects are elements that map to a set of data from a relational database in terms that pertain to your business situation. When you run the query, BUSINESSOBJECTS connects to the database and retrieves the data mapped to the objects you selected. A query is a type of data provider. The data provider contains the data you have chosen to retrieve from the data source. Using this data set, you can build interactive reports. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 27
- 28. Chapter 1 Introduction BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you access data from a wide range of sources: from relational and multidimensional databases, from packaged applications, from personal data files, and, using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications procedures, from virtually any source. Presenting and analyzing data Once you have the data you need, you can present it in a number of ways. You can present it in a simple table: Or create sophisticated reports containing large amounts of data, organized and formatted to make it easy for people to go directly to the information that interests them: 28 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 29. What is BusinessObjects? You can add images and embedded objects and format your documents to high presentation standards for viewing on screen or for printing. On-report analysis allows you to switch your business perspective by dragging and dropping data, insert on-report calculations or drill into a report for detailed information: Sharing the information You can quickly and easily share the documents you have created with other users in your company, either by sending them directly to selected individuals or groups, or by publishing them as corporate documents. When you distribute documents in these different ways, you use the BUSINESSOBJECTS repository. The repository stores the documents you send so that other users can retrieve and view them. It also stores information about the documents it stores, such as name of sender, date and time, and also which users in the company have the right to retrieve and view a document. You can retrieve documents that other users have sent, including WEBINTELLIGENCE and BUSINESSQUERY documents which you can open and view in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can also use BROADCAST AGENT to send documents for scheduled processing. Note: For information on sending, retrieving, printing, and publishing and scheduling documents, see the InfoView User’s Guide. You can open an electronic version of this guide directly from the BUSINESSOBJECTS Help menu. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 29
- 30. Chapter 1 Introduction What about security? The repository is set up and administered by the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor. All of the rights you have as a user are granted by your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor using BUSINESSOBJECTS SUPERVISOR. The supervisor defines: • The parts of the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface you can access. Your supervisor can restrict the availability of BUSINESSOBJECTS functionality, such as access to certain menu commands. • Your database connections • The universes you can access for creating and editing queries The rights accorded to each user define the user’s profile. This profile-based security system allows a single document to be distributed to many users -- with end users having access only to the information that they are authorized to see. Keeping a document’s data up-to-date Databases are regularly updated with new data. A document generated at a given point in time reflects the data as it existed at that time, but it may be inaccurate now. BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you update the data in a document while keeping the same presentation and formatting, either manually, or automatically at specified times. When you update a document, BUSINESSOBJECTS reconnects to the database, and retrieves the updated data. This is called refreshing a document. eFashion Demo Materials and Samples To help you get up and running with BUSINESSOBJECTS, a demonstration database, universe and sample reports are included in the BUSINESSOBJECTS eFashion demo kit. The Getting Started with BusinessObjects tutorial and the multimedia Quick Tour are both based on these materials, as are many of the examples in this user’s guide. The eFashion demo database contains retail data from a clothing chain. It tracks 211 products (663 product color variations), sold over 13 stores in the US, over three years. 30 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 31. Upgrading from earlier versions of BusinessObjects Upgrading from earlier versions of BusinessObjects This section concerns those users who are upgrading from an earlier version of BUSINESSOBJECTS to BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. Upgrading from BusinessObjects 5.0 Documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.0 are fully compatible with BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. Upgrading from BusinessObjects 4.1 You can open documents created using BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. However, 4.1 users cannot read documents created using BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. You will also not be able to apply templates created using version 4.1 to reports created using version 5.x and vice versa. Documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 are fully compatible with BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. However, BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 uses standard Microsoft fonts whereas BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 used fonts which are slightly different from standard Microsoft fonts. If you want documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 to retain the same look when you open them in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1, see “Viewing a document created in BusinessObjects 4.1” on page 188 for the options you need to set to do this. The SBL ReportScript programming language used in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 has been replaced by Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications. The scripts that you created using the ReportScript programming language can be automatically converted into Visual Basic macros by BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. See “Converting Scripts to Macros” on page 635 for information on how to do this. Upgrading from BusinessObjects 3.1 You cannot open documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 3.1 in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. If you want to open documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 3.1, you need to open and save them in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 and then open them in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1. What’s new in BusinessObjects 5.1? Although not a major release over BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.0, BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 has some important new features. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 31
- 32. Chapter 1 Introduction Save as PDF BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 allows you to save BUSINESSOBJECTS documents in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). All users need to view BUSINESSOBJECTS documents saved as PDF documents is the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. An industry standard for viewing and printing, PDF documents allow users to view and navigate through the different reports in a BUSINESSOBJECTS document and obtain high quality printed copies. Add hyperlinks to reports New to 5.1, you can add hyperlinks such as mail addresses and web site addresses to your reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS now automatically recognizes keywords for several different protocols including http to connect to web sites, electronic mail addresses, FTP and more. These hyperlinks are maintained when you save the report in HTML or PDF format. Zero Administration BusinessObjects An important new extension to BUSINESSOBJECTS functionality, you can deploy BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 using either the traditional client/server deployment or using a new three-tier web deployment. This new web deployment is called a zero-administration deployment of BUSINESSOBJECTS. In a zero-administration deployment of BUSINESSOBJECTS, only the BUSINESSOBJECTS client software is installed on the Windows PC; all middleware is stored and administered on the WEBINTELLIGENCE web server and the server- side processing is handled by the WEBINTELLIGENCE system This means zero- administration on the client computer yet still gives the client all the powerful query, reporting and analysis features of BUSINESSOBJECTS. A zero-administration deployment of BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to: • Install and automatically update the BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 client software from INFOVIEW via an Internet browser. • Connect to the BUSINESSOBJECTS repository using a web connection and use middleware installed on the server. • When connected to BUSINESSOBJECTS via a web connection, you can save documents either locally, or in personal storage space on the server. BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 can be installed in two ways: • from INFOVIEW via an Internet browser If you install BUSINESSOBJECTS using the web installer you can retrieve data from queries built on BUSINESSOBJECTS universes, from personal data files stored locally on your PC, and, optionally, using VBA procedures. • from the product CD 32 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 33. Upgrading from earlier versions of BusinessObjects If you install BUSINESSOBJECTS from the CD, you can also install optional middleware required to retrieve data using additional data providers such as stored procedures or OLAP servers. In a zero-administration deployment of BUSINESSOBJECTS, BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 can be started in two ways: • from INFOVIEW By setting BUSINESSOBJECTS as your document editor and viewer in the INFOVIEW options page, you can open BUSINESSOBJECTS directly from INFOVIEW either by clicking on a BUSINESSOBJECTS document in one of the document lists or by clicking the Create Document button on the navigation bar. • from the Windows start menu You have two ways of connecting to the BUSINESSOBJECTS repository. You can open BUSINESSOBJECTS from the Windows Start menu and connect to a repository via a web connection and use middleware installed on the web server. If you have installed BUSINESSOBJECTS and the appropriate middleware from the CD, you can also connect to a BUSINESSOBJECTS repository via a traditional client/server connection and retrieve data using stored procedures or OLAP servers (if this access has been set up in the company), connection types not available using a web connection. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 33
- 34. Chapter 1 Introduction 34 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 37. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 38 What data sources are available? 38 How do you access data sources? 38 Can all BusinessObjects users build data providers? 41 Who sets up database connections? 41 Can you combine data from different sources in one report? 42 ❑ Workflows For Accessing Data 43 Building a data provider when you create a new document 43 Building a query in an existing document 48 Editing data providers 50 Cancelling Data Providers 51 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 37
- 38. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects Overview This chapter is about accessing data, i.e., how to get data from your database to the reports that you create with BUSINESSOBJECTS. It introduces the different data sources that are available, and how, using BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can access these to get the information you need, when you need it. What data sources are available? BUSINESSOBJECTS let you access data from a wide range of sources. You can access data from • Relational databases (RDBMS), such as ORACLE, Microsoft SQL Server, Informix and IBM DB2. • Multidimensional (OLAP) databases, such as Microsoft OLAP Services, Hyperion Essbase, and ORACLE Express. • Text files and spreadsheets • Packaged applications such as SAP • Virtually any data source using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) procedures. How do you access data sources? BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you access your data through a graphical user interface. You need no technical knowledge of the underlying data structures to get the information you want. What you do need, however, is knowledge of your business. To access a data source with BUSINESSOBJECTS, you build a data provider. The types of data providers supported in BUSINESSOBJECTS depends on whether you install BUSINESSOBJECTS from the installation CD or install BUSINESSOBJECTS via an Internet browser. 38 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 39. Overview The types of data provider that BUSINESSOBJECTS supports are described in the table below: Data providers Description CD install Install via Internet browser Queries on A universe consists of classes Yes Yes universes and objects that represent the parts of a database that contain the data you need, in everyday language that is meaningful to you. In a query on a universe, you select the objects, such as Customer Name, Year, or Region. This is by far the most common type of data provider in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Stored You can only use stored Yes No procedures procedures if your supervisor or IS department has provided them, and if the RDBMS at your site supports them. A stored procedure is a SQL (Structured Query Language) script, saved and executable on your database. Free-hand SQL You can use free-hand SQL if Yes No you are familiar with SQL, which is the language used to interact with relational databases. In free-hand SQL, you open or write a SQL script, which you then run against the database. Personal data You can retrieve data from Yes Yes files Excel, dBASE and text files. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 39
- 40. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects Data providers Description CD install Install via Internet browser VBA procedures Procedures written in Microsoft Yes Yes Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) enable you to retrieve data from almost any data source. OLAP servers You can view the contents of an Yes No Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) server, and select the data you want to display in your report. OLAP servers are multidimensional databases that store summarized data, ready for business analysis. To use OLAP servers in BUSINESSOBJECTS, you must install the BUSINESSOBJECTS OLAP ACCESS PACK for the multidimensional database at your site. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports the following OLAP servers: • Microsoft OLAP Services • Hyperion Essbase • IBM DB2 OLAP Server • Informix MetaCube • Oracle Express SAP BUSINESSOBJECTS interfaces with Yes No SAP applications, enabling you to use data from SAP BW and SAP BAPI. Note: OLAP and SAP data providers are documented in dedicated guides that you receive when you purchase your OLAP or SAP Access Pack. The other types of data providers are documented in this guide. 40 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 41. Overview Can all BusinessObjects users build data providers? You can build data providers only if you have purchased the REPORTER module of BUSINESSOBJECTS. What’s more, the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor can restrict access to certain types of data providers, or even certain objects within a universe, for example. So, you may be able to build just queries on universes but no other type of data provider, and then be able to use only certain objects. The way the supervisor sets up access to data providers and other BUSINESSOBJECTS features depends entirely upon the query and reporting needs of your organization. Note: By default, all BUSINESSOBJECTS users can refresh data providers, to get the latest information from their database. Who sets up database connections? In order to access and retrieve data from a database, you need a database connection. For example, if your company or organization stores its corporate data in an Informix database, someone somewhere has to make BUSINESSOBJECTS “talk” to this data source. In 99% of cases, you, the BUSINESSOBJECTS end user, do not have to concern yourself with setting up database connections. Thus, BUSINESSOBJECTS lets business users get the information they need, when they need it, without any technical knowledge of what’s going on behind the scenes. This does not mean that power BUSINESSOBJECTS users cannot define their own database connections. For example, in free-hand SQL, you can define a connection, write a SQL script, then run the script against the connection you created. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 41
- 42. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects If you want to find out more about who sets up database connections for the different types of data providers that you can use, consult the following table. Data providers Who sets up the database connection? Queries on The universe designer sets up the connection in the universes universe, so the connection is completely hidden from you when you build or edit queries. Note: The supervisor may modify the existing connection or assign a new connection to the universe. Stored procedures The supervisor creates the connection to access the stored procedure. Free-hand SQL In free-hand SQL, you can create your own connection to the database. Once you have created the connection, you can make it available to other users. Personal data files When you access data in a personal data file, you select the file and in doing so, you “connect” to it. This is not a technical task, it’s just a question of selecting the right file. VBA procedures A VBA procedure runs a VBA macro which retrieves data for your BUSINESSOBJECTS report. The person who creates the macro defines the connection to the data source in the macro code. OLAP servers & SAP The database administrator at your site sets up the servers so that you can access them from BUSINESSOBJECTS. Can you combine data from different sources in one report? Absolutely. With BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can build powerful reports with data from corporate databases which you can access using queries on universes, free- hand SQL, etc., and data from your own spreadsheets, text files etc. For more information, refer to Chapter 6 "Combining Data From Different Sources" on page 147. 42 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 43. Workflows For Accessing Data Workflows For Accessing Data There are two basic workflows for building data providers to access your data in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can build a data provider • When you create a new document - and - • When you are working in an existing document. Also in an existing document, you can obtain a different set of results by editing a data provider. The following sections explain these different workflows. Building a data provider when you create a new document Building a data provider when you create a new document is a typical way of using BUSINESSOBJECTS. You create the document in order to see your business data - and to do that, you have to build a data provider to access data from a data source. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 43
- 44. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects To help you build a data provider when you create a new document, BUSINESSOBJECTS launches the New Report Wizard when you start the application for the first time: Tip: To run this wizard once you have launched BUSINESSOBJECTS, click the New Report Wizard button on the Standard toolbar. New Report Wizard 44 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 45. Workflows For Accessing Data To build a new data provider using the wizard: 1. Select an option for the report layout, then click Begin. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 45
- 46. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects 2. The next step depends on what you want to do: If you want to... Then... Build a query on a universe 1. Click Universe, then click Next. 2. Go to the next step. Use a stored procedure, free- 1. Click Others, then select an option hand SQL, a personal data from the list box. file or a VBA procedure 2. Click Finish. The dialog box that appears will allow you to build your data provider and retrieve the data for your report. If you chose to build a query on a universe in the previous step, the Select a Universe dialog box now appears: 3. Select the universe that you want to use, then click Finish. The Query Panel appears. In the Query Panel, you can view all the classes and objects in the universe you selected, and use these to build your query. For more information, refer to “The Query Panel” on page 59. Reminder: OLAP and SAP data providers are documented in dedicated guides that you receive when you purchase your OLAP or SAP Access Pack. 46 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 47. Workflows For Accessing Data Setting a default type of data provider for new documents Do you always use the same type of data provider when you create new documents? If so, you can set an option so that the type of data provider you always use will be preselected in the New Report Wizard. In other words, you will not have to select the type of data provider you want every time you create a document. Tip: If you always use queries on universes, you can also select the default universe to use. To set a default type of data provider: 1. Select the Options command on the Tools menu. In the Options dialog box that appears, click the New Document tab. 2. Click Invoke the New Report Wizard with the following settings: 3. In the Data Access group box, select the type of data provider you want to use. • The Use a Default Universe option lets you select the universe you want. • Use a Different Data Provider lets you select a data provider type from the drop-down list. 4. Click OK to close the dialog box. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 47
- 48. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects Building a query in an existing document You don’t have to create a new document every time you want to see new data in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can build data providers inside existing documents. This feature enables you not only to see more data that comes from the same source as the document’s initial query, but also to combine data from different sources in the same report. Here’s an example. Example How do the official figures compare with my personal targets? ........................................................... Your company’s sales information is stored in your corporate database, which you access by running a query on a universe in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You already have a BUSINESSOBJECTS document containing this information. You keep your quarterly targets in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and want to compare the corporate figures with your personal data. To do this, you: 1. Open the document containing the corporate data. 2. Select the New Data Provider command on the Data menu. 3. In the Wizard that appears, click Access new data in a different way: 48 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 49. Workflows For Accessing Data 4. In the next screen, click Personal data files: 5. Click Finish, and in the dialog box that appears, browse to the Excel file that contains your personal data: 6. Click Run. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes the data from the spreadsheet available in your report. For information on how to insert it in the report, refer to “Creating Tables” on page 220. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 49
- 50. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects To build a data provider inside an existing document 1. Select the New Data Provider command on the Data menu. 2. Follow the wizard to select the type of data provider you want. 3. Build then run the data provider. • BUSINESSOBJECTS retrieves the data, thereby making it available in the document. • For information on inserting the new data, refer to “Creating Tables” on page 220. Tip: If you want to see the new data as soon as BUSINESSOBJECTS has retrieved it, you should use the Table, Crosstab or Chart commands on the Insert menu. You then just have to follow the wizard to access the data you want. For more information, refer to “Guided Table Insertion” on page 228. Editing data providers Editing a data provider means changing its definition in order to bring new or different data to the document you are working on. It’s often quicker and easier to edit a data provider than to build a new one. Example I need more data ........................................................... You’re working in a document with sales figures by year, but you need some regional information to complete the picture. Rather than building a new query, and then having to manage multiple data providers in the same document, you can simply add result objects to the existing query. Here’s how to do it: 1. Select the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu. 2. In the Query Panel, add the objects you want (e.g., Region, City) to the Result Objects box. You can do this by double-clicking each object’s icon in the Classes and Objects list. 3. Click Run. BUSINESSOBJECTS returns the new data to the report, and, provided that your data is displayed in a table, the new columns automatically appear. ........................................................... 50 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 51. Workflows For Accessing Data Other ideas for editing a data provider include: • You want to restrict the volume of data returned by setting conditions or maximum number of rows. • You want the data to be sorted in a given order at the query level. To edit a data provider 1. Select the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu. 2. The next step depends on whether or not the document contains more than one data provider: If the document contains... Then... One data provider The editor (Query Panel, Access Personal Data dialog box, etc.) for the data provider appears. More than one data provider The List of Data Providers dialog box appears. Select the data provider you want to edit, then click OK. 3. Edit then run the data provider. BUSINESSOBJECTS returns the new data set to your report. Cancelling Data Providers Cancelling a data provider means interrupting the data provider while it is fetching data to create or refresh a report. You may want to do this because you want to change the data provider or because you have a query that is taking too long. 1. To cancel a data provider, press the Esc key. The Interrupted Execution dialog box appears on your screen. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 51
- 52. Chapter 2 Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects 2. Select which results you want to view in the report. If Then you want to view the results that select Continue the execution. will be created by the data provider you were running, you want to view the partial select Stop the execution and keep the results created by the data partial results. provider when you interrupted When you have partial results in a the execution, report, the following notification appears in the status bar: you want to discard the results select Discard the results. created by the data provider when you interrupted the execution, you want to view the results of select Keep the results of the previous the previous execution, execution. 3. Click OK. 52 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 53. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 54 What exactly is a universe? 54 Who is responsible for creating universes? 54 So what are queries on universes? 54 Demonstration materials 55 ❑ Building a Basic Query on a Universe 58 Displaying the Query Panel 58 Building a query in the Query Panel and running the query 61 Saving the definition of a query 64 ❑ Building a More Powerful Query 64 Defining scope of analysis 65 Applying conditions 68 Applying sorts 71 Setting options and running a query 72 ❑ Running a Query on a Different Universe 74 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 53
- 54. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Overview This chapter is about accessing data by using BUSINESSOBJECTS native technology: building queries on universes. What exactly is a universe? BUSINESSOBJECTS universes make it easy to access data, because they contain objects of data in business terms that are familiar to you. What’s more, you need no knowledge of the database structure, or of database technology, to be able to create powerful reports with data that is relevant to your work. Universes provide the business-intelligent, semantic layer that isolates you from the technical issues of the database. A universe maps to data in the database, in everyday terms that describe your business situation. Universes are made up of classes and objects. For example, the objects in a human resources universe would be Names, Addresses, Salaries, etc. Classes are logical groupings of objects. Each class has a meaningful name, such as Vacation (for objects pertaining to employees’ vacations). Each object maps to data in the database, and enables you to retrieve data for your reports. Who is responsible for creating universes? In your company or organization, universes are created by a universe designer, who works with a BUSINESSOBJECTS application called DESIGNER. The designer then makes universes available to you and other users at your site, so that you can access the data you want from the database. A demo universe that maps to a demo database, as well as some sample reports, are delivered with BUSINESSOBJECTS. A full description of these is provided in “Demonstration materials” below. So what are queries on universes? Queries enable you to retrieve data from a database, via a universe. You build a query to bring data to a report, either when you create the report or when you want to view new data. When you build a query, you select objects from a universe, then run the query. BUSINESSOBJECTS connects to the database, and retrieves the data mapped by the objects you selected. 54 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 55. Overview Demonstration materials Two demonstration databases, Island Resorts Marketing and eFashion, and their accompanying universes and reports are included in the BUSINESSOBJECTS package. They are installed with BUSINESSOBJECTS, and used in the examples in this guide and in the online help. Microsoft Access was used to create the databases. Island Resorts Marketing The universe, which accesses the data in the database, is called Island Resorts Marketing. It is designed for an imaginary tour operator that runs beach clubs in different resorts around the world. You use it to retrieve data on sales and reservations for resorts and customers, over time. The illustration on page 56 shows the universe’s classes and objects as they appear in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Because universes provide a business-intelligent semantic layer between you and the database, the names of the classes and objects in the demonstration universe are self-explanatory. For example, the Resort class contains objects that map to data on resorts: • The Resort object retrieves the names of the company’s resorts. • The Service object retrieves data for the types of services in each resort: accommodation, food and drinks, and recreation. • The Service Line object retrieves data for the types of service in each resort, e.g., family suite (for accommodation), restaurant (for food and drinks), etc. For more information on classes and the different types of objects you find in BUSINESSOBJECTS, refer to “Classes and sub-classes” and “Dimension objects, measure objects and detail objects” on page 57. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 55
- 56. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes A folder represents a class. Each icon within a class represents an object. The demonstration universe, Island Resorts Marketing Classes and sub-classes The demonstration universe contains five classes: Resort, Customer, Sales, Reservations and Measures. The purpose of classes is to provide logical groupings of objects. For example, the Customer class contains objects that you map to data on customers in the database. 56 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 57. Overview The Customer class contains a sub-class, which is entitled Sponsor. A sub-class is to a class what a sub-folder is to a folder. Dimension objects, measure objects and detail objects When creating universes, universe designers define and qualify objects. The qualification of an object reveals how it can be used in analysis in reports. An object can be qualified as a dimension, a detail, or a measure. Each type of object serves a different purpose: • Dimension objects retrieve the data that will provide the basis for analysis Dimension object in a report. Dimension objects typically retrieve character-type data (customer names, resort names, etc.), or dates (years, quarters, reservation dates, etc.) • A detail object is always associated to one dimension object, on which it Detail object provides additional information. For example, Address is a detail object that is associated to Customer. Address provides additional information on customers, i.e., their addresses. • Measure objects retrieve numeric data that is the result of calculations on Measure object data in the database. In the demo universe, Revenue is the calculation of number of items sold multiplied by item price. Measure objects are usually located in the Measures class. Measure objects are semantically dynamic: the values they return depend on the objects they are used with. For example, if you include Resort and Revenue in a query, revenue per resort is calculated. If you include Customer and Revenue, revenue per customer is calculated, and so on. eFashion The eFashion demo database contains retail data from a clothing chain. It tracks 211 products (663 product color variations), sold over 13 stores in the US, over three years. It contains approximately 90,000 rows of data. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 57
- 58. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Building a Basic Query on a Universe You can bring data to a report by building a query on a universe. You complete this task in the Query Panel, a graphical interface that enables you to build a query by dragging and dropping objects from the universe. The Query Panel is illustrated on page 59. There are three steps in building a basic query on a universe. Step Description Step 1 Display the Query Panel Step 2 Build the query in the Query Panel and run the query Step 3 Save the query definition Displaying the Query Panel How you display the Query Panel depends on whether you’re creating a new document or building a new query inside an existing document. You can use the following commands and toolbar buttons: If you want Then to create a new document, click the New Report Wizard button (Standard toolbar). New Report Wizard to edit a query or other type of from the Data menu, select Edit Data data provider in the current Provider. document, to create a new query or other from the Data menu, select New Data type of data provider in the Provider. current document, If you need more information, refer to “Workflows For Accessing Data” on page 43. The Query Panel, illustrated on page 59, displays the contents of your BUSINESSOBJECTS universe, and lets you select the data you want with simple mouse clicks. 58 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 59. Building a Basic Query on a Universe a g b c h d e i f j k a. Classes appear as folders. b. Objects appear as cubes (for dimensions), spheres (for measures) or pyramids (for details). c. This button displays the universe’s predefined conditions. d. This button, selected by default, displays the universe’s classes and objects. e. Information on the selected class or object appears here. f. This button enables you to set options before running the query, for example to specify a maximum number of rows. g. The Result Objects box displays the objects that are included in the query. h. The Conditions box displays conditions on the query. i. Save and Close lets you save the query you have defined without running it. You can run it later on by using the Refresh command. j. When you click View, the raw data retrieved by the query appears in the Data Manager. From the Data Manager, you can edit, accept or cancel the query. k. When you click Run, the query connects to the database and the data appears in the report. The Query Panel BusinessObjects User’s Guide 59
- 60. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Displaying the Query Panel You’ve launched BUSINESSOBJECTS for the first time and the New Report Wizard appears. You use the wizard to display the Query Panel for the Island Resorts Marketing universe. Here are the steps you take: 1. In the New Report Wizard, click Begin. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears, with the Universe option already selected. 2. Click Next. The Select a Universe dialog box appears. 3. Click Island Resorts Marketing: 60 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 61. Building a Basic Query on a Universe 4. Click Finish. The Query Panel appears with the classes of the Island Resorts Marketing universe displayed: Building a query in the Query Panel and running the query Building and running a query includes the following steps: Step Description Step 1 Display all the objects that you can include in a query Step 2 Include objects in a query Step 3 Remove objects from a query Step 4 Change the order of objects in a query Step 5 Run the query Steps 2, 3, and 4 are not completely sequential. For example, you can include objects in a query, remove some of them, and then include other objects. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 61
- 62. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Displaying the objects that you can include in a query In the Query Panel, the Classes and Objects box presents the classes, sub-classes and objects of the universe that you are using. Objects represent the data that you can retrieve via the universe. Classes are logical groupings of objects. Classes can also contain sub-classes, as folders can contain sub-folders. When the Query Panel appears, only the universe’s classes are visible. Click the + plus to the left of a class icon to view the class’s objects and sub-classes. Including objects in a query When you include an object in the query, you instruct BUSINESSOBJECTS to retrieve the data for that object from the database. For example, to display revenue by resort in your report, you include the Revenue and Resort objects in the query. You include an object in a query by placing it in the Result Objects box. There are three ways of doing this. You can: • Click an icon in the Classes and Objects list, and drag it to the Result Objects box. • Double-click an object in the Classes and Objects list. • Click a class folder and drag it to the Result Objects box. All the objects in the class appear in the Result Objects box. Once you have placed objects in the Result Objects box, you have built a basic query. Removing objects from a query If you decide you want to remove an object from the query you are building, click its icon in the Result Objects box. You can now remove the object by: • Dragging the icon to the Classes and Objects list. • Pressing the Delete key. • Clicking your right-mouse button, then selecting the Delete command on the pop-up menu that appears. Repeat to remove other objects from the query. Changing the order of the objects in a query The order in which the objects appear in the Result Objects box determines the order in which the data will appear in the report. To move an object, click its icon. You can now: • Drag the icon to the left or the right, then release the mouse button. 62 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 63. Building a Basic Query on a Universe Swap the icon with another object icon in the Result Objects box, by holding down the Shift key, dragging it until it is above the object you want to swap, then releasing your mouse button. Running the query Once you have built the query you want, you click Run to have the query retrieve the data from the database. Example Building a query in the Query Panel and running the query ........................................................... You have displayed the Query Panel for the Island Resorts Marketing universe and want to move objects from the Classes and Objects box to the Result Objects box to build your query. 1. Click the + sign next to the Resort class, the Sales class and the Measures class. Doing this reveals the objects in each class. 2. Double-click the objects you want. For example, to find out yearly revenue in each resort, double-click Resort, Year and, in the Measures class, Revenue. The Query Panel now looks like this: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 63
- 64. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes 3. Click Run. BUSINESSOBJECTS retrieves the data for Resort, Year and Revenue, and displays this in a new document: ........................................................... Saving the definition of a query You can build a query without having to run it right away. This feature lets you: • Save a query so that you can continue defining it at a later stage. • Save a query that you have finished defining, but that you do not want to run right away, for example because you know network traffic is heavy. 1. Build a query by moving objects into the Result Objects and Conditions boxes in the Query Panel. 2. Click Save and Close. The result objects from the query appear as column headings. You then refresh the query in order to view the data. Building a More Powerful Query You build a simple query by adding objects to the Query Panel. The procedures described in the following sections enable you to build a more powerful query by controlling the data that your queries retrieve. You can: • Define scope of analysis, which means that you retrieve data that you will later use for analysis in the report. • Limit the query results to data that satisfies conditions. • Sort data, for example alphabetically. • Retrieve a specified number of rows of data. 64 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 65. Building a More Powerful Query • Eliminate duplicate rows of data from the query result. Note: All the above tasks are easy to perform for non-technical end users. In Chapter 4 "Going Further with Queries on Universes" on page 75, you can find information on more powerful query building procedures that are designed for advanced users. For example, advanced users can create their own objects inside a universe. Defining scope of analysis Analysis means looking at data from different viewpoints and on different levels of detail. In reports, you can use scope of analysis to ensure that the data included in your report can be displayed at the appropriate level of detail for your analysis. Setting a scope of analysis allows you to work in drill mode, which enables you to display data in progressively greater detail. “Scope of analysis” means a subset of data, returned by a query, that you will use for analysis in your report. The data for your scope of analysis does not appear in the report until you decide that you want to use it in analysis. The scope of analysis you can define depends on hierarchies in the universe. A hierarchy, which the designer sets up when creating the universe, consists of dimension objects ranked from “less detailed” to “more detailed”. The objects that belong to hierarchies are the ones you can use to define scope of analysis. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 65
- 66. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes To view the hierarchies in the universe you are working with, click the Scope of Analysis button on the Query Panel toolbar. The Scope of Analysis dialog Scope of Analysis box appears: Click the + sign to HIerarchies are represented by folders. the left of the hierarchy’s folder to view the objects it contains. A check appears next to the objects that are included in the scope of analysis. Note: If a universe contains no hierarchies, its classes are used as hierarchies by default. To define default scope of analysis Once you include one object that belongs to a hierarchy in a query, you can define a default scope of analysis that includes other objects at other levels from the same hierarchy. Including more levels in your scope of analysis allows you to view lower levels of detail in your analysis. For example, the Resort object belongs to the Resort hierarchy. Once you include Resort in a query, you can automatically include Service Line and Service objects in your scope of analysis, as these objects also belong to the Resort hierarchy. 66 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 67. Building a More Powerful Query To use this feature, first insert an object from a hierarchy in the Result Objects box. Then, click the arrow on the Scope of Analysis list box on the Query Panel toolbar: This list enables you to include one, two or three objects from the hierarchy in your scope of analysis. For example, if you insert Resort in the Result Objects box, then click One Level Down, your scope of analysis contains the object below Resort (i.e., Service Line) in the Resort hierarchy. Click the option that corresponds to the number of objects you want to include in your scope of analysis. This option is now active in the Scope of Analysis list box. When you run the query, the report displays the data for the objects that you included in the Result Objects box of the Query Panel. The data for the objects in your scope of analysis is not displayed, but it is available for use in analysis. To define scope of analysis manually Instead of using the default method described in the previous section, you can manually select the dimension objects you want. To do this: 1. Click the Scope of Analysis button in the Query Panel toolbar. The Scope of Analysis dialog box appears. Scope of Analysis 2. Click inside the checkbox of each object you want to include in your scope of analysis. 3. Click OK to return to the Query Panel. In the Scope of Analysis list box on the Query Panel toolbar, “Custom Level” is shown, which indicates that you manually defined your scope of analysis. Tip: You can select all the objects in a hierarchy by clicking the hierarchy’s check box in the Scope of Analysis dialog box. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 67
- 68. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Applying conditions A condition is a way of limiting the data that a query returns. Here’s a simple example. Example Limiting query results by using a condition ........................................................... The Resort object retrieves five values: Australian Reef, Bahamas Beach, French Riviera, Hawaiian Club and Royal Caribbean. You can apply a condition on the Resort object to stipulate that you want to retrieve the data for only Bahamas Beach and Royal Caribbean of the resorts. ........................................................... In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can set three types of conditions on a query: Conditions Description Predefined When universe designers build universes, they can conditions create predefined conditions for you to use. For example, the Island Resort Marketing universe contains predefined conditions such as Year 98, which lets you obtain reservations for 1998 only. You can apply one or more predefined conditions when you build a query. However, you can neither delete predefined conditions from a universe, nor can you edit their definition. Simple conditions Enable you to limit data returned by a result object. For example, you can find out about certain customers by applying a simple condition on the Customer object, then selecting the customer names that appear in a dialog box. Complex Enable you to limit the query results by any object in the conditions universe. For more information on complex conditions, refer to “Applying Complex Conditions on Queries” on page 91. 68 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 69. Building a More Powerful Query To apply a predefined condition 1. Click the Predefined Conditions radio button, which is located below the Classes and Objects box in the Query Panel. Predefined Conditions The Predefined Conditions box replaces the Classes and Objects box. The predefined conditions in the Island Resorts Marketing universe are illustrated here: 2. Double-click the predefined condition you want to apply. The condition appears in the Conditions box. When you run the query, only the data corresponding to the predefined condition appears in the report. Tip: For information on using two or more conditions in the same query, refer to “Applying Groups of Conditions” on page 105. To remove a predefined condition Click the condition’s icon in the Conditions box, then press the Delete key. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 69
- 70. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes To apply your own simple condition Before you can apply a simple condition on an object, you must include the object in the query. Then: 1. Click the object’s icon in the Result Objects box. 2. Click the Simple Condition button on the toolbar. Simple Condition The list of values for the object is retrieved from the database, and appears in the List of Values dialog box: 3. Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard, click the values you want the object to retrieve, then click OK. The condition appears in the Conditions box. When you run the query, only the data corresponding to the value(s) you selected will appear in the report. To select different values for a simple condition Once you have applied a simple condition on an object in a query, you can modify it by selecting different values for the object to return. To do this: 1. In the Conditions box of the Query Panel, click the value(s) that appear(s) on the right-hand side of the condition. The Classes and Objects box becomes the Operands box. 2. Double-click the Show list of values operand. The object's list of values appears in the List of Values dialog box. 70 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 71. Building a More Powerful Query 3. If you want to select more values for the condition, hold down the Ctrl key and then, in the List of Values dialog box, click each value that you want the object to retrieve. 4. Click any selected values that you do not want the object to retrieve, and click OK. To delete a simple condition Click the condition in the Conditions box, then press the Delete key. Applying sorts Sorts control the order in which data appears: ascending or descending. For example, you can apply a sort on a measure object so that its data appears in ascending order, i.e., from lowest to highest values. The following table summarizes the order in which data appears: Text Numbers Dates Ascending order A-Z lowest to past to present highest Descending order Z-A highest to present to past lowest To apply a sort on an object 1. Click an object in the Result Objects box. Sort 2. Click the Sort button on the toolbar. A sort icon appears below the object icon in the Result Objects box. To remove a sort There are two ways of doing this: • Click the sort icon and press the Delete key. • Drag the sort icon from the object in the Result Objects box, to the Classes and Objects list, where you release your mouse button. In both cases, the sort icon disappears from the object in the Result Objects box. To invert a sort Double-click the sort icon below the object. The arrow in the sort icon appears the other way up, to indicate that you have inverted the sort. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 71
- 72. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Sorts and free-hand SQL If you apply a sort on a query and then use the SQL statement generated by the query to create a new report, the SQL statement will ignore the sort. You need to either adjust the order of the columns in the SQL statement to create the report you want or modify the order of the columns in the report itself. To define sort priority and apply transparent sorts When you apply more than one sort on a query, you may want to define sort priority. Also, you can apply transparent sorts, i.e., on objects that are not result objects, provided that the database at your site supports this feature. To define sort priority or apply transparent sorts, click the Manage Sorts button on the Query Panel toolbar. The Sorts dialog box appears. Manage Sorts To find out more about these tasks, click the Help button in the Sorts dialog box. Setting options and running a query Before running a query, you can set options that enable you to: • Specify the number of rows of data that you want the query to return. The Default Value option corresponds to the maximum number of rows that the universe designer specified for queries on the current universe, in the DESIGNER module. • Eliminate duplicate rows of data. This feature is useful if you think that the query will return many rows containing the same data. • Retrieve no data when you run the query. In this case, the query’s SQL is generated, but no connection to the database is made. The names of the objects included in the query appear as column headings in the report. This option is useful if you want to save the query you have built, but refresh it at an off-peak time. 72 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 73. Building a More Powerful Query To set options, then run a query: 1. Click Options in the Query Panel. The Query Options dialog box appears. 2. Click No Duplicate Rows if you want to eliminate duplicate rows of data from the query result. 3. To obtain a partial result, you can: • Click 10 rows or 20 rows. • Enter a number of rows in the Other field. You can use the arrows to raise or lower the value. 4. Click Do Not Retrieve Data if you do not want the query to connect to the database when you run it. When you refresh the query, this option will be automatically switched off, meaning that the query will connect to the database and the data will appear in the report. 5. Click OK to return to the Query Panel. Once you are satisfied with the query you have built, click Run. The query connects to the database, and retrieves the data you specified. The report that appears displays the data for the objects that you placed in the Result Objects box in the Query Panel. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 73
- 74. Chapter 3 Building Queries on Universes Running a Query on a Different Universe BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to run a query on one universe and then run the same query on a different universe. By doing this, you can test your query on a pilot universe before applying it to your real data. The following procedure describes how to run a query on a different universe after having run it on an initial universe. 1. Open the report containing the query. 2. From the Data menu, choose View Data. The Data Manager dialog box opens. 3. Choose the query you want to use in the Data Providers list, then click the Definition tab. 4. Click the button to the right of the current universe name. 5. In the dialog box that appears, select the universe you want to use, then click OK. 6. Click the Results tab, then Refresh. 7. Click OK to close the Data Manager. 74 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 75. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 77 ❑ Creating User Objects 78 Why create a user object? 78 What does a user object consist of? 78 What are the restrictions on user objects? 79 How can an end-user share user objects with other users? 79 Creating, editing and deleting user objects 79 Creating a time hierarchy for a user object 83 ❑ Customizing Lists of Values 84 How are lists of values created? 84 How can you customize lists of values in BusinessObjects? 84 A word about .LOV files 84 Editing lists of values 85 Assigning personal data to a list of values 86 Viewing, refreshing and purging lists of values 89 ❑ Applying Complex Conditions on Queries 91 Applying a complex condition on a query 93 Tips for applying complex conditions 96 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 75
- 76. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Editing complex conditions 98 Deleting complex conditions 98 Applying a condition with a calculation 98 Applying a condition with a subquery 101 ❑ Applying Groups of Conditions 105 Organizing groups of conditions 105 AND and OR 106 To apply groups of conditions 107 Deleting groups of conditions 108 ❑ Building Combined Queries 109 Building a combined query 109 Restrictions on combined queries 112 ❑ Using SQL From BusinessObjects Queries 114 76 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 77. Overview Overview This chapter describes how to benefit from the most powerful query features in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You learn how to • Create your own objects • Customize lists of values • Apply complex conditions • Work with multiple conditions • Combine the results of multiple queries into one data set • View, edit and reuse the SQL generated by BUSINESSOBJECTS queries. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 77
- 78. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Creating User Objects A universe consists primarily of classes and objects, created by the universe designer. If the objects in a universe do not meet your needs, you can customize the universe by creating your own objects, which are called user objects. User objects appear in the User Objects class in the universe. You include them in queries in the same way that you include regular objects. Moreover, you do not need to define a connection to a database to define a user object. Why create a user object? Based on one or more existing objects, user objects enable you to: • Make calculations at the database level. • Apply functions to text, for example to capitalize data. • Group data. Here’s an example of a user object. Example Obtaining total ordered revenue by creating a user object ........................................................... To obtain the revenue generated by an order, you create the Total user object with the following formula: =Quantity Ordered*Product Price where Quantity Ordered and Product Price are objects in your universe. When you include the Total user object in a query, the calculation is made at the database level and the calculated results appear in your report. ........................................................... What does a user object consist of? A user object has a name, a type (character, date or numeric), a qualification (dimension, measure or detail) and a formula. The formula contains a combination of functions, objects, user objects, operators, and text. User objects are end-user personal objects that are not shared with other end- users. User objects are defined for each universe and stored on a local file inside the “Universe” folder. For example, when creating a user object on top of a specific universe, say BEACH.UNIV, this user object will then be stored locally on a file called the BEACH.UDO (inside the Universe folder). 78 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 79. Creating User Objects What are the restrictions on user objects? You can work only with the user objects that you create yourself, and you cannot move user objects from the User Objects class. Also, user objects are available only in the universe in which they were created. User objects are not shared. Reports that include user objects can only be viewed by other end-users. This is because user objects are stored locally in a specific user object definition file. Other end-users, who do not have the same user object definition file are not able to access the user object definitions. If an end-user tries to refresh or edit a query that contains another user’s user objects, the user objects are automatically removed from the query and report. Despite these restrictions, the universe designer can turn user objects into regular objects, which can be made available in other universes, and for other users. Note: Scheduling reports containing user objects is not a supported feature. User objects are removed when the report is refreshed. For more information refer to the InfoView User’s Guide. How can an end-user share user objects with other users? If an end-user wants to share user objects with other users, they should ask the universe designer to include these user objects in the related universe in order to make them available to all BUSINESSOBJECTS end-users. The universe designer includes the file UNIVERSE_NAME.UDO in the universes where the user objects are to be used. Creating, editing and deleting user objects BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you create user objects in two different ways. If you want to Then create user objects that you can click the User Objects button on the Query use only in the universe that Panel toolbar. User Objects contains the current query, You cannot delete user objects this way. create, edit, or delete user use the Universes command on the Tools objects in any of the universes menu in the main application window. available to you, BusinessObjects User’s Guide 79
- 80. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes The following sections describe how to create, edit and delete user objects using the Universes command. To create a user object in any universe available to you 1. Select the Universes command on the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box appears. 2. Select the universe in which you want to create the user object, then click User Objects. The User Objects dialog box appears. 3. Click Add. The User Object dialog box appears: 4. In the Definition tab, type the name of the user object in the Name field. 5. In the Type list, select the type of the user object (Character, Number or Date). 6. In the Description field, type a help text on the object. The help text appears when you select the user object in the Query Panel. 7. In the Qualification box, click a radio button to qualify the user object as a dimension, a measure or a detail. 8. Click the Formula tab to write the formula for the user object. For information on how to write the formula, refer to “To write the formula of a user object” on page 81. 80 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 81. Creating User Objects 9. Click OK. The user object you have created appears in the User Objects dialog box. The next time you build or edit a query on the universe, the user object you have created will appear in the User Objects class. Reminder: You can create a user object by clicking the User Objects button on the Query Panel toolbar. However, using this method you can create user objects User Objects only in the universe you selected for the query you are working on. To write the formula of a user object 1. Display the User Object dialog box by following steps 1 to 3 under “To create a user object in any universe available to you” on page 80. 2. Click the Formula tab, then check Get Assistance on Functions: 3. Double-click the objects, functions and operators you want to use in the user object's formula. • When you double-click an object or an operator, it appears in the Formula box. The functions and operators you can select depend on the database at your site. • When you double-click a function, the Function[FunctionName] dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 81
- 82. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 4. In the Function[FunctionName] dialog box, type an argument in each field. • If the function's arguments include objects, user objects, functions or operators, you can double-click these in order to insert them in the function's formula. • The arguments appear in the Formula box. 5. If necessary, type text, numbers or dates in the formula. You must type quotes (") before and after text and numbers, but type a single quote (') before and after dates. 6. Click OK, then click Test to check the syntax of the formula. To edit a user object Editing a user object enables you to change the object’s name, qualification, and definition (formula). To edit a user object: 1. Click the Universes command on the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box appears. 2. Select the universe that contains the user object that you want to edit, then click User Objects. The User Object dialog box appears. 3. Select the user object you want to edit, then click Edit. 4. In the Definition tab of the User Objects editor, change the name, the type and/or the help text of the user object. 5. In the Qualification box, click a radio button to change the user object's qualification. 6. Click the Formula tab if you want to edit the user object's formula. 7. Click OK. To delete a user object 1. Click the Universes command on the Tools menu. 2. In the Universes dialog box, select the universe that contains the user object you want to delete, then click User Objects. 3. In the User Objects dialog box, select the user object you want to delete, then click Delete. 82 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 83. Creating User Objects Creating a time hierarchy for a user object When one of your user objects is a date-type dimension, you can create a time hierarchy for the object. 1. In the User Object dialog box, make certain that the object is a date-type dimension. 2. Click Automatic Time Hierarchy. The Automatic Time Hierarchy dialog box appears. 3. In the Automatic Time Hierarchy dialog box, click Year, Quarter, and/or Month. When you click Year, Quarter, and/or Month, you create a new user object that will appear below the initial user object in the hierarchy. 4. If you want, enter a name and help text for each new user object in the Name box and Description box, respectively, then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 83
- 84. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Customizing Lists of Values A list of values presents the values returned by an object. BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you use lists of values in order to select the value(s) you need when defining conditions on objects in a query, or when running a query that contains a prompt. How are lists of values created? In DESIGNER, the universe designer decides whether or not to associate a list of values to an object. Once associated to an object, the list of values can be viewed or edited in DESIGNER, or in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The first time you view a list of values for an object, BUSINESSOBJECTS runs a query and retrieves the object's values from the database. In other words, a list of values is by default equivalent to a query containing one object. How can you customize lists of values in BusinessObjects? BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you customize lists of values in the following ways: • By editing the list’s corresponding query. For example, you can limit the data returned by the list of values by applying a condition. • By assigning data from personal data files to lists of values. This feature is especially useful if you always use the same values, e.g., city names, when applying conditions. You can view only the values you need without having to connect to your remote database. For more information, refer to “Assigning personal data to a list of values” on page 86. Tip: You can also define lists of values in free-hand SQL scripts. For more information refer to “Creating a prompt with a list of values for a free-hand SQL script” on page 131. A word about .LOV files When you use or view a list of values on an object for the first time, BUSINESSOBJECTS creates a .lov file which contains the query definition and the values it returns. By default, .lov files are located in sub-folders inside the UserDocs folder. 84 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 85. Customizing Lists of Values Editing lists of values In DESIGNER, the universe designer decides whether or not a list of values can be edited in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Therefore, you can only edit a list of values if the designer has granted you the right to do so. Because a list of values is first and foremost a query, you edit the list of values by editing its corresponding query in the Query Panel. You can edit the query by: • Applying conditions to restrict the values returned. • Applying sorts to make the values appear in a specific order. • Building a combined query. • Including additional objects in the query. Here’s an example of how you can benefit from this feature. Example Showing family names and first names in a list of customers ........................................................... The Customer object has a list of values that you want to use in a query condition. The goal is to let users select the customers they’re interested in when they run the query. However, some of your customers have the same family name. To let users see exactly which customers they’re selecting, you edit the Customer list of values by adding the First Name object. The list of values now returns both family and first names; these will appear when users are prompted to select values from the list. ........................................................... To edit a list of values: 1. Select the Universes command on the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 85
- 86. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 2. Click the universe that contains the list of values you want to edit, then click Lists of Values. The List of Values dialog box appears: 3. Open a class by clicking its + sign, click the object whose list of values you want to edit, then click Edit. The Query Panel appears. 4. Edit the query, then click Run. BUSINESSOBJECTS populates the list of values according to the new definition of the query. 5. To view the changes in the list of values, click Display, then click OK. 6. Click OK to close the dialog box. You can now use the edited list of values in a query condition. Assigning personal data to a list of values If you always use one of a small number of values when applying conditions, you can limit your choices by assigning personal data to an object's list of values. Assigning personal data to the list of values decreases the time required for the query because it is quicker to retrieve values from a list than it is to query the database. 86 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 87. Customizing Lists of Values The following example describes how a list of values can return a limited set of values from a text file, rather than a complete set of values from the corporate database. Example Assigning personal data from a text file to a list of values ........................................................... The database you access contains data on all major cities in the USA. As a regional sales manager, you only ever need to view the results for three cities: New York City, Albany and Buffalo. To save time and to focus on the data you need, you create a text file containing the names of the three cities. Next, you assign the text file to the City object's list of values. The next time you want to select a value when applying a condition on the City object, you only view the three city names, rather than the names of all the cities in the database. Also, no connection to the database is made when you view the list of values, so you save time and cut down on network traffic. ........................................................... What kinds of data can you use? The personal data you assign to a list of values must be stored in a file that you can access from your computer. The file types you can use are: • Text • Microsoft Excel (including version 97) • dBASE. What kinds of delimiters can you use to separate the data? The data in the file must be separated by any of the following: • Tabulation • Space • Character To assign personal data to a list of values 1. Select the Universes command on the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box appears. 2. Click the universe that contains the list of values you want to edit, then click Lists of Values. The List of Values dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 87
- 88. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 3. Click the + sign to the left of the class containing the object you want, then click the object. 4. If Personal Data is not already active, click this option now. The following message box appears: 5. Click OK. The message box closes and the Access Personal Data dialog box appears: 6. Click Browse to locate the file that contains the list of values you want to use, select the appropriate delimiter, then click Run. • The Access Personal Data dialog box closes. • The list of values now points to the file you selected, not to the database. 7. To view the new list of values, click Display, then click OK. 8. Click OK to close the List of Values dialog box. 88 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 89. Customizing Lists of Values Viewing, refreshing and purging lists of values BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you view, refresh and purge lists of values at any time. To do so: 1. Select the Universes command on the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box appears. 2. Select the universe that contains the list of values you want, then click Lists of Values. The Lists of Values dialog box appears. 3. Open a class by clicking its + sign, then select the object whose list of values you want to view, refresh or purge. 4. Click the button you want: Button Action Display BUSINESSOBJECTS displays the values in the List of Values of Object Name dialog box. To view the list in table or hierarchy format, click Tabular View or Hierarchical View respectively. These options are useful if the list of values contains more than one object, i.e., it combines two or more columns of values: • In Tabular View, the columns appear next to each other. • In Hierarchical View, the values from the first column appear as a folder. The folder contains the values of the second column. If there is a third column, the second column appears as a folder that contains these, and so on. Refresh BUSINESSOBJECTS runs the query for the list of values, and a refreshed list appears. Purge BUSINESSOBJECTS empties the .lov file corresponding to the list of values. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 89
- 90. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 5. Click OK to close the dialog box. Tip: You can populate a purged list of values by clicking Refresh. 90 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 91. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries Applying Complex Conditions on Queries You can limit the data that queries return by applying conditions. You apply complex conditions by combining an object with an operator (e.g., greater than), and an operand (e.g., values that you type, or another object). In addition to complex conditions, you can use predefined conditions and simple conditions. Here are some guidelines for choosing among the three types of conditions: If you want Then use to use conditions defined by the predefined conditions. universe designer using DESIGNER that you can apply to a query, but that you cannot edit or delete from a universe, to use conditions that you apply by simple conditions. selecting values from an object list of values and that let you limit the data returned only by result objects, to use conditions that let you choose complex conditions. the exact operator and operand on any object in the universe, To illustrate how you can benefit from complex conditions, here’s an example. Example Which customers made reservations for 1997 and 1998? ........................................................... You want to market new products to customers who made reservations for 1997 and 1998. All you need is that list of names - and you obtain it by applying a complex condition on Reservation Year, without using Reservation Year as a result object in the query. Here’s how to do it: 1. Insert the Customer object in a query on the Island Resorts Marketing universe. 2. Drag the Reservation Year object to the Conditions box. The Classes and Objects list turns into the Operators list. 3. Double-click the Greater than operator. The Operators list turns into the Operands list. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 91
- 92. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 4. Double-click the Show list of values operand. The List of Values of Reservation Year dialog box appears. 5. Click FY96 (you only want 97 and 98), then click OK. The Query Panel now looks like this: 6. Click Run. The list of customers appears in the report. ........................................................... 92 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 93. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries Applying a complex condition on a query Applying a complex condition requires three steps. First, you select the object you want, then the operator (e.g., greater than), then the operand (e.g., values that you type, or another object). The following procedure explains how to do it, and gives information to help you choose the operator and operand you need: 1. In the Query Panel, drag the object you want to use from the Classes and Objects list to the Conditions box. The Classes and Objects list turns into the Operators list: The following table helps you to select the operator you need: To obtain data that... For example... Double-click... Is equal to one given value A particular Year Equal to Is different from one given Countries not including Different from value France Is greater than a given Revenue over $100,000 Greater than value Is greater than or equal to Customers who are 60 or Greater than or a given value over equal to BusinessObjects User’s Guide 93
- 94. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes To obtain data that... For example... Double-click... Is lower than a given Revenue under $100,000 Less than value Is lower than or equal to a Customers who are 60 or Less than or equal given value under to Falls between two given Weeks between 25 and 36 Between values Falls outside two given All the weeks of the year Not between values excluding weeks 25 to 36 Is the same as any of a list Revenues from only two In list of values resorts Is different from given Non-European customers Not in list values Contains empty rows Customers who have not Is null paid (i.e., without invoice dates) Does not contain empty Customers who have paid Is not null rows (i.e., their invoice dates are in the database) All contains the same Customers whose names Matches pattern letter or letters begin with the letters S Does not contain a given Customers whose names Different from letter or pattern of letters do not begin with S pattern Satisfies two conditions Customers who settled an Both on one object invoice in June and in July Excludes a given value Customers who stayed at Except resorts other than French Riviera 94 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 95. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries 2. Double-click the operator you want to use. The Operators list turns into the Operands list: The operands in the list depend on the operator you selected. 3. Double-click the operand you want. The following table helps you select the operand you need and tells you what to do next: If you want to compare the Double-click... Then... condition object with... Values that you type Type a new Type the values with a constant separator (comma, semi- colon, etc.) between each one. The separator to use is defined in the Windows Control Panel (Regional Settings). Values that you select Show list of 1. Hold down the Ctrl key. from the object’s list of values values 2. Click the value(s) you want, then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 95
- 96. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes If you want to compare the Double-click... Then... condition object with... Values that you will select Type a new 1. Type your question. when you run the query prompt 2. Press the Enter key. - or - Show list of Select a prompt from the prompts dialog box that appears. Another object (which can Select an object Double-click the object in the be a user object) Classes and Objects box. Any value returned by Create a Build a query in the new another query subquery (ANY) query tab that appears. For more information, refer All values returned by Create a to “Applying a condition another query subquery (ALL) with a subquery” on page 101. The result of a calculation Calculation Follow the screens of the (sum, minimum, wizard that appears. maximum, average or For more information, refer count) to “Applying a condition with a calculation” on page 98. Tips for applying complex conditions This section provides some tips on getting the most out of BUSINESSOBJECTS complex conditions. Using wildcard characters Conditions with the Match pattern and Different from pattern operators are great for finding lists of similar values, such as customer names beginning with S. 96 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 97. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries Wildcards are special characters that can denote any single character, or any number of characters. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports the standard wildcard characters, which are: Wildcard Description % Replaces several characters, or in the response to a prompt. For example, N% returns all values beginning with an N (New York, Nevada, etc.) _ Replaces a single character in a constant. For example, GR_VE returns Grave, Grove, Greve, etc. Using In list The In list operator lets you select multiple values for a document. These multiple values can be a condition on a query that you want to build or can be the basis for an interactive document in which other users are prompted to select values from the list you created to view data limited to their needs. You type your list of values in the text field of the Enter or Select Values dialog box or if you click Values in this dialog box you can select them from a list. When you type values, separate each value with a semi-colon (;). The maximum number of values allowed in a list is 256. Using Different from, Not in list and Except Different from, Not in list and Except are all operators that exclude certain data from your query results. For example, you could use this condition to obtain a list of customers who have not stayed at Bahamas Beach. However, when you use Different from or Not in list, you might still get the values you don’t want. The condition illustrated above would not exclude customers who had stayed at Bahamas Beach if these customers had also stayed at other resorts. However, if you used Except, the query would exclude all Bahamas Beach customers, whether they had stayed at other resorts or not. Note also that: • You can only specify one value with Different from, but multiple values with Not in list. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 97
- 98. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes • You can only specify one value with Except. However, you can build combined queries using MINUS to exclude, for example, Bahamas Beach customers and 1996 customers. For more information, refer to “Building Combined Queries” on page 109. Editing complex conditions You can edit a complex condition by changing its object, operator and/or operand. Here’s how to do it: 1. In the Conditions box of the Query Panel, click the part of the condition that you want to change. 2. Depending on the element you clicked, select a different element in either the Classes and Objects list, or the Operators list, or the Operands list. Note: If you use a different operator, you may also have to use a different operand. Deleting complex conditions 1. Right-click the condition’s icon in the Conditions box. 2. Select the Delete command on the pop-up menu: Applying a condition with a calculation BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you limit query results with calculations in complex conditions. This type of condition is useful in answering questions such as “Which products generated above average revenue?” at the query level. You apply a condition with a calculation by using the Calculation operand. BUSINESSOBJECTS then displays a wizard which guides you through the steps required to make the calculation. 98 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 99. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries To apply a condition with a calculation Use the following procedure to apply a condition with a calculation. There’s an example on page 100. 1. In the Query Panel, move an object to the Conditions box. The Classes and Objects box becomes the Operators box. 2. Double-click Equal to. The Operators box becomes the Operands box. 3. Double-click Calculation. The Complex Calculation wizard appears. The first screen asks you to select a calculation object. 4. Open the folder containing the object, click on the object, then click Begin. The next screen asks you to select a function to apply on the object. 5. Select the function from the list, then click Next. The next screen asks you to define the level of calculation. 6. Select a level of calculation. If Then you want to obtain a single result click Globally, then click Next. row, you want to obtain several result click By one or more objects, select rows, the objects from the list, then click Next. The next screen asks you to choose between making an independent calculation and comparing the result of the calculation with the values of one or more objects. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 99
- 100. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 7. Select how you want to synchronize your calculation. If Then you want to make a calculation click Independently of your objects, independently of your objects, then click Next. you want to make a calculation for click For each value of one or more each value of one or more of your objects, select the objects from the objects, which allows you to limit list, then click Next. the calculation to particular objects, The next screen asks you to set the number of values to compare. 8. Select whether you want to compare the object with at least one value or with all values. If Then you want to compare the object with click At least one value, then click at least one value, which allows you Finish. to limit the values compared with the object, you want to compare the object with click All values, then click Finish. all values, The Query Panel reappears with the query defined with a condition on a calculation. 9. Click Run. Example When did each customer last pay for a product? ........................................................... You want to find out the date of each customer’s last invoice so that you can contact those customers who have not been buying your products. To obtain this data, you need to apply a complex condition with a calculation. The calculation compares the invoice dates for each customer, then returns only the last date. Here’s how to do it: 1. Insert the Customer and Invoice Date objects in a query on the Island Resorts Marketing universe. 2. Drag the Invoice Date object to the Conditions box. 3. Double-click the Equal to operator. 100 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 101. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries 4. Double-click the Calculation operand. The Complex Condition Wizard appears: 5. Open the Sales class, click the Invoice Date object, then click Begin. 6. Click Maximum (you want the last invoice date), then click Next. 7. In the next dialog box, click Globally, then click Next. 8. In the next dialog box, click For the value of one or more objects, then Customer. This option forces the calculation to return the last invoice date per customer. 9. Click Next, click Next again, then, in the Query Panel, click Run. One invoice date per customer appears in the report. ........................................................... Applying a condition with a subquery A subquery is a query within a query. It returns a single column of data which is compared with the data retrieved by the main query. You use subqueries for situations such as finding a single individual in a list of individuals who meet the conditions of the query. For example, of all customers who made reservations, what is the name and address of the customer who made the first reservation? BusinessObjects User’s Guide 101
- 102. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Complex conditions on queries consist of three elements: an object, an operator and an operand. Conditions that include the Create a subquery (ALL) operand, or the Create a subquery (ANY) operand, generate a subquery. The operator (e.g., greater than, less than etc.) you include in the condition determines whether the data returned by the subquery is, for example, excluded from the main query result. The operands that generate a subquery are described here: This Compares... And answers questions such as... operand... Create a All the values returned by Which customers have not subquery the subquery with the values bought my latest product? (ALL) returned by the main query Create a Any values returned by the Which products generated subquery subquery with the values above average revenue? (ANY) returned by the main query To apply a condition with a subquery Here’s how to apply a condition with a subquery. An example follows on page 100. 1. In the Query Panel, drag an object from the Classes and Objects box and drop it in the Conditions box. 2. Double-click the operator you want to use. • Some operators (e.g., Both, Between, Match pattern) cannot be used with subqueries. • For information on which operator to choose, refer to the table on page 93. 3. Double-click the Create a subquery (ALL) operand or the Create a subquery (ANY) operand. A tab is created for the subquery (Subquery 1.1). 4. In the Subquery 1.1 tab, insert an object in the Result Objects box. Note that you can only include one result object in the subquery. 5. If necessary, apply a condition on the subquery. 6. Click Run. 102 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 103. Applying Complex Conditions on Queries Note: The subquery's tab always appears to the right of the main query. A number appears in the tab, (Subquery n.n). The number is automatically incremented to show you the relationship between a query and its subquery or subqueries. Example Which customer made the earliest reservation? ........................................................... You want to offer a bottle of champagne to the customer who made the earliest reservation. To obtain the name and address of this customer: 1. Insert the Customer object and the Address object in a query on the Island Resorts Marketing universe. 2. Drag the Reservation Date object to the Conditions box. 3. Double-click the Less than or equal to operator. 4. Double-click the Create a subquery (ALL) operand. The Subquery 1.1 tab now appears in the Query Panel. 5. In the Subquery 1.1 tab, insert the Reservation Date object in the Result Objects box. The Query Panel now looks like this: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 103
- 104. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 6. Click Run. The name and address of the customer who made the earliest reservation appears in the report: ........................................................... Deleting a subquery A subquery is generated by a condition containing the Create a subquery (ALL) operand or the Create a subquery (ANY) operand. Therefore, you delete a subquery by deleting the condition in the main query. To delete the condition: 1. Right-click the condition’s icon in the Conditions box. 2. Select the Delete command on the popup menu that appears: 104 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 105. Applying Groups of Conditions Applying Groups of Conditions You use conditions to limit the data retrieved by queries. A group of conditions consists of two or more conditions (predefined, simple or complex) applied on the same query. You use groups of conditions when a single condition does not enable you to obtain the data that you need. Organizing groups of conditions A group of conditions consists of two or more conditions applied on the same query. In the Conditions box in the Query Panel, conditions are linked by an operator (AND or OR). In a group that contains only two conditions, you double-click the operator to change it from AND to OR, or vice versa. When you double-click the operator in a group that contains at least three conditions, you create an indentation in the group, as illustrated here: In groups that contain three or more conditions, you can also: • Create indentations without replacing the operator, by dragging the operator horizontally. • Move conditions within the group. • Delete a condition from a group. The following table explains how to organize groups of conditions in different ways: To... Do this... Change a group's operator from AND • Double-click the AND or OR to OR and vice versa operator. Indent or outdent conditions within a 1. Click the AND or OR operator group of conditions with your right-mouse button. 2. On the pop-up menu that appears, click Shift right or Shift left. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 105
- 106. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes To... Do this... Move a condition from one group to 1. Click the condition and hold another down your mouse button. 2. Drag the condition to another group of conditions, then release your mouse button. AND and OR In the Conditions box in the Query Panel, multiple conditions are automatically linked by an operator: • AND specifies a result that is true for both conditions. For example, the following group of predefined conditions on a query containing the Customer object specifies customers who stayed at Bahamas Beach in 1995: • OR specifies a result that is true for either the first or the second condition. For example, the following group of predefined conditions on a query containing the Customer object specifies any customers from 1995 and any customers who stayed at Bahamas Beach: You can replace AND with OR, and vice versa, by double-clicking it. When you apply three or more conditions on a query, double-clicking the operator creates an indentation in the group of conditions. Tip: Avoid groups of conditions such as Year Equal to 1994 AND Year Equal to 1995. This example would return no data, because Year cannot be equal to two different values in SQL. To obtain, for example, the list of customers from both 1994 and 1995, you would have to build a combined query using the INTERSECT operator. For information on combined queries and how to build them, refer to “Building Combined Queries” on page 109. 106 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 107. Applying Groups of Conditions To apply groups of conditions 1. In the Query Panel, apply a condition (predefined, simple or complex). 2. Apply a second condition. The conditions are automatically linked by the AND operator. 3. Apply more conditions if necessary. Example Which customers bought a given product in a given timeframe? ........................................................... You need the list of customers who stayed at the Bahamas Beach resort in 1994 or 1995. This requires two conditions: Resort=Bahamas Beach and Year Inlist 1994,1995. Here’s how to do it: 1. Include the Customer object in a query on the Island Resorts Marketing universe. 2. Click the Predefined Conditions radio button below the Classes and Objects box. Predefined The list of predefined conditions in the universe appears. Conditions 3. Click the + sign to the left of the Resort class, and double-click Bahamas resort. 4. Click the + sign to the left of the Sales class, then double-click Year 1994. 5. Double-click Year 1995. The conditions are linked by an AND operator. 6. Double-click the AND that links Year 94 with Year 95. AND changes to OR, and the group of conditions is indented, as illustrated here: 7. Click Run. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 107
- 108. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Deleting groups of conditions 1. Click the operator (AND or OR) that links the group of conditions that you want to delete. 2. Click your right-mouse button. 3. On the pop-up menu that appears, click Delete. 108 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 109. Building Combined Queries Building Combined Queries BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you combine the data returned by up to eight queries as one set of results. These combined queries enable you to: • Obtain a single column of data from multiple objects. • Obtain data common to two sets of results, such as customers from a given region and a given age group. • Exclude the results of one query from the results of another. Note: Building combined queries allows you to combine or exclude data from the query result by using operators to combine the results of multiple queries. You can contrast this with using the In list and Not in list operators when you apply a complex condition on a query. The In list and Not in list operators include or exclude data from a query result based on a list of values that you enter. Building a combined query Here’s how to build a combined query: 1. In the Query Panel, build a query. 2. Click the Combine Queries button on the Query Panel toolbar. • The existing query appears in the Query 1 tab. Combine Queries BusinessObjects User’s Guide 109
- 110. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes • A second tab, Query 2, also appears and is now active: 110 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 111. Building Combined Queries 3. If you want to use a different operator, click the Query 2 tab with your right- mouse button, then click the operator you want on the pop-up menu that appears: The following table describes which operator to use for the result you want. Use... To... UNION Combine the data from two objects in a single column in the report. UNION is especially useful for working with incompatible objects. For example, you need to find out the dates on which your customers made reservations or paid their invoices. This query requires two incompatible objects: Invoice Date and Reservation Date. If you include these objects in a regular query, BUSINESSOBJECTS returns two blocks of data. By building a combined query with UNION, with Invoice Date in one tab and Reservation Date in the other, the data appears in one column in the report. UNION is the default operator. The symbol for the UNION operator is shown here: INTERSECT Obtain data common to two sets of results, such as customers from a given region and a given age group. The example, “Which customers bought a given product in a given timeframe?” on page 107, illustrates the use of INTERSECT. The symbol for the INTERSECT operator is shown here: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 111
- 112. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Use... To... MINUS Exclude the results of one query from the main query result. For example, you can use MINUS to find out which customers bought product A but not product B. You cannot obtain this data with a condition such as Product different from B, because the condition would include customers who bought A and B. The symbol for the MINUS operator is shown here: 4. Build the rest of the query in the Query 2 tab. 5. If necessary, repeat the above steps to include more queries. You can include up to eight queries in a combined query. 6. Click Run. The data from the combined query appears in the report. Tip: You can delete one of the queries you have combined by clicking its tab with your right-mouse button, then by clicking the Delete command on the pop-up menu that appears. Restrictions on combined queries It’s worth knowing that: • Queries that you combine must contain the same number of objects in order to return the same number of columns of data. • When you build a combined query to return data from more than one object in one column, i.e., using the UNION operator, you must use objects of the same type (character, date or number). • You can include up to eight queries in a combined query. 112 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 113. Building Combined Queries To illustrate how you can benefit from combined queries, the following example explains how to obtain data common to two sets of results. Example Which customers bought products in both 1994 and 1995? ........................................................... Finding customers who match two criteria is a common business goal. You cannot obtain the list of paying customers from two years by • Applying a complex condition with the In list operator; in this case, you would obtain customers from either 1994 or 1995, or possibly both. • Two conditions (Year equal to 1994 and Year equal to 1995) because in SQL, Equal to can only be used for one value. The trick is to build a combined query which returns the intersection of customers from 1994 and 1995. Here’s how to do it: 1. Include the Customer object in a query on the Island Resorts Marketing universe. 2. Drag the Year object to the Conditions box. 3. Double-click Equal to, then Type a new constant, then type 1994. 4. Press Enter, then click the Combine Queries button on the Query Panel toolbar. • The existing query appears in the Query 1 tab. Combine Queries • A second tab, Query 2, also appears and is now active. • Customer is already a result object in Query 2. 5. In the Query 2 tab, drag the Year object to the Conditions box. 6. Double-click Equal to, then Type a new constant, then type 1995. 7. Press Enter, then click the Query 2 tab with your right-mouse button. The operators you can use to combine the queries appear on a pop-up menu: 8. Click Intersect. The INTERSECT symbol appears on the Query 2 tab as shown here: 9. Click Run. A list of customers who bought products in both years appears in the report. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 113
- 114. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes Using SQL From BusinessObjects Queries When you build a query in the Query Panel, BUSINESSOBJECTS writes the query’s corresponding Structured Query Language (SQL) script. If you know SQL and want to find out how BUSINESSOBJECTS resolves a query, you can view the SQL script. You can also reuse the SQL that BUSINESSOBJECTS generates by saving it to a file. And because BUSINESSOBJECTS also lets you edit your queries’ SQL scripts, you can build complex queries in the Query Panel, change the SQL to suit your needs, then save the script. You can then run the saved script using another application. BUSINESSOBJECTS does the hard work for you! To view, edit or save a query's SQL script: 1. Click the View SQL button on the Query Panel toolbar. The query's SQL script appears in the SQL Viewer dialog box: View SQL Note: BUSINESSOBJECTS may have created a complex SQL script to resolve the query, for example if the query contains incompatible objects or certain types of conditions. Such SQL scripts can be split into several SELECT statements, which BUSINESSOBJECTS indicates as folders in the left pane of the SQL Viewer dialog box. 2. To edit the script, click inside it and type the changes you want. 3. Click Regenerate to go back to the SQL of the original query. Regenerate 114 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 115. Using SQL From BusinessObjects Queries 4. Check Do Not Generate SQL before running if you want to keep the changes you have made. • This option automatically parses the script when you click OK. • If you do not click this option, any SQL changes you have made will be lost when you click OK. 5. Click Save to save the edited script to a file. Save 6. Click OK to return to the Query Panel. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 115
- 116. Chapter 4 Going Further with Queries on Universes 116 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 117. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 119 Setting up hierarchies for drill mode 119 ❑ Using Stored Procedures 121 What are stored procedures? 121 How can you use stored procedures in BusinessObjects? 121 Restrictions on stored procedures 121 Using a stored procedure to bring data to a report 122 Changing a stored procedure's parameters 125 ❑ Using Free-Hand SQL 126 Creating a report using free-hand SQL 126 Editing a free-hand SQL script 128 Creating or editing a connection for free-hand SQL 129 Customizing free-hand SQL scripts 131 ❑ Using Personal Data Files 135 What are the benefits of using personal data files? 135 Creating a report using a personal data file 135 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 117
- 118. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers ❑ Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures 140 Creating a report using a VBA data provider 140 118 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 119. Overview Overview This chapter explains how to bring data to your BUSINESSOBJECTS reports by using stored procedures, free-hand SQL, personal data files and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) procedures. Note: Using BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can also access data in OLAP databases and SAP applications. Information on how to work with these is not covered in this guide. OLAP and SAP data providers are documented in dedicated guides that you receive when you purchase your OLAP or SAP Access Pack. Setting up hierarchies for drill mode Drill mode enables you to analyze data on different levels of detail. You perform analysis by navigating up, down and across hierarchies of data in a report. You drill down on the data to examine the details of more consolidated data. You drill up on data to examine totals for the underlying data. Your ability to drill on data requires that the data be organized into hierarchies. You can have BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically build hierarchies from the dimensions returned by stored procedures, free-hand SQL, personal data files and VBA procedures. Note: You can only work in drill mode if you have installed the EXPLORER option with BUSINESSOBJECTS. When you use queries on universes to retrieve data for your reports, you can build hierarchies with the Scope of Analysis feature. You can also build hierarchies when you use stored procedures, free-hand SQL, personal data files and VBA procedures. Each of these data providers lets you use the Build Hierarchies and Start in Drill Mode option. You learn how to use this option in the following sections. Some points worth knowing about the hierarchies BUSINESSOBJECTS builds from stored procedures, free-hand SQL, personal data files and VBA procedures: • You can edit the hierarchies and build new ones inside the report. You can even change the qualification of the data returned, for example to change a detail object into a dimension so that you can include it in your hierarchy. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 119
- 120. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers • BUSINESSOBJECTS can automatically create hierarchies if the dimensions returned have a logical structure (Year, Quarter, Month, for example). • The name given to a hierarchy is also the name of the first dimension it contains. 120 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 121. Using Stored Procedures Using Stored Procedures This section introduces stored procedures, and explains how to use them to bring data to your BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. What are stored procedures? Stored procedures are sets of SQL statements that are saved as executable files in a database. The database administrator is often the person who creates stored procedures at your site, but all database users who know SQL and who have access to the database can create stored procedures. Once created, stored procedures are made available to end users. How can you use stored procedures in BusinessObjects? In BUSINESSOBJECTS, stored procedures are data providers that retrieve data for reports, in the same way that a queries on universes do. In the New Report Wizard, you select the stored procedure you want to use. You can then enter parameters to specify the data that you want the stored procedure to retrieve. You can keep these parameters for the next time the stored procedure is run. Tip: You can create and edit stored procedures in free-hand SQL in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Restrictions on stored procedures • The BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor grants access to the database or account where stored procedures are located. • BUSINESSOBJECTS supports stored procedures for certain databases only. Consult the Database Guide for the RDBMS you work with, to find out if it supports stored procedures. • Stored procedures may contain the COMPUTE, PRINT, OUTPUT and STATUS statements. These statements will not be executed in BUSINESSOBJECTS. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 121
- 122. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Using a stored procedure to bring data to a report Here’s how to use a stored procedure to bring data to a report: 1. Click the New Report Wizard button on the Standard toolbar. The New Report Wizard appears. New Report Wizard 2. Select an option for the report layout, then click Next. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears. 3. Click Others, then click Stored procedures: 122 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 123. Using Stored Procedures 4. Click Next, then select a connection: 5. Click Next, then select a stored procedure: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 123
- 124. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers 6. Click Finish. The Stored Procedure Editor appears: 7. Click the first parameter in the Parameters column, then type a value in the Value box. 8. Select an option in the Next Execution list box: • Use this value means that the value you entered will be used the next time you run this stored procedure. • Prompt me for a value means that you will be prompted to enter a different value the next time that you run this stored procedure. A dialog box will appear, where you enter the different value. 9. Check Build Hierarchies and Start in Drill Mode if you want to perform drill down analysis as soon as the data appears in the report. 10. Click Run. The data from the stored procedure appears in the report. 124 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 125. Using Stored Procedures Changing a stored procedure's parameters To work with different data in a report you created by using a stored procedure, all you have to do is change the stored procedure’s parameters, then run the stored procedure. Here’s how to do it: 1. Open the report containing data from the stored procedure. 2. Select the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu. • If the List of Data Providers dialog box appears, click the stored procedure you want to edit, then click OK. • The Stored Procedure Editor appears: 3. Click the first parameter in the Parameters column. 4. In the Value box, type the new value for this parameter. 5. In the Next Execution list box, select Use this value or Prompt me for a value. • Use this value means that the value you entered will be used the next time you run this stored procedure. • Prompt me for a value means that you will be prompted to enter a different value the next time that you run this stored procedure. A dialog box will appear, where you enter the different value. 6. Click Run. The different data set appears in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 125
- 126. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Using Free-Hand SQL Free-hand SQL is a type of data provider that enables you to work with SQL scripts in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can open and run existing SQL scripts; users who know SQL can write their own scripts. With free-hand SQL, you can use the different types of SQL orders supported by the database at your site: pre-defined queries, stored procedures, PL/SQL and Transact SQL. You can also use free-hand SQL to make changes to the database, if the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor has granted you the right to do so. Creating a report using free-hand SQL When you create a report using free-hand SQL, you can: • Write a new script or open an existing one, including SQL generated by BUSINESSOBJECTS queries in the Query Panel. • In the SQL script, you can define lists of values and prompts. • Create a new connection to the database or use an existing one. • View raw data before it appears in the report, which lets you check that you’re getting the result you want. • Parse the script for SQL errors, and save any changes you make to a file. To create a report using free-hand SQL: 1. Click the New Report Wizard button on the Standard toolbar. The New Report Wizard appears. New Report Wizard 2. Select an option for the report layout, then click Next. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears. 126 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 127. Using Free-Hand SQL 3. Under Others, click Free-hand SQL, then click Finish: The Free-hand SQL editor appears: 4. The next step depends on what you want to do: If you want to... First... Then... Write a new SQL script Type the script. Go to the next step. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 127
- 128. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers If you want to... First... Then... Open an existing script In the Free-Hand SQL Use the dialog box that editor, click Open: appears to locate the SQL script file. 5. Click the Parse button to check the script for SQL errors. Parse Note: COMPUTE statements in free-hand SQL scripts will not be executed. ORDER BY statements in free-hand SQL scripts are not executed. In order to apply a sort on a query, you need to order the columns in the SQL statement. You can also arrange the column order in reports. 6. To make a connection to the database: • Select a connection in the Connection list box, or • Click the Create a new connection button. For the steps to follow, refer to “Creating or editing a connection for free- Create a new hand SQL” on page 129 below. connection 7. Check Build Hierarchies and Start in Drill Mode if you want to perform drill down analysis as soon as the data appears in the report. 8. Click Run. The data from the SQL script appears in the report. Editing a free-hand SQL script To get different results from a free-hand SQL script that you’ve already run, all you have to do is edit the script then rerun it. Here’s how to do it: 1. Open a report containing data from a free-hand SQL script, then select the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu. • If the List of Data Providers dialog box appears, click the script you want to edit, then click OK. • The SQL script appears in the Free-Hand SQL editor. 128 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 129. Using Free-Hand SQL 2. Make the necessary changes to the script. As you work, you can: • Click Parse to check the script for SQL errors. Parse • Click View to see the raw data the script retrieves. • Click Save to keep the changes you make. Save 3. Click Run. BUSINESSOBJECTS retrieves the new data and displays it in the report. Tip: You can also get different data by running an existing free-hand SQL script on a different database connection. To do this, select a different connection box in the Free-Hand SQL editor. Refer to “Creating or editing a connection for free- hand SQL” below for more information. Creating or editing a connection for free-hand SQL To get data by using free-hand SQL, you need to define a connection to your database in BUSINESSOBJECTS. This is not the case when you run queries on universes, as the connection required is delivered with the universe. Working in the Free-Hand SQL editor You create and edit connections for free-hand SQL in the free-hand SQL editor. You work in the editor in the following ways: • When you create a new report using the New Report Wizard • When you insert a new table, crosstab or chart in an existing report by running a free-hand SQL script (Table/Crosstab/Chart commands, Insert menu), or • When you edit a free-hand SQL script by selecting the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu. Once inside the Free-Hand SQL editor, you’re ready to create or edit a connection. To create a connection 1. In the Free-Hand SQL editor, click the Create a new connection button. The Add a Connection dialog box appears. Create a new connection BusinessObjects User’s Guide 129
- 130. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers 2. Click the network layer for the connection, then click OK: The dialog box that appears depends on the network layer you selected. 3. Type a name in the Name box, and select the RDBMS to use in the Database Engine list box. 4. Enter the connection parameters in the Login Parameters box. These parameters are specific to the database you are going to connect to. Database-specific information is provided in the online help, which you can access by clicking the Help button in the dialog box. 5. In the Type list box, select Personal or Shared. • Personal means only you can use the connection. • Shared means that you can share the connection with other users. 6. Click the Advanced tab to enter further parameters for the connection. 7. Click Test to check that the connection is correctly defined, then click OK. To edit an existing connection 1. In the Free-Hand SQL editor, select the connection in the Connection list box, then click the Edit connection button. Edit connection The dialog box that appears lets you change the parameters for the connection. The dialog box title depends on the driver and the database you’re using. 2. Make the necessary changes, for example change the data source, or select different options in the Advanced tab. 130 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 131. Using Free-Hand SQL 3. Click Test, then click OK. You can now: • Click Run to run a script against the connection. • Click View to get the raw data the new connection retrieves for the current script, which can be useful if you’ve changed data source. • Click Cancel to save the connection for later use. Customizing free-hand SQL scripts Free-hand SQL lets you run new or existing SQL scripts to retrieve data for your reports. You can customize scripts so that they prompt users to filter the data retrieved by selecting values from lists of values. Creating a prompt with a list of values for a free-hand SQL script A prompt is a question that incites users to select values when they run queries. In this way, users filter the query to get the data that’s pertinent to them. On top of that, a prompt can call a list of values which enables users to select values rather than typing them in a text field. The list of values shows users exactly what values they can work with, and prevents them from typing data incorrectly. In free-hand SQL, you can add a prompt and a list of values to a SQL script. This section provides: • The syntax required for creating a prompt with a list of values. • A step-by-step procedure. • An example. Syntax for prompts and lists of values in free-hand SQL The SQL that creates the prompt and the list of values must appear in the WHERE clause. The syntax is as follows: @prompt('prompt','data type',{'value','value', etc.},mono/ multi,free/constrained) BusinessObjects User’s Guide 131
- 132. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers The following table describes each argument. Below the table you will find a sample script containing a prompt that calls a list of values. Argument Description Default @prompt The function that enables you to create the N/A prompt for the free-hand SQL script. This function can take up to five arguments. The only mandatory argument is 'prompt'. If this is the only argument, the syntax is as follows: @prompt('Which year?',,,,) In this case, BUSINESSOBJECTS uses default values for the other arguments. The above syntax can be replaced by @variable('Which year?') prompt Text that appears when you run the SQL script. None The prompt appears in a dialog box and incites the user to enter pertinent values such as years or customer names. This argument takes a character string inside single quotes ('), for example ‘Which customer?’ data type Refers to the type of data that the list of values A returns (character, number or date). This argument takes a character: • A for character type, • N for numbers and • D for dates. This argument is optional. value, value Indicates the list of values that will be called None etc. when you run the script. This argument takes up to a maximum of 256 character strings inside single quotes ('), for example ‘Chicago’,’New York’,’San Francisco’ This argument is optional. If you do not use it, no list of values is available and you will have to enter values manually when you run the scripts. 132 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 133. Using Free-Hand SQL Argument Description Default mono/multi Specifies whether or not users have the right to mono select more than one value from the list of values. This argument takes one of the following parameters: • mono, which does not allow multiple selection. • multi, which allows multiple selection. free/ Specifies whether or not users have the right to free constrained enter values manually. This argument takes one of the following parameters: • free, which lets users enter values manually. • constrained, which forces users to select values from the list of values. Here’s an example of a free-hand SQL script which prompts users to select a value from a list. Example Prompting users to select a year when they run a free-hand SQL script ........................................................... The following free-hand SQL script prompts the user to select one year (1996, 1997 or 1998) from the list of values. How? • The mono argument restricts the selection to one value. • The constrained argument forces users to select the value from the list. Note: This script will work with a Microsoft Access database. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 133
- 134. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Here’s the script: SELECT Customer.last_name, Service.Service, Reservations.res_date FROM Customer, Service, Reservations, Reservation_Line WHERE ( Customer.cust_id=Reservations.cust_id ) AND ( Reservation_Line.res_id=Reservations.res_id ) AND ( Reservation_Line.service_id=Service.service_id ) AND (Format(Reservations.res_date,'YYYY') = @prompt('Which Year?','A',{'1996','1997','1998'},mono,constrained)) ........................................................... To create a prompt with a list of values in a free-hand SQL script 1. Display the SQL script in the Free-Hand SQL editor, either by creating a new report or by selecting the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu in a report that was created using free-hand SQL. 2. In the WHERE clause, after the table.column statement for which you want to create a prompt with a list of values, type the prompt. Refer to “Syntax for prompts and lists of values in free-hand SQL” on page 131 if necessary. 3. Click Run. The prompt appears in a dialog box. 4. Type or select the value(s) you need, then click OK. The data appears in the report. 134 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 135. Using Personal Data Files Using Personal Data Files Personal data files are a type of data provider that enables access to data in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, dBASE files, and text files. What are the benefits of using personal data files? The main benefits of using personal data files are as follows: • You can display corporate data next to personal data in the same report. For example, you can compare your company's budget (corporate data) with your own running costs (personal data). You can obtain such a report by building a query to retrieve the corporate data, then by inserting a new table that displays data from a personal data file. • If you have no connection to a remote database or if there is no RDBMS at your site, you can use personal data files as your only data source. • You can use BUSINESSOBJECTS reporting and analysis features to work on data that comes from other applications. Creating a report using a personal data file Creating a report from a personal data file is a two-stage procedure: • First, you specify the personal data file that you want to use for the report. This is described under “Selecting the personal data file for the report”, below. • Second, you set options that depend on the type of file you selected in the first stage. For example, the options to set for a spreadsheet are different from those for a text file. This is described under “Setting options for a personal data file” on page 138. Selecting the personal data file for the report Here’s how to use the New Report Wizard to get to the personal data file containing the data you need: 1. Click the New Report Wizard button on the Standard toolbar. The New Report Wizard appears. New Report Wizard 2. Select an option for the report layout, then click Next. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 135
- 136. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers 3. Under Others, click Personal data file, then click Finish: The Access Personal Data dialog box appears: 136 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 137. Using Personal Data Files 4. Click Browse to locate the file that contains the data you want. • The Open a File to Access Personal Data dialog box appears. • When you have located the file and closed the dialog box, the path to the file appears in the Name field of the Access Personal Data dialog box. • The Format field displays the format of the file you selected. • The options in the dialog box are now specific to the file type you’re working with. • If you’ve selected a dBASE file, no further options are available so just click Run. Note: BUSINESSOBJECTS supports Microsoft Excel 97 files. When using this type of file, you must make sure that the Format field displays Microsoft Excel 97 Files (*.xls): If you’re using a Microsoft Excel 95 workbook, select Microsoft Excel 97 Files (*.xls) in the Format field. 5. Set the options you want (refer to “Setting options for a personal data file” on page 138 for more information). 6. Check Build Hierarchies and Start in Drill Mode if you want to perform drill down analysis as soon as the data appears in the report. 7. Click Run. The data from the personal data file appears in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 137
- 138. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Setting options for a personal data file In the Access Personal Data dialog box, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays options that are relevant to the format of the file you have selected. Other options are available irrespective of the file format. The table below describes each option in detail. File format Options available Description All Files (*.*) First Row Contains The first row of data in the file Column Names appears as column headings in the BUSINESSOBJECTS report. This option is not available for dBASE files. Build Hierarchies and Creates hierarchies that you Start in Drill Mode will use in the report to analyze data in drill mode. BUSINESSOBJECTS can create hierarchies automatically only if the dimensions you use in the personal data file have a logical structure (Year, Quarter, Month for example). When the report appears, drill mode is active, and you can immediately begin analyzing data. Text Files (.asc; .prn; Delimiter Lets you indicate the way the .txt; .csv) • Tabulation data is delimited in the text • Space file. The default settings per • Character file type are as follows: • | (.asc) • space (.prn) • tabulation (.txt) • semi-colon (.csv) 138 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 139. Using Personal Data Files File format Options available Description Microsoft Excel (.xls) Sheet Name Lists the worksheets from the Microsoft Excel 97 file you selected, and lets you (.xls) select the worksheet containing the data you want. Field Selection Lets you specify fields of data in the worksheet. • All Fields Retrieves all the data from the worksheet. • Range Definition Retrieves the data from the range of cells you indicate (e.g., A1:Z20 for Microsoft Excel.) • Range Name Retrieves the data from a range defined in the worksheet. dBASE No dBASE-specific options are available BusinessObjects User’s Guide 139
- 140. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures A VBA data provider is a powerful and flexible tool accessing external data. Very often you will want to access automation servers through VBA to retrieve their proprietary data. VBA allows you to retrieve data from various sources: ADO, DAO, RDO, Application Object Models, EDK, low-level APIs, etc. To create a VBA data provider, you write a VBA procedure which takes the interface DpVBAInterface as a parameter. You can write this procedure from within the VBA environment of BUSINESSOBJECTS. DpVBAInterface is the interface to the VBA data provider Automation object which is described in detail in the BusinessObjects SDK Reference Guide. The procedure for writing a VBA data provider is: 1. Create a connection to the data source. 2. Create a data cube. 3. Set the data cube dimensions. 4. Populate the cube with data from the data source. Once the data cube is populated, you can generate a report based on this data in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Creating a report using a VBA data provider To create a report using a VBA data provider: 1. Click the New Report Wizard button on the Standard toolbar. The New Report Wizard appears. New Report Wizard 140 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 141. Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures 2. Select an option for the report layout, then click Next. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears. 3. Under Others, click Visual Basic procedures, then click Finish. The Access Data From VBA dialog box appears: Selected subroutine Edit subroutine Available subroutines Create new subroutine Delete selected subroutine Subroutines available in: Add a description for the selected subroutine Debug selected Run selected subroutine subroutine BusinessObjects User’s Guide 141
- 142. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers 4. Type the name of the new VBA subroutine you wish to write and click Create. The Visual Basic Editor opens on the skeleton of the subroutine. The subroutine is always created in ThisDocument. 5. Compile the project and select Close and Return to BUSINESSOBJECTS from the File menu. 6. Select the subroutine in the Access Data from VBA dialog box, and click Run. Example Accessing Email data using VBA ........................................................... In this example we will create a BUSINESSOBJECTS report containing details of the last ten messages to arrive in a Microsoft Outlook Inbox. You will need to have Microsoft Outlook 97 or a later version installed. Referencing the Microsoft Outlook object library To access Microsoft Outlook with VBA, you need to reference the Microsoft Outlook Object Library. To do this: 1. In the BUSINESSOBJECTS Visual Basic Editor, from the Tools menu, select References… 2. Select Microsoft Outlook Object Library, and click OK. This enables you to use the Microsoft Outlook programming tools in your VBA data provider. Declarations The subroutine that you create in the Access Data from VBA dialog box has a single argument, dpInterface. This is an interface to the VBA data provider. (For details of DpVBAInterface see BusinessObjects SDK Reference Guide.) A comment is automatically added showing you where to insert your code. Sub Outlook(dpInterface As DpVBAInterface) ' TODO: Add VBA Data Provider code here. ' For information, refer to DpVBAInterface online help. End Sub The following variables are then declared: Dim olkApp As Outlook.Application Dim nspNameSpace As NameSpace Dim objInboxFolder As Object Dim objMail As Object 142 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 143. Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures Accessing the Inbox The class olkApp is initialized as follows: Set olkApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application") Then nspNameSpace is set to point to the Messaging API: Set nspNameSpace = olkApp.GetNamespace("MAPI") The variable, objInboxFolder, is set to point to the Outlook Inbox: Set objInboxFolder = nspNameSpace.GetDefaultFolder _ (olFolderInbox) Creating the data cube The following code instantiates the cube object. dpInterface.UserString(1) = "User String for Outlook Data _ Provider" Dim oCube As DpVBACube Set oCube = dpInterface.DpVBACubes.Item(1) The number of columns in the data cube is set to 7, and oCol is declared as a column. Dim oColumns As DpVBAColumns Set oColumns = oCube.DpVBAColumns oColumns.SetNbColumns (7) Dim oCol As DpVBAColumn Dim i As Integer We now set about constructing each column. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 143
- 144. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers Creating the columns First, the variable oCol is set to point to a new column. It is assigned a name, a type, and a qualification. ' 1st column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(1) oCol.Name = "From" oCol.Type = boCharacterObject oCol.Qualification = boDimension Next, the first ten SenderNames of the Inbox are assigned to corresponding Items in oCol. For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.SenderName Next i This is repeated for each column: ' 2nd column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(2) oCol.Name = "To" oCol.Type = boCharacterObject oCol.Qualification = boDimension For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.To Next i ' 3rd column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(3) oCol.Name = "Cc" oCol.Type = boCharacterObject oCol.Qualification = boDimension For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.CC Next i 144 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 145. Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures ' 4th column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(4) oCol.Name = "Subject" oCol.Type = boCharacterObject oCol.Qualification = boDimension For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.Subject Next i ' 5th column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(5) oCol.Name = "Size" oCol.Type = boNumericObject oCol.Qualification = boMeasure For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.Size Next i ' 6th column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(6) oCol.Name = "Created" oCol.Type = boDateObject oCol.Qualification = boDimension For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.CreationTime Next i ' 7th column Set oCol = oColumns.Item(7) oCol.Name = "Received" oCol.Type = boDateObject oCol.Qualification = boDimension BusinessObjects User’s Guide 145
- 146. Chapter 5 Using Other Types of Data Providers For i = 1 To 10 'objInboxFolder.Items.Count Set objMail = objInboxFolder.Items.Item(i) oCol.Item(i) = objMail.ReceivedTime Next i Finally, we perform a check to ensure all the data is present and correct. If it is not, the procedure is cancelled and an error message is returned: dpInterface.CheckDataIntegrity (boCheckAll) You should now compile this code and select Close and Return to BUSINESSOBJECTS from the File menu, to create your report. ........................................................... 146 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 147. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 148 ❑ Which Data Sources Are Available? 149 ❑ Including Data from Different Data Sources in the Same Report 149 Which data providers can you combine in one report? 150 Using separate data providers for separate blocks in one report 150 Displaying data from separate data providers in the same block 152 ❑ Linking Data Providers 156 What situations require you to link data providers? 156 Deleting the link between data providers 161 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 147
- 148. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources Overview The data you need may not all come from the same source. For example, you may have business objectives in a corporate database and personal data that you store in a spreadsheet. BUSINESSOBJECTS enables you to combine data from different sources in the same report. This chapter explains • The different data sources you can use • How to include data from different sources in the same report • When BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically links data from different sources, and when you have to make the link yourself. 148 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 149. Which Data Sources Are Available? Which Data Sources Are Available? BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you access data from a wide range of sources. You can access data from • Relational databases (RDBMS), such as ORACLE, Microsoft SQL Server, and Informix. • Multidimensional (OLAP) servers such as Microsoft OLAP Services, ORACLE Express, and IBM DB2. • Text files and spreadsheets. • Packaged applications such as SAP. • Virtually any data source using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) procedures. Including Data from Different Data Sources in the Same Report You access data sources in BUSINESSOBJECTS by building data providers for the data sources. To include data from different sources in the same report, you display data from different data providers. For example, if you want to display data from a SYBASE database and a Microsoft Excel file in the same report, you could retrieve the data from the SYBASE database by building a query or by using a stored procedure and retrieve the data from Excel by accessing a personal data file. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports the following types of data providers: • Queries on universes • Stored procedures • Free-hand SQL • Personal data files • VBA procedures • OLAP servers • SAP BusinessObjects User’s Guide 149
- 150. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources Which data providers can you combine in one report? You can combine data from any BUSINESSOBJECTS-supported data provider with data from any other BUSINESSOBJECTS-supported data provider in a single report. For example, in a report that displays data from a query on a universe, you can build a new query on a different universe. You can also use a different type of data provider: a stored procedure, a free-hand SQL script, a personal data file, or an OLAP server. Using separate data providers for separate blocks in one report You can display data from separate data providers in one block or separate blocks in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report. To display data from separate data providers in one block, you first create a separate block with the separate data provider and then combine data from the blocks. To create a separate block in a report using a separate data provider, follow this procedure. 1. Open a report. 2. Click the Table command (or the Crosstab command or the Chart command) on the Insert menu. Your choice depends on the type of block you want to insert. 3. With your mouse, draw a rectangle where you want the new block to appear. When you release the mouse button, a wizard appears. Which wizard (New Table, New Crosstab, or New Chart) appears depends on the command you clicked on the Insert menu. 150 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 151. Including Data from Different Data Sources in the Same 4. To use a separate data provider, click Access new data in a different way, then click Next. The New Table wizard with Access new data in a different way selected is shown in the following figure. The Specify Data Access screen appears. The Specify Data Access screen is shown in the following figure. 5. Click the type of data provider you want to use, then click Finish. The editor for the data provider appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 151
- 152. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources 6. Define and run the data provider. BUSINESSOBJECTS can automatically link data providers. BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to link the new data provider with the existing data provider if: • No common dimension exists between them. BUSINESSOBJECTS will automatically link two data providers without prompting you if both have a dimension with the same name, belonging to the same universe. BUSINESSOBJECTS will prompt you to link data providers if they both have a dimension named “Year,” but one data provider comes from a universe and the other comes from an Excel spreadsheet. • And, the new block is in a section. The new data appears in the new block. Further information For further information on linking data providers, refer to the section Linking Data Providers on page 156. Displaying data from separate data providers in the same block Once you have created a separate block in a report from a separate data provider and you manually or BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically has linked the data providers, you can display data from the separate data providers in one block. You can do any of the following: If Then you want to display data in an use the Pivot tab in the Table Format existing table or crosstab, dialog box. you want to display data in an use the Pivot tab in the Chart Format existing chart, dialog box. you want to display data in any type use the Slice and Dice Panel. of existing block, 152 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 153. Including Data from Different Data Sources in the Same Which variables from linked data providers can you display? Compatibility rules determine which variables from separate data providers can be combined in the same block. When you cannot include a variable in a block, it appears dimmed and italicized as shown in the following figure. You can use the common dimension from either data provider. Most often, you can use measures from both data providers in the same block. Displaying data in an existing table or crosstab 1. Click inside the table or crosstab that you want to modify with data from another data provider. 2. Click the Table command or the Crosstab command on the Format menu. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 153
- 154. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources 3. In the Table Format dialog box, click the Pivot tab, then click Variables. 4. In the Used Variables box, click the folder that represents where you want to display the data: Columns, Rows, Body. 5. In the Available Variables box, click the variable you want to add, then click Add. 6. Click OK. Displaying data in an existing chart 1. Click inside the chart that you want to modify with data from another data provider. 2. Click the Chart command on the Format menu. 3. In the Chart Format dialog box, click the Pivot tab. 4. In the Used Variables box, click the folder that represents the axis where you want to display the data: Columns, Rows, Body. 5. In the Available Variables box, click the variable you want to add, then click Add. 154 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 155. Including Data from Different Data Sources in the Same 6. Click OK. In 2-D charts, all the variables are located in the X-Axis and Y-Axis folders. In 3-D matrix charts, the variables are located in all three folders: X-Axis, Y-Axis, and Z-Axis. Adding data in slice and dice mode 1. With a report open, display the Slice and Dice Panel. Variables for all the blocks in the report are displayed in the Available Slice and Dice Variables box. 2. Drag the icon of the variable you want to add to the report from the Available Variables box and drop it either in the Section box or in the Block Structure box. 3. Repeat the previous step for other variables you want to add. 4. Click Apply. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 155
- 156. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources Linking Data Providers Linking data providers enables data from different sources to be computed in the same table, crosstab, or chart in a report. What situations require you to link data providers? BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically links data providers with a common dimension. Two dimensions in separate data providers are common when they belong to the same universe and have the same name. BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to link data providers if there is no common dimension between the data providers. Tip: If you simply want to add columns of data to a report, use the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu instead of building a new query. This method lets you add result objects to the initial query; BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically inserts the new columns of data in the report or creates a new report. Example BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to link data providers ........................................................... Here’s an example scenario where BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to link data providers: • You create a new document by running a query on a universe. • You format the report as a master/detail, using for example the Year dimension. • You want to compare yearly revenue with your sales targets, so you insert a new table in the Year section. • Rather than inserting data from the document, or using the universe you ran the first query on, you pull in data from the spreadsheet that contains your personal targets. • Even though the spreadsheet contains the Year column, BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to link the personal data file with the query already in the report, because you’re inserting the new data in a section that’s generated by the query data. ........................................................... 156 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 157. Linking Data Providers Which dimension should act as the link? It is necessary that the dimension you use to link data providers be the same type (numeric or alphanumeric) in both data providers. If not, two rows of data will appear for the linked object when you create a table that uses the object. Additionally you should use only dimensions that return the same type of values. It doesn’t make sense to create a link between dimensions with totally different lists of values (Year and Region, for example). To link data providers when you’re inserting a new block 1. Select the Table, Crosstab or Chart command on the Insert menu. 2. In the Wizard that appears, select Access new data in a different way, then click Begin. The Specify Data Access dialog box appears. 3. Select the type of data provider you want to run, then click Finish. 4. Build and run the data provider. BUSINESSOBJECTS displays a dialog box which prompts you to link the new data provider with the data in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 157
- 158. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources 5. To make the link: • Select the linking dimension from the new data provider by clicking an icon in the Dimensions box. • Select the report’s section master by clicking an icon in the Master(s) in the Report box. • Click Link: The dimension you clicked in the Dimensions box appears below the dimension in the Master(s) in the Report box: 158 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 159. Linking Data Providers 6. Click OK. The new data appears in the report. Measures are automatically calculated. Note: If the Links Between Data Provider and Report dialog box appears, and you click OK or Cancel without creating a link, you will obtain a Cartesian product. Linking existing data providers The procedure above describes how to link data providers when you’re bringing new data to a report section. But what if you find yourself in the following situation? • Your report contains two tables - one from a universe, the other from a personal data file. • There’s no link between the tables because when you inserted the second table, you simply placed it alongside the existing table without having previously linked their data providers. • You now want to create the master/detail format, which is possible because the tables share a dimension with the same name and same type. The procedure for linking existing data providers is as follows: 1. Open the document containing the data providers you want to link. 2. Select the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 159
- 160. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources 3. In the Data Providers box, click the dimension you are going to use as the link between the data providers. In the illustration below, the Resort dimension has been selected: 4. Click the Definition tab, then click the Link To button: The Define Link Between Dimensions dialog box appears. It lists the dimensions you can use to link the two data providers. 160 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 161. Linking Data Providers 5. Click the dimension you want to use as the link. The symbol next to the dimension name now changes to indicate that the dimension is the link between two data providers: This symbol will also now appear when you click the dimension in the Data Manager. 6. Click OK to close the dialog box, then click OK in the Data Manager. You can now use the linking dimension to apply a master/detail format in the report. Deleting the link between data providers To delete the link between data providers, you delete the link of the common dimension that links the data providers. You would delete the link between data providers to use all the variables in a single data provider to build an independent query. The procedure for deleting the link of the common dimension is as follows: 1. Select the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 2. In the Data Providers box, click the dimension that acts as the link. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 161
- 162. Chapter 6 Combining Data From Different Sources 3. Click the Definition tab, then click Unlink: 4. Click OK to close the Data Manager. 162 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 163. Chapter 7 Managing Data Providers ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 164 ❑ Renaming Data Providers 165 Why rename data providers? 165 To rename data providers 166 ❑ Getting Statistics on Data Providers 168 ❑ Purging and Deleting Data Providers 169 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 163
- 164. Chapter 7 Managing Data Providers Overview In what ways can you manage queries and other data providers in BUSINESSOBJECTS documents? This chapter answers that question by describing how to: • Rename data providers • Get statistics such as the date and time a data provider was last refreshed, and how many rows of data were returned • Empty data providers of their data (called purging), and deleting data providers you no longer need. Reminder: Data provider is the BUSINESSOBJECTS generic term for all types of queries: queries on universes, stored procedures, free-hand SQL, personal data files and VBA procedures. 164 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 165. Renaming Data Providers Renaming Data Providers BUSINESSOBJECTS assigns a name to all data providers. Here are some examples: Data provider name Description Query 1 on EVALKIT The first query built on the EVALKIT universe in the current document. PS1 on Stock Stored procedure run on a database account called Stock. SQL 1 with Sales A free-hand SQL script run on a database connection named Sales. PD1 in C:My Personal data coming from a DocumentsForecast.xls spreadsheet stored in My Documents. VBA 1 with ThisDocumentApp The first VBA data provider built in the current document, where ThisDocumentApp is the name of the VBA macro itself. Why rename data providers? Renaming data providers is by no means required in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can work with the software without ever thinking about these names! However, data provider names appear in several places in BUSINESSOBJECTS, e.g., in the Report Manager: Data provider name Here are a few cases where you might want to rename data providers. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 165
- 166. Chapter 7 Managing Data Providers Documents with data from different sources In documents containing two or more data providers, the names of variables may also contain the name of the data provider that they belong to. For example, Resort (Query 2 on EVALKIT) is the Resort dimension from the second query built on the EVALKIT universe. This additional information only appears if the data providers in the document contain variables with the same name. In such cases, to help you distinguish between variables with the same name, which in fact come from different data sources, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically inserts the full variable name, e.g., Resort (Query 2 on EVALKIT) in column headings in the report. Selecting the data provider you want to edit Editing a data provider in a document with multiple data providers also causes each data provider’s name to appear. When you select the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu, you are prompted to select one data provider in the following dialog box: Giving data providers more meaningful names can help you know right away which one you want. To rename data providers You rename data providers in the Data Manager. Here’s how to do it: 1. Open the document containing the query you want to rename. 2. Select the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 166 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 167. Renaming Data Providers 3. Click the icon of the data provider you want to rename, then click the Definition tab: 4. Type the new name in the Name box, then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 167
- 168. Chapter 7 Managing Data Providers Getting Statistics on Data Providers BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to find out useful information on data providers, such as when a query was last refreshed, how many rows of data a personal data file returned, and how long it took to refresh a free-hand SQL script. To get these statistics: 1. Open the document containing the data provider. 2. Select the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 3. Click the icon of the query you want to find out about, then click the Definition tab. The information appears in the bottom right corner of the dialog box: 168 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 169. Purging and Deleting Data Providers Purging and Deleting Data Providers What’s the difference between purging and deleting a data provider? Purging means emptying a data provider of its results, whereas deleting means getting rid of the data provider for good - an action which cannot be undone. So, why purge or delete a data provider? Purging reduces the size of a document, so is useful when you want to send the document to other users, or save it on a diskette, for example. You should only delete a data provider, however, if you are certain that you and other users no longer need it. To purge or delete a data provider: 1. Open the document containing the data provider. 2. Select the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 3. Click the icon of the query you want to purge or delete: 4. Click Purge or Delete. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 169
- 170. Chapter 7 Managing Data Providers 5. Click Yes in the confirmation box that appears, then click OK to close the Data Manager. Tip: You can populate a purged data provider by selecting the Refresh Data command on the Data menu. Note that this command refreshes all the data providers in the active document. 170 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 171. Chapter 8 Exporting Data From BusinessObjects ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 172 What external formats are available? 172 Copying and pasting from BusinessObjects to another application 172 ❑ Exporting Data From BusinessObjects 174 TXT file display 176 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 171
- 172. Chapter 8 Exporting Data From BusinessObjects Overview Exporting data from BUSINESSOBJECTS enables you to use it in other applications. All you have to do is save the result of a data provider in a format that is recognized by the application you want to use. What external formats are available? You can export data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to the following formats: • Text. You can open the text file in many different applications, and on platforms other than Windows (Macintosh, OS/2 or UNIX, for example). • Spreadsheet format (Microsoft Excel). When you view the exported data in the spreadsheet application, each value appears in a separate cell. • RDBMS format (including .dbf format for dBASE). When you export data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to RDBMS format, you create a relational table in the database. The table contains the columns of data returned by the data provider. This feature enables you to extract a subset of data from a very large table, then export the result to your RDBMS. Once exported, the data can be retrieved by running a data provider in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The universe designer can build a new universe, or edit an existing universe, to map to the data in the new table. Alternatively, you can access the data directly by using free-hand SQL. Copying and pasting from BusinessObjects to another application You can copy objects such as tables and charts in BUSINESSOBJECTS, or copy the whole report contents, and then paste them into a Microsoft Office application, for example, such as Excel or Word. To copy and paste an object: 1. Hold down the Alt key and click the table you want to copy. 2. Press Ctrl C. 3. Move to the target application. 4. Press Ctrl V. 172 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 173. Overview Copying and pasting a whole report You can also copy a whole report and then paste the report data either as images, for presentation purposes, for example; or as text so that you can work on the data further in the target application. The table below summarizes how you can copy and paste different types of report components: If you copy a report with.... You can... Tables, crosstabs and cells Paste the data in them as an image or as text Charts and images Paste them as images Example Copying and pasting from BUSINESSOBJECTS to Microsoft Excel ........................................................... The following example shows how to copy data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to Microsoft Excel: 1. From the Edit menu, choose Copy All. BUSINESSOBJECTS copies the contents of the currently active report to the clipboard. 2. Open the Microsoft Excel workbook where you want to paste your data. 3. From the Edit menu, choose Paste Special. 4. Choose how you want to paste the data. Choose... To.... Text Copy the clipboard contents as data that you can then work on in Excel. Picture Copy the clipboard contents as a Picture image. For example, a BUSINESSOBJECTS table is copied as an image and you will not be able to work on the data. This is the recommended format for pasting images. Bitmap Copy the clipboard contents as a Bitmap image. If you choose to paste a Bitmap image, bear in mind that this format can take up a lot of memory and disk space. The clipboard contents are pasted into the Excel workbook. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 173
- 174. Chapter 8 Exporting Data From BusinessObjects Exporting Data From BusinessObjects This section explains how to export data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to the format you need. Here’s how to do it: 1. Open the report containing the data you want to export. 2. Click the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 3. In Data Providers box, click the icon of the data provider containing the data you want to export: 174 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 175. Exporting Data From BusinessObjects 4. Click Export. The Export to External Format dialog box appears: 5. Select the way you want to export the data. The following table describes the options available and the actions required: Option Description Actions Export to Local File Exports the data to a 1. Select the file type in the Format text, spreadsheet or Format list box. dBASE file. 2. Click Browse to specify the file name and location. 3. If you are exporting the data to a text file, you can: • Change the delimiter by typing a different character in the Delimiter box • Check DOS Format. 4. Click OK. Export to RDBMS Exports the data to a 1. Select the connection, or relational database. click the Connection button to create a new one. 2. Click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 175
- 176. Chapter 8 Exporting Data From BusinessObjects Option Description Actions Copy to DDE Copies the data to • Click OK. the clipboard, enabling you to paste the data into another application such as Microsoft Excel. Tip: Check Delete Spaces to get rid of blanks in the data you are exporting. You can now use the data from BUSINESSOBJECTS in the applications that support the external format you selected. Date settings and the year 2000 We strongly advise you to set a four-digit year style on the Date tab of the Windows Regional Settings Properties dialog box. This ensures that you will not lose century information if you are exporting data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to text files. TXT file display When you exported data to TXT files in versions prior to BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1, character strings were surrounded by double quotes in addition to being set off by your selected delimiter. In BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 and later versions, there are no double quotes surrounding the character strings. For example, in versions prior to BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1, you might have seen “jean” y “55” where y is the character delimiter. In BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 and later versions, this becomes jean y 55. 176 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 177. Part III Creating Reports www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter
- 179. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 181 ❑ Starting BusinessObjects 181 Choosing a security domain 182 Using offline mode 182 ❑ BusinessObjects Workspace 184 Menus and toolbars 185 Status bar 186 Right-click menus 186 Keyboard shortcuts 186 ❑ Organizing your workspace 187 Setting the display size 187 Setting Windows display properties 187 Choosing a view to work in 187 Regional settings 189 ❑ Report Manager 190 Managing the data in a document 191 Navigating through reports 192 Structuring and formatting reports 193 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 179
- 180. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager ❑ Managing Reports 194 Inserting a blank report 194 Copying a report 194 Displaying, renaming and deleting reports 195 Managing reports using Report Manager 196 Undoing actions 196 ❑ Opening Documents 197 Opening a document 197 Opening several documents at once 197 ❑ Using Personal Document folders 198 Retrieving a personal document 198 Using categories to find personal documents 199 Saving a document in your Personal Documents folder 201 Deleting documents from your Personal Documents folder 201 Assigning categories to a document 202 Changing default file locations 203 ❑ Refreshing BusinessObjects Documents 205 Before refreshing a document 205 Manually refreshing a document 207 Refreshing a document with more than one data provider 207 Refreshing a document with a prompt 207 Automatically refreshing a document 208 ❑ Saving Documents 210 Saving a document for all users 210 Saving a document in text or rich text format 211 Saving a document in HTML format 211 Saving a document in PDF format 212 Saving a document as a BusinessQuery file 213 Saving WebIntelligence documents 214 180 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 181. Overview Overview This chapter covers the basics you need to know to work with BUSINESSOBJECTS. Starting BusinessObjects The way you start BUSINESSOBJECTS depends on how it has been set up in your company. You may be able to start BUSINESSOBJECTS from INFOVIEW via an Internet browser as well as from the Windows Start menu. Your system administrator will give you all the necessary information on how you should start your BUSINESSOBJECTS. Using BUSINESSOBJECTS via INFOVIEW is fully documented in the InfoView User’s Guide. Starting BUSINESSOBJECTS from the Windows start menu is explained below. Starting BusinessObjects from the Windows Start menu The way you log on to BUSINESSOBJECTS depends on the way BUSINESSOBJECTS has been set up in your company. When you start BUSINESSOBJECTS, you may have to enter a user name and password, and you may have to choose a security domain. If this is the case, the user name, password, and security domain are assigned by your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor or system administrator. To start BUSINESSOBJECTS: 1. Click the BUSINESSOBJECTS program icon in the BUSINESSOBJECTS group in the Programs menu. The User Identification dialog box appears: 2. Enter your user name and password, and choose your security domain, if applicable, and click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 181
- 182. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager 3. The User Identification box closes and the BUSINESSOBJECTS window opens Note: In some configurations, the User Identification dialog box does not appear when you start BUSINESSOBJECTS. Choosing a security domain Depending on the way BUSINESSOBJECTS is set up in your company, you may have a choice of security domains. There are two types of security domain connection and the features available to you in BUSINESSOBJECTS may change according to the type of security domain you connect to. Certain menu items may become unavailable or you may not have access to all types of data provider or to the same list of universes. The type of security domain connection is identified by an icon: • A connection to a repository via a BUSINESSOBJECTS web connection is identified by a globe icon. • A connection to a repository via a BUSINESSOBJECTS client/server connection is identified by a computer icon. client/server connection web connection Using offline mode Depending on how BUSINESSOBJECTS has been set up, you may have the option of starting BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode. Using BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode means that you are not connected to a repository which in turn means that, whatever your connection type, you will not be able to retrieve and send documents using BROADCAST AGENT. However, what you can do once you have opened BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode depends on the type of connection you chose to use in offline mode. 182 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 183. Starting BusinessObjects Client/Server connection If you are using a BUSINESSOBJECTS client/server connection offline and not connected to a repository, you can still work with documents and universes stored locally on your computer and even create and refresh documents if you have a connection to the database, and the database connection and security information is stored on your computer. Web connection If you are using a web connection offline, you will not be able to retrieve documents from, and send documents to, Personal Document folders on the web server, and will not be able to create queries or refresh documents because all the database and connection information is stored on the web server. In offline mode, you can continue to work on documents stored locally; you can work on the formatting of your reports or analyze data in existing reports, for example, and work with the data contained in the document to build new reports. If BUSINESSOBJECTS cannot establish the connection you requested with the web server, it may give you the option of starting BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode if your user rights allow you to work offline. No remote connection You may also choose to start BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode because you know you have no remote connection at all - for example, on a plane - and want to continue to work on documents you have stored locally. Note: The right to use BUSINESSOBJECTS offline is given to you by your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor or system administrator. Depending on how BUSINESSOBJECTS has been set up in your company, you may not even have the option of logging on to BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 183
- 184. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager BusinessObjects Workspace The BUSINESSOBJECTS workspace is illustrated below. BUSINESSOBJECTS has three main parts: • the menus and toolbars • the Report Manager window • the report window The document name is shown in the title bar Menu bar Toolbars Report Manager window Report window Vertical scroll bar Horizontal The name of the report is Status Bar scroll bar displayed on the report tab. 184 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 185. BusinessObjects Workspace Menus and toolbars The menus contain all the commands for the tasks you need to carry out in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Many of these commands also have buttons on one of the BUSINESSOBJECTS toolbars. You can hide and display the toolbars as needed: 1. From the View menu, choose Toolbars. The list of toolbars is displayed as shown below: 2. Check the ones you want to display and uncheck the ones you want to hide. 3. Click Close to close the toolbar window. Tip: You can also display and hide toolbars by right-clicking on any toolbar. To display or hide a toolbar, click its name on the popup menu. Standard toolbar Docked Report toolbars toolbar Floating toolbars BusinessObjects User’s Guide 185
- 186. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Status bar The status bar, at the bottom, of the BUSINESSOBJECTS window, displays status and help messages. The help messages give a brief description of menu commands as you highlight them with your mouse cursor display instructions when you are carrying out certain actions to remind you of the options you have available. The status messages give information such as the time the data in the report was last updated and information on what BUSINESSOBJECTS is currently doing, connecting to the database, for example, or loading a document. Right-click menus Commonly used options are available through context-sensitive menus. Right- click on the area that you want to work on to pop up a menu. The options in the menu only apply to the area you clicked on. This is a very quick and convenient way of accessing options. When you right-click on a free-standing cell, only the options applicable to that type of cell are displayed in the menu. Keyboard shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts are available for most menu and dialog box options. Keyboard shortcuts are given next to commands in the menus and sometimes in the tooltips. You also use keyboard combinations to carry out certain tasks. Watch the status bar for reminders on these shortcuts. 186 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 187. Organizing your workspace Organizing your workspace This section describes the options you can set to customize how your BUSINESSOBJECTS workspace looks. Setting the display size You can magnify a part of the display to see it close up, or reduce the display to see more in the report window. To change the size of the display: • Click the arrow next to the zoom control box on the Standard toolbar and choose a value from the list. You can also type a value directly into the zoom control box. You can set values between 10% and 400%. Setting Windows display properties We advise you to avoid working with the large fonts that you can set in the Windows Display properties. If you use this setting, certain menu and dialog box labels may be truncated. We also recommend that, on the Appearance tab of the Display properties, you set the Scheme to Windows Standard. Choosing a view to work in You can view your reports on screen in different ways. Structure Structure view displays only the names of the variables, or the formulas you have in your report and not the associated data. A crosstab shown in Structure view To switch Structure view on and off: • From the View menu, choose Structure. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 187
- 188. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Page Layout In Page Layout view, you can see how elements will be positioned on the printed page. You can also see the headers, footers and margins of your report. Some settings, such as page break settings, and the correct result of certain page functions can only be seen in Page Layout view. The view switched on when you last closed the current document will also be switched on when you next open the document. To switch Page Layout on and off: • From the View menu, choose Page Layout. Viewing a document created in BusinessObjects 4.1 BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 uses standard Microsoft fonts. BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 used fonts which are slightly different from standard Microsoft fonts. If you’re using documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1, you can display and print data in the fonts used in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 so that your documents retain the same look. To do this: 1. From the Tools menu, choose Options. The Options dialog box is displayed. 2. Click the General tab. 3. Check the option Print as BusinessObjects 4.1. Note: When you check or uncheck this option, you may need to minimize and then maximize the BUSINESSOBJECTS document window to see the change in the display. 188 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 189. Organizing your workspace Regional settings BUSINESSOBJECTS supports international settings. This means that the regional settings in the Windows Control Panel affect how BUSINESSOBJECTS displays and sorts numbers, currency, times and months in reports. Make sure these settings are correctly set. To do this: 1. From the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel. 2. Double-click on Regional Settings to open the Regional Settings dialog box. The date has a four- digit format which ensures that century information will not be lost In the illustration above, the regional settings have been set to United States English. This means BUSINESSOBJECTS will use US conventions for numbers, dates and times and will use the dollar sign as the default currency sign. Date settings and the year 2000 We strongly advise you to set a four-digit year style on the Date tab of the Regional Settings Properties dialog box. This ensures that you will not lose century information if you are exporting data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to text files. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 189
- 190. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Report Manager The Report Manager is a key part of the BUSINESSOBJECTS workspace from which you can manage many different aspects of your work. To display the Report Manager You can show or hide the Report Manager window by using the button on the Standard toolbar. • Click the Report Manager button on the Standard toolbar to display or hide the Report Manager window. Report Manager The Report Manager has two tabs. Each tab is used to manage a different aspect of your work in BUSINESSOBJECTS. • The Data tab allows you to manage the variables and formulas contained in a BUSINESSOBJECTS document. • The Map tab allows you to navigate through reports and to work on the structure and organization of reports and report components. Tip: When the Report Manager window opens, it is docked on the left-hand side of your report window. You can undock the Report Manager window and drag it to any other convenient location on your screen. Hold down the Ctrl key while moving the Report Manager window to prevent it from docking 190 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 191. Report Manager Managing the data in a document The Report Manager Data tab contains a list of all the variables and formulas in the document. You can view the data list in two different ways: View in alphabetical order View by data provider • In alphabetical order: in this view, the data in the document is listed in alphabetical order with the variables in the Variables folder and the formulas in the Formulas folder. • By data provider: in this view the variables are grouped into the data providers from which they were returned. You can drag variables from this list and drop them into the report window to construct tables and other components in your report. If you right-click on a variable in the list, a menu is displayed which allows you to: • edit the data provider to bring in other data • create a new data provider • view the data • open the Variables dialog box to create a new variable • edit local variables BusinessObjects User’s Guide 191
- 192. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Navigating through reports The Report Manager Map tab allows you to manage the structure of your document. It has two views. reports sections Navigation view In navigation view, a list of all the reports in your document is displayed. For the report currently displayed on your screen, section names are also displayed. If you click on an item in the list in the Report Manager, the corresponding report or section is displayed in the report window. If you right-click on a report in the list, a menu is displayed which allows you to: • rename, duplicate or delete the selected report • apply a template or standard styles to the selected report • insert a new report 192 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 193. Report Manager Structuring and formatting reports In structure view, the Map tab displays a list of all the reports in the document and a list of all the components in the selected report. Each report component (header, section, cell, table, chart etc.) is represented by an icon and a name. The names of components hidden in the report are displayed in italics. reports report components Structure view When you click on an icon in the Report Manager window, the corresponding section or component is displayed in the main report window. If you right-click on an icon, a menu is displayed. If you right-click on a table icon, for example, you can: • format the table • turn the table to a chart • format any breaks, sorts or filters applied to the selected table • apply the standard report style • copy, cut or delete the table BusinessObjects User’s Guide 193
- 194. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Managing Reports This section describes how to manage reports inside a BUSINESSOBJECTS document. Inserting a blank report Creating a blank report enables you to design special features before you display any data in it. For example, you can work on the report’s title or apply a page background first, then build a query or other data provider to display data in the report. To create a blank report inside an existing document • Select the Report command from the Insert menu. A new, blank report appears inside the document To insert a blank report by default You can set BUSINESSOBJECTS to always create a blank report inside a new document when you select the New command from the File menu or click the New New button on the toolbar. To do this: 1. Select the Options command from the Tools menu. The Options dialog box opens. 2. Click the New Document tab. 3. Click Systematically Create Blank Document. The next time you click the New button or select the New command from the File menu, a blank report inside a new document appears. Copying a report To make a copy of an existing report inside the document: 1. Right-click on the tab of the report you want to copy. 2. Choose Duplicate Report from the pop-up menu that appears. A copy of the active report appears in a new tab inside the document. The name that appears in the tab is <<Report Namen +(1)>>. For example, if the report you copied is named Sales, the new report is named Sales (1). Note that the Duplicate Report command is also available on the Edit menu. 194 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 195. Managing Reports Displaying, renaming and deleting reports One document can contain many reports. Each report has a tab, which appears at the bottom of the document window: To switch from one report to another • Click the tab of the report you want to display. To rename a report 1. Right-click the report tab. 2. Choose Rename Report from the menu. 3. In the dialog box that appears, type the name you want to give the report, then click OK. The name you typed appears in the report’s tab. Note that the Rename Report command is also available on the Format menu. To delete a report You can delete a report from a document if the document contains more than one report. You cannot delete the last report in a document. 1. Right-click the report tab. 2. Choose Delete Report from the menu. A dialog box appears asking you to confirm or cancel that you want to delete the report. To delete more than one report 1. Holding down the Shift key, click the tab of each report you want to delete. 2. Click your right-mouse button. 3. Choose Delete Report from the menu. Note that the Delete Report command is also available on the Edit menu. Note: You cannot undo the deletion of a report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 195
- 196. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Managing reports using Report Manager You can also manage reports directly from the Report Manager Map tab. See page 192 for information on how to do this. Undoing actions If you make a mistake or want to undo something you have just done because you are not pleased with the result, you can use the Undo button on the Standard toolbar. • The Undo button lets you undo up to ten successive actions. Undo/Redo • The Redo button lets you redo up to ten previously undone actions. To undo actions, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Z. 196 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 197. Opening Documents Opening Documents BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 is fully compatible with: • All documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.0 and 4.x • BUSINESSQUERY documents • WEBINTELLIGENCE documents This section describes how to open these documents. Restrictions on WebIntelligence and BusinessQuery documents WEBINTELLIGENCE and BUSINESSQUERY documents that you open in BUSINESSOBJECTS appear with the standard BUSINESSOBJECTS document template. Formatting applied in WEBINTELLIGENCE and BUSINESSQUERY is lost. Opening a document If the document is stored locally on your computer: 1. Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar. The Open dialog box appears. Open 2. Choose the type of document you want to open from the Files of type list. 3. Locate the document you want to open and click OK. Tip: BUSINESSOBJECTS keeps track of the last documents opened. These files are named at the end of the File menu. Just choose the file you want to open from the list. Opening several documents at once Opening several documents at once is useful if you have complex documents that take a long time to open. You can select all the documents you want to use and then get on with another task while you are waiting for them all to open. To do this: 1. Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar. The Open dialog box appears. Open 2. Choose the type of document you want to open from the Files of type list. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 197
- 198. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager 3. Select the documents you want to open using the Shift key to select adjacent documents and the Ctrl key to select non adjacent documents. 4. Click OK. Using Personal Document folders The Personal Documents folder is reserved storage space on the web server where you can save documents for your personal use. Only you can use this folder. You will only have access to Personal Documents if you connect to BUSINESSOBJECTS via a web connection. To help you organize and find your documents more easily, you can use categories. The categories you use here are personal categories and you are the only person who can create, delete and modify them. You can view the documents saved in Personal Documents list either from BUSINESSOBJECTS or from INFOVIEW. Note: For information on viewing personal document lists in INFOVIEW, see the InfoView User’s Guide. Retrieving a personal document If you are connected to a BUSINESSOBJECTS web connection, you can retrieve documents you have saved in your personal documents folder on the web server. 198 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 199. Using Personal Document folders To retrieve a document saved in your personal documents folder: 1. From the File menu, choose Retrieve From/Personal Documents. Retrieve form The Retrieve Personal Document dialog box opens. Personal Documents 2. Select the file you want to open from the list and click Open. You can only retrieve one file at a time. A copy of the document is downloaded to your computer and opened. Note: When you open a BUSINESSOBJECTS document from Personal Documents, BUSINESSOBJECTS copies the document locally. If you work on this document, save it in Personal Documents and then retrieve the same document during a different work session, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays the following message to tell you that you already have a document with the same name on your computer: If you know that you saved the latest copy of this document in Personal Documents, you can quite safely overwrite the local copy. Using categories to find personal documents Documents can be assigned to filtering mechanisms called categories. Categories help you sort and find documents in your personal documents list by filtering the list to display only documents belonging to the selected category. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 199
- 200. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager To filter the document list by category: 1. Click the arrow to the right of the All Categories button. The Categories box opens. If you haven’t created any categories, this list has one entry only, <No Category>. 2. Select one or more categories from the list. Use the Shift and Control keys to make multiple selections. If you select <No Category>, BUSINESSOBJECTS filters the personal document list to display those documents to which no category has been assigned. 3. Click OK. The list is filtered to display only the documents assigned to the selected category or categories. 200 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 201. Using Personal Document folders Saving a document in your Personal Documents folder You can send a document to your personal documents folder if you are connected to a WEBINTELLIGENCE server. To save a document in your personal documents folder: Send to Personal Documents 1. From the File menu, choose Send to/Personal Documents. The Send Personal Document dialog box opens: 2. Type a name for the document in the “File name” box. 3. In the Save as type list box, choose the format. Choices are: • BusinessObjects Document (*.rep), • Portable Document Format (*.pdf), • Rich Text Format (*.rtf), • Text Files (*.txt), • BusinessObjects Templates (*.ret), • BusinessQuery Files (*.bqy). • BusinessObjects Add-ins (*.rea) 4. Assign a category to the document if you wish. 5. Click Save. The document is saved in your personal documents folder on the web server. Deleting documents from your Personal Documents folder If you want to delete documents from Personal Documents, you have to use the personal document list in INFOVIEW. For information on viewing the personal document list in INFOVIEW and deleting documents from it, see the InfoView User’s Guide. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 201
- 202. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Assigning categories to a document You assign categories to a document when you save it. When you are saving a document to which you’ve already assigned categories, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays <Keep existing categories> in the Categories box and saves the document with these categories unless you make any changes. To assign a category: 1. Click the arrow to the right of the Categories box. The Categories box opens. 2. Check the categories you want to assign to the document, uncheck any you wish to remove and click OK. The selected categories are displayed in the Categories box. 3. Click Save to save the document with the assigned categories. Creating a new personal category You manage the categories assigned to your personal documents. You can create, delete and rename categories according to your personal needs. To create a new category: 1. Click the arrow to the right of the Categories box. The Categories box opens. 202 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 203. Using Personal Document folders 2. Click the Add Category button. a b c d e f Add Category a Displays only the selected category b Check all categories c Uncheck all categories d Add new category e Delete the selected category f Rename the selected category 3. Type in a name for the category in the newly created box. Renaming a personal category Select the category you want to rename. Rename Category 1. Click the Rename button. 2. Type in the modifications. Deleting a personal category 1. Select the category you want to delete. Delete Category 2. Click the Delete button. Changing default file locations When you choose Open, the Open dialog box opens by default in the UserDocs folder in the BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can change this setting. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 203
- 204. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager To do this: 1. From the Tools menu, choose Options. The Options dialog box opens. 2. Click the File Locations tab. 3. Click on the file type in the list and click the Change button. The Browse for Folder dialog box opens. 4. Locate and open the folder you want to set as the default and click OK. The new folder and path is displayed in the list. 204 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 205. Refreshing BusinessObjects Documents Refreshing BusinessObjects Documents A document generated at a given point in time reflects the data as it existed at that time, but it may be inaccurate now. In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can update the data in a document while keeping the same presentation and formatting. When you update a document, BUSINESSOBJECTS reconnects to the database or file, and retrieves the updated data. This is called refreshing a document. Refreshing a document ensures that the data is kept up-to-date with changes in the database or personal data file. You can update the data displayed in a BUSINESSOBJECTS document if you have a connection to the data source. Note that if your document contains data retrieved using a web connection as well as data retrieved using a client/server connection you will not be able to refresh both data providers at the same time. You will have to connect to the web connection to refresh one set of data and then connect to the client/server connection to refresh the other set of data. Different ways of refreshing documents BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to refresh documents in the following ways: • Manually • Automatically at specific times or intervals • By sending the document to Broadcast Agent, the BUSINESSOBJECTS product that manages the scheduled processing of documents. • Every time you open a document. Before refreshing a document When you refresh a document, you refresh the data provider(s) contained in the document. The data provider is the data source; this can be a database query or a personal data file, for example. The user who created a document can specify whether or not the document's data provider(s) can be refreshed. Before trying to refresh a data provider, check that the Refreshable option is has been set. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 205
- 206. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager To do this: 1. From the Data menu, choose View Data. The Data Manager dialog box opens. Make sure this option is checked. 2. Click the Definition tab. 3. In Data Providers box, select the data provider you want to check on and make sure the Refreshable option is checked. If this option is not checked, you cannot refresh the selected data provider. Only the creator of the document or the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor can change this setting. Before refreshing data providers, you should also check that: • The most up-to-date data is the data you want. • Refreshing the data provider will not block the server (database). • Refreshing the data provider will not block your computer. Some databases support asynchronous mode, which enables you to refresh a data provider without blocking your computer. If the database at your site does not support asynchronous mode, you can avoid blocking your computer by specifying off-peak times for refreshing data providers. Your IS department, the universe designer and/or the supervisor should be able to advise you on these points. 206 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 207. Refreshing BusinessObjects Documents Manually refreshing a document To update the data in a document: • Click the Refresh button on the toolbar. Refresh BUSINESSOBJECTS refreshes all the data providers in your document. Refreshing a document with more than one data provider If your document contains more than one data provider, you can choose which data provider you want to refresh. To do this: 1. From the Data menu, choose View Data. The Data Manager dialog box opens. 2. Click the Results tab. 3. Select the data provider you want to refresh in the Data Providers list. 4. Click the Refresh button. Refreshing a document with a prompt A prompt is a dialog box that asks you to choose which data you want to retrieve and display in your report. this allows you to focus your analysis on a particular year or particular product line, for example. If a report has been set up with a BusinessObjects User’s Guide 207
- 208. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager prompt, BUSINESSOBJECTS shows this dialog box when you click the Refresh button. The way a prompt dialog looks depends on how the person who created the report set it up. In the example below, the custom prompt dialog box asks you to choose a product line before refreshing the report. Automatically refreshing a document There are a number of options you can set to refresh your documents on a regular basis or at a set time. Automatically refresh data providers on opening a document You can set BUSINESSOBJECTS to automatically refresh all data providers in a document each time you open it. To do this: 1. Make sure the document is open. 2. From the Tools menu, choose Options. The Options dialog box opens up. 3. Click the Save tab. 4. Check Refresh Document When Opening, then click OK. Refresh a data provider once at a set time If you know the database is to be updated at a certain time on a given date, you can specify that your data provider(s) be automatically refreshed at this point in time. To do this: 1. From the Data menu, choose View Data. The Data Manager dialog box opens. 208 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 209. Refreshing BusinessObjects Documents 2. Click the Definition tab. Select the data provider from this list Set automatic refresh options here 3. In Data Providers box, select the data provider you want to work on. 4. Check Automatic Refresh then Once. 5. Select an option from the list box: • "On date, at time". Use this option to refresh the data provider at a given time on a given day. • "On date, from time". Use this option to refresh the data provider after a given time on a set day. 6. Select a date and a time from the respective list boxes, then click OK. Regularly refresh a data provider If you know the database is updated every day at a certain time, for example, midnight, you can specify that your data provider(s) be automatically refreshed at 1a.m. every day. To do this: 1. Follow Step 1 to Step 3 in the procedure “Refresh a data provider once at a set time” on page 208. 2. Check Automatic Refresh, then Every. 3. Set the intervals at which you want to refresh the data provider by entering a value in the box, and selecting Hour(s) or Minute(s) from the list box. 4. Select the start date and time in the From Date and Time boxes, then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 209
- 210. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Saving Documents BUSINESSOBJECTS reports are saved inside BUSINESSOBJECTS documents. BUSINESSOBJECTS also allows you to save your document in different formats so that you can use the data in other applications or share the data with other users. This section describes how to do this. Depending on how BUSINESSOBJECTS is set up in your company, you may have the choice of saving documents locally or in a personal documents folder reserved for you on a server. Saving a document 1. Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar, or select the Save command on Save the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears. By default, the UserDocs folder is active and the file name is Documentn. 2. If you wish, type a different name in the File Name box. 3. Click Save. The Save As dialog box closes. The name you gave the document now appears in the title bar of the application window. The default file extension for BUSINESSOBJECTS documents is .rep. Changing a document’s name and/or folder To save a BUSINESSOBJECTS with a different name or in a different location: 1. From the File menu, choose Save As. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. Type a new name in the “File name” box. 3. Navigate to the folder in which you want to save the document, then click Save. Saving a document for all users If you want to make a document accessible to another user working without a repository, then check the Save for all users option in the Save as dialog box (Save As command, File menu). If you do not do this, users working without a repository will get an error message saying “You are not authorized to use this document” when they try to open your document. This is important to bear in mind if you are sending documents to other users via email, for example. 210 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 211. Saving Documents Saving a document in text or rich text format When you save a BUSINESSOBJECTS document in text (.txt) or rich text format (.rtf), only the currently selected report is saved. Graphics are not saved in rich text format and text documents. To save a document in text or .rtf format: 1. From the File menu, chooses Save As. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. In the Save as type list box, click: • “Text file (*.txt)”, or • “Rich text format (*.rtf)”. 3. Click Save. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes a copy of the document and saves it in the specified format. The original document remains on your screen. Saving a document in HTML format You can save a BUSINESSOBJECTS document in HTML format. To do this: 1. From the File menu, choose Save As HTML. The Save As dialog box opens. 2. Choose the location where you want to save the file and click Save. 3. The HTML options dialog box opens where you can specify how you want your HTML document to be saved. For a full description of the options available on this dialog box and for advice on preparing HTML documents in general, see the InfoView User’s Guide. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 211
- 212. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager Saving a document in PDF format BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 allows you to save BUSINESSOBJECTS documents in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). All users need to view and print PDF documents is the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. When you open a BUSINESSOBJECTS document saved in PDF format, you can view and navigate through different reports and obtain high quality printed copies. You cannot edit or analyze the data. To save a BUSINESSOBJECTS document in PDF format: 1. From the File menu, choose Save As. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. In the Save as type list box, choose Portable Document Format (*.pdf) and specify where you want to save the PDF file. 3. Click Save. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes a copy of the document and saves it in PDF format. The original document remains on your screen. The illustrations below show the same document in its original BUSINESSOBJECTS format and after saving in PDF format. Original BusinessObjects document 212 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 213. Saving Documents Note how the navigation outline is retained in the pdf document making it easy to navigate quickly through reports and report sections. Click here to view a report. Click here to go to a section in a report. Saving a document as a BusinessQuery file BUSINESSQUERY for Excel users build queries on universes in Microsoft Excel. By saving a document as a BUSINESSQUERY file, you can transfer data obtained in BUSINESSOBJECTS to BUSINESSQUERY. You can then work with the query using the functionality of both BUSINESSQUERY and Microsoft Excel. Saving a document as a BUSINESSQUERY file is only possible if all the following conditions are satisfied: • The current document contains only one data provider. • The data provider is a query on a universe. • The query returns only one microcube. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 213
- 214. Chapter 9 Report Basics and Report Manager To save a document as a BUSINESSQUERY file: 1. From the File menu, chooses Save As. 2. Navigate to the folder in which you want to save the document. Note that the default folder for BUSINESSQUERY files is C:BusinessObjectsUserBQYUniverseName, where UniverseName corresponds to the universe on which the query was built. 3. Select BusinessQuery files (*.bqy) in the Save as type list box. 4. If you wish, type a different name in the File name box, then click OK. Otherwise, simply click OK. 5. For information on working with the query in BUSINESSQUERY, refer to the BusinessQuery User’s Guide. Note: If you have opened a BUSINESSQUERY document in BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can save it as a BUSINESSQUERY document or as a BUSINESSOBJECTS document. Whether you save the document in BUSINESSQUERY or BUSINESSOBJECTS format, you will be able to continue to work with it in both applications. Saving WebIntelligence documents If you have opened a WEBINTELLIGENCE document in BUSINESSOBJECTS, you cannot save it as a WEBINTELLIGENCE document. You can only save it as a BUSINESSOBJECTS document, i.e., a .rep file. Once you have saved the document, you can send, publish and schedule the document, but only as a BUSINESSOBJECTS document, not as a WEBINTELLIGENCE document. If you want to send, publish and schedule the document as a WEBINTELLIGENCE document, you must use INFOVIEW in your Web browser. See the InfoView User’s Guide for more information. 214 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 215. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 217 ❑ What Types of Tables? 218 Tables 218 Crosstab tables 219 ❑ Creating Tables 220 Inserting a table from Report Manager 220 Rotating tables 221 Re-organizing data in tables 221 Adding more data to a table 224 Replacing data in a table 224 Removing data from a table 225 Inserting a crosstab 226 Turning a crosstab to a table 227 Tips on dragging and dropping data 227 ❑ Guided Table Insertion 228 ❑ Editing Tables 230 Selecting tables, rows and cells 230 Inserting empty columns and rows 233 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 215
- 216. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Naming or renaming a column or row 233 Resizing columns and rows 234 Copying, pasting and deleting 234 ❑ Free-standing Cells 236 Inserting a free-standing cell 236 Dragging a cell out of a table 237 Editing cells and cell content 238 216 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 217. Overview Overview BUSINESSOBJECTS has three basic ways of displaying the data in a report. You can display data in tables, in charts or in free-standing cells. This chapter deals with the different types of tables, including crosstabs, that you can use in BUSINESSOBJECTS. It describes how to create tables and how to organize the way your data is displayed in them. This chapter also describes how to insert and display data in free-standing cells. Chapter 17 "Creating Charts" on page 399 of this guide describes how to display your data in charts. Formatting tables and cells, that is working with colors, font and number styles is covered in Chapter 22 "Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections" on page 519. See also Chapter 13 "Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations" on page 279 which describes breaking up the data in tables to display calculations. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 217
- 218. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables What Types of Tables? BUSINESSOBJECTS has three types of table. It has two basic table types that display data in a list and crosstabs, which are a special kind of table that allows you to summarize data. These different types of table are described below. Tables BUSINESSOBJECTS tables display data in either rows or in columns and have a header and a footer. Header and footer rows and columns are special rows and columns. The header displays information about the row or column e.g. a label or the name of the variable whose values are displayed. The footer displays calculations on the values displayed in the columns or rows. You can display the variable labels along the top row of the table so that you read the data down the columns as shown below: The names of the variables are displayed at the top of the table The values are listed underneath the column headings Calculation totals are displayed in the table footer Or, you can have the variable labels displayed down the left edge of the table so that you read the data across the rows as shown below. This table format is typically used in financial reports such as balance sheets. The names of the variables are displayed down the left edge of the table Calculation totals are displayed in The values are listed along the the table footer rows after the row headings 218 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 219. What Types of Tables? Crosstab tables A crosstab is a particular kind of table where data is displayed in columns and in rows. Corresponding data appears at the intersection of the columns and rows; this part of the crosstab is called the body. The body typically displays numerical data. A crosstab can display both row totals and column totals as well as a grand total. You need at least three variables to display data in a crosstab including one measure. The measure is placed in the body of the crosstab. The crosstab illustrated below displays sales revenue per year for the top three selling product lines. The Year variable is displayed in the top row. This is the Down Edge of the crosstab. The Line variable is displayed in the left column. This is the The Sales Revenue variable Row and column totals Across Edge of is displayed in the body are displayed in the two the crosstab. footers with a grand total shown in the bottom right- hand cell The same crosstab in Structure View shows how the variables are placed in the crosstab BusinessObjects User’s Guide 219
- 220. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Creating Tables This section only deals with inserting tables that contain data that already exists in the report i.e. using the variables that are displayed in the list in the Report Manager. There are several ways of inserting a new table in a report. You can: • Select and drag variables from the Report Manager list and drop them in a blank space in the report. The data is displayed in a table. You can then add other columns as required, rotate the table, move it, turn it into a crosstab and rename the data labels. • Use the Insert Table/Crosstab wizards. • Copy an existing table and then replace the variables and delete or add columns and rows as required. If you want to bring new data into your report, see Chapter 2 "Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects" on page 37. Inserting a table from Report Manager Inserting a table by dragging the variables you want to use from the Report Manager and dropping them into your report is the quick and convenient method. Here’s how to do it: 1. Make sure the Report Manager window is open. If it isn’t, click the Report Manager button on the Standard toolbar Report Manager 2. Click on the Data tab of the Report Manager. A list of all the data you can use in your report is displayed. 3. Select the variables you want to use in your table in the Report Manager. Use the Ctrl key to select more than one variable. Create table cursor 220 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 221. Creating Tables 4. Holding down your mouse button, drag the variables out of the Report Manager and onto the report. The cursor changes to the Create Table cursor and the status bar displays the message Drop to create a table. Status bar 5. Release your mouse button to drop the variables and create a table to display the data. Rotating tables You can change the orientation of your table to list data in rows instead of columns or the other way round. To do this: 1. Select the table. Rotate Table 2. Click the Rotate Table button on the Report toolbar. The table is rotated as shown below. From this...... ....to this Re-organizing data in tables Once you have inserted your table you can re-organize the columns and rows in it, add more data to it and delete rows and columns to get the layout that best represents your data. You can do all this using your mouse. There’s no need to go through dialog boxes or menus. Swapping two columns or two rows To swap two columns or two rows: 1. Click in one of the rows or columns. Make sure you click in a cell other than the header cell. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 221
- 222. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables 2. Click on the same row or column again and, holding down your mouse, drag your cursor over the second column or row. The cursor changes to the swap cursor and the status bar reads Drop to swap Swap cursor contents. 3. Release your mouse button. The two columns or rows have changed position in the table. From this...... To this...... Moving columns and rows To move a column or row to a different position in the table. 1. Click on the row or column. Make sure you click in a cell other than the header cell. 2. Click on the same row or column again and, holding down your mouse, drag Move cursor your cursor to where you want to place the row or column. The cursor changes to the move cursor and the status bar reads Drop to move contents. 3. Release your mouse button. The row or column is moved to the new position. From this...... To this...... 222 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 223. Creating Tables Copying columns and rows To copy a column or row: 1. Click on the row or column. Make sure you click in a cell other than the header cell. 2. Click on the same row or column again and, holding down your mouse button, drag your cursor to where you want to place the row or column. 3. Hold down the Ctrl key. Copy cursor The cursor changes to the copy cursor and the status bar reads Drop to copy contents. To this...... From this...... 4. Still holding down the Ctrl key, release your mouse button. The row or column is copied to the new position Keeping source formatting When you swap, move or copy rows and columns you may want to keep any particular formatting you have used on a column or row. In the example below, you have formatted the values in the Year column in Red in a larger font size than the other columns. To keep this formatting on the Year column when you move it to a different position in the table: • Hold down the Alt key as you drop the column or row into its new position. Swap columns only and Hold down Alt key and formatting stays on middle formatting is copied to the column new position BusinessObjects User’s Guide 223
- 224. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Adding more data to a table You can add more data to your table by dragging variables from the Report Manager and inserting new columns or rows in your table. To insert a row or column in a table: Insert highlighting 1. In the Report Manager, click on the variable you want to add to your table. 2. Holding down your left mouse button, drag the cursor to the edge of the column or row where you want to add a new one. 3. When the edge of the column or row is highlighted with a gray hatched border and the status bar displays the message Drop to insert, release the mouse button. A new column or row is added to the table to display the new data. Tip: You can add more than one variable at a time. Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select more than one variable from the list in the Report Manager. Replacing data in a table You can replace the data in a column or a row by dragging a different variable from the Report Manager window and dropping it onto the table. Replace highlighting 1. In the Report Manager, click on the variable you want to add to your table. 2. Holding down your left mouse button, drag the cursor over the column or row of data you want to replace. 224 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 225. Creating Tables 3. When the column or row is highlighted with a gray hatched border and the status bar displays the message Drop to replace contents, release the mouse button. The data in the column or row is replaced with the new data. Removing data from a table You can remove a row or column of data from a table by dragging it back into the Report Manager window. To do this: 1. Click on the row or column. Make sure you click in a cell other than the header cell. 2. Click on the same row or column again and, holding down your mouse button, drag the cursor into the Report Manager window. To this...... From this...... 3. Release the mouse button. The column or row of data is removed from the table. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 225
- 226. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Inserting a crosstab You can create a crosstab by dragging variables from the Report Manager into the report to create a table and then re-organizing the table into a crosstab. Remember that you need at least two dimensions/details and one measure to create a crosstab. To turn a table into a crosstab: 1. Select a column and drag it to the upper right corner of the table. You can also drag a variable from the Report Manager window to the upper right corner of the table. 2. When the cursor becomes the Turn to Crosstab cursor and the status bar Turn to Crosstab displays the message Drop to turn to crosstab, release the mouse button. cursor The table becomes a crosstab. Re-organizing crosstabs You can re-organize a crosstab by swapping or replacing the variables in the headers or by replacing the variable displayed in the body. The example below shows how to swap two headers: 1. Click in the Year header. Click again in the same header. 2. Holding down your mouse button, drag the cursor over the Resort header. The Resort header is highlighted, the cursor changes to the swap cursor and the status bar reads Drop to swap. 226 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 227. Creating Tables 3. Release the mouse button. The headers are displayed in the new positions. Turning a crosstab to a table You can rearrange the columns and rows in a crosstab into a table. To do this: 1. Click inside the header row of the crosstab. 2. Click again in the same row and, holding down the mouse button, drag the Turn to Table cursor cursor towards the left border of the crosstab. 3. When a horizontal line appears above the cursor, release the mouse button. Tips on dragging and dropping data • Make sure you have correctly selected the data you want to move. • Watch how the cursor changes shape as it moves over different parts of the table and how the highlighting on the table changes. This shows you what will happen when you release your mouse button. • Watch the status bar messages for instructions on what keyboard shortcuts you can use and for what will happen when you release your mouse button. • If you are not happy with the result, use the Undo button on the Standard toolbar or Ctr+Z to undo the action you’ve just carried out. You can undo up Undo button to ten actions. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 227
- 228. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Guided Table Insertion You can also insert tables and crosstabs using the Insert wizards. These wizards guide you through the steps you need to carry out to insert a new table or crosstab in your report. The following procedure describes how to insert a table or crosstab in a report, using existing data from the document. If you want to insert a table or crosstab using new data see Chapter 2 "Introduction to Accessing Data with BusinessObjects" on page 37 of this user’s guide. 1. Click inside a blank space in the report. 2. Click the Insert Table or the Insert Crosstab button on the Report toolbar. The cursor changes to the insert cursor. a. Insert table button b. Insert crosstab button c. Insert table cursor a b c d d. Insert crosstab cursor 3. Click once in the report where you want the top left-hand corner of the table or crosstab to be positioned. The Insert wizard opens. 4. Click the first option, Use existing data from the document, then click Begin. Next, choose the data that you want to use: 228 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 229. Guided Table Insertion 5. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the variables you want to display in the new table/crosstab. If you are inserting a.... Click.... Table Finish. The table appears in the report. Crosstab Next, then go to Step 6 6. In the next screen, the variables you selected are organized in three folders. The variable in the Column folder will be displayed in the header down the left edge of the crosstab, the variable in the Rows folder will be displayed in the header in the top row of the crosstab and the variable in the Body folder will be displayed in the body of the crosstab: 7. You can re-organize the variables in the folders by dragging them from one folder to another. When you have organized the variables as required, click Finish. The crosstab appears in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 229
- 230. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Editing Tables This section describes how you can edit existing tables and crosstabs. Selecting tables, rows and cells When you work on a table, you can select the whole table, which means all the cells, rows and columns and header cells, or, you can select just part of the table, one row, one column, one cell or several cells together. The next section describes how to select the different parts of a table. To select a table 1. If part of the table is selected, click a blank space outside it. 2. Hold down your Alt key and click once inside the table. A hatched gray border appears around the table: Hatched gray border that appears when the table is selected. 230 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 231. Editing Tables To select two or more tables 1. Click a blank space in the report. 2. Drag the mouse until you have covered part of each block you want to select. 3. Release the mouse button. A hatched gray border appears around each. To select columns and rows To select one column or one row: 1. Place the cursor at the top of the column or at the left-hand side of the row 2. When the cursor changes to a black arrow, pointing downwards for a column or to the right for a row, click once. The column or row is highlighted as shown below: The column or row is highlighted, to show that it is selected. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 231
- 232. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables You can also select a column or a row simply by clicking inside it. This method does not select the column or row header, which is the cell that contains the name of the variable. Header cell is not selected. Only the body cells are selected. To select adjacent columns or adjacent rows 1. Select one column or row. 2. Holding down the Shift key, click the adjacent column(s) or row(s). To select columns or rows that are not adjacent 1. Select the first column or row. 2. Holding down the Ctrl key, then click the other column(s) or row(s) you want to select. Note: You can select one or more columns at a time, or one or more rows at a time, but you cannot select a combination of columns and rows. To select a cell in a table • To select a cell, click inside it. The cell background is blackened, to indicate that it has been selected: • To select more than one cell, hold down your Ctrl key, then click inside each one. 232 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 233. Editing Tables Inserting empty columns and rows You can add columns and rows to existing tables or crosstabs. 1. Select a column, row or cell. 2. Click one of the insert buttons on the Structure toolbar: a. Inserts a row above the selection. b. Inserts a row below the selection. c. Inserts a column to the left of the selection. a b c d e f g h d. Inserts a column to the right of the selection. e. Inserts a cell above the selection f. Inserts a cell below the selection. g. Inserts a cell to the left of the selection h. Inserts a cell to the right of the selection Naming or renaming a column or row A new column or row does not have a title when you add it to your table. To name a column or row header: 1. Double-click inside the header cell. 2. Type a name. 3. Press the Enter key. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 233
- 234. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Resizing columns and rows 1. Move the mouse cursor over the right edge of the column (or bottom edge of a row) you want to resize. 2. When the cursor changes to the Resize cursor, hold down the left mouse button and drag the edge to increase or decrease the column (or row) to the required width (or row height). Resize cursor Tip: If you double-click on the resize cursor, the column or row is automatically sized to width or height of the contents. Copying, pasting and deleting You can copy, paste and delete report components using menu commands, toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts. Copying tables and crosstabs 1. Select the table. 2. Click the Copy button on the standard toolbar. 3. Click in the location where you want to display the copy of the table. 4. Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar. Tip: You can also copy a table or crosstab by selecting it, dragging it to a new position and holding down the Ctrl key as you release the mouse button. The table or crosstab is copied to the new location. 234 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 235. Editing Tables Deleting columns and rows 1. Select the column or row. Delete button 2. Click the Delete button on the Standard toolbar. Deleting tables 1. Select the table. 2. Click the Delete button on the Standard toolbar. Copying and pasting from BusinessObjects to other applications You can copy objects such as tables and charts in BUSINESSOBJECTS, or copy the whole report contents, and then paste them into a Microsoft Office application, for example, such as Excel or Word. For details on how to do this, see “Copying and pasting from BusinessObjects to another application” on page 172. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 235
- 236. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Free-standing Cells BUSINESSOBJECTS reports have two types of cell: cells that make up tables and free- standing cells. A free-standing cell is a single cell that is not attached to any other report component and can be moved and formatted individually. Free-standing cells have many uses in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. They are containers for text, calculations or graphics and are used among other things for report titles, for adding comments and for displaying page numbers. Inserting a free-standing cell 1. Click inside a blank space in the report to make sure no other report component is selected. 2. Click the Insert Cell button on the Report toolbar. Insert Cell button The cursor changes to the Insert Cell cursor. 3. Click where you want your cell to appear and, holding down your mouse button, draw a cell. Insert Cell cursor When you release the mouse button, a cell appears in the area you have drawn. When a new cell is inserted it has a flashing cursor inside it so that you can immediately type in text. Tip: You can also insert a free-standing cell by copying and pasting an existing cell from the report. To do this, select the cell, hold down the mouse button, hold down the Ctrl key and drag the mouse. When you release the mouse button, a copy of the cell appears. 236 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 237. Free-standing Cells Dragging a cell out of a table You can drag a cell out of a table to display the data contained in it in a free- standing cell. To do this: 1. Select the cell. 2. Click in the cell again and, holding down the mouse button, drag the cell out of the table and drop it in a blank space in the report If you drag a cell containing a dimension or detail object out of a table you create a master/detail report as shown below: If you drag a measure out of a table you can display a grand total or a section total depending on where you place the cell. In the example below the table total is displayed at the top of the table. You can use a grid to automatically align the selection as you drag it. To do so, • From the Format menu choose Snap to Grid. • To view the grid, from the View menu choose Grid BusinessObjects User’s Guide 237
- 238. Chapter 10 Displaying Data in Tables Editing cells and cell content You can work on free-standing cells in the following ways. Typing text in a cell Double-click on the cell. If the cell is empty, it has a black border around it and a flashing cursor. If the cell already contains text, the text is also highlighted. Type in your text and press Enter. Tip: If you get these symbols displayed in a cell ####, this happens because the cell contents are larger than the cell. Resize the cell to fix the problem. Moving a cell To move a cell to a different position, click on it once to select it and then click on it again and drag it to a new position. Resizing a cell Hold your cursor over the edge of the cell. When the cursor changes to the resize cursor, click and drag the cell border to resize it. Resize cursor Tip: If you double-click on the resize cursor, the cell is automatically sized to content width. You can also autosize the cell height by holding your cursor over the top or bottom border and double-clicking on the resize cursor. 238 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 239. Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 240 What are master/detail reports? 240 ❑ Structuring a Master/Detail Report 241 From a table or crosstab 241 From the Report Manager 242 Building a master/master/detail report 243 ❑ Re-organizing a Master/Detail Report 244 ❑ Managing Sections in Master/Detail reports 245 ❑ Undoing a Master/Detail Report 246 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 239
- 240. Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports Overview This chapter describes how to structure your data into a master/detail report. What are master/detail reports? Master/detail reports enable you to split large blocks of data into sections. This type of presentation allows you to avoid repeating values and also to display subtotals. In the example below the table displays data for Resort, Quarter and Revenue. The Quarter column has repeated values. If you set Quarter as a master value, each distinct value of quarter creates a section. You now have four sections, one for each quarter. Each section has a master cell, and a table showing resort and revenue. a b c a. For each value of the master, Quarter, a section is created. One master value appears in a cell inside each section. In this section, the master value is “Q1”. b. The detail can be a table, crosstab or chart. It displays data that relates to the master. In this report, the detail is a table that shows revenue per resort. c. You can clearly see the sections in a master/detail report by activating the Section Delimiters command on the View menu. Structuring a master/detail report 240 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 241. Structuring a Master/Detail Report Structuring a Master/Detail Report You set up a master/detail report by setting a variable as a master cell. This section describes the different ways to do this. You can: • use a variable in a table or crosstab to create a master cell • add a variable from the Report Manager to create a master cell From a table or crosstab If the data you want to set as the master is already displayed in a table or crosstab, you can drag it out of the table or crosstab and create a section. To do this: 1. Click inside the column or row contains the data you want to use as master. 2. Click inside the data again, hold down the mouse button, and drag the data away from the table or crosstab. The cursor changes to the Set as Master cursor. Set as Master cursor 3. Release the mouse button in a blank above the table or crosstab. The column or row of data you clicked is removed from the table or crosstab. For each of its values, a section is created. Each section contains: • A master cell which displays one value, and • A table or crosstab. Tip: You can also right-click on the row or column of data you want to set as master and choose Set As Master from the menu. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 241
- 242. Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports From the Report Manager If your report contains a chart or the variable you want to set as master is not currently in the table or crosstab, you can add a master cell from the Report Manager window. To do this: 1. If Report Manager is not open, choose Report Manager from the View menu. 2. In the Report Manager Data tab, click the variable you want to use as a master. 3. Drag the variable from the Report Manager window into the Report window. The pointer changes to the insert cell cursor and the status bar displays Drop to create section. 4. Drop the variable in the report above the block. A section is created for each value of the variable. 242 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 243. Structuring a Master/Detail Report Building a master/master/detail report A master/master/detail report has sections within sections. You create this type of report in the same way you create a master/detail report by dragging a value out of a table or crosstab or from the Report Manager and creating a second section. You can create up to nine sections in a report by adding master cells above or below the current master cells. Example Making a report with a year and a quarter section ........................................................... In this example, you have a report with a Quarter section. You want to add a year section so each financial year section displays the data for the four quarters in that year. To do this: • Drag the Year variable from Report Manager and drop in the report to create a new master cell. a b a. Drag the Year variable from the Report Manager window and drop in the area above the Q1 master cell to create a new section and new master cell. b. If you want the new section under the Quarter section, drop the new variable under the Q1 cell. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 243
- 244. Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports Re-organizing a Master/Detail Report You can re-organize the section levels in a master/detail report or change the master to get a different view of your data. Replace a master with a new variable • Drag a new variable from the table or crosstab or from the Report Manager window and drop it into the master cell. Change the order in a master/master/detail 1. Click on one of the master cells. From this...... ....to this 2. Drag the cell and drop it on the other cell. The contents are swapped and the section levels are changed. Sorting, ranking and filters You can sort, filter and rank data in master/detail reports. You can sort, filter and rank the values in the master cells and/or the data in the tables and crosstabs in the sections. For more information on sorting, ranking and filtering data, see Chapter 12 "Organizing Data in Reports" on page 249. 244 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 245. Managing Sections in Master/Detail reports Managing Sections in Master/Detail reports When you create a section, it covers the entire width of the report. Whatever you add or change in one section is added or changed in all the other sections created by the same master. Displaying section delimiters Section delimiters are graphical markings that show you where sections begin and end. Each section is named. Showing these delimiters helps you organize and structure your sections. To display the section delimiters: 1. From the View menu, choose Section Delimiters. A check mark is displayed next to the command to show that it is turned on. 2. Click once on the report window. The section delimiters are displayed. Scaling charts in master/detail reports If you have a master/detail report which contains charts, you can use different scaling for the charts in the different sections. See “Scaling charts in Master/ Detail reports” on page 433 for information on how to do this. Formatting sections in master/detail reports You can format the sections in a report by applying shading to the background. If you have set up a report with several sections, you can apply a different type of shading to each section in the report. This can allow you to easily distinguish between the different sections. For information on formatting sections, see “Formatting Sections” on page 520. Hiding sections in master/detail reports You can hide sections in master/detail reports so that only the sections you are interested in are displayed. For information on how to do this, see “Hiding and Displaying Report Components” on page 561. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 245
- 246. Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports Undoing a Master/Detail Report You can undo a master/detail report in the following ways: • By placing the master in the table or crosstab. • By removing the master from the report. • By removing the data from the master cell but leaving the cell in the report. Placing the master in a table or a crosstab You can remove a master cell by adding it to a table or crosstab in the section. The cell is inserted as an extra column or row of data. 1. Click the master cell. 2. Click the master cell again and, holding down the mouse button, drag the cell to the edge of the column or row where you want to insert it. 3. When the edge of the column or row is highlighted with a gray hatched border and the status bar displays the message Drop to copy contents, release the mouse button. The following message box is displayed: 246 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 247. Undoing a Master/Detail Report • Choose Yes to remove the data, the master cell and the section from the report. A new column or row is added to display the data and the section is deleted from the report as shown below: • Choose No to remove the data and the master cell but to leave the section in the report. A new column or row is added to display the data and the section remains in the report as shown below: Deleting the master 1. Select the master cell. 2. From the Edit menu, choose Delete. The message box described on page 246 is displayed. Tip: You can also remove a master cell by dragging it into the Report Manager window. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 247
- 248. Chapter 11 Master/Detail Reports Clearing the master cell 1. Click the master cell. 2. Select the Clear command from the Edit menu. The data from the master cell disappears, but the master cell remains. 248 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 249. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 251 ❑ Limiting the Data Displayed 252 Inserting a filter 253 Managing filters 254 Creating more complex filters 257 Ignoring filters 258 ❑ Ordering Data 260 Sorting data 260 Managing multiple sorts 264 ❑ Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values 267 Applying a ranking on report data 268 Managing ranking with filters and sorts 271 ❑ Hiding Columns and Rows of Data 272 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 249
- 250. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports ❑ Highlighting Data 273 Creating an alerter 273 Switching alerters off and on 276 Working on existing alerters 277 250 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 251. Overview Overview A BUSINESSOBJECTS report can contain a great deal of data. This chapter presents the various ways in which you can organize and present report data to bring certain key information to the instant attention of your readers. • You can limit the amount of information displayed in a report to focus on a selection only by using filters. • You can order the information by using ranking or sorting. • You can highlight interesting data with special formatting by using alerters. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 251
- 252. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Limiting the Data Displayed You may not want to display all the data returned by a data provider in a report. You may want to focus on a selection of it only, which is difficult to do if there is a lot of data on the screen. A filter enables you to hide the data you do not want to view behind the scenes and display only the data you need. There are two types of filter. A global filter affects the whole report. A block- specific filter only filters data for the specified chart, table or crosstab. Example Filter data to show sales revenue for two regions only ........................................................... Only the data for these values is now displayed. You can filter the data for Region by selecting two of its values: East and Midwest. In this example you want to show the sales revenue results for two regions only. To do this, you insert a filter on the Region column and choose to display East and Midwest only. Notice how the filter also affects calculations. The sum is different in the two tables. ........................................................... 252 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 253. Limiting the Data Displayed Inserting a filter You can insert a filter on data in tables, crosstabs or charts. To insert a filter 1. Click the row, column or chart element you want to filter. Insert Filter 2. Click the Insert Filter button on the Report toolbar, or select the Filter command on the Insert menu. The Apply a Filter On dialog box appears. It displays the values you can select for the filter: The title of this dialog box depends on the data you select in the report. Here, data for Region was clicked, so the title is “Apply a Filter on Region”. 3. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the values you want to include in the report, then click OK. The dialog box closes, and the report includes only the values you selected. The Insert Filter button on the toolbar is dimmed. Tip: To remove the filter, click inside the filtered data, then click the Insert Filter button. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 253
- 254. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Managing filters You can manage filters in the Filters dialog box in the following ways: • Select different values for existing filters. • Add new filters. • Insert filters on variables that are not displayed in the report. • Specify whether a filter be applied on the whole report or on a specific block. • Remove filters. The following sections describe these tasks. Selecting different values for existing filters Once you have defined a filter by specifying the values you want to display, you can edit it by selecting different values. For example, instead of displaying data for the East and Midwest regions, you can select different values and display data for the West and South. To select different values for an existing filter: 1. Click inside the block or master cell where the filtered data appears. 2. Select the Filters command from the Format menu. The Filters dialog box appears. Filters placed in this folder affect the whole report. 254 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 255. Limiting the Data Displayed 3. In the Filters On list, click the variable whose filter you want to edit. In the Values box, the values that are currently displayed in the report are highlighted (East and Midwest, in the illustration above.) 4. To select different values, you can: • Click values that are already selected. The highlighting disappears, which shows that the values will not appear in the report. • Select previously unselected values. Before you do this, check Show All Values to display all the values for the variable. • Click Select All Values. Doing this enables you to keep the filter, yet view all the data for the selected variable. 5. When you are done, click OK or Apply. Adding filters The Filters dialog box enables you to add filters to the report. To add a filter: 1. Click inside the report, then from the Format menu, choose Filters. The Filters dialog box is displayed. 2. Double-click a folder in the Filters On box: • Filters in the Global folder affect the whole report. • Filters in the BlockName folder are block-specific. 3. Click Add. The Variable(s) to Filter dialog box is displayed. It lists all the variables in the document which are not currently filtered, whether or not they are displayed in the current report: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 255
- 256. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports 4. Click the variable you want to filter, then click OK. You return to the Filters dialog box. The variable(s) you clicked in the Variable(s) to Filter dialog box appear(s) in the Filters on box. 5. In the Values box, hold down the Ctrl key and click the values to display. 6. If you selected more than one variable to filter in the Variable(s) to Filter dialog box, repeat step 5, then click OK or Apply. Tip: You can drag-and-drop a filter between folders. This enables you to change the way a filter is applied. For example, if you drag a filter from a Block Name folder to the Global folder, then click Apply or OK, you apply the filter on the whole report rather than on one block. Removing a filter When you remove a filter, all the data for the variable on which you applied the filter is displayed in the report. For example, if you applied a filter that displays revenue only for the East and Midwest regions, then you remove that filter, the data for all regions is displayed. To remove a filter: 1. Click in the data on which you applied the filter. 2. Click the Insert Filter button on the Report toolbar. Insert Filter Note: You can also choose the Filters command from the Format menu, highlight the filtered variable in the Filters On box, then click Remove. Displaying filter names in a special field To keep track of the global filters you have applied to the whole report, you can automatically insert the names of the filtered values you have placed in the global filters folder as a comment or title to your report. To do this: 1. From the Insert menu, choose Special Field/Global Filters. The cursor changes to the insert cell cursor. 2. Draw a box in the area of the report where you want insert the names of the filtered values. 3. When you release the mouse button the names are inserted. 256 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 257. Limiting the Data Displayed Tip: You can also insert the data in an existing cell. To do this: • Select the cell and then from the Insert menu, choose Special Field/Global Filters. The names of the filtered values are displayed in the selected cell. Creating more complex filters Simple filters enable you to view only the data you need in a report. When you apply a simple filter, all you do is select values for a variable in the report. Complex filters enable you to display values that satisfy conditions. You define a complex filter by writing a formula. For more information on using the Formula Editor to write formulas, see Chapter 14 "Formulas, Local Variables & Functions" on page 307. Example Only display stores with weekly revenue over $200 000 ........................................................... You publish a weekly report on sales revenue per store but only want to show the results of your better performing outlets. To do this, you define a complex filter that displays only those stores whose revenue is equal to or over $200,000. To do this, you write a formula that states that revenue must be greater than or equal to $20,000. The syntax is as follows: =(<Revenue>>=200000) Each week, when you refresh your report with the new sales data, only those stores with a revenue over $200,000 will be listed in the table. ........................................................... Inserting a complex filter 1. Click inside the section or block that displays the data you want to filter. 2. Click the Filters command on the Format menu. 3. In the Filters dialog box that appears, click a folder in the Filters On box: • To apply the filter on the whole report, click Global. • To apply the filter on a specific block, click the folder with that block's name. 4. Click Add. The Variable(s) to Filter dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 257
- 258. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports 5. Click the variable you want to filter, then click OK. 6. Click Define. The Formula Editor opens. 7. Type the formula in the Formula box, or double-click the function(s), variable(s) or operator(s) you need. 8. Click OK to return to the Filters dialog box. 9. If you wish, deselect values for the variable in the Values box. The filter will only be applied on the remaining selected values. 10. Click Apply or OK. Complex Filter A complex filter is identified by an asterisk next to the filter symbol. Editing a complex filter 1. Click inside the block which contains the filtered data. 2. Click the Filters command on the Format menu. 3. In the Filters On box, click the filter you want to edit, then click Define. 4. Edit the filter's formula in the Formula box, then click OK. 5. If you wish, deselect values for the variable in the Values box. The filter will only be applied on the remaining selected values. 6. Click Apply or OK. Note: If there is a syntax error in the formula you enter, an error message appears. Click OK to return to the formula. BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically selects the incorrect part of the syntax. Correct the error and click OK. You cannot use the formula if it contains an error. Ignoring filters You can force BUSINESSOBJECTS to ignore any filters you have inserted on a report so that when you make a calculation, the calculation is made on all the data, not just the filtered values. To do this, you use the NoFilter function. The syntax is: =NoFilter(formula) 258 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 259. Limiting the Data Displayed The example below shows how this works. A filter is inserted on the City column so that only the data for New York and Washington is displayed. In the first table, the sum displayed has only calculated the data for the filtered values, New York and Washington. The formula to calculate this sum is: =Sum(<SalesRevenue>) In the second table, the Nofilter function has been used and the sum displayed has calculated the data for all the values of City. The formula to calculate this sum is: =NoFilter (Sum(<SalesRevenue>)) Notice the difference in the two sums. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 259
- 260. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Ordering Data You can change the order in which data appears in rows and columns by applying a sort on the data. For example, you can sort a column of city names to have the cities appear in alphabetical order. You can apply a sort on text, dates or numbers. Sorting data There are three types of sorts which you can apply using the Sorts toolbar. To display the Sorts toolbar: • Click the Sorts button on the Report toolbar a. Ascending sort b. Descending order a b c c. Custom sort There are three types of sorts on the Sorts toolbar: Text Numbers Dates Ascending order A-Z lowest to past to present highest Descending order Z-A highest to present to past lowest Custom sort You can use a custom sort to order days and months in chronological order. You can customize sorts by placing values in the order you want. Note: The default order of appearance of all types of data is ascending. 260 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 261. Ordering Data Applying a sort on report data 1. Click the cell, column, row or chart element containing the data you want to sort. 2. Click the toolbar button for the sort you want to apply. The data appears in order, and the button you clicked remains pushed, to show that the data has been sorted. Inverting a sort 1. Click the data you have already sorted 2. Click one of the sort buttons on the toolbar. For example, if you want to invert an ascending sort, click the Descending Sort button. Removing a sort The Sort buttons work as toggle buttons turning sorts on and off, so to remove a sort: 1. Click the data you have already sorted. 2. Click the button you used to apply the sort. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 261
- 262. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Applying a custom sort 1. Click the cell, column, row or chart element where the data you want to sort is displayed. 2. Click the Custom Sort button on the toolbar. The Custom Sort dialog box opens. 3. Either • Choose an option from the Sort Option list box: Default Sorts the values in the order they were in when the Custom Sort dialog box appeared. This option cancels the order you have specified but does not close the dialog box. Alphanumeric Displays values in alphabetical or numerical order. Month Displays the months of the year in chronological, not alphabetical, order. Only applicable for a variable that returns the months of the year. Day Displays the days of the week in chronological, not alphabetical, order. Only applicable for a variable that returns the days of the week. 262 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 263. Ordering Data or • drag and drop the values in the list into the desired order • use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to place the values in the desired order 4. Click OK to close the Custom Sort dialog box. Note: You cannot use custom sorts and alerters. For example, if you set up an alerter to highlight months greater than May, BUSINESSOBJECTS will use the alphabetical sort order instead of the chronological sort order. The following example shows a table that has two custom sorts. Example How can I get months to sort correctly? ........................................................... In this table the months have been sorted to display in chronological order and the product lines have been manually sorted. By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS sorts months in alphabetical order. To sort months correctly in chronological order: 1. Click in the column or row that displays the months. 2. Click the Custom Sort button on the Sorts toolbar. The Custom Sort dialog box opens. 3. Choose Month from the Sort Option list box and click OK. Your months are sorted correctly. ........................................................... Reminder: Months and days are sorted according to the Regional Settings made in the Windows Control Panel. See “Regional settings” on page 189 for more information on checking these settings. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 263
- 264. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Managing multiple sorts You can apply more than one sort on report data and specify the order in which you want to apply the sorts. The following example shows how this can be useful. Example Sort customers by nationality and then by name in alphabetical order ........................................................... In this table data is sorted first by applying an ascending sort to the country column so that the countries are displayed in alphabetical order and then by applying a secondary ascending sort to the customer column so that German customers are sorted by alphabetical order, then Japanese customers in alphabetical order and so on. ........................................................... 264 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 265. Ordering Data Define sort priority in a report You can change the order in which sorts are applied. 1. Click inside the block or master cell containing sorted data. 2. Click the Sorts command on the Format menu. The Sorts dialog box appears: Primary sort The table is sorted by the Country of origin column first Secondary sort The table is then sorted by the Customer column If your report contains a table or a 2-D chart, the dialog box contains one tab only. If your report contains a crosstab or a matrix chart, the dialog box has both tabs, Across Edge and Down Edge. The Down Edge tab displays the sorts applied to columns. The Across Edge tab displays the sorts applied to rows or on the Z-axis of the chart. 3. Click the tab you want to work in, then click the sort that you want to prioritize. 4. Click Move Up to give the sort higher priority, or Move Down to give it lower priority. The sort icon moves up or down one place in the list of sorts. 5. Click OK or Apply. The sort priority you defined is applied to the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 265
- 266. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Adding sorts from the sorts dialog box You can add, remove and re-organize sorts in the Sorts dialog box. 1. Click inside a block or a master cell, then click the Sorts command on the Format menu. 2. Click the tab you want to work in. 3. Click Add. 4. Choose the variable to sort and click OK. The new sort appears in the Current Sorts box. 5. Set the sort options you want to apply and click OK. To remove a sort • Click the Sort in the Current sorts list and click Remove. 266 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 267. Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values You may only want to show the extreme ranges of the data. For example, you may want to determine your top ten customers. Ranking enables you to look at the largest numbers and the smallest numbers in a report. Like filtering, it hides the data you do not want to display. The hidden data is not deleted from the report - you can view it again whenever you like by removing the ranking. Ranking also sorts the data in descending order. Thus, the largest value of the ranking is always at the top of the ranked column and the smallest value at the bottom. You can rank data contained in tables, crosstabs or master cells in master/detail reports. Example Display only top three-selling product lines ........................................................... In the example below, the table shows sales revenue for the product lines in the efashion retail chain. The table on the left shows revenue for all product lines. In the table on the right, the product lines column shows only the top three-selling lines. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 267
- 268. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Applying a ranking on report data To apply a ranking: 1. Click to select the data you want to rank. For example, if you want to rank the Apply Ranking data for customers, click the column where this data appears. 2. Click the Apply Ranking button on the Report toolbar, or select the Ranking command on the Format menu. The title of this dialog box depends on the data you select in the report. Here, data for Month was clicked, so the title is “Select Top/ Bottom Lines”. 3. The Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box appears. It displays the options you can select for the ranking: The options you can select are: • Top Click this check box and type or select from the list for the largest n values. When you click the check box, a default value of 3 is selected. • Bottom Click this check box and type or select from the list for the smallest n values. When you click the check box, a default value of 3 is selected. • Based On Click to select the measure on which your ranking is to be based. This list includes all measures that you can select from the report. You must select a measure before the ranking can be applied. 268 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 269. Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values • In percentage of total number of values Click this check box if you want to interpret the numbers for Top and Bottom as percentages. When this option is selected a percent sign (%) appears at the Top and Bottom values. These numbers are truncated if necessary to fall in the percentage range of 1 to 100. • Display Subtotals Click this check box to display the following calculations: Sum Shows the sum of all the rows displayed in the table after ranking has been set Sum Other Shows the sum of all the rows which are not displayed in the table after ranking has been set Sum All Shows the sum of all the rows in the table, those displayed and those hidden • Display Percentages Click this check box to display calculations as percentages in a new cell. 4. Click the ranking values you want to display in your report, then click OK (or Apply). The report displays only ranked data for the values you selected. The Apply Ranking button on the toolbar is dimmed. Ranking in master/detail reports In master/detail reports, subtotals and percentages can only be shown for cells selected for ranking that are in the table. Master cells that have ranking applied will not display subtotals and percentages. In master/detail reports, data is ranked for each section. Ranking and breaks In a table or crosstab in which breaks have been inserted, data is ranked separately for each break level. Note: If you have created a local variable using values from different data providers, you will not be able to rank data based on this variable. The variable will not be displayed in the list in the Ranking dialog box. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 269
- 270. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Example Show sales revenue for top three months and compare with overall revenue ........................................................... This report displays the top three revenue-making months. It shows the combined revenue for September, January and March (Sum) and the total revenue for the other nine months of the year (Sum Other). ........................................................... Tip: To remove the ranking, click inside the ranked data, then click the Apply Ranking button. Altering values for an existing ranking Once you have defined a ranking by specifying the ranking values you want to display, you can edit it by selecting different ranking values. For example, if you have applied a ranking that enables you to view the top and bottom 3 ranking of revenue for customers, you can edit the ranking to show the top 10 instead. To select different values for an existing ranking: 1. Click inside the data where the ranking was applied. 2. Select the Ranking command on the Format menu. The Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box appears, with the current ranking options selected. 3. Alter the ranking settings as desired, then click OK (or Apply). When you exit from the Dialog box, the values with the new ranking criteria are displayed. Removing a ranking When you remove a ranking, all the data on which you applied the ranking that may have been suppressed by the ranking criteria re-appears in the report. For example, if you applied a ranking that displays the top 10 customers by revenue, then you remove that ranking, the data for all customers is displayed. 270 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 271. Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values To remove a ranking, first click inside the data on which you applied the ranking. Then, you can: • Click the dimmed Apply Ranking button on the Report toolbar. • Select the Ranking command from the Format menu. Remove Top and Apply Ranking Bottom check marks. Then click OK or Apply. Managing ranking with filters and sorts To rank data in a report, you must remove any sorts or filters currently applied to that data. If any sorts or filters exist when you try to apply a ranking, an Overwrite? message is displayed. Click Yes to remove the existing sort or filter and continue to apply ranking. Clicking No closes the ranking dialog and returns with no change. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 271
- 272. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Hiding Columns and Rows of Data You can hide columns or rows of data so that the data is not displayed in your table but still remains in the report. 1. Right-click inside the table or crosstab. 2. Choose Format Table or Format Crosstab from the menu. 3. Click the Pivot tab in the dialog box that appears. Hidden variables are displayed in gray in the Used Variables list. The Pivot tab for tables and crosstabs Hiding Data • In the Used Variables box, click the variable you want to hide, then click Hide. • To hide more than one variable at the same time, hold down the Ctrl key, click the variables, then click Hide. Hidden variables are grayed in the Used Variables box. Showing Data • To display a previously hidden variable, click it in the Used Variables list, then click Show. 272 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 273. Highlighting Data Highlighting Data You can highlight data in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report using Alerters. Alerters use special formatting to make data that fits certain conditions stand out from the rest of the data. This helps draw attention to trends and exceptions in report data. Example Which sales representatives generate revenue over $500 000? ........................................................... You want to identify excellent salespeople who generate revenue over $500 000, and poor salespeople who generate revenue below $50 000. You define a condition for your good salespeople: "Revenue > 500000" and define a format that will be applied for values that fit this condition: "Top salesperson" red. You then define a condition for your not-so-good salespeople: "Revenue < 50000". and define a format that will be applied for values that fit this condition: "Work harder!" in green. You insert an extra column after revenue and name it performance. You then apply the alerter to the performance column. ........................................................... Note: You cannot use alerters on charts. Creating an alerter There are 4 steps involved in creating an alerter: 1. Select the data you want to use. 2. Name and describe the Alerter. 3. Define the range of values. 4. Define how the Alerter will be displayed in the cell. Once you have created an Alerter you can apply it, hide it or display it. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 273
- 274. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Step 1: Select the data 1. In a report, click a cell, row or column of data. 2. Click the Alerters command on the Format menu. 3. In the Alerters dialog box that appears, click Add. Step 2: Name and describe the alerter 1. In the Name box in the Definition tab, type a name for the alerter. 2. In the Description box, type a help text on the alerter to remind you and others what the Alerter is set to highlight. 3. Click the Conditions tab. 274 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 275. Highlighting Data Step 3: Set the conditions 1. Choose a variable from the Variable to Compare listbox. 2. Choose an operator from the Operator 1 listbox. • Type a value (number, character or date), or • Click the down arrow button to the right of the Value 1 box, then click the Variables command, or the List of Values command. Select a variable or a value. 3. If operator 1 requires the use of a second operator, click the operator to use in the Operator 2 box. 4. Click inside the Value 2 box and repeat step 2. Step 4: Set the formatting Specify different formats for each range, using fonts, colors and borders, for example. Or you can enter a text or select a variable that will mask the data that satisfies the conditions you set. 1. Click the arrow next to the Cell Content box. A popup menu appears. 2. To have the alerter display text, click Text. 3. Type the text, then click OK. 4. To have the alerter display a variable or a formula, click Variables. 5. To format the cell contents, click Format. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 275
- 276. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports 6. In the Cell Format box, format the text, then click OK. 7. Click OK to return to the Edit Alerters dialog box. Switching alerters off and on Once you have created alerters, you can apply or deactivate them whenever you like. For example, you can create an alerter, apply it to a report, print the report, then deactivate the alerter. In this case, the alerter appears on the printed report, but no longer appears on your screen. Turn an alerter on 1. Click the cell, column or row where you want to display the alerter. 2. Click the Alerters command on the Format menu. 3. Click the check box next to the alerter that you want to activate. 4. Click Apply or OK. Turn an alerter off 1. Click the cell, column or row where the alerter is displayed. 2. Click the Alerters command on the Format menu. 3. Click the check box next to the alerter that you want to deactivate. 276 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 277. Highlighting Data 4. Click Apply or OK. Display or hide all alerters in the current report You can also display or hide all alerters that you have applied to the current report. 1. Click the Options command on the Tools menu. 2. Click the Display tab. 3. In the Report Options box, click Alerters. If this option is already checked and you want to hide the alerters in your report, click it again to remove the check. 4. Click OK to apply the option and to close the dialog box. Working on existing alerters Once you have created an alerter, you can use it as the basis for other new alerters. You copy the existing alerter, then modify its conditions and their corresponding formats. Copy an alerter 1. Click the Alerters command on the Format menu. 2. Click the alerter you want to copy. 3. Click Copy. The Edit Alerters dialog box appears. In the Definition tab, the name of the initial alerter appears in the Name box followed by no2. If you renamed your first alerter so it no longer has the variable name, the name given to the copy is the variable name with nothing added. 4. Type a new name and description for the new alerter. 5. In the Conditions tab, define the first range of values for the alerter. 6. Define the way the result appears in the cell. 7. Repeat Step 5 and Step 6 to define a second range of values if you wish, then click Apply or OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 277
- 278. Chapter 12 Organizing Data in Reports Edit an alerter 1. Click the Alerters command on the Format menu. 2. Click the alerter you want to edit. 3. Click Edit. 4. Change the definition of the alerter. 5. Click Apply or OK. Delete an alerter 1. Click the Alerters command on the Format menu. 2. Click the alerter you want to delete. 3. Click Remove. 278 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 279. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 281 ❑ Breaks 282 What is a break? 282 Inserting and removing breaks 283 Formatting breaks 283 Showing headers and footers 284 Merging cells 287 Making a value-based break 289 Organizing multiple breaks 290 Managing breaks over multiple pages 291 ❑ Calculations 292 Making simple calculations 292 Calculation examples 295 Reusing a calculation elsewhere in a report 298 ❑ Converting To And From Euros 299 What is the euro? 299 Displaying the euro symbol 299 How does the conversion work? 299 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 279
- 280. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Conversion Errors 300 Displaying currency formats in BUSINESSOBJECTS 300 Converting to euros 300 Converting from euros 301 Displaying rounding errors 301 Conversion rates 302 Triangulation 305 280 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 281. Overview Overview This chapter explains how to break up the data in tables and crosstabs and how to make and display simple calculations in tables and crosstabs. The final section of this chapter describes all you need to know about converting currencies to and from euros in BUSINESSOBJECTS The following chapters give further information on using calculations in BUSINESSOBJECTS: • Chapter 14 "Formulas, Local Variables & Functions" on page 307 explains how you can use the power of the BUSINESSOBJECTS formula editor to write your own calculations. • Chapter 15 "Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax" on page 335 explains the more sophisticated aspects of writing formulas and gives some background about how the BUSINESSOBJECTS calculation engine works. • Chapter 16 "Calculation Troubleshooting" on page 367 explains the error messages and other problems you may encounter when inserting formulas and calculations in your reports and explains how to fix these problems. • For information on using calculations in charts, see “Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts” on page 450. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 281
- 282. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Breaks This section explains how to break up data in tables and crosstabs and describes the different options available to format and manage these breaks. What is a break? A break does what its name implies. It breaks up the data in a table or crosstab by grouping the data according to a selected value. This allows you to display all the data for each value of a dimension variable together, and more importantly, it allows you to display subtotals. The example below demonstrates how breaking up a table works. Example How can I show revenue subtotals for each resort in a table? ........................................................... The table on the left displays the revenue per quarter per resort with the total revenue displayed at the bottom of the table. The table on the right displays the same data but, by breaking up the data by resort, you can now show a subtotal for the revenue generated by each resort for the four quarters of the financial year. A mini table is created for each of the three values of resort. This separation, however, is only visual. The three mini tables still belong to one block. ........................................................... 282 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 283. Breaks Inserting and removing breaks You can insert and remove breaks with a simple mouse click. The Insert Break button on the Report toolbar is a toggle button that inserts and removes breaks on data. To insert a break: 1. Click inside the column or row of data where you want to insert a break. Insert Break 2. Click the Insert Break button on the Report toolbar. The data in the table is broken up and the Insert Break button is dimmed. To remove a break: 1. Click inside the data where the break has been inserted. The Insert Break button on the Report toolbar is dimmed to show that there is a break on the selected data. 2. Click the Insert Break button. The Break is removed from the table or crosstab. Note: You cannot insert breaks on data in charts. Formatting breaks When you first insert a break on data, certain formatting and display options are applied by default. You can edit these settings and set other options in the Breaks dialog box. To display the Breaks dialog box: 1. Right-click on the column or row where the break has been inserted. 2. Choose Format Breaks from the menu. The Breaks dialog box is illustrated and described on page 284. Note: If no break has been inserted on a table or crosstab, all the options in this dialog box are unavailable. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 283
- 284. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Breaks dialog box a b e f g c h d a. The breaks applied on columns appear in the Down tab. The breaks inserted on rows appear in the Across tab. For a crosstab, both tabs are displayed. For a table, only the appropriate Down or Across tab is displayed. b. List of breaks currently inserted. c. Allows you to insert a new break. d. Remove a break by selecting it, then clicking Remove. e. You can set break attributes for the selected break in the Break Definition box. f. By default, a break is inserted on all values of the selected variable. Clicking Values allows you to select only the values you want to include in the break. To activate the Values button, first check the Value-Based Break check box. g. You can control the way a break is managed over page breaks in the Break and Pages box. These attributes are described on page 291. h. Clicking Edit allows you to apply the selected break on a different variable, or on more than one variable. If the report contains at least two breaks on different levels, you change the break level. Showing headers and footers When you insert a break, a kind of mini table is created for each value of the variable. You can choose whether or not you want to display a header and/or footer each mini table. 284 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 285. Breaks To do this: • To display a break header or footer, check the box next to Break Header or Break Footer in the Breaks dialog box. • To hide a break header or footer, uncheck the box next to Break Header or Break Footer in the Breaks dialog box. The illustration below shows two examples of using break headers and footers: Break header Break footer displays a sub- total for each section This table displays a break footer only for each section and a table header and footer. This table displays a break header and footer for each section. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 285
- 286. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Folding breaks You can also choose to display only the break headers and footers in a table as shown in the illustration below. The other rows in the table are hidden. To do this: • Check the Fold option in the Breaks dialog box. 286 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 287. Breaks Merging cells When you have inserted a break on a row or column, you have several columns or rows displaying the same value. If you wish, you can display this value only once. To do this: • Check Remove Duplicates on the Breaks dialog box. You can also merge these cells into one and display the name only once. The name is centered over the columns or rows of data that it describes. To do this: • Check Center Value Across Break on the Breaks dialog box. The examples below show how these options are applied: Here, the Remove Duplicates option is turned on so the resort name is displayed only once. Here, the Remove Duplicates and Center Value Across Break options are turned on. The resort name is dis- played once and centered over the rows it describes. You can also use the Center Across Break button on the Formatting toolbar. This button removes duplicate values, merges the cells and centers the value over the Center Across Break rows or columns it describes. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 287
- 288. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Tip: If the Resort column footer cell is empty when you center the resort value across the break, all rows, including the footer row are merged as shown in the table on the left below. If you do not want an empty footer cell to be merged: 1. Type a character in the empty resort footer cell. 2. Right-click on the footer cell and choose Format Cell from the menu. The Format Cell dialog box opens. 3. Click the Font tab. 4. Set the font color to the same color as the cell background, in this example to white, and click OK. 5. Check the Center Values Across Break option in the Breaks dialog box. The empty cells for each value of resort are merged and the footer cells are untouched, as shown in the table on the right below. Type a character in this cell and set the font color to white. 288 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 289. Breaks Making a value-based break You can choose to only apply a break on certain values in your table. In the illustration below, instead of inserting a break on the whole resort column, the break is inserted on the resort French Riviera only. This breaks up the table to show revenue subtotals for French resorts and for US resorts as illustrated below: To do this: 1. Insert a break on the Resort column. 2. Right-click on the Resort column and choose Format Breaks from the menu. The Breaks dialog box opens. 3. Check the Value-Based Break check box. When this box is checked, the Values button becomes available. 4. Click the Values button. The list of values box opens. This box displays a list of all the values of the Resort dimension. 5. Select French Riviera from the list and click OK. 6. Click OK again to close the Breaks dialog box and view the result. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 289
- 290. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Organizing multiple breaks You can insert up to nine breaks on a table or crosstab. When you have more than one break in a table or crosstab, the breaks are assigned levels. BUSINESSOBJECTS assigns level 1 to the first break you insert, level 2 to the second and so on. You can rearrange these levels in the Breaks dialog box. You can also set different options for the different breaks. In the illustration below, there are two breaks on the data. One on the Resort dimension and one on the Quarter dimension. As you can see, the data is broken up first by resort with information for all four quarters displayed for French Riviera, then for Bahamas Beach and so on. The data in each resort section is then broken up by quarter. You can change this organization at any time and add and remove breaks in the Breaks dialog box. List of breaks inserted in the selected table and the order in which they are applied. Sets the order the break is applied. To reorganize the order in which breaks are applied: 1. Right-click on a column or row that contains a break and choose Format Breaks from the menu. The Breaks dialog box opens. 2. Click on the break name in the list and click the Edit button. 3. Set the order you want the break to be applied and click OK. 290 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 291. Breaks Managing breaks over multiple pages When a table spans more than one page, there are certain options you can set to make sure that tables are not split incoherently and so that certain elements such as column and row headers are repeated on the new page.You can set the following options in the Break and Pages section of the Breaks dialog box. To open the Breaks dialog box: • Right-click on a row or column that contains a break and choose Format Breaks from the menu. Check this option..... To..... Avoid Page Break Where possible, keep each break section of the table or crosstab on the same page. Start a New Page Display each part of the table or crosstab created by a break on a separate page. Repeat the Header on Repeat the header on each new page if a table or the New Page crosstab extends over more than one page. Repeat Break Value on Repeat the current break value on the new page. New Page BusinessObjects User’s Guide 291
- 292. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Calculations BUSINESSOBJECTS has standard calculation functions that enable you to make quick calculations on the data in reports. These calculations are available directly from a menu. The most commonly used calculations are also available on the Report toolbar. This section describes how to make calculations using the menu and toolbar functions. You can also make calculations by writing your own formulas. This is described in Chapter 14 "Formulas, Local Variables & Functions" on page 307. Making simple calculations 1. Select the row or column on which you want to make the calculation. 2. From the Data Menu, choose Calculations and then the type of calculation: Choose... To... Sum Calculate the sum of the selected data. Count Count all rows for a Measure object. Count distinct values for a Dimension or Detail object. Count All Count the number of rows in the body including all duplicate and empty rows Average Calculate the average of the selected data. Maximum Display the maximum value of the selected data. Minimum Display the minimum value of the selected data. Percentage Display the selected data as a percentage. Variance Calculate the difference between two selected values. 292 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 293. Calculations Choose... To... Variance Calculate the difference between two selected values and percentage display the difference as a percentage. The result of the calculation is inserted in a new cell in the table or crosstab. Example What’s the difference between Count and Count All? ........................................................... In the example below, if you insert a Count on the Resort column, the result of the calculation is 3 because there are three different resorts, Bahamas Beach, Hawaiian Club and French Riviera. The Count function counts values of a dimension object that are the same only one time. This is called a distinct count. If you insert Count All on the same column, the result is 12 because there are twelve rows of data in the resort column. The Count All function counts all rows including empty and duplicate rows. If you look at the Revenue column, Count and Count All return 12. For a measure object, the Count function counts all rows. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 293
- 294. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Using the Calculation toolbar You can also use the buttons on the Report toolbar for certain calculations. a. Sum b. Percentage c. Count a b c d e d. Variance e. Variance percentage Removing calculations from a table or a crosstab To delete calculations from a table or crosstab: 1. Select the row or column where the calculation is displayed. 2. From the Data Menu, choose Calculations and then the calculation that has been applied from the submenu. You can see which calculations have been applied to a row or column of data. On the Data menu, the icon next to the calculation is dimmed or has a check mark next to it to show it has been used. Buttons on the toolbar are dimmed to show they have been used on the selected data. Note: The calculation commands available on the menu and toolbar depend on the data you have selected in the table or crosstab. Making calculations on dimension and detail objects You can use the following calculations on dimension and detail objects: Dimension object • Count • Minimum • Maximum Detail object 294 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 295. Calculations Calculation examples The following section contains several examples of making calculations using the Calculations menu. Example Displaying total revenue and subtotals ........................................................... You want to calculate and display the total revenue in a table. To do this: 1. Click in the Revenue column. 2. Click the Sum button on the Calculations toolbar. Sum • The revenue sum is displayed in the footer at the end of the table. • The sum button on the Calculations toolbar is dimmed. Sum button dimmed You now decide you want to insert a break on this table to display subtotals for each resort. 3. Click inside the Resort column and click the Insert Break button. Insert Break The data is broken up and an empty row is inserted at the end of each resort section. 4. Click in the Revenue column. 5. Click the Sum button once to remove the existing calculation. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 295
- 296. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations 6. Click the Sum button again to carry out a new calculation. A subtotal is displayed for each resort and a total sum at the end of the table: A subtotal is displayed for revenue per resort A total is displayed for revenue for all resorts ........................................................... Example Displaying average, maximum and minimum revenue ........................................................... The following table has four different calculations for revenue. Notice that the Average revenue, the Maximum and Minimum revenues and the Sum are all displayed in separate rows in the order they were applied. Each figure is identified by the name of the calculation. A new column has been inserted to show the percentage for each row. ........................................................... 296 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 297. Calculations Example Calculating the difference in revenue between two quarters ........................................................... In this example you have a crosstab that displays revenue per resort per quarter and total revenue per quarter. You want to show in the table the difference in revenue between two quarters. To do this: 1. Select Q2 with the mouse, then, holding down the Ctrl key, select Q1. Q2 is selected first. Then Q1. 2. Click the Variance Percentage button on the calculations toolbar. Variance Percentage The difference in revenue between Q1 and Q2 for each resort and for the total revenue of all resorts is displayed in a new cell as a percentage. The new row is labeled Q2-Q1. The result of Q2-Q1 is displayed in a new row. 3. Now select Q4 with the mouse. 4. Holding down the Control key, select Q3. The difference in revenue between Q4 and Q3 for each resort and for the total revenue of all resorts is displayed in a new cell as a percentage. The new row is labeled Q4-Q3. Note: You can also use the Shift key to select columns and rows. If you use the Shift key, BUSINESSOBJECTS does not take into account the order in which you selected the columns and rows and always selects cells from top to bottom and from left to right. If you carry out the calculation above using the Shift key, BUSINESSOBJECTS will calculate Q1-Q2. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 297
- 298. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Reusing a calculation elsewhere in a report You can drag a calculation from a table or a crosstab and place it in a different position in a report. BUSINESSOBJECTS keeps the formula with the cell. To do this: 1. Click inside the cell containing the calculation. 2. Click inside the cell again and, holding down your mouse button, drag the cell to the desired position. 3. Release the mouse button. Note: When you move a cell containing a calculation to a different part of the report, the calculation result depends on where exactly the cell is positioned as this can change the context in which the calculation is made. For more information on this point see “What are calculation contexts?” on page 338. Example Displaying total revenue as a table title ........................................................... In this report you dragged the cell containing the sum of the total revenue for all resorts out of the table and placed it at the top of the table. You inserted a cell next to the figure and typed in the text “Total revenue”. You then deleted the rows for Sum total and Maximum total at the very bottom of the table. 298 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 299. Converting To And From Euros Converting To And From Euros The following section describes how BUSINESSOBJECTS uses built-in functions to help you quickly and accurately convert a currency to or from euros. What is the euro? The euro is the official currency unit of the European countries that belong to the EMU (European Monetary Union). For each of these countries, a six-digit conversion rate between the euro and the national currency has been fixed and EMU regulations stipulate how the conversion must be carried out. BUSINESSOBJECTS euro conversion functions adhere to these stipulations. Displaying the euro symbol The euro is designated by an official symbol. To display this currency symbol in BUSINESSOBJECTS, you need to have a Windows operating system that can display it or you need to install a euro font upgrade to your Windows operating system. euro currency If your operating system cannot display the euro symbol, you can use the official symbol ISO three-letter code, EUR, instead. How does the conversion work? For each currency, there is a fixed conversion rate of six significant digits. The number of digits after the decimal point depends on the number of digits before the decimal point. Example Converting to euros: six-digit conversion rates ........................................................... The conversion rate for Dutch guilders (NLG) is 2.20371, with 1 digit before the decimal and five after. The conversion rate for Belgian francs (BEF) is 40.3399, with 2 digits before the decimal point and four after. ........................................................... To convert to euros from an EMU-compliant currency, you divide the local currency amount using the six-digit conversion rate for that currency and then round the result to display the appropriate number of decimal digits. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 299
- 300. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations To convert from euros to an EMU-compliant currency, you multiply the amount in euros by the six-digit conversion rate for the target currency and then round the result to display the appropriate number of decimal digits. Conversion Errors When you convert an EMU-compliant currency to or from euros, you use the fixed six-digit conversion rate and then round the result to the appropriate number of decimal digits. Rounded numbers are less accurate than the original numbers and the round error on a given amount may be fairly negligible or quite substantial. BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to display round errors after you have converted amounts to and from euros to assess the importance of the difference. Displaying currency formats in BUSINESSOBJECTS BUSINESSOBJECTS uses the default currency defined for your operating system defined in the Windows Regional Settings in the Windows Control Panel. You can display custom currencies in your BUSINESSOBJECTS reports in addition to the default currency provided by your operating system. For example, if your default currency is $, all the amounts in your report will be in US dollars. If you also want to display a column with revenue in euros, you can add your own currency format in BUSINESSOBJECTS. See “Creating your own number and date formats” on page 540 for details. Converting to euros You can convert an amount from one of the eleven EMU currencies into euros using one easy mouse click. To do this: 1. Select the column, row or cell that contains the data you want to convert. 2. From the Data menu, choose Euro, then Convert To Euro. • If BUSINESSOBJECTS recognizes the currency, it carries out the conversion and displays the result. • If BUSINESSOBJECTS does not recognize the currency, it displays the Select Currency dialog box. 3. Choose the currency from the list box and click OK. The data is converted. If the source data was formatted as currency, the converted data is formatted with the euro currency formatting defined in the Conversion Rates table. 300 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 301. Converting To And From Euros How does BusinessObjects recognize the currency of the selected data? BUSINESSOBJECTS recognizes the currency of selected data if: • it is formatted as currency using the standard Windows currency symbol • and the selected currency is in the Conversion Rates list For example, 47 DM will be recognized by BUSINESSOBJECTS as German marks. If the data is not formatted as a currency BUSINESSOBJECTS recognizes, the Select Currency dialog box is displayed. If the currency you want to convert to euros is not in the list, you can add it as described below. Converting from euros You can convert a figure from euros into one of the eleven EMU currencies using one easy mouse click. To do this: 1. Select the column, row or cell that contains the data you want to convert. 2. From the Data menu, choose Euro, then Convert From Euro. The Select Currency dialog box opens. 3. Choose the currency you want to convert the euros to and click OK. The data is converted. If the data in euros was formatted as currency, the converted data is formatted with the currency formatting defined in the Conversion Rates table. Displaying rounding errors A rounding error occurs because when an amount is converted to or from euros, the result is rounded to show only the appropriate number of decimal digits. The rounding error returns the difference between the rounded number and the number before rounding. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 301
- 302. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations To display round errors: 1. Select the column, row or cell that contains the converted data. 2. From the Data menu, choose Display Rounding Errors. The rounding errors are displayed in a new column, row or cell which is inserted after the selected column, row or cell. Note: The Display Rounding Errors command is only available if the selected cell contains a number that has been converted to or from euros. Conversion rates BUSINESSOBJECTS stores the conversion rates and other information for the EMU currencies and uses this information to carry out conversions to and from euros. You can edit this information and add other currencies to this list. Viewing conversion rates 1. From the Data menu, choose Euro, then Display Conversion Rates. The Conversion Rates dialog box opens. This dialog box shows the following information about each currency: Currency Shows the official ISO (International Standards Organization) label for the currency. Rate Shows the official 6-digit conversion rate between the currency and the euro. 302 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 303. Converting To And From Euros Decimal Shows the number of decimal digits used by each currency. Format Shows the symbol or abbreviation used to designate the currency. Label Shows the name of the currency in the local language. Editing information about a currency 1. From the Data menu, choose Euro, then Display Conversion Rates. 2. The Conversion Rates dialog box opens. 3. Select the currency you want to edit from the list. 4. Click the Edit button. The Edit Conversion Rate dialog box opens. This dialog box displays the information that BUSINESSOBJECTS currently uses for the selected currency. 5. Make any necessary changes by typing in the new information over the old information in the text boxes. 6. Click OK when you have finished. The Edit Conversion Rate dialog box closes. The new information concerning the selected currency is now displayed in the list in the Conversion Rates dialog box. 7. Click OK to close the Conversion Rates dialog box. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 303
- 304. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations Adding a new currency 1. From the Data menu, choose Euro, then Display Conversion Rates. The Conversion Rates dialog box opens. 2. Click the Add button. The Add Conversion Rate dialog box opens. 3. Enter the required information in each text box You must enter information in each text box. 4. Click OK. The Add Conversion Rate dialog box closes. The new currency is now displayed in the list in the Conversion Rates dialog box. 5. Click OK to close the Conversion Rates dialog box. Example Add US dollars to the euro conversion list ........................................................... You want to add US dollars to the list of currencies since you regularly use dollar to euro conversion in your business. You have today's dollar/euro exchange rate. Since the price of the dollar against the euro fluctuates daily, you will have to update dollar currency information regularly. To add US dollars to the currency list: 1. From the Data menu, choose Euro, then Display Conversion Rates. The Conversion Rates dialog box opens. 2. Click the Add button. The Add Conversion Rate dialog box opens. 3. Enter the information in the Add Conversion Rate dialog box: • Enter USD in the Currency box. • Enter 0.9 in the Rate box • Enter 2 in the Decimal box. • Enter $ in the Format box. • Enter US Dollars in the Label box. 304 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 305. Converting To And From Euros 4. Click OK. US dollars now appears in your list and will be recognized by BUSINESSOBJECTS so that you can convert between US dollars and euros using the Convert to Euro and Convert from Euro menu commands. ........................................................... Fixed and fluctuating currency rates The conversion rates between the euro and EMU-compliant currencies are fixed. When converting euros to any other currency you must use the daily rate set by financial institutions. Triangulation If you want to convert from one EMU-compliant currency to another EMU- compliant currency, you cannot simply use cross rates. You have to use a procedure called triangulation. To triangulate, you convert the first currency into euros using a six-digit conversion rate and then convert the euros into the second currency using another six-digit conversion rate. Example Triangulation: Converting between EMU-compliant currencies ........................................................... In the following example, you want to convert an amount in German marks into Belgian francs. To do this, you first have to convert the German marks into euros using the six-digit conversion rate for German marks. You then round the euros to no less than three decimal digits. Finally you convert the euros into Belgian francs using the six-digit conversion rate for Belgian francs. You can carry out this conversion by writing a BUSINESSOBJECTS formula. The following BUSINESSOBJECTS formula converts 100 DEM to 2063 BEF. EuroConvertFrom(EuroConvertTo(100, "DEM", 3), "BEF", 0) ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 305
- 306. Chapter 13 Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations 306 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 307. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 309 ❑ Formulas 310 Why use formulas? 310 Creating formulas 311 Displaying the Formula Bar 311 Displaying the Formula Editor 312 Using the Formula Editor 312 Guidelines on the syntax to use in formulas 314 ❑ Local Variables 315 Why use local variables? 315 How can I recognize a local variable? 315 Creating a local variable 316 Transforming a formula into a local variable 317 ❑ Creating Local Variables by Grouping Values 319 Grouping values 319 Adding grouped values to a drill hierarchy 323 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 307
- 308. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions ❑ Managing Formulas and Local Variables 324 Inserting local variables and formulas in a report 324 Editing formulas 324 Editing local variables 324 Deleting formulas and local variables 325 ❑ Functions 326 Using Functions 326 Using the Function Help 328 ❑ More Examples of Using Formulas 329 308 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 309. Overview Overview This chapter gives you an introduction to using BUSINESSOBJECTS formulas, local variables and functions. It explains how to set up your own formulas and variables in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports using BUSINESSOBJECTS syntax, how to use BUSINESSOBJECTS functions, and also includes several examples of business calculations. Chapter 15 "Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax" on page 335 describes how to build more powerful calculations by using extended syntax to define calculation contexts. This chapter also has a calculations “Quick Reference” on page 363 that recaps some of the key BUSINESSOBJECTS terms. Chapter 16 "Calculation Troubleshooting" on page 367 gives solutions to computation errors that may occur in BUSINESSOBJECTS when you are writing or using formulas. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 309
- 310. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Formulas When you run a query, BUSINESSOBJECTS carries out certain calculations on the data at the query level and returns the results as variables. You can also make calculations on report data using the built-in calculations available on the calculations menu or toolbar. This section explains how you can set up your own personalized calculations on data in your reports by writing BUSINESSOBJECTS formulas. Why use formulas? A BUSINESSOBJECTS formula is made up of functions, variables, and operators and always begins with an “equal to” sign. The examples below show two very simple formulas: =Sum<Sales Revenue> =<Margin>/<Sales revenue>*100% Formulas are used to carry out calculations locally in the report and also allow you to set conditions on filters and data display, for example. Making local calculations You may want to carry out personal calculations in your reports or compare database figures to figures from a spreadsheet for example. Writing a formula allows you to do this. In addition, there are certain types of calculation that some SQL servers cannot carry out. For example, standard SQL does not allow you to use decision logic such as the IF statement. Setting conditions You can also use formulas in BUSINESSOBJECTS to set conditions. For example, you can set up a condition to hide sections in a report if the sales revenue falls below a certain level. You can also set up conditional filters. For example, you only want to display outlets in a report that have generated weekly revenue above a certain sum. By setting a filter with a condition, when you refresh the report with the new weekly data, only those outlets that satisfy the condition will be displayed in the report. You can also use conditions in BROADCAST AGENT when you are setting up reports for scheduled processing to specify under what conditions your documents should be processed. 310 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 311. Formulas Creating formulas Let's look now at how you create formulas in BUSINESSOBJECTS. There are three ways of creating formulas. You can: • type your formula directly into a cell • type your formula in the Formula Bar • use the Formula Editor Displaying the Formula Bar Once you are familiar with BUSINESSOBJECTS syntax you can type simple formulas directly into a cell or into the Formula Bar. Using the Formula Bar allows you to see more clearly what you are doing as the whole formula is displayed more easily than in a cell. If the Formula Bar is not displayed: • From the View menu, choose Formula Bar. a b c d e a. Opens the Variable Editor b. Defines the formula displayed in the Formula Bar as a variable c. Clears the Formula Bar text box of any non-validated changes you make in the Formula Bar d. Validates the formula displayed in the text box e. Opens the Formula Editor The Formula Bar has five buttons and a text box where the formula is displayed. If you click inside any cell in a report, the contents are displayed in this text box. Depending on the type of cell you clicked in, this could be text, the name of a variable or a formula. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 311
- 312. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Displaying the Formula Editor If you are not familiar with BUSINESSOBJECTS syntax or are writing more complex formulas, the best method is to use the Formula Editor. 1. Click inside the cell where you want the formula to appear. 2. Then • If the Formula Bar is open, click the Formula Editor button on the Formula Bar. • Or, from the Data menu, choose Edit Formula. The Formula Editor opens. Using the Formula Editor The Formula Editor allows you to make up your formula by choosing Variables, Functions and Operators directly from the lists. Click here for explanations on the functions in the Function list. The Formula Editor has four main parts: Formulas box Displays the formula. You use this box to write or edit formulas. 312 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 313. Formulas Variables box Displays a list of all the variables in the document, these can be local variables or variables returned by the data provider; you can include these variables in your formula. Functions Displays a list of all BUSINESSOBJECTS functions. Operators Operators define the relationship between elements in a formula. Operators include mathematical operators such as addition (+) and division (/), relational operators such as greater than (>) and between, logical operators such as If Then Else and context operators such as ForAll, ForEach and In. The list of operators in this window is updated as you add elements to the formula so that only the operators that are compatible with the current syntax are displayed. To understand how the Formula Editor works, let's look at an example. Example Calculating a running total ........................................................... In the table below you want to display a running total for the monthly sales revenue. From this...... To this...... To do this: 1. Insert a new column after the Sales Revenue column and name it Running total. 2. Click inside the Running total column. This is where you are going to insert the formula. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 313
- 314. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions 3. From the Data menu, choose Edit Formula. The Formula Editor opens. 4. Double-click the equal sign (=) sign in the Operators list. The equal (=) sign is displayed in the Formulas box. 5. In the Functions box, open the All functions & aggregates folder. 6. Scroll down until the function RunningSum is displayed in the Functions box. 7. Double-click RuningSum. RunningSum is displayed in the Formulas box. Notice that the cursor is inside the brackets. This is where the variable will be inserted. 8. In the Variables box, double-click Sales revenue. Sales revenue is added to the formula. Notice the angle brackets which are automatically added to a variable by the Formula Editor. 9. Click OK. The Formula Editor closes and the calculation is displayed in the RunningSum column. The formula is stored in the Formulas folder of the Report Manager Data tab. ........................................................... Guidelines on the syntax to use in formulas Whichever method you use to write formulas, always bear these guidelines in mind: • A formula must begin with an "equal to" sign. If you remove this sign, the formula is considered as a constant or as text. • Variables included in formulas must be surrounded by a "lower than" sign (<) and a "greater than" sign (>), e.g., <Revenue>. • Text included in formulas must be surrounded by double-quotes (") Syntax errors If there is a syntax error in a formula you have written, an error message is displayed and the part of the formula that contains the error is highlighted. 314 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 315. Local Variables Local Variables A local variable is a formula that is given a name. Local variables appear in the list of variables in the Report Manager Data tab and you can use them to build tables, charts etc. in the same way as you use variables returned by a data provider. The difference is that local variables are attached to the document in which they are created and calculations are carried out at the report level. This means that local variables are only available in the document in which they were created. Why use local variables? As we said earlier, a variable is a formula with a name. However, variables have a certain number of advantages over formulas because they allow you to do things that you cannot do just using formulas: • You cannot apply alerters, filters, sorts and breaks on columns or rows containing formulas, but you can on those containing variables. • You can include variables qualified as dimensions in drill hierarchies. Local variables are also useful from a practical point of view: • You can re-use local variables in the same document more easily than formulas because they are named. • Some formulas are very complex. If you create variables, you can re-use them in formulas and avoid having very long and complex formulas which can lead to making syntax errors. In addition, you don't have to re-write the formula over and over again. What’s more, complex formulas are easier to decipher if they contain variables. How can I recognize a local variable? If you want to know whether a variable has been returned by a data provider or created locally in a report: • Right-click on the variable in the list in the Data tab of the Report Manager. In the menu that opens: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 315
- 316. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions • If the menu command Edit Variable is available, the variable is a local variable and you can modify the attributes. • If the menu command Edit Variable is not available (grayed out) the variable was returned by the data provider and cannot be edited. Creating a local variable You can create local variables using the variable editor, by turning an existing formula into a variable, and by grouping values from an existing variable to create a new one. Using the Variable Editor You can create a local variable from scratch using the Variable Editor. To do this: 1. Right-click on the Data tab of the Report Manager and choose New Variable from the menu. In the Variables dialog box opens. 2. Click the Formula tab. 3. Type the formula in the Formula box, or double-click the function(s), variable(s) or operator(s) you need. 316 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 317. Local Variables 4. Click the Definition tab and type a name in the Name box. 5. In the Qualification box, choose whether you want the local variable to be defined as a Dimension, Measure or Detail object. 6. Click OK. The new variable is displayed in the list of variables in the Report Manager data tab. Transforming a formula into a local variable You can also transform an existing formula into a local variable. As we said earlier, variables are useful because you can apply alerters, filters, and sorts to variables but not to formulas. After setting up a formula in a report, you may decide that you’d like to highlight the top values. To do this, you can easily transform the formula you have created into a variable. Example Highlighting above average margin ........................................................... You have set up a formula to calculate average margin and now decide you want to highlight all those stores that have made above average margin. In BUSINESSOBJECTS you can highlight data in this way using alerters but you cannot apply an alerter on a column or row of data that contains a formula. However, you can use an alerter on a variable. By turning your formula into a variable you can highlight your above-average stores. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 317
- 318. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions To transform a formula into a variable: 1. Select the column of data that contains the formula. 2. Choose Define As Variable from the Data menu. 3. Type in a name for the variable in the Define the Variable dialog box. 4. Set how you want the formula to be defined. Choose.... If you want to..... Evaluate the formula in Restrict the definition of this variable to its its context context in the current block. If you insert this variable in another block in the report, the result of that calculation will always be based on the original context Keep the formula Allows you to define the variable so that it generic calculates the data dynamically, based on the context of the block where the variable is inserted 5. Click OK. The variable is now displayed in the variables folder in the Report Manager Data tab and you can set up an alerter using the variable. For further information on calculation contexts, see Chapter 15 "Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax" on page 335. ........................................................... 318 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 319. Creating Local Variables by Grouping Values Creating Local Variables by Grouping Values You can also create new variables by grouping the values of existing variables which enables you to create dynamic groups for analysis purposes. Grouping values prior to analyzing your data in drill mode can also be useful, for example, if you have a variable which has a lot of values. It allows you to create an intermediary level of detail in your analysis. Example Group quarters to display revenue per semester ........................................................... You have a report showing the sales revenue per quarter but you would like to display revenue per semester. Since you have the data for Quarter, you can do this quite easily. The Quarter variable returns four values - Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4. By grouping Q1 and Q2 into one value (H1), and Q3 and Q4 into a second value (H2) you can create a new variable, Semester, and then calculate revenue by semester. You can then add Semester to a drill hierarchy and use it in your analysis in drill mode. Here’s how to do it. ........................................................... Grouping values Your table displays sales revenue per quarter. You are going to create a new variable called Semester. 1. Select Q1 in the table. 2. Holding down the Ctrl key, select Q2. Group Values 3. Click the Group Values button on the Report toolbar. The Rename grouped values box opens. 4. Type in the new name, H1, in the Rename Group box and click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 319
- 320. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Q1 and Q2 are grouped together and the new name, H1, is displayed in the table. A new variable is created and displayed in the list in the Report Manager. The table column header is updated with the name of the new variable, Quarter+ In Table 1. 5. Repeat Step 1 to Step 4 to group the values for Q3 and Q4 and name the new value H2. Your table now looks like this. Since the name of the new variable is not very meaningful, you can rename it. 320 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 321. Creating Local Variables by Grouping Values To rename the variable 1. Right-click on the Quarter+ In Table 1 variable in the Report Manager window. 2. Choose Edit Variable from the menu. The Edit box opens. 3. Type in a new name, Semester, in the Name of the Variable text box and click OK. The new name, Semester, is displayed in the Variables list and in the table. Your table now displays sales revenue per semester. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 321
- 322. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Editing grouped values At any time, you can edit variables created by grouping values from another variable. You can rename the variable or the values, re-arrange the values in the groups or create a new group of values. 1. Right-click on the variable in the Report Manager window. 2. Choose Edit Variable from the menu. The Edit box opens. You can rename the variable here. You can rename the values here. Click on the name and type in the new one. You can drag and drop values from one group folder to another. 3. Make the required changes and click OK. Deleting grouped values You can delete a variable created by grouping values from another variable. 1. From the Data menu, choose Variables. 2. In the Variables box, select the variable you want to delete. 3. Click Remove and then OK. Ungrouping grouped values You can ungroup a variable created by grouping values from another variable. 1. Select the grouped value in the table. 2. Click the Group Values button on the toolbar. 322 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 323. Creating Local Variables by Grouping Values Adding grouped values to a drill hierarchy You can add a local variable that has been qualified as a dimension to a drill hierarchy and then use it in your analysis in drill mode. You can now add Semester to the Time period hierarchy and then drill down from Year to Semester and then to Quarter. To add Semester to the drill hierarchy: 1. From the Analysis menu, choose Hierachies. The Hierarchy Editor opens up. 2. Add Semester to the Time period hierarchy between Year and Quarter. Note: For more information on setting up and using drill mode, see Chapter 20 "Analyzing Data in Drill Mode" on page 457. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 323
- 324. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Managing Formulas and Local Variables This section describes how to insert, edit and delete the local variables and formulas you have created. Inserting local variables and formulas in a report You can drag the variable or formula from the Data tab of the Report Manager window and drop it where you want it to appear on the report. Editing formulas You can edit a formula directly in the cell or in the Formula Bar or you can use the Formula Editor. 1. Click the cell that displays the result of the formula you want to edit. 2. Then: • Type your changes into the cell and press Enter to validate them • Click inside the Formula Bar, and edit the formula and click the Validate Formula button to validate the formula. • From the Data menu, choose Edit Formula; make your changes in the Formula Editor and click OK to validate them. The result of the formula is displayed in the cell. Editing local variables You can edit a local variable directly from the Report Manager. To do this: 1. Right-click the variable in the Data tab of the Report Manager window. 2. Choose Edit Variable from the menu. The Variable Editor opens. 3. You can: • Type in a new name in the Name box. • Change the qualification of the variable. • Edit the formula on the Formula tab. 4. Click OK to validate your changes. 324 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 325. Managing Formulas and Local Variables Deleting formulas and local variables To delete a formula or local variable from a report: 1. From the Data menu, choose Variables. The Variables dialog box is displayed: The Edit and Remove buttons are not available if you choose a variable returned by the data provider. 2. Open the Variables or the Formulas folder. 3. Select the variable or formula to delete. 4. Click Remove and then click Close. Note: You can only delete local variables, not variables returned by a data provider. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 325
- 326. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Functions BUSINESSOBJECTS contains many built-in functions which greatly extend it’s capabilities. Functions are pre-defined formulas. A function consists of the function name followed by a pair of parentheses. The parentheses can contain arguments and arguments supply functions with values on which to operate. Arguments can be objects, constants or other functions. Some commonly used functions are available directly from the BUSINESSOBJECTS menus and toolbars. When you choose one of these functions, the necessary arguments are added automatically. The entire set of functions is organized in nine folders in the Functions window of the Formula Editor: The folder... Lists..... All All available functions in alphabetical order. Aggregates Functions that return aggregate totals (e.g. the sum or average of a column of data) Numeric Functions Functions that operate on numerical arguments. Character Functions Functions that operate on character objects and text strings. Date Functions Functions that operate on dates. Logical Functions Functions that return true or false. Document Functions Functions that return information about a document. Data Provider Functions Functions that return information about a data provider. Miscellaneous Functions Functions that cannot be categorized into one of the seven category folders. Using Functions When you select a function in the list in the Functions window, a description of the syntax the function requires is displayed at the bottom of the Formula Editor window. 326 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 327. Functions When you add a function to the Formula window, any necessary commas are added. The following example shows you how to use a BUSINESSOBJECTS function to rank data according to revenue generated. Example How can I rank cities according to sales revenue? ........................................................... In this example, you want to rank the cities in your table according to sales revenue generated this quarter. From this...... To this...... Here’s how to do it: 1. Add a new column to the table and name it Revenue rank. Click in the Revenue rank column. 2. From the Data menu, choose Edit Formula. The Formula Editor opens. 3. Open the All functions and aggregates folder and scroll down to the Rank function. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 327
- 328. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions 4. Double-click on Rank. The parentheses and required commas are added automatically. The syntax for the Click here to get more selected function is information on what shown here. the function does. The Rank function is added to the Formula window. To use the Rank function, you need to add a dimension variable, a comma and then a measure variable inside the parentheses. The function then ranks the dimension according to the measure. 5. In the Variables list, double-click City and then Sales revenue. The completed syntax is displayed in the formulas window. =Rank(<City> ,<Sales revenue>) 6. Click OK. The cities are ranked from 1 to 10 according to sales revenue. ........................................................... Tip: To quickly find a function in the Functions list, open the All functions & aggregates folder and then type the first letter of the function you want to find. BUSINESSOBJECTS highlights the first function beginning with that letter. Using the Function Help Before working with a function for the first time, use the Function Help to find out what the function does. To do this: • Select the function in the Functions list and click the Function Help button. The help page gives a description of the function, its syntax, and an example. 328 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 329. More Examples of Using Formulas More Examples of Using Formulas There are examples of using functions and writing formulas throughout this chapter and throughout this user’s guide. This section has several additional examples on using the BUSINESSOBJECTS formula editor and BUSINESSOBJECTS functions to set up personal calculations. Example Calculating a 3-week rolling average ........................................................... Using a rolling average smooths out the fluctuations of a measure variable that fluctuates over time, stock prices, for example, which change daily. A rolling average is obtained by calculating the average of the current value and the specified number of previous values. In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you use the Previous() function to set up a rolling average. This example shows you how to create the variable to calculate a three-week rolling average for sales revenue. 1. Right-click on any variable in the Report Manager Data tab and choose New Variable from the menu. The Variable Editor opens. 2. Click the Definition tab. 3. In the Name box, type 3 weeks rolling. 4. In the Qualification section, choose Measure. 5. Click the Formula tab. 6. In the Formulas box, type the formula: =(<Sales revenue>+Previous(<Sales revenue>)+Previous(Previous(<Sales revenue>)))/3. This formula adds the sales revenue for the current week to the sales revenue for the two previous weeks and then divides the total by three to obtain an average for those three weeks. To create this formula, we use the BUSINESSOBJECTS Previous() function. 7. Click OK. The new variable is added to the list in the Report Manager Data tab and you can use it in the tables and charts in your report. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 329
- 330. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Combining data in a single cell You frequently need to combine different pieces of data returned by data providers in a single cell of a report. For example, first and last names are typically stored as separate pieces of data in the database but you often need to display a person’s whole name in a single cell of a report. There are two ways of combining pieces of data or combining text and data in a single cell in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can either use the Concatenation() function or the & operator. The examples below describe how to use both methods to combine character- type data, and how to combine numbers and dates with text or with other pieces of data. Example Combining first and last names in a single cell ........................................................... The BUSINESSOBJECTS Concatenation() function allows you to combine two character strings. The character string may be a piece of text or a character-type variable. The syntax for this function is: Concatenation(character string, character string) To display a person’s first and last name in a single cell, the following syntax: =Concatenation(<First Name>,<Last Name>) will give the following result: JohnGardner You would typically wish to have a space between the first and last name. To do this, you need to use the following syntax: =Concatenation(<First Name> ,(Concatenation(" " ,<Last Name>))) A second way to achieve the same result is to use the & operator. If you are combining several character strings and want to add spaces, using the & operator is a simpler solution than using the Concatenation() function. The syntax to achieve the same result as shown above using the & operator is: =<First Name>&" "&<Last Name> Notice that the space we typed is surrounded by quote marks. ........................................................... 330 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 331. More Examples of Using Formulas Example Combining text and data in a single cell ........................................................... You can use the same syntax as in the example above to add a comment to data in a table cell or a master cell. The table below shows the sales figures for the top three lines for the first quarter, but quarter is not displayed in the table. By editing the master cell contents, you can add a more explanatory title for each section in the report as shown below: To obtain the result illustrated above, the formula: =”Sales for Q1 in “&<City> will give you the following result: Sales for Q1 in Austin Notice that text is surrounded by quote marks and that we typed a space at the end of the text and before the final quote marks to add a space between the text and the name of the city. If you want to place a filter on the City section after combining text and data in the master cell, you’ll notice that the Insert Filter button on the Standard toolbar is unavailable. To insert a filter: 1. Select the master cell. 2. From the Format menu, select Filters. The Filters dialog box opens. 3. Click Add. The Variables to filter dialog box is displayed. 4. Select City and click OK to return to the Filters dialog box. In the Values box, select the cities you want to filter and click OK. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 331
- 332. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions Example Combining text and numbers in a single cell ........................................................... The Concatenation() function and & operator only allow you to combine character-type data. If you want to combine text or character-type data with numbers you must first convert the number into a character string. Otherwise, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays the error message 'Incompatible data type'. You can convert a number to a character string using the FormatNumber() function. To obtain the result illustrated above, the formula: ="Revenue for week: "&FormatNumber(<Week> ,"0") will give you the following result: Revenue for week: 1 ........................................................... Example Combining text and dates in a single cell ........................................................... In the same way, if you want to combine text with dates using the & operator or the Concatenation() function, you must first convert the date into a character string. Otherwise, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays the error message 'Incompatible data type'. You can convert a date into a character string using the FormatDate() function. To obtain the result illustrated above, the formula: ="Invoice date: "&FormatDate(<Date>, "dd/mm/yyyy") will give you the following result Invoice date: 01/01/1993 ........................................................... 332 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 333. More Examples of Using Formulas Example Comparing yearly margin growth using the Where function ........................................................... A common requirement in business is to compare data from different dates or periods so you can evaluate how key indicators such as revenue and margin have progressed. The BUSINESSOBJECTS Where function allows you to identify data with the values of another variable so that you can compare related data. In the example below, you want to compare yearly margin. Your BUSINESSOBJECTS document contains the variables for year, margin and city. Using this data, you can write a BUSINESSOBJECTS formula to assign margin to a specific year and then calculate margin growth from one year to the next. Here’s the procedure: 1. Right-click on any variable in the list of variables in the Report Manager Data tab and choose New Variable from the menu. The Variable Editor opens. 2. Click the Definition tab. 3. In the Name box, type 1999 margin. 4. In the Qualification section, choose Measure. 5. Click the Formula tab. 6. In the Formulas box, type the formula: =<Margin> Where (<Year>="1999") This formula calculates the margin for the year 1999 only. Note that we use the BUSINESSOBJECTS Where operator in the formula to specify the year. 7. Click OK. The new variable is added to the list in the Report Manager Data tab. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 333
- 334. Chapter 14 Formulas, Local Variables & Functions 8. Repeat the procedure above to create one variable called 2000 margin and one called 2001 margin using the following syntax: =<Margin> Where (<Year>="2000") =<Margin> Where (<Year>="2001") The new variables are added to the list in the Report Manager Data tab. We could have simply created a formula to calculate the margin for each year. The advantage of creating a variable is that we can then re-use it more easily in other formulas. For example, you can now easily calculate the percent increase in margin between the 1999 and 2000 using the variables you have just created and display the increase in a new column in the table: =(<2000 margin>-<1999 margin>)/<Margin> ........................................................... 334 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 335. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 336 Who should read this chapter 336 What’s in this chapter 336 ❑ Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax 337 Semantically dynamic calculations 337 What are calculation contexts? 338 Understanding input and output contexts 339 Using your understanding of input and output contexts 342 ❑ Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations 344 Defining calculation contexts with extended syntax 345 How to define input and output contexts 346 What about reset contexts? 348 Modifying contexts with the operators ForEach and ForAll 352 Using the Rank function and extended syntax 354 Defining contexts with keywords 358 ❑ Quick Reference 363 Frequently used terms 363 Calculation contexts 365 Context operators 366 Keywords 366 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 335
- 336. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Overview This chapter is designed to help you use the powerful calculation capabilities delivered with BUSINESSOBJECTS. Who should read this chapter This chapter especially concerns those users whose business requires that they perform advanced calculations. The information here is also useful for any user who has experienced computation errors in their BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. What’s in this chapter The chapter provides information on how BUSINESSOBJECTS performs calculations in reports. It describes the concepts behind the BUSINESSOBJECTS calculation engine. Most specifically, its aim is to explain the extended syntax that enables you to manipulate complex aggregations in reports. You can find calculation troubleshooting information on error messages such as #COMPUTATION in Chapter 16 "Calculation Troubleshooting" on page 367. 336 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 337. Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax This section introduces you to the key concepts of calculations in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Semantically dynamic calculations In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you create a report by building a query that retrieves data from a database. Typically, your query contains: • Dimensions, which retrieve character-type data (customer names, product names, etc.), or dates (years, quarters, reservation dates, etc.). • Measures, which retrieve numeric data that is the result of calculations. For example, in the BUSINESSOBJECTS demo universe, Revenue is the calculation of number of items sold multiplied by item price. When you run the query, BUSINESSOBJECTS brings to the report the data corresponding to the dimensions and measures you selected. In the report, measures are calculated dynamically, based on the dimensions with which they appear. Here’s an example. Example Revenue per region per year, and revenue per region ........................................................... The report illustrated below contains two tables: revenue per region per year, and revenue per region. BUSINESSOBJECTS dynamically calculates the measure, Revenue, according to the dimensions in the table. So, when the user removes the Year column, revenue per region is returned: ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 337
- 338. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax What are calculation contexts? By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS determines the result of a measure based on the dimension or dimensions in the part of the report in which the measure is inserted. These sets of dimensions are called calculation contexts. Calculation contexts are dynamic in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Here’s an example. Example Calculating total revenue for two years ........................................................... In the report illustrated below, the table displays revenue per city per year, with a sum on Revenue that calculates total revenue per year. You can copy and paste, or drag and drop, the cell displaying total revenue per year from the table footer to the free-standing cell at the top. BUSINESSOBJECTS dynamically calculates total revenue for both years in the report: The result is different because the calculation contexts are different. ........................................................... In the next section, you learn more about how calculation contexts work. 338 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 339. Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax Understanding input and output contexts BUSINESSOBJECTS defines an input context and an output context to determine the result of an aggregate calculation. Remember that a context is made up of one or more dimensions. The following table defines which dimensions in a report make up which context: The... Consists of one or more dimensions that... Input context Go into the calculation Output context Determine the result of the calculation (BUSINESSOBJECTS also supports reset contexts, which are used in cumulative aggregations such as running totals. To find out about reset contexts, refer to “What about reset contexts?” on page 348). This section explains how BUSINESSOBJECTS defines input and output contexts in different parts of a report. This information is important if you • Want to understand the different results BUSINESSOBJECTS returns from the same formula in different parts of a report. • Cannot obtain the results you need from the default calculation behavior. • Need to fix errors such as #COMPUTATION. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 339
- 340. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax How BusinessObjects defines input and output contexts To understand how BUSINESSOBJECTS defines input and output contexts, you must first understand the terms body and local context. The following table provides a definition of these terms, and shows how they map to input and output contexts in a report: The... Consists of one or more And by default is the same dimensions that... as the... Body Are present in the part of Input context. the report (e.g., a block) where the calculation is inserted Local context Govern the part of the Output context. report where the calculation is inserted (e.g., a master variable in a section). Below you will find an illustrated example that helps you to understand the dimensions in the body and the local context - and thus the default input and output contexts - in different parts of a report. Example A report containing aggregations in different contexts ........................................................... The report illustrated on page 341 displays revenue per city per quarter in 1995. The user has placed calculations in different parts of the report: • Total revenue at the top of the report • Revenue in the Year section • Revenue in the table, and • Average revenue in the break footer. The table below the illustration explains the default input and output contexts BUSINESSOBJECTS uses to obtain the result of each calculation. 340 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 341. Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax The calculation contexts in a report a. Total revenue for the report b. Total revenue for 1995 c. Revenue per city per quarter per year d. Average revenue per city per quarter per year The calculation Because the body (input And the local (output) returns... context) is... context is... a. Total revenue All dimensions - The same as the body. for the report including any that are not displayed in the report b. Total revenue Year, the section master, The same as the body. for 1995 (the calculation is placed at the section level) c. Revenue per Year, Quarter, City, i.e., The same as the body. city per quarter the dimensions in the per year section and table d. Average Year, Quarter, City, i.e., Quarter (the calculation revenue per city the dimensions in the is placed in the footer of per quarter per section and table the break on Quarter.) year ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 341
- 342. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Using your understanding of input and output contexts Once you understand input and output contexts, you are ready to benefit from extended syntax. The extended syntax of an aggregate formula contains not only the basic formula, but also the dimensions that make up the aggregation’s calculation contexts. Here’s an example. Example The extended syntax of an aggregate formula ........................................................... The report shown here calculates running total resort revenue per country: The user obtained the running totals by applying the RunningSum function on the Revenue column. The basic formula for the calculation is =RunningSum(<Revenue>) The extended syntax of the formula, in which the explicit input and output contexts are shown, is =RunningSum(<Revenue> In Body) In <Country> where Body is the input context, and Country, the output context. ........................................................... You can use your knowledge of extended syntax to: • Understand the results BUSINESSOBJECTS returns by default (see below), and • Change the default input and output contexts of a formula to get the results you need. For information on how to do this, refer to “Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations” on page 344. 342 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 343. Introduction to Contexts and Extended Syntax Viewing the extended syntax of a formula BUSINESSOBJECTS provides two simple ways of viewing a formula’s extended syntax, to find out the dimensions in the input and/or output context of an aggregate calculation. You can view extended syntax by • Using the Formula Bar, or • Using the Define As Variable command on the Data menu. Using the Formula Bar 1. If the Formula Bar is not displayed, select the Formula Bar command on the View menu. 2. Click the cell containing the calculation. 3. Rest the cursor over the Formula Bar. The extended syntax of the formula appears in a tooltip. Using the Define As Variable command 1. Click the cell containing the calculation. 2. Select the Define As Variable command on the Data menu. The Define As Variable dialog box appears. 3. Click Evaluate the formula in its context. The extended syntax of the formula appears in the dialog box: 4. Click Cancel to close the dialog box. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 343
- 344. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations When you insert a simple aggregation in a report, for example to calculate average revenue, BUSINESSOBJECTS writes a simple formula, in this case =Average(<Revenue>) By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS evaluates the formula in its default context, as explained in the previous section, “Understanding input and output contexts” on page 339. So how do you get more specific results? What if you need average revenue per city in a table containing region and city? By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS returns results based on region and city, i.e., both dimensions from the local context. What if you need a result based on a dimension that is available in the document but which you do not want to display in the report? BUSINESSOBJECTS provides extended syntax so that you can specify the dimensions to use in your calculations. Here’s an example. Example Calculating the number of cities per region ........................................................... In a table containing the dimensions City and Region, if you insert a count, BUSINESSOBJECTS counts the cities one by one, using the following formula: =Count(<City>) By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS makes the calculation based on the dimensions in the table (Region, City). There’s only one city per city, so 1 is returned every time. Extended syntax enables you to specify that you want BUSINESSOBJECTS to count the cities per region. To obtain this result, you must extend the formula: =Count(<City>) In <Region> Now you get the result you were looking for: ........................................................... 344 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 345. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations Defining calculation contexts with extended syntax Using extended syntax, you specify the dimensions you need for your calculation. In the example above, we specified the dimension Region in order to return the number of cities per region. When you use extended syntax to specify dimensions in this way, you define calculation contexts other than the default contexts assigned by BUSINESSOBJECTS. BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you define your own input and output contexts. A quick reminder of the difference between them: The... Consists of one or more dimensions that Input context Go into the calculation. Output context Determine the result of the calculation. Thus, in the example on page 344 (number of cities per region), we defined an output context, Region. Here’s an example of a calculation with an input context defined by the user. Example Calculating the minimum revenue per city for each region ........................................................... You display Region, City and Revenue in a table. When you remove City from the table, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically calculates revenue per region, because Region is now the only dimension in the body. The only way to display minimum revenue per city for each region is to define an input context, because the local context does not contain the City dimension. BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to do this, because even though you have removed City from the report display, it is still available in the document. The formula and the result are as follows: =Min(<Revenue> In (<Region>,<City>)) ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 345
- 346. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax How to define input and output contexts Let’s start with the basics. When you insert an aggregation such as Sum, BUSINESSOBJECTS writes a simple formula, for example =Sum(<Revenue>) To define contexts, you have to edit formulas, so the first thing to do is to display the Formula Bar. To do this, select the Formula Bar command on the View menu. Now, when you click a cell in a report, its formula appears in the Formula Bar: Syntax for input and output contexts To define contexts, you add arguments to a formula. The syntax for input and output contexts is as follows: =AggregateFunction(<measure> In <input context>) In <output context> Let’s dissect a formula to understand this more clearly. Example A formula containing input and output contexts ........................................................... The following formula returns the minimum revenue per city per region: =Min(<Revenue> In (<Region>,<City>)) In <Region> The input context consists of Region and City, while the output context is Region. ........................................................... 346 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 347. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations To add an input and output context to a formula This procedure shows you step-by-step how to add an input and/or output context to a simple calculation you have already inserted. The procedure is based on the example on page 345, “Calculating the minimum revenue per city for each region”. 1. If the Formula Bar is not displayed, select the Formula Bar command on the View menu. 2. Click inside the cell containing the calculation you want to change, in this case a column containing the Revenue measure. The formula appears in the Formula Bar, for example =Min(<Revenue>) 3. If you’re adding input context, click to the left of the closing parenthesis. For an output context, click to the right of the closing parenthesis. 4. Type a space, type In, then type another space. 5. Type the name of the dimension you want to specify as the context. 6. Type < > on either side of the dimension, for example <City> 7. If you need to add dimensions to the context, separate each one with a comma, and place the list of dimension in parentheses, like this: (<Region>,<City>,<Year>) 8. Press Enter to validate the formula. Tip: You can also use the Formula Editor to add contexts to a formula. The advantage is that you can double-click variables to add them to the formula, Formula Editor instead of having to type them. To display the Formula Editor, click the Formula Editor button on the left of the Formula Bar. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 347
- 348. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax What about reset contexts? You use a reset context in a cumulative aggregation, such as running total revenue per quarter. The reset context consists of one or more dimensions which reset the value of the calculation to zero each time a dimension value changes. This is best explained with an example. Example Calculating running total revenue per country ........................................................... You want to calculate running total revenue per country per year, and naturally you want the calculation to be reset for each country. In other words, when the value of Country changes, you want the calculation to begin at 0. To obtain this result, you display Country, Year and Revenue in a table, and apply a break on Country. You then add the cumulative aggregation =RunningSum(<Revenue>;<Country>) in which Country is specified as the reset context. Here’s what you get: ........................................................... 348 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 349. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations How to define reset contexts You define a reset context by specifying one or more dimensions in the cumulative formula. The syntax is =RunningAggregateFunction(<measure>;<dimension>) giving, for example =Sum(<Revenue>;<Year>;<Region>) To define a reset context: 1. If the Formula Bar is not displayed, select the Formula Bar command on the View menu. 2. Click inside the cell containing the calculation you want to change. The formula appears in the Formula Bar. 3. Type a parenthesis before the function name. 4. Type a semi-colon (;) after the measure. 5. Type the name of the dimension you want to use as the reset context, e.g., <Year> 6. Add other dimensions if necessary; separate each with a comma and place the list in parentheses. A reset context with more than one dimension looks like this: ;<Year>,<Region> 7. Type a closing parenthesis at the end of the formula, then press Enter. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 349
- 350. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Using reset contexts in crosstabs A crosstab displays data in rows and columns, as opposed to a table which displays data in columns only. Measures are typically placed in the body of a crosstab, i.e., at the intersection of rows and columns. The crosstab illustrated here shows revenue per region in 1994 and 1995: Now, to calculate running total revenue, you insert a break on Year, then change Revenue to =RunningSum(<Revenue>) Here’s the result: Notice that the running totals are calculated for both Year and Region. In other words, the figures are added from left to right, and from top to bottom. To reset the running sum for either Year or Region, you add a reset context to the formula. The formula to reset the running sum to 0 for each year is =RunningSum(<Revenue>;<Year>) and the result is as shown: Note: Users of previous versions of BUSINESSOBJECTS may have used the keywords Col and Row to define reset contexts in crosstabs. These keywords are no longer necessary. You can use them, but they have no added value. For example =RunningSum(<Revenue>; Col <Year>) and =RunningSum(<Revenue>; <Year>) return the same result. 350 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 351. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations Syntax for combining reset, input and output contexts When input and output contexts are specified, the syntax for reset contexts is as follows: =RunningAggregateFunction(<measure> In <input context>;<reset context>) In <output context> BusinessObjects User’s Guide 351
- 352. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Modifying contexts with the operators ForEach and ForAll When you define a context, you specify the dimension(s) it must contain. The syntax requires that you use the In operator to introduce the context: =Min(<Revenue> In (<Region>,<City>) In <Region> In is the default operator for defining a context. However, you can modify the context you’re defining by replacing In by ForEach or ForAll. The following table provides a definition of ForEach and ForAll: Operator Definition ForEach Adds dimensions to the input or output context. ForAll Removes dimensions to the input or output context. The following example illustrates how ForEach and ForAll work. Example Using ForEach and ForAll ........................................................... A table containing Region, City and Revenue returns the revenue per city per region. The Year dimension is also available in the document. You want to display maximum revenue per city per year, but you don’t want to add Year to the table. No problem, you add Year to the local context by using ForEach: =Max(<Revenue> ForEach <Year>) Finally, you want to display maximum revenue per region, but want City to remain in the table. In other words, you have to remove City from the local context without physically removing the City column. You achieve this by using ForAll. 352 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 353. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations Here’s the formula and the result: =Max(<Revenue>) ForAll <City> ........................................................... Getting the same result: ForAll <City> vs. In <Region> In the previous example, we calculated maximum revenue per region by using ForAll to remove City from the local context. You could obtain the same result by making Region the output context. Here’s how this works. The local context is City and Region. Unless you specify otherwise, BUSINESSOBJECTS returns maximum revenue per city per region. You want maximum revenue per region. To calculate this, you must “tell” the formula to “ignore” City, either by • Removing City from the local context, or • Defining an output context, Region. So, these two formulas, =Max(<Revenue>) ForAll <City> =Max(<Revenue>) In <Region> where the local context is Region and City, obtain the same result. Now try ForEach <City> vs. In (<Region>,<City>) In the example entitled “Calculating the minimum revenue per city for each region” on page 345, we used =Min(<Revenue> In (<Region>,<City>)) to calculate minimum revenue per city in a table containing only Region and Revenue. The default result is input context is Region, but we added City to it. You could obtain the same result by adding City with the ForEach operator, the formula being =Min(<Revenue> ForEach <City>) BusinessObjects User’s Guide 353
- 354. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Using the Rank function and extended syntax The Rank function allows you to rank the values of a dimension based on a measure. The syntax is: =Rank(dimension ,measure) The first table below shows revenue per quarter per country. Quarters are ranked according to revenue by inserting the following formula in the Rank column: =Rank(<Quarter> ,<Revenue>) But what if you put a break or a section on country? The result is that the quarters are ranked for each country separately, as shown in the second table. This is because, by default, BUSINESSOBJECTS includes country in the calculation context. Since there are two values for Country, BUSINESSOBJECTS makes a calculation for each value. You can modify the calculation context by using the ForAll context operator. This tells BUSINESSOBJECTS to ignore the break (or section) on Country. The syntax is: =Rank(<Quarter> ,<Revenue>) ForAll <Country> 354 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 355. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations The result is: BUSINESSOBJECTS now calculates the rank according to revenue generated per quarter and for all values of the Country dimension. What if you now want to rank all eight quarters in the block according to revenue generated? To do this, you have to remove the Country break from the rank calculation context, but keep it in the revenue calculation context. The best way to achieve this is to create a new variable to calculate the revenue and then include this in the formula inserted in the Rank column. Here’s how to do it: 1. Create a new measure variable using the following syntax: =<Revenue> ForEach <Country> This variable calculates the revenue for each country. 2. Name the variable Revenue ForEach Country. 3. Insert the following formula in the rank column: =Rank(<Quarter> ,<Revenue ForEach Country>) ForAll <Country> BusinessObjects User’s Guide 355
- 356. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax The result is: 356 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 357. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations Using the Rank function in crosstabs In the following example, you have a crosstab that displays revenue per quarter per resort. You have inserted a column to display rank after each Resort column and inserted the following syntax: =Rank(<Quarter> ,<Revenue>) The result is: The problem is that the rank is the same for all quarters in all resorts. What you want to do is rank the quarters for each resort in the crosstab. To do this, you have to specify that you want to calculate rank for each resort in the output context. The syntax is: =Rank(<Quarter> ,<Revenue>) ForEach <Resort> And the result is: BusinessObjects User’s Guide 357
- 358. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Defining contexts with keywords Calculation contexts consist of one or more dimensions. In the examples so far, we’ve defined contexts by writing the names of dimensions inside the formula. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides keywords that enable you to define contexts without listing the specific dimensions you need. A keyword corresponds to the dimension or dimensions in a specific part of the report. Keywords can define all types of context in extended syntax- input, output or reset. Keywords offer you the following advantages: Advantage Description Simplified formula It’s often quicker to add one keyword to a formula definition than to write a list of dimensions. Reduced risk of The syntax for keywords is simple: you just add the syntax errors keyword to the formula. Thus, you avoid missing parentheses, misspelled dimensions, etc. Guaranteed If you add or remove dimensions from the report, dynamic results perform drag-and-drop or slice-and-dice, you don’t have to rewrite formulas containing keywords. This section provides: • Definitions of the keywords you can use • An example of how to use a keyword in a formula • A step-by-step procedure for writing formulas with keywords • Information on how BUSINESSOBJECTS assigns keywords to formulas, and • An explanation of how report filters behave when you use keywords. 358 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 359. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations Keywords: definitions and example The four keywords you can use in formulas are Report, Block, Body and CurrentPage. Each keyword corresponds to the dimension or dimensions in a specific part of the report. The definitions in the following table indicate • In which part of a report you can use each keyword, and • The dimensions the keywords correspond to. Keyword Can be used in And corresponds to... formulas... Body Inside a block The dimensions in the block. Outside a block The dimensions in the current section. Block Inside a block The dimensions in the current section. Report Anywhere in the All the dimensions in the document. report CurrentPage Inside the current page The dimensions in the current page. To illustrate how keywords can be used, here’s an example. Example Calculating a grand total by using the Report keyword ........................................................... You want to display the grand total revenue across all dimensions in a report. This calculation does not require extended syntax if the formula is placed in a cell at the very top of the report, because in this case the default output context contains all the dimensions in the report. But you want to display the information elsewhere, for example inside a table footer. To obtain this result, you could define an output context by listing all the dimensions in the report. A much simpler solution is to use the Report keyword in the following formula: =Sum(<Revenue>) In Report Wherever you display this formula in the report, you obtain the grand total. ........................................................... Tip: A formula in which the Report keyword is used to define the output context always returns a single value. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 359
- 360. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax How to define a context using a keyword Here’s the step-by-step procedure for using a keyword to define a context: 1. If the Formula Bar is not displayed, select the Formula Bar command on the View menu. 2. Click the cell in which you want to place the formula, then write the basic formula, e.g., =Sum(<Revenue>) in the Formula Bar. 3. If you’re adding input context, click to the left of the closing parenthesis. For an output context, click to the right of the closing parenthesis. 4. Type a space, type In, then type another space. 5. Type the keyword (Block, Body, Report, or CurrentPage), then press Enter. 360 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 361. Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations How BusinessObjects uses keywords You use keywords in extended syntax when you need to define contexts in aggregate formulas. BUSINESSOBJECTS defines contexts in all aggregate formulas, however simple, and often uses keywords to do so. Here’s an example to illustrate this behavior. Example The formula BusinessObjects writes for a simple calculation ........................................................... You create a master/detail report that shows revenue per resort per year. You insert a sum on Revenue. This is a simple calculation requiring no extended syntax. BUSINESSOBJECTS, however, writes a full formula in which input and output contexts are specified. The formula is =Sum(<Revenue> In Body) In (<Year>) where Body corresponds to Resort (the dimension in the table containing the calculation, i.e., the local context), and Year is the output context. You can view the full formula by clicking the cell containing the sum, then resting the mouse pointer over the Formula Bar. The formula appears in a tooltip. You can also view the full formula by using the Define As Variable command on the Data menu. ........................................................... Benefits In simple aggregations such as the one in the example above, you rarely need to understand the extended syntax BUSINESSOBJECTS uses. But what if you don’t understand the numbers BUSINESSOBJECTS displays in a report? What if you’re having a hard time fixing an error such as #COMPUTATION? In these cases, you can use the extended syntax BUSINESSOBJECTS provides to • Understand the computation behind the report display, then • Edit your formula to get the result you want. The formula displayed in the tooltip is a base for you to work from. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 361
- 362. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Filters and keywords Question: if your report contains filters, are these taken into account when you apply aggregate calculations using keywords? Answer: yes. The results you obtain will always be filtered. You can, however, force BUSINESSOBJECTS to ignore filters. How to force BusinessObjects to ignore filters Let’s say you have a master/detail report and a filter on the master variable. You want to calculate a grand total using the Report keyword. Problem: you don’t want to compute the filter but you don’t want to delete it either. Solution: use the NoFilter function! The syntax is =NoFilter(formula) an example being =NoFilter(Sum(<Revenue>) In Report) Tip: Why not try comparing filtered and non-filtered information? Insert a cell with the regular formula, then use NoFilter to get the real grand total. 362 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 363. Quick Reference Quick Reference This guide contains a lot of theory and terminology, which is not always easy to remember. This section provides at-a-glance information to jog your memory when you just can’t remember the difference between, for example, ForEach and ForAll... The information below is organized by category: • Basic terms such as document, microcube, aggregation, etc. • Calculation contexts (local, body, input, output and reset) • Context operators (In, ForEach, ForAll) • Keywords (Report, Block, Body, CurrentPage). Frequently used terms A selection of useful terms often used in this context. Term Definition Aggregation A calculation that returns totals, percentages, etc. in which any of the following functions are used: Average, Count, Max, Min, StdDev, StdDevP, Sum, Var, VarP. Cumulative A calculation that returns running totals, percentages, etc. in aggregation which any of the following functions are used: RunningAverage, RunningCount, RunningMax, RunningMin, RunningSum. Dimension Qualification of an object, variable or formula that returns text (names, IDs, etc.) or dates. In a report, dimensions make up calculation contexts. Document A BUSINESSOBJECTS file (extension .rep). Extended The syntax of a formula for an aggregation, in which the input syntax and output contexts for the aggregation are displayed. You can use extended syntax to define your own input and output contexts You have to use extended syntax to define reset contexts. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 363
- 364. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Term Definition Formula The definition of the content of a cell. Can contain functions, operators, variables and text. Measure Qualification of an object, variable or formula that returns numeric data, such as revenue. The result of a measure is by default determined by the dimensions in the context in which the measure is placed in a report. Microcube Set of data returned by a query. Because documents can contain data from different sources in BUSINESSOBJECTS, any given document can contain multiple microcubes. Report Pages in a document where data is displayed. A document can contain many reports; each report has a tab at the bottom of the application window. A report can display only a subset of data from the document. You can use any dimension - displayed or not - as input or output for a calculation. Variable A named formula. BUSINESSOBJECTS always stores query results as variables. 364 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 365. Quick Reference Calculation contexts A calculation context consists of one or more dimensions that determine the input and output of aggregate calculations. Context Definition Local Dimension or dimensions that govern the part of the report where the calculation is inserted (e.g., a master variable in a section). Body Dimension or dimensions that are present in the part of the report (e.g., a block) where the calculation is inserted. Input One or more dimensions that go into an aggregate calculation. By default, the input context for a calculation is the defined by the dimension(s) in the body. You can define your own input context using extended syntax. Output One or more dimensions that determine the result of an aggregate calculation. By default, the output context is defined by the dimension(s) in the local context. You can define your own output context using extended syntax. Reset One or more dimensions that reset a cumulative aggregation such as running total to 0 when the value of the dimension(s) changes. You specify reset contexts using extended syntax. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 365
- 366. Chapter 15 Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax Context operators In the formula for an aggregation using extended syntax, an operator introduces the input and/or output context. Operator Definition In The default operator. Includes the specified dimension(s) in the context. ForEach Modifies a context by including the specified dimension(s). ForAll Modifies a context by excluding the specified dimension(s). Keywords In extended syntax, a keyword stands for the dimension(s) in a specific part of a report. The keyword enables you to define contexts in aggregate formulas by using one word rather than listing the dimensions in the context. Keyword Definition Block Corresponds to the dimensions in the current section. Can only be used in a formula placed inside a block. Body When the formula is Corresponds to... placed... Outside a block The dimensions in the current section. Inside a block The dimensions in the block. Report Anywhere in the report All the dimensions in the document. CurrentPage Inside the current page The dimensions in the current page. 366 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 367. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 369 ❑ #COMPUTATION 370 #COMPUTATION in cumulative aggregations 371 #COMPUTATION in non-aggregate formulas 374 ❑ #MULTIVALUE 376 #MULTIVALUE in aggregations 376 #MULTIVALUE in break headers and footers 379 #MULTIVALUE in a cell at the section level 381 ❑ ####### 384 ❑ #ALERTER 384 ❑ #DICT.ERROR 385 ❑ #DIV/0 386 ❑ #ERROR 387 ❑ #IERR 389 #IERR in a formula combining measures and dimensions 389 #IERR in an aggregation containing a complex formula 390 #IERR in a formula using WHERE 391 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 367
- 368. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting ❑ #OVERFLOW 392 ❑ #SYNTAX 392 ❑ #UNKNOWN 393 ❑ Tips and Tricks 394 368 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 369. Overview Overview This chapter describes and offers solutions for computation errors that may occur in BUSINESSOBJECTS. A computation error always starts with # and appears the cells where your business data should be. The bulk of the information in this chapter focuses on the most common errors, i.e., #COMPUTATION and #MULTIVALUE. For the full list of errors covered here, please refer to the table of contents or the index. Tip: If you need help with #COMPUTATION and #MULTIVALUE errors in your reports, you are strongly advised to first read Chapter 15 "Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax" on page 335. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 369
- 370. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting #COMPUTATION This section provides descriptions, examples and solutions for the following errors in BUSINESSOBJECTS: • #COMPUTATION in cumulative aggregations such as running average revenue per city • #COMPUTATION in non-aggregate formulas, for example using IF THEN ELSE statements. 370 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 371. #COMPUTATION #COMPUTATION in cumulative aggregations The expression “cumulative aggregations” refers to any aggregation containing a running aggregate function such as RunningMax or RunningAverage. In reports, cumulative aggregations let you answer questions such as “What’s the running percentage of revenue per city for each year?”. Note: The information presented here requires that you understand BUSINESSOBJECTS extended syntax, which is described in “Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations” on page 344. Description of #COMPUTATION in a cumulative aggregation #COMPUTATION can occur in cumulative formulas where a reset context is defined. A reset context consists of a dimension, and resets a running calculation to zero when the value of the dimension changes. To read up on reset contexts, refer to “What about reset contexts?” on page 348. #COMPUTATION occurs in cumulative aggregations for the following reason: The reset context is not included in the output context. Here’s an example. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 371
- 372. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Example #COMPUTATION resulting from a running sum with a reset context ........................................................... You’ve displayed running totals per country per year, and reset the calculation per country. The formula is as follows: =RunningSum(<Revenue>;<Country>) You now set a break on Year, because you want to display the running total for each year. You copy the formula from the running total column and paste it in the break footer. #COMPUTATION appears: Why? Because the reset context in the formula you pasted is Country, but you placed the formula in the footer of the break on Year. Thus, the reset context (Country) is not in the output context (Year). To fix this error, you need to display the Formula Bar and change the reset context from Country to Year. The winning formula is: =RunningSum(<Revenue>;<Year>) Alternatively, you could set the break on Country, but you would obtain a different result. ........................................................... 372 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 373. #COMPUTATION Solution for #COMPUTATION in a cumulative aggregation To avoid #COMPUTATION in a cumulative aggregation, the reset context must be included in the output context. In other words, the dimension or dimensions after the semi-colon (;) in the formula must also be listed after the operator (In, ForEach or ForAll) on the right of the formula. Reminder: If no output context is defined in the formula, the calculation is made using the local context. To brush up on this concept, refer to “Understanding input and output contexts” on page 339. To fix your formula: 1. Display the Formula Bar (Formula Bar command, View menu), then click the cell containing the formula. 2. Check that the dimension in the reset context is also specified in the output context. The following table will help you determine this: When the reset context is Region and... Then... Only the output context is defined, e.g., Region must also be specified =RunningSum(<Revenue>;<Region>) In in the output context. (<Region>,<City>)) Only the input context is defined, e.g., Region must be present in the =RunningSum(<Revenue> In local context. (<Region>,<City>);<Region>) Neither the input nor output contexts are Region must be present in the defined, e.g., local context. =RunningSum(<Revenue>;<Region>) Both the input and the output contexts Region must also be specified are defined, e.g., in the output context. =RunningSum(<Revenue> In (<Region>,<City>);<Region>) In (<City>;<Region>) 3. Edit the formula in the Formula Bar, then press Enter. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 373
- 374. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting #COMPUTATION in non-aggregate formulas #COMPUTATION can occur in formulas that do not contain aggregate or running aggregate functions. Description of #COMPUTATION in a non-aggregate formula In non-aggregate formulas, #COMPUTATION occurs because the output context is not included in the input context. Here’s an example. Example #COMPUTATION caused by a conditional formula in a break footer ........................................................... You can use an IF THEN formula to set a condition for displaying data in a report. The following formula = If (<Year>="FY95") Then <Revenue> displays the measure, Revenue, only when 1995 is also displayed. In the report illustrated here, the formula is inserted in a break footer, and this causes #COMPUTATION: Why? The input context required to display revenue for 1995 is Year, whereas the output context of the break footer is Resort. To fix this error, you add Year to the output context using the ForEach operator: =(If (<Year>="FY95") Then <Revenue>) ForEach <Year> Finally, you add Max (or Min) to return the single value you need: =Max((If (<Year>="FY95") Then <Revenue>) ForEach <Year>) BUSINESSOBJECTS now displays Revenue for 1995 in the break footer. ........................................................... 374 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 375. #COMPUTATION Solution for #COMPUTATION in a non-aggregate formula You must: 1. Edit the formula so that the output context is included in the input context, as described in the example above. 2. Add Max or Min to the beginning of the formula, followed by an opening parenthesis. 3. Add a closing parenthesis at the end of the formula, then press Enter. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 375
- 376. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting #MULTIVALUE This section provides descriptions, examples and solutions for #MULTIVALUE in BUSINESSOBJECTS: • #MULTIVALUE in aggregations such as maximum revenue per year • #MULTIVALUE in break headers and footers • #MULTIVALUE in a cell at the section level. #MULTIVALUE in aggregations The expression “aggregations” refers to any calculation containing an aggregate function such as Sum, Count, Min, Max etc. In reports, aggregations let you answer questions such as “What is the minimum revenue per city for each region?”. This section provides a description of why #MULTIVALUE occurs in aggregations, with an example, and offers a solution. Note: The information presented here requires that you understand BUSINESSOBJECTS extended syntax, which is described in “Using Extended Syntax for Advanced Calculations” on page 344. 376 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 377. #MULTIVALUE Description of #MULTIVALUE in an aggregation #MULTIVALUE occurs in aggregations because The output context is not included in the local context. Here’s an example. Example #MULTIVALUE in an aggregation ........................................................... Check out the following table: The desired result in the right-hand column is revenue for a dimension that is not present in the table, e.g., Year. The formula =<Revenue> In <Year> returns #MULTIVALUE because Year is specified as the output context but it is not present in the local context, i.e., the table. Note: The formula in this example does not begin with an aggregate function (Min, Max, etc.). If you omit the function in this way, BUSINESSOBJECTS calculates a sum by default. However, if the user had specified Sum or another aggregate function in the formula above, e.g., =Sum(<Revenue>) In <Year> BUSINESSOBJECTS would have returned #COMPUTATION. If the Year dimension is available in the document, you can, using extended syntax, calculate revenue per year without displaying Year in the table. To do this, you must define a formula with an input and an output context, like this: =Sum(<Revenue> In (<Region>,<City>,<Year>) In <Year>) ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 377
- 378. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Solution for #MULTIVALUE in an aggregation To avoid #MULTIVALUE in an aggregation, the output context must be included in the local context. In other words, the dimension(s) specified on the right of the formula after In or ForEach must be present. To fix your formula: 1. Display the Formula Bar (Formula Bar command, View menu), then click the cell containing the formula. 2. Check the following questions: • Does the output context contain dimensions that are not in the block or section in which the formula is inserted? For example, if the following formula appears in a block that does not contain Year, you’ll get a #MULTIVALUE: =Min(<Revenue>)In(<Year>) • Does the output context contain more dimensions than the local context? • For example =Min(<Revenue>) In(<Region>,<City>) • returns #MULTIVALUE in a table containing only one of these dimensions. 3. Edit the formula in the Formula Bar, then press Enter. 378 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 379. #MULTIVALUE #MULTIVALUE in break headers and footers #MULTIVALUE can occur when you insert a variable in a break header or footer in a table or crosstab. Description of #MULTIVALUE in a break header or footer A break splits up the values of a variable and thus enables you to make calculations. A break footer is a cell at the bottom of each value of the break. Users typically display text or calculations such as running totals in break footers. #MULTIVALUE occurs in a break header or footer: If You... Then You... And... Set a break on a Insert a second These two variables variable variable in the break have a 1:1 relationship, footer as is the case with Customer and Age. Here’s an example. Example #MULTIVALUE in a break footer ........................................................... The table below shows the running total revenue for two customers. When you insert Age in the break footer, BUSINESSOBJECTS returns #MULTIVALUE: This error occurs because variables with a 1:1 relationship, i.e., Customer and Age, are inserted at the same break level. By default, a break is based on one variable only. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 379
- 380. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Solution for #MULTIVALUE in a break header or footer You fix this problem by including the variable from the header or footer in the break definition. Here’s how to do it: 1. Click inside the table or crosstab containing the break, then select the Breaks command on the Format menu. The Breaks dialog box appears. 2. Click the icon of the break concerned, then click Edit. A dialog box listing all the variables in the report appears. 3. Click the check box next to the variable you want to display in the break footer (Age in the example on page 379), then click OK. 4. Click OK in the Breaks dialog box. BUSINESSOBJECTS displays the variable in the break footer. Here’s proof! Note: If #MULTIVALUE appears in a column or row header where no break has been applied, you can fix the error by applying a sort. To apply the sort: 1. Click the cell containing the error. 2. From the Insert menu, choose Sorts/Ascending. 380 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 381. #MULTIVALUE #MULTIVALUE in a cell at the section level Description A report section displays data in a master cell and in a block or blocks. If you use two variables at the section level, #MULTIVALUE can occur. Here’s an example. Example #MULTIVALUE in a section containing Name and Address ........................................................... You want to display customer names and addresses in a section, and the customers’ and revenue details in a table. You build a table containing Customer, Address, Invoice Date and Revenue, then drag Customer out of the block to create a section. The next step is to drag Address out of the block, and drop it next to Customer. Here’s what you get: Why? Because by default, there is only one master variable per section. When you place a second variable at the section level, BUSINESSOBJECTS thinks “ah, multiple values occur here” so returns #MULTIVALUE. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 381
- 382. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Solution #1 for #MULTIVALUE at the section level The way round this problem is to turn the variable that returns the error into a measure. Here’s how to do it: 1. Click the cell containing the #MULTIVALUE error. 2. Select the Variables command on the Data menu. The Variables dialog box appears: 3. In the dialog box, click the variable that returns the error. 382 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 383. #MULTIVALUE 4. The next step depends on the type of variable you just clicked: The Edit button is grayed. The Edit button is available. It means that the variable you need No problem, you can turn the to turn into a measure comes from variable into a measure. a query on a universe. You cannot edit variables that come from queries on universes, so you have to create a new variable instead. • Click Add. • Click Edit. The Variable Editor appears. The Variable Editor appears. • In the Definition tab, type a • In the Qualification box, click name for the new variable. Measure, then click OK. • In the Qualification box, click Measure. • Click the Formula tab. • In the Variables box, double- click the name of the variable that returned the error. For example if you’re creating a new variable to replace Address, double-click Address in the Variables box. • Click OK. 5. In the Variables dialog box, click Replace. You replace the erroneous variable with the one you have just either created or modified. The data appears instead of the error. Solution #2 for #MULTIVALUE at the section level You can also fix #MULTIVALUE at the section level by applying the Min or Max function, which forces BUSINESSOBJECTS to display only one value. This solution works great for master variables with a 1:1 relationship, such as Customer and BusinessObjects User’s Guide 383
- 384. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Address (unless your customers have more than one address). If the variable returning #MULTIVALUE contains more than two values, you will only be able to display the first and last of these by applying Min or Max. 1. Click the master cell displaying #MULTIVALUE. 2. In the Formula Bar, type Min or Max after =, then add parentheses, like this: =Min(<Address>) 3. Press Enter. ####### Description Simply means that the cell is not wide enough to display the data it contains in full. Solution Double-click the cell’s right border. BUSINESSOBJECTS widens the cell to autofit the data. #ALERTER Description This error occurs when an alerter contains a missing variable. For example, if the definition of the alerter contains the Revenue variable, #ALERTER appears if Revenue does not exist in the report. The definition of the alerter itself may also be the cause of this error. For example, if you try to compare a measure with a dimension (Revenue greater than Country), #ALERTER is returned. Solution You can: • Obtain the missing data by adding the corresponding object to the query (Edit Data Provider command, Data menu) • Edit the alerter so that its definition contains only available data (Alerters command, Format menu) 384 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 385. #DICT.ERROR • Deactivate the alerter (Alerters command, Format menu, then uncheck the alerter in the dialog box). • Check that the definition of the alerter does not contain a comparison such as that of a measure with a dimension. Tip: To use the Alerters command on the Format menu, first click any cell containing data. #DICT.ERROR Description In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can format a report by applying a template. You do this by choosing Report, and then Apply Template from the Format menu. The Apply Template dialog box appears. A template contains a set of variables, also referred to as the variable dictionary. The report you wish to format also contains a variable dictionary. When you apply a template, unless you click the Options button in the Apply Template dialog box, in order to specify the correspondence between the two variable dictionaries, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically replaces the variables in the template with the variables in the report. In some cases, BUSINESSOBJECTS cannot match the variable dictionaries and returns #DICT.ERROR. Solution There is a simple way to fix this problem: 1. Click the cell containing #DICT.ERROR, then select the Variables command on the Data menu. The Variables dialog box appears. 2. Click the variable or formula that you want to display in the selected cell. 3. Click Replace. The Variables dialog box closes, and the variable or formula appears in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 385
- 386. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting How to avoid #DICT.ERROR from the start If the template you select has many more variables than the report you are working on, you may well end up with #DICT.ERROR. To avoid the problem: 1. From the Format menu, choose Report, then Apply Template. The Apply Template dialog box appears. 2. Click the template you want to apply, then click Options. The Template Options dialog box appears. 3. Uncheck Replace Variables Automatically, then click Define. The Replace Variables dialog box appears. 4. In the Report Variables box, click a variable, then click a corresponding variable in the Template Variables box, making sure that the two variables are of the same type (dimension, measure or detail). 5. Click Replace, then repeat the previous step until you have replaced all variables from the template with variables from the report. 6. Click OK in the Replace Templates dialog box. You return to the Template Options dialog box. 7. Ensure that Delete Undefined Template Variables is checked, then click OK. 8. Click OK in the Apply Template dialog box. BUSINESSOBJECTS applies the template to the report. #DIV/0 Description Occurs when a formula performs a division by 0. For example, the formula =<Revenue>/<Quantity Sold> returns 20 if Revenue is 100 and Quantity Sold is 5. But if Quantity Sold is 0, then the result is #DIV/0. 386 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 387. #ERROR Solution Using an IF THEN ELSE statement, you can set up a value or text, e.g., “No Sale”, which will appear when a division by zero occurs. To do this: 1. Switch on the Formula Bar command on the View menu. 2. Click inside the cell where #DIV/0 appears. 3. Write the following formula in the Formula Bar: =If IsError (<VariableName>) Then “No Sale” Else (<VariableName>) 4. Press the Enter key. Tip: You can use an IF THEN ELSE statement such as the one in the above procedure to return default values for errors other than #DIV/0. #ERROR Description This error occurs when the definition of a formula or a variable within a formula is incorrect. For example, the formula that returns percentages based on a measure, such as =<Nb Customers>/Sum(<Nb Customers>) returns #ERROR if the measure, in this case Nb Customers, itself contains an error. Solution You need to break down the formula into its component parts in order to find which part contains the error. Here’s how: 1. Insert a new cell in the report (Cell command, Insert menu). 2. Select the cell containing the error, then select Copy on the Edit menu. 3. Select the new cell, then select Paste on the Edit menu. The formula containing the error appears in the new cell. 4. Click the new cell, then in the Formula Bar, select one part of the formula. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 387
- 388. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting 5. Copy and paste the selection into the cell where the error first occurred, then press Enter. 6. Repeat this step until you find the part of the formula that contains the error. 7. Fix the error, then paste the whole corrected formula back into the cell where the error first occurred. 388 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 389. #IERR #IERR Occurs in complex “formulas within formulas”. The three common causes are: • Formulas combining measures and dimensions, where a dimension is missing from the calculation context • Aggregations containing multiple formulas • Formulas with complex WHERE clauses. Tip: When you make calculations by combining formulas, #IERR may occur because the formulas within the formulas contain errors. If none of the solutions in this section get rid of #IERR, try breaking down the formula into its component parts, and test each one. This procedure is described under “#ERROR” on page 387. #IERR in a formula combining measures and dimensions Description BUSINESSOBJECTS supports aggregate formulas that contain both dimensions and measures. For example, the following formula displays revenue for customers called Prince: =If(<Customer>=”Prince”) Then <Revenue> BUSINESSOBJECTS qualifies any formula containing a measure (e.g., Revenue) as a measure. This qualification requires that all dimensions are present in the calculation context - the local context if none is specified. #IERR may occur when a dimension required to compute the formula is missing from the context. Tip: For information on calculation contexts, refer to Chapter 15 "Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax" on page 335. Solution You add the missing dimension to the context using the ForEach operator, and apply the Sum function. So, if =If(<Customer>=”Prince”) Then <Revenue> returns #IERR, the formula you need is as follows: =Sum((If(<Customer>=”Prince”) Then <Revenue>) ForEach <Customer>) BusinessObjects User’s Guide 389
- 390. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting #IERR in an aggregation containing a complex formula Description An aggregation such as Min, Max etc., used on a formula that already contains a formula, may produce #IERR. Solution The trick is to turn the formula within the formula into a variable, then rewrite the whole formula using the new variable. Remember that a variable is a formula with a name. So, once you have made your variable, to include it in your formula, all you have to do is write its name, rather than a complex formula within a formula. Here’s an example. Example Solving #IERR by turning part of a formula into a variable ........................................................... You want to know the week your top ten customers placed their first order. In a table containing the list of customers, you add a column and insert the following formula: =Min(Week(<Order Date>)) If #IERR occurs, the first thing to do, using the Variables command on the Data menu, is to create a variable called WeekOrderDate from the formula =Week(<Order Date>) Then, rewrite the original formula using the new variable, as follows: =Min(<WeekOrderDate>) Please note that the original formula may work. The purpose of this example is to show how to fix #IERR should it occur in similar formulas. ........................................................... 390 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 391. #IERR #IERR in a formula using WHERE Description The WHERE operator lets you specify values of a dimension to include in a calculation. For example =(<Revenue>*2) WHERE (<Customer>=”Prince”) shows revenue at 200% for customers named Prince. #IERR can occur in WHERE clauses that contain complex formulas. Solution The trick is to turn conditions specified after WHERE into variables. Then, you can rewrite the whole formula, using the variables instead of the original formulas in the WHERE clause. This is the same solution as for #IERR in an aggregation containing a complex formula. Refer to “Solving #IERR by turning part of a formula into a variable” on page 390 for more information. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 391
- 392. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting #OVERFLOW Description The calculation returns a number that is too big for BUSINESSOBJECTS to compute. The maximum is 17e +/- 308, or 15 digits. Solution Check the maximum value of the function used in the formula. For example, the maximum value for the Fact function is 709. The BUSINESSOBJECTS online help on functions includes maximum values where appropriate. #SYNTAX Description #SYNTAX occurs when a variable used in a formula no longer exists in the document. For example, the formula =<Product Price> * <Quantity Sold> returns #SYNTAX if the user deletes either object from the query. The missing variable can correspond to • An object returned by a query, or • A local variable that you have defined in the report. Solution The way you fix this problem depends on the data available in the report: If the variable you need is... Then... Available as an object in the Edit the query (Edit Data Provider command, universe you are using Data menu), add the object you need, then click Run. A local variable that you have Create it in the Formula Editor (Variables defined in the report command, Data menu, Add button). 392 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 393. #UNKNOWN #UNKNOWN Description Occurs when the object corresponding to a variable displayed in the report has been removed from the query. In BUSINESSOBJECTS, when you remove an object from a query, the corresponding variable is automatically removed from the report - sometimes. More specifically: If the variable is displayed in... Then BUSINESSOBJECTS... • A table or simple crosstab Removes it from the report. • A master cell • A free-standing cell Returns #UNKNOWN. • A break header or footer Note: If the missing variable is used in a formula, BUSINESSOBJECTS returns #SYNTAX. Solution You have to add the missing object to the query. Here’s how to do it: 1. Select the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu. If the List of Data Providers dialog box appears, click the query you want to edit, then click OK. The Query Panel appears. 2. Double-click the missing object in the Classes and Objects box. The object appears in the Result Objects box. 3. Click Run. BUSINESSOBJECTS replaces #UNKNOWN with the variable corresponding to the object you added. Tip: If you do not want to add the missing data to your report, simply clear the cell containing the error. Select the cell, then press the Del key on your keyboard. To delete the cell, select the Delete command on the Edit menu. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 393
- 394. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks This section provides tips for writing formulas and avoiding #COMPUTATION, #MULTIVALUE and other errors. Tip Here’s how to do it: 1. All formulas must begin with = Type = before your formula! If you forget =, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays the formula as text! 2. The extended syntax of a formula 1. Click the cell containing the shows you the contexts formula. BUSINESSOBJECTS applies by default. 2. Rest your cursor over the There are two easy ways to see the Formula Bar. extended syntax of a formula. The extended formula appears in a tooltip. - or - 1. Click the cell containing the formula. 2. Select the Define as Variable command on the Data menu. 3. Click Evaluate the formula in its context. The extended formula appears in the dialog box. 3. If you remove a dimension from a 1. Click the table containing the table, a calculation that needs that dimension you want to hide. dimension can return an error. To 2. Click the Table command on avoid this, you can hide the the Format menu. dimension: it won’t appear in the 3. In the Pivot tab, click the report, but it will be included in the dimension. calculation. 4. Click Hide, then click OK. 4. The best way to fix #MULTIVALUE Use the Breaks command on the is to include the variable returning Format menu. For more the error in the current break. information, refer to “Solution for #MULTIVALUE in a break header or footer” on page 380 394 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 395. Tips and Tricks Tip Here’s how to do it: 5. If you get #MULTIVALUE when 1. Click the cell containing you insert a variable in a column #MULTIVALUE. header of a table, try fixing it by 2. Select the Sort command on the applying a sort. Insert menu. 6. When you create or edit a formula in • If a variable name is the Formula Bar or the Formula highlighted in full, add Editor, you press enter to validate parentheses and check the the formula. If there’s a syntax error, spelling. BUSINESSOBJECTS tell you so and • If one end of a variable name is highlights the anomaly in the highlighted, add a parenthesis. formula itself. This helps you fix the specific problem. 7. You can edit formulas directly in the 1. Double-click the cell report, without using the Formula containing the formula you Bar or the Formula Editor. want to edit. 2. Edit the formula in the cell, then press Enter when you’re done. 8. You can display the Formula Editor • Click this button: from the Formula Bar. 9. You can view and edit all the • Select the Structure command formulas displayed in a report by on the View menu. switching to Structure view. 10. BUSINESSOBJECTS lists all the To open Report Manager, choose formulas you create in a document Report Manager from the View in the Data tab of the Report menu. Click the Data tab and Manager. expand the Formulas folder. 11. BUSINESSOBJECTS also lists formulas 1. Select the Variables command in the Variables dialog box. In this on the Data menu. dialog box, you can view, edit or 2. Double-click the Formulas insert any formula you have created. folder. 3. To edit a formula, select it then click Edit. 4. To insert a formula, select it then click Insert or Replace. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 395
- 396. Chapter 16 Calculation Troubleshooting 396 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 397. Part IV Working with Charts www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter
- 399. Chapter 17 Creating Charts ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 400 ❑ Chart Types 401 ❑ Creating a Chart 403 Using the Insert Chart wizard 403 Turning a table or crosstab into a chart 404 Switching between chart types 406 ❑ Organizing Chart Data 407 Matrix charts 407 Reorganizing chart data 409 Removing or hiding data 411 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 399
- 400. Chapter 17 Creating Charts Overview Charts are the graphic equivalent of tables and crosstabs. BUSINESSOBJECTS has a very powerful and easy-to-use charting feature which enables you to produce sophisticated and visually appealing charts to display a simple summary of your data or to represent complex relationships in it. • The first chapter of this part describes how to display data in charts in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports and how to organize the way the data is displayed on the chart. • The second chapter describes the different elements (legends, titles, gridlines) you can add to your charts and how you can format them to obtain professional looking charts. 400 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 401. Chart Types Chart Types BUSINESSOBJECTS has five basic chart types, some with a 2-D and some with a 3-D view. 2-D and 3-D Column 2-D and 3-D Line BusinessObjects User’s Guide 401
- 402. Chapter 17 Creating Charts 2-D and 3-D Area 2-D and 3-D Pie XY Scatter chart 402 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 403. Creating a Chart Creating a Chart There are several ways of creating a chart to display your data. You can: • Use the Insert Chart wizard. • Turn an existing table or crosstab into a chart. • Copy & paste an existing table or crosstab and then turn it into chart. To create a chart you need to use at least one measure object and one dimension or detail object. Using the Insert Chart wizard You can use the Insert Chart Wizard to insert a chart in a report using existing data from the document. To do this: 1. Click the Insert Chart button on the Report toolbar, or from the Insert menu, Insert Chart choose Chart. The cursor changes to the insert chart icon. 2. Click in a blank part of the report and holding down the left mouse button. draw a box around the area where you want to display the chart. Tip: The size of the box you draw determines the size of the area in which the chart will be displayed. When you release your mouse button, the New Chart wizard appears. 3. Click the first option, Use existing data from the document, then click Begin. 4. Hold down the Ctrl key and select the variables you want to display in the chart. Click Next. 5. Choose the type of chart you want to display from the list and then choose a chart style. Click Finish. The chart is displayed in the report. Note: If you check Generate a Default Chart, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically creates the default chart best suited to the number of variables you have selected in the list. If you check this option, the Chart Autoformat screen is not shown. Just click Finish to generate the chart. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 403
- 404. Chapter 17 Creating Charts Turning a table or crosstab into a chart If the data you want to display in your chart is already displayed in a table or crosstab in your report you can change it automatically into a chart. To do this: 1. Select the chart. 2. Click the down arrow next to Chart Types button on the Report toolbar. 3. Choose the chart type from the menu. - or - Chart Types toolbar 1. Right-click on the table or crosstab. 2. Choose Turn to Chart from the popup menu For each type of chart, there are several predefined styles. Each style provides a variation on the basic chart type as illustrated below. Choose from one of Choose the the pre-defined styles type of chart for the selected chart from this list. type. When you click on a chart style, a short description of what the style consists of is displayed. 3. Choose the type of chart you want to display from the list and then choose a chart style. 4. Click Apply to test the settings or OK to close the Chart Autoformat dialog box and save the settings. 404 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 405. Creating a Chart Tip: If you want to display the data from a table in a chart and keep the table: • Copy the table or crosstab and paste it in a new location and then turn it to a chart. Turning a chart into a table or crosstab You can also turn data displayed in a chart into a table or crosstab. 1. Right-click on the chart. 2. Choose Turn to Table or Turn to Crosstab from the popup menu. Turn to Table is displayed for a 2-D chart and Turn to Crosstab for a 3-D chart. The data from the chart is displayed in a table or crosstab. Using the best chart type for your data When you turn a table or crosstab to a chart, BUSINESSOBJECTS will propose a default chart type based on the type of block -- table or crosstab -- and the number of variables in the block. This may not necessarily be the best chart type for your business data and you may need to experiment with other chart types to find the best presentation for your data. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 405
- 406. Chapter 17 Creating Charts Switching between chart types If you decide that you want to display your data as a pie chart rather than a column chart you can easily switch from one type of chart to another. There are two ways to change chart type. The first method allows you to change from one chart to another. The second method additionally allows you to apply a predefined chart style to the chosen chart type. To change chart type only 1. Select the chart. 2. Click the down arrow next to Chart Types button on the Report toolbar. 3. Choose the new chart type from the menu. The data in the chart is displayed using the new chart type. To change chart type and style 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Chart Autoformat from the popup menu. The Chart AutoFormat dialog box appears: If you check this box, the default formatting for the selected chart style is applied to your chart and any custom formatting you have applied is lost. 2. Choose a chart type from the list and then a style for that chart type. 3. Click OK. The new chart type is displayed in the report. 406 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 407. Organizing Chart Data Organizing Chart Data In all types of chart except pie charts, data is plotted on axes. Charts have two or three axes. Measure objects are always plotted on the Y-axis and dimension or detail objects are plotted on the X-axis or the Z-axis. You can re-organize how the data is displayed in charts by using the Pivot tab on the Format Chart dialog box. You can move data from one axis to another, re- distribute data among the axes, add or remove data, temporarily hide data from your chart and, if you have more than one variable on an axis, you can change the order in which the variable is displayed on the axis. Y-axis measures Z-axis dimensions or details X-axis dimensions or details Matrix charts When you turn a table to a chart, the data is distributed over two axes.Matrix charts have at least one variable on each of the three axes of a chart. When you turn a crosstab to a chart, the data is automatically distributed over three axes. The example below shows how you get a different look to a column chart by re- distributing the data over three axes. Example Re-organizing data on chart axes in 2-D charts ........................................................... The charts on the next page both represent revenue per quarter for three resorts. In both charts, Revenue, the measure variable is placed on the Y-axis. In the first chart, the other two variables, Resort and Quarter, are both placed on the X-axis. This gives a column chart where all the columns have the same color since they all show Revenue. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 407
- 408. Chapter 17 Creating Charts In the second chart, the variables have been re-arranged and Resort has been placed on the Z-axis. The columns are now grouped by quarters and Resort is represented by a different color column. This type of chart is called a matrix chart. ........................................................... Example Showing multiple lines on a line chart ........................................................... The two charts below both display data for one measure, Revenue, and two dimensions, Resort and Financial Year. In the first illustration below the two dimensions were both placed by default on the X-axis. By moving Resort to the Z-axis, as shown in the second illustration, you can show multiple lines on the same chart and see the revenue plotted for each resort. ........................................................... 408 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 409. Organizing Chart Data Example Re-organizing data on chart axes in 3-D charts ........................................................... In the illustration below, the first chart shows the Quarter variable plotted on the Z-axis and the Service Line variable on the X-axis. In the second chart these two variables have been swapped by dragging Quarter into the X-axis folder on the Pivot tab of the Chart Format dialog and dragging Service Line into the Z-axis folder. Quarter is now plotted on the X-axis and Service Line on the Z-axis. ........................................................... Reorganizing chart data To reorganize the data in a chart: 1. Right-click on the chart. 2. Choose Format Chart from the popup menu. The Chart Format dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 409
- 410. Chapter 17 Creating Charts 3. Click the Pivot tab. In 2-D charts, the variables are shown in the X-axis and Y-axis folders. Numeric data is always shown in the Y-axis folder. In matrix charts, there is at least one variable in each of the three folders. The Pivot tab shows a representation of the data in the chart: • The Available Variables box lists the variables you can display in the chart. • The Used Variables box contains three folders. These folders show the variables that are already displayed on the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis. 4. Make the required changes and click Apply or OK. Moving Data To move data from one axis to another: • Drag the variable from the its current axis folder and drop it in the new one. To change the order in which data appears on chart axes: 1. In the Used Variables box, select the variable you want to move. 2. Click Move Up or Move Down. 410 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 411. Organizing Chart Data Removing or hiding data You can hide a variable so that the data is temporarily not displayed on the chart. You can also remove the variable permanently from the chart. 1. In the Used Variables box, select the variable you want to remove or hide. To remove or hide more than one variable at the same time, hold down the Ctrl key and select the variables. 2. Click the Remove button or the Hide button. Hidden variables are grayed in the Used Variables box. Removed variables are no longer displayed. • To display a previously hidden variable, click it in the Used Variables list, then click Show. • To add a variable from the Available Variables list, click it, then click Add. The variable appears in the folder you selected. Note: You can also re-organize chart data using slice-and-dice mode. See Chapter 21 "Using Slice and Dice Mode" on page 493. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 411
- 412. Chapter 17 Creating Charts 412 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 413. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 415 What makes up a chart? 415 Selecting chart elements 416 ❑ General Formatting 417 Choosing elements to display 417 Formatting the chart block 417 Resizing the chart block 419 Formatting the plot area 421 ❑ Formatting the Data Series 423 ❑ Chart Specific Formatting 424 Column charts 424 Area charts 425 3-D charts 426 ❑ Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels 429 Axis labels 429 Axis scale 432 Scaling charts in Master/Detail reports 433 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 413
- 414. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts ❑ Helping Users to Read your Chart 435 Chart title 435 Chart Legend 436 Data labels 438 Gridlines 440 ❑ Using Different Chart Types on one Chart 442 Using groups on charts 442 Using a secondary Y-axis 444 ❑ Deleting Charts 449 ❑ Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts 450 414 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 415. Overview Overview The elements that make up a chart can be formatted in different ways. Some elements are common to all types of chart and some appear in certain types of chart only. What makes up a chart? The illustration below shows the elements of a chart and what you can do to format them. a f g h b c i j d e a. Change the color, border and shade of the plot area. b. Apply text, number and date formats to the Y-axis labels. c. Change the scale and style of the Y-axis, where numeric data is plotted. d. Change the style of the X-axis. e. Apply text and date formats to the X-axis labels. f. Display and format a title. g. Change the color, border and shade of the chart block. h. Display and format a legend key. i. Change the color, border and shade of the data series. j. Display/hide tick marks on the X-axis; change their style and color. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 415
- 416. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Selecting chart elements You set the formatting attributes for chart elements on the Format dialog box. There are different ways in which you can open this dialog box. You can: • Right-click on the chart element and choose Format [chart element] from the popup menu. This command is dynamic: it refers to the chart element that you selected. For example, if you right-click on the chart axis, the menu command is Format Axis Label. • Double-click the chart element that you want to format. • Select a chart element, such as the slice of a pie chart, then choose the [chart element] command on the Format menu. A dialog box is displayed. The dialog box, like the menu command, is dynamic: its name and tabs depend on the chart element that you first selected. 416 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 417. General Formatting General Formatting This section describes general formatting options. Choosing elements to display You can display and hide axes, walls, a legend or a title on your chart. To do this: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. The Chart Format dialog box opens. 2. Click the General tab. 3. Set the required options as described below: Type in a name for the chart Set the elements you want to display on the chart. Some elements are only available for certain types of chart. Places the selected chart on a new Where possible, starts a page. new page for charts that would otherwise Repeats the be split by a page selected chart on break. every page of the report 4. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. Formatting the chart block The chart block is the term used to describe all the elements that make up a chart and the area in which they are contained. It includes the plot area, the title, the legend and the data series labels. You can resize the chart block and apply a border and shading to it. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 417
- 418. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts To do this: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. The Chart Format dialog box opens. 2. Click the Border tab to set and format a border. Set the required options as illustrated below: Select the line style. Clear the style from all borders. Apply the style to outer borders. Select the borders you want to format. Click to open the color palette. 3. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. Chart block border Chart block shading 418 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 419. General Formatting 4. Click the Shading tab to set and format the color you want to apply to the chart block. Set the required options as illustrated below: Click None if you do not want to apply shading. This makes Click here to select a the background color you want to the transparent. foreground. Choose the pattern or shade from the Click here to select the list. color you want to apply to the background. If you choose Clear, you apply the Background color only. This box displays a preview of the shading If you choose Solid, that will be applied to you apply the the section. Foreground color only. The other settings mix the two colors. Resizing the chart block Once you see your chart actually displayed you may need to resize it. You can resize charts using your mouse. 1. Hold down the Alt key and click inside the chart. A border with handles appears around the chart. A handle appears on each border and corner of a selected chart. 2. Rest the mouse pointer over a handle. When the pointer changes to a double- headed arrow, click the handle and hold down your mouse button. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 419
- 420. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts 3. Drag the handle until the chart’s height or width reaches the required size. Note that if you drag a handle on a corner of the chart, you can adjust the height and width simultaneously. 4. Release the mouse button, then repeat the previous steps, if necessary, to make further adjustments. Keeping the plot area proportionate to chart size When you enlarge the size of the chart block, the plot area of the chart is not automatically enlarged. When you reduce the size of the chart block, however, BUSINESSOBJECTS reduces the chart’s plot area proportionately. To keep the plot area proportionate to the chart’s size when you enlarge the chart block: 1. Enlarge the chart. 2. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the popup menu. The Chart Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the General tab. 4. On the General tab check Adjust Plot Area to Chart Size and click OK. BUSINESSOBJECTS resizes the plot area in proportion to the size of the chart. 420 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 421. General Formatting Example Adjusting the plot area to the chart size - before and after ........................................................... In the first illustration the chart has been enlarged. In the second illustration the option Adjust Plot Area to Chart Size has been checked and the graph is enlarged to fit inside the enlarged area. ........................................................... Formatting the plot area The plot area is the area where the data series and the axes are displayed as illustrated: The plot area is contained within the chart block. You can apply color and shade and put a border around it. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 421
- 422. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts To format the plot area 1. Right-click inside the plot area without clicking any other chart element. 2. Choose Format Plot Area from the pop-up menu. The Plot Area Format dialog box appears. It contains the Pattern tab only: Deselect Fill if you do not want to apply shading or color. Deselect Border if you do not want to apply borders. Select the pattern or shade you want. Note that Clear applies the Background color, whereas Solid applies Select the border the Foreground color. style to apply. The other settings show both colors and the pattern or shade you select. Select the border color to apply. Click here to select a color to apply to the shade. 3. Select the formats that you want to apply and click Apply or OK. 422 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 423. Formatting the Data Series Formatting the Data Series Data series map the data in a chart. In a pie chart, a data series is a slice of the pie. In a line chart, it is a line, in a column chart, a column, and so on. To format the data series 1. Right-click on the data series. 2. Choose Data Series from the pop-up menu. The Data Series Format dialog box opens. For... You can format.... Column, Area, Pie, 3-D Border, color, shading Line 2-D Line, XY Scatter Line style, marker style 3. Make the required changes and click Apply or OK. Deselect Marker if you want to display no markers, but only lines. Deselect Line if you want to display no lines, but only markers. Select the marker style to apply. Select the line style to apply. Select the line color to apply. Data Series Format dialog box for 2-D Line and XY Scatter charts BusinessObjects User’s Guide 423
- 424. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Chart Specific Formatting The following section describes formatting that you can only use on certain types of chart. Column charts You can enhance the appearance of your column charts by setting how the columns are placed on the chart. • You can define the amount of space you want to have between each set of columns. • You can overlap columns in the same set. • You can choose to show or hide any negative values you have in your data. To change these settings: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. The Chart Format dialog box is displayed. 2. Click the Series tab. 3. In the Groups and Data series section, select the group you want to format. 4. In the Group Type section, click the column chart icon. • Type a value between 0 and 500 in the Gap Width box. or • Type a value in the Overlap box. 5. Check the Show Negative Values checkbox if you want to display negative values on your column chart. 6. Click Apply to see how the changes look on the chart. 7. When you are satisfied with the result, click OK to close the dialog box and make the changes. 424 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 425. Chart Specific Formatting Area charts There are certain elements that you can add to line and area charts to highlight certain aspects of your data. Drop lines Lines extending from a point in the chart down to the X- axis. Up-down Bars that extend from the highest value of one data bars series to the lowest value of another data series. You can only display up-down bars in charts that display data for two measures. High low lines Lines going from the highest to the lowest value for numeric data. You can only display high-low lines and up-down bars in charts that display data for two measures To add these options: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. 2. Click the Series tab in the dialog box that appears. 3. In the Groups and Data series box, click the line or area chart icon. 4. Check the options you want to display on your chart: • High-Low Lines, Drop Lines and/or Up-Down Bars for line charts. • Drop Lines for area charts. 5. Click Apply to see how the changes look on the chart. 6. When you are happy with the result, click OK to close the dialog box and make the changes. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 425
- 426. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts 3-D charts The illustration below shows the elements specific to a 3-D chart and what you can do to format them: a b c d e a. Change the color, border and shade of the side wall. b. Change the color, border and shade of the back wall. c. Adjust the 3-D view d. Display the Z-axis, and format its axis labels. e. Change the color, border and shade of the floor. Formatting chart walls In some 3-D charts, you can display and format three walls: the back wall, side wall and floor. To display walls: See “Choosing elements to display” on page 417. To format walls: 1. Right-click on the wall you want to format. 2. Choose Format Wall from the pop-up menu. The Wall Format dialog box appears. It contains the Pattern tab only. For information on how to apply formats using this dialog box, refer to page 422. 426 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 427. Chart Specific Formatting Formatting the 3-D view A chart's 3-D view consists of its elevation, rotation and ratio. With some chart types, you can also adjust the chart's depth and thickness. When you create a 3-D chart you may need to experiment with these settings to get the best possible view. To set these options: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. 2. Click the Series tab. 3. Click the 3-D view button. 4. Make the settings described below and click OK or Apply. Defining the 3-D view of a chart 1. In the Elevation box, set a value either by clicking Up or Down, or by typing a value between -90 and 90. Elevation is measured in degrees. 2. In the Rotation box, set a value either by clicking Up or Down, or by typing a value between 0 and 360. Rotation is measured in degrees. The value you set rotates the chart horizontally. 3. In the Height % of Base box, type a value between 5 and 500. The value corresponds to the ratio between the height and width of the chart. For example, 200% means that the chart will be twice as high as it is wide (from left to right). 4. If you want the chart to cover the plot area, click AutoScale. The AutoScale option is not available for pie charts. Note: For pie charts, the angle you set in the Rotation box is the angle at which the first slice of the pie begins (an angle between 0 and 360, clockwise from the top). Defining the depth and thickness of a 3-D chart. 1. In the Chart Depth box, type a value between 20 and 2000. The value you type determines the depth of the chart floor. The higher the value, the deeper the floor. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 427
- 428. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts 2. In the Gap Width box, type a value between 0 and 500. This value determines the distance in depth between the data series displayed in the chart. Note: You cannot use this feature in pie charts. 428 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 429. Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels The horizontal and vertical axes of a chart are called the X-axis and the Y-axis respectively. Y-axis Axis labels X-axis Tick mark Matrix charts contain a third axis, the Z-axis. You can work on chart axes and axis labels in the following ways: • Format the text, numbers or dates of the axis labels. • Change the orientation of the axis labels (horizontally, vertically, etc.). • Apply different axis styles and colors. • Display tick marks, and change their style. • Change the scale of the Y-axis. Axis labels 1. Right-click on the axis you want to work on. The illustration below shows a chart with the Y-axis selected. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 429
- 430. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts 2. Choose Format Axis Label from the pop-up menu. The Axis Format dialog box opens. • If you selected the Y-axis, the dialog box contains five tabs, as shown below. • If you selected the X-axis or the Z-axis, the dialog box does not contain the Scale tab, as this tab is used to change the scale of the Y-axis only. • Use the Number tab to edit number and date formats on the axis labels. 430 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 431. Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels • Use the Alignment tab to change the orientation of the axis labels: This is the default orientation. Select an orientation, then click Apply. • Use the Font tab to apply different text formats to the axis labels. • Use the Pattern tab to display and edit tick marks. You can also change the axes’ line style and color: Deselect Tick Mark if Deselect Line if you you want to display no want to hide the axis tick marks. lines. Position the tick marks Select the line style to by clicking a button. apply to the chart axes. Click here to select a color to apply. • Use the Scale tab to change the scale of the Y-axis. See below. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 431
- 432. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Axis scale The scale of a chart determines the minimum and maximum values on the chart's Y-axis, where numeric data such as Revenue is plotted. The scale also includes the intervals between the values on the axis. You can change the scale to broaden or narrow the range of values displayed. To define the scale of a chart 1. Click the axis label of the Y-axis. This can be the primary or the secondary axis. 2. Click the Axis Labels command on the Format menu. 3. Click the Scale tab in the dialog box that appears. 4. In the Value (Y) Axis Scale box, click the following options: Minimum, to display the lowest value as the minimum value on the Y-axis. To specify a different value, type the minimum value in the box. Maximum, to display the highest value as the maximum value on the Y-axis. To specify a different value, type the maximum value in the box. Major Unit, to set an automatic interval between the values on the Y-axis. To specify the interval you want, type a value in the box. 5. In the Scale box, click Decimal for a scale in decimal numbers, or Logarithmic for a scale to the power of 10, based on the range of data plotted in the chart. 6. Click Apply or OK. Logarithmic scale Negative or null values are not displayed in logarithmic charts. The value of the Major Unit option must be to the power of 10. If you enter a value to a different power, it will be rounded up to the nearest power of 10. A logarithmic scale enables you to display very low values, or values that cover a broad range. If you enter decimal values for the chart's scale and then click Logarithmic, remember to edit the values accordingly. 432 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 433. Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels Scaling charts in Master/Detail reports In a Master/Detail report a chart is displayed for each value of the master in a separate section. Since the range of values may be different in each section, you can, if necessary, use different scaling on for each chart so that the values on the chart are better displayed. To do this: 1. Right-click on one of the charts in the Master/Detail report. 2. Choose Format Chart from the menu. 3. Click the General tab. 4. Check the Adjust Scale to Value Range option. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 433
- 434. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Example Adjusting scaling in a master/detail report ........................................................... This report shows revenue per service line for each country. The range of values is quite different for France and the US and with Adjust Scale to Value Range turned on, the range of values displayed on the Y-axis is different for the two charts. ........................................................... 434 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 435. Helping Users to Read your Chart Helping Users to Read your Chart There are a number of items you can add to your charts to make them easier for your audience to read and interpret, for example you can add a chart title or a legend. These are described in the following section. Title Gridlines Legend Chart title A chart title is a cell in which text is displayed. You can edit and format the text, as well as move the title and format the cell. Adding a chart title 1. Right-click anywhere inside the chart. 2. Choose Insert Title from the pop-up menu. 3. Double-click the chart title. The default title is highlighted 4. Type in the name and press the return key. Positioning the chart title • Click inside the chart title and drag it with your mouse to the required position. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 435
- 436. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Formatting the chart title 1. Right-click inside the chart title. 2. Choose Format Title from the pop-up menu. The Title Format dialog box appears. It has four tabs: Number, Alignment, Font and Pattern. 3. Make the required settings and click OK. Resizing the chart title If the text in the chart title does not fit in the title cell, you can resize it. 1. Select the title. A hatched border with handles appear around it. 2. Use the handles to re-size the cell. Note: If you drag the title cell’s border beyond a chart boundary, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically enlarges the chart accordingly. Deleting the chart title • Right-click on the chart title and choose Delete from the popup menu. Chart Legend The chart legend explains what the data in the chart represents. It is a rectangular box, containing the names of the variables (the legend text) and their corresponding color, shade and border (the legend key): Legend key Legend text Displaying a chart legend • Click the Legend button on the Report toolbar. or 1. Right-click on the chart. 2. Choose Insert Legend from the pop-up menu. 436 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 437. Helping Users to Read your Chart Format and moving the legend You can format the legend by changing its border, color and shade. You can also move the legend to a different place in the chart. To do so: 1. Select the border of the legend. 2. Choose Legend from the Format menu. The Legend Format dialog box appears: 3. In the Placement tab, click a radio button to reposition the legend in the chart. 4. In the Pattern tab, select the border style and color, and the pattern and color. 5. Change the alignment and font of the legend text in the Alignment and Font tabs. 6. Click OK or Apply. The legend appears in its new position, with its new formats. Tip: You can also move the chart legend by clicking it and dragging it. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 437
- 438. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Formatting the legend key You can change the border, shade and color of the legend key. The formats that you apply are immediately visible in the chart’s data series. For example, if you change the color of a square in the legend from yellow to red, the corresponding data in the chart is also changed to red. 1. Right-click the legend key. 2. Choose Legend Key from the pop-up menu. The Legend Key Format dialog box appears. It contains the Pattern tab only. Formatting the legend text You can format the legend text by changing its font attributes (e.g., font, font size), and by realigning it. The formats that you apply only appear in the legend text, not in the text of the chart’s axis labels. 1. Right-click the legend text and choose Format Legend Text from the menu. The Legend Text Format dialog box appears. It an Alignment and a Font tab. 2. Make the required settings and click Apply or OK. The new formats appear in the legend text. Resizing the legend 1. Select the Legend. A hatched border with handles appear around it. 2. Use the handles to re-size the legend box. Deleting the legend • Right-click on the legend and choose Delete from the pop-up menu. Data labels Data labels appear next to a chart’s data series, for example next to each slice of a pie chart. They indicate the exact values or percentages of the data series. In the pie chart illustrated below, the data labels show revenue share per resort: 438 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 439. Helping Users to Read your Chart Displaying data labels 1. Right-click the data series (e.g., a slice of a pie chart). 2. Choose Insert Data Labels from the pop-up menu. The Data Labels dialog box appears: a b c d a. Displays the exact value, e.g. $10,235. b. Displays the percentage of each data series. c. Displays the “name” of the data series, e.g. Revenue. d. Displays the “name” and the percentage of each data series. 3. Select the data label type you want and click Apply or OK. Formatting data labels You can apply specific number and text formats to data labels, as well as realign them. You can also change data labels, or remove them. 1. Right-click on the data label. 2. Choose Format Data Labels from the pop-up menu. The Data Labels Format dialog box appears. It contains three tabs: Number, Alignment, and Font. Changing or removing data labels 1. Right-click on the data label. 2. Choose Insert Data Labels from the pop-up menu. The Insert Data Labels dialog box appears. 3. To remove the data labels, click “None”. 4. Otherwise, click the type of data label that you want to display and Click Apply or OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 439
- 440. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Gridlines Gridlines help you to see a chart’s values more easily. They begin at the chart’s axes and extend across its wall(s). Primary (Y) axis gridlines Series (Z) axis gridlines Category (X) axis gridlines Note: You cannot display axes and gridlines in pie charts. Displaying gridlines 1. Right-click anywhere in the chart. 2. Choose Display Axes/Gridlines from the pop-up menu. The Axes and Gridlines dialog box appears. 440 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 441. Helping Users to Read your Chart 3. Set the required options and click Apply or OK. a d e b f c g a. These options are checked by default. Click a check box to hide an axis. b. Only available if you have created a group and associated a secondary axis to it. c. This option is checked by default in 3-D matrix charts (illustrated on page 426). Click the check box to hide the Z-axis. d. Displays gridlines that extend vertically from the X-axis. e. Displays gridlines that extend horizontally from the Y-axis. f. Refer to (b), above. g. Only available in 3-D matrix charts, this option displays gridlines that extend horizontally from the Z-axis, across the chart’s floor. Formatting gridlines You can format gridlines by changing their color and line style. 1. Right-click on the axis or gridline. 2. Choose Format Axis Label from the menu. 3. In the Axis Label Format dialog box that appears, click the Pattern tab. For information on how to use this tab, refer to page 431. You can only format one axis and its associated gridlines at a time. For example, if you click an X-axis gridline, the formats you select in the Axis Label Format dialog box are applied to the X-axis and its gridlines only. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 441
- 442. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Using Different Chart Types on one Chart A useful feature of BUSINESSOBJECTS charts is that you can display data in more than one way on the same chart. For example, you can display some data in a line and other data in columns in the same chart as shown below. This allows you to make a distinctive visual comparison between data. Using groups on charts In order to use different chart types, BUSINESSOBJECTS uses the notion of groups. You add the variables you want to display on the chart to the different groups and then assign different chart types to different groups. To do this: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. The Chart Format dialog box opens. 442 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 443. Using Different Chart Types on one Chart 2. Click on the Series tab. By default, a chart has only one group. 3. Click the Add button to add a new group. A new group is added. 4. Right-click on the Groups and Data Series box and choose Variables from the menu. 5. Click or create the variable you want to add, then click Insert. The new variable appears in the group folder. To view the variables now in the group, click the + sign. Tip: If the variable you want to use in the group is already displayed in the Series tab, you can drag it to the new group. 6. Select the new group and choose a chart type and subtype. 7. Click OK to close the dialog box and see the result on your chart. Choosing the type of chart When you choose a chart type for a group certain charts have subtypes from which you can choose. Also bear in mind the types of charts you want to combine as some combinations give better results than others. The table below gives you some recommendations. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 443
- 444. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts The Group Type offers only one possibility if you selected a scatter chart or a pie chart. If you selected an area, column or line chart, 2-D or 3-D, you can now choose between a standard chart, a stacked chart or a 100% stacked chart. Chart Type Available Subtypes Area/line/ Standard, stacked chart or 100% stacked area, line column or column chart respectively Scatter Standard scatter Pie Standard pie The following table shows the chart combinations that give the best results. Group 1 chart type Group 2 chart type Column Line Column Area 3-D Column 3-D Line 3-D Column 3-D Area Scatter Scatter Pie Not possible Using a secondary Y-axis If you have two measures on a chart you can use a secondary Y-axis. This allows you to display different values on each of the axes and different scales which can make your chart more readable. The primary axis is displayed on the left, the secondary axis on the right. You can display all the groups in a chart on the primary axis or all on the secondary axis. However, you will often obtain the best result by placing one group on the primary axis and one group on the secondary axis. 444 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 445. Using Different Chart Types on one Chart Example Comparing revenue and quantity sold in a chart ........................................................... In this chart, a clear and effective visual comparison is made by showing the difference in a column chart between projected and actual revenue and then using a line chart to compare quantity sold. To create this type of chart: The original chart is set up using the Insert Chart wizard. The chart has four variables: Quarter, Projected Sales Revenue, Sales revenue and Quantity sold. You choose a simple column style from the wizard. Each measure is represented by a different colored column. However, in reality, revenue is calculated in dollars and quantity sold in number of units. The values displayed by default on the Y-axis represent dollars so you cannot even see the Quantity sold column on the chart. This chart can be improved in two ways: • by using a different chart type for quantity sold and for revenue BusinessObjects User’s Guide 445
- 446. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts • by displaying data on two axes, one axis with values in dollars and the other with number of units. To do this: 1. Right-click on the chart and choose Format Chart from the menu. 2. Click on the Series tab of the Chart Format dialog box. 3. In the Groups and Data Series section, open the Group 1 list. You see that, by default, all the measures have been placed in the same group and are on the same axis. 4. Drag the Quantity sold variable from Primary Y-axis to the Secondary Y-axis. A new group is created on the Secondary Y-axis. 446 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 447. Using Different Chart Types on one Chart 5. Select Group 2 and choose Line from the Group Type list. Notice that the icon next to the Group 2 list is a line chart icon. 6. Click OK to close the dialog box and see the result. The Primary Y-axis displays the values in dollars for The Secondary Y-axis projected and displays the values for actual revenue Quantity sold shown in shown in the the line chart column chart BusinessObjects User’s Guide 447
- 448. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts You now have Revenue and Quantity sold displayed on different types of chart. You see more clearly the difference between actual and projected revenue and the accompanying progression in quantity of units sold.You can further enhance your chart by setting an overlap for the two columns and by formatting the Primary-Y axis labels to display the dollar symbol. ........................................................... 448 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 449. Deleting Charts Deleting Charts To select a chart 1. If part of the chart is selected, click a blank space outside it. 2. Hold down your Alt key and click once inside the chart. A hatched gray border appears around the chart: Hatched gray border that appears when the block is selected. To select two or more charts 1. Click a blank space in the report. 2. Drag the mouse until you have covered part of each chart you want to select. 3. Release the mouse button. A hatched gray border appears around each selected chart. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 449
- 450. Chapter 18 Formatting Charts Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts In the report illustrated below, the share of revenue per resort in FY95 is shown in a pie chart. The calculation on the data in the chart, total revenue for the year, is shown in a cell above the chart: The calculation on the chart data appears here. You can display a calculation on data in a chart in the following way: 1. Insert a cell in the section where you want the calculation to appear. 2. Type an “equal to” sign (=). 3. If you are using a variable to make the calculation, type: • a “less than” sign (<) • the name of the variable • a “greater than” sign (>). For example, to display the Revenue variable in the cell, type =<Revenue>. 4. If you are using a formula to make the calculation, type it after the = sign. 5. Press the Enter key to view the result of the calculation. Tip: You can also drag a calculation from a table or a crosstab and drop it in the section where the chart appears. 450 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 453. Chapter 19 Analysis Overview ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Analyzing Data in BusinessObjects 454 ❑ On-report Analysis 454 ❑ BusinessObjects Drill Mode 455 ❑ BusinessMiner 455 ❑ OLAP Servers 455 ❑ Slice and Dice Mode 456 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 453
- 454. Chapter 19 Analysis Overview Analyzing Data in BusinessObjects With BUSINESSOBJECTS, you analyze data by looking at it on different levels of detail and from different viewpoints. Through your analysis, you gain new information and thereby answer questions. You need go no further than the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface to address all your multidimensional analysis needs: • BUSINESSOBJECTS on-report analysis allows you to work directly on your data in your report using drag and drop and or with simple mouse clicks. • EXPLORER, an optional component in BUSINESSOBJECTS, enables you to carry out multidimensional analysis in Drill mode. • BUSINESSMINER, another optional component, allows you to analyze data using data mining technology. • OLAP servers are databases that store summarized data, ready for business analysis • BUSINESSOBJECTS Slice and Dice mode allows you to organize data for analysis in the slice and dice panel. On-report Analysis Part III of this User’s Guide describes how BUSINESSOBJECTS on-report analysis allows you to analyze your data directly on your report using easy mouse clicks and drag and drop or with a simple mouse click. You can drag and drop data on your report to get a different viewpoint for your analysis. You can add data from the Report Manager to create tables and sections, you can replace, swap and re-organize data on the report. BUSINESSOBJECTS redoes the calculations in your report immediately so that you can see at once how different combinations of factors affect your performance. Dynamic on-report grouping allows you to create groups for comparative analysis and you can quickly insert common business calculations or easily create your own formulas and variables for analysis. You can sort, filter and rank your data using a simple mouse click to focus your analysis on a slice of data. 454 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 455. BusinessObjects Drill Mode BusinessObjects Drill Mode BUSINESSOBJECTS drill mode allows you to analyze data from different angles and on different levels of detail. Typically, you start off by looking at the high level data and when you spot an unusually low or high value, or an unexpected value, you can analyze it by displaying related data on a more detailed level. This allows you to see how different factors of your business, seasonal, geographical, product line affect your revenue. You can analyze data in Drill mode if you have the EXPLORER module. BusinessMiner Using BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can view different aspects of your data to see how different factors affect your business. BUSINESSMINER enables you to discover the hidden patterns and relationships in your data. Using powerful statistical methods, it can quickly and automatically find patterns in customer behavior, for example. This can help you identify the characteristics of customers likely to default on payments or help you improve customer retention by targeting services according to the customer profiles you have identified. BUSINESSMINER is an optional product. Once you install BUSINESSMINER, you can open it directly from BUSINESSOBJECTS and continue working on the data you have in your BUSINESSOBJECTS report. For more information on BUSINESSMINER, refer to the BusinessMiner User’s Guide OLAP Servers If you work with an OLAP server, you can view and select the data you want when creating a report. OLAP servers are databases that store summarized data, ready for business analysis. For more information on OLAP servers, refer to the OLAP Access Pack documentation for the server at your site. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 455
- 456. Chapter 19 Analysis Overview Slice and Dice Mode Chapter 21 "Using Slice and Dice Mode" on page 493 describes how you can use the slice and dice panel to add, delete and swap data round, to analyze your data from a different viewpoint. 456 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 457. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 459 What is drill mode? 459 How does drill mode work? 460 Hierarchies 460 ❑ Using Drill Mode 462 Switching to drill mode 462 Drilling down 463 Displaying different values in the Drill toolbar 464 Drilling up 465 Drilling by 465 ❑ Drilling on Charts 468 ❑ Drilling on Multiple Hierarchies 469 ❑ Getting a Different View of your Data 471 Changing the data in tables as you drill 472 Using the Drill toolbar 473 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 457
- 458. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode ❑ Analyzing Measures in Drill Mode 476 ❑ Making Copies of Reports While You Work 478 ❑ Extending Analysis 479 Expanding scope of analysis 479 Drilling through to the database to bring in new data 480 Bringing in new data using filters 481 ❑ Drilling Using Custom Hierarchies 483 Editing hierarchies 483 Creating hierarchies 485 ❑ Qualifying Data For Hierarchies 487 Re-qualifying local variables and formulas 487 Re-qualifying variables 488 Re-qualifying user objects 489 ❑ Printing from Drill Mode 490 Inserting Drill toolbar contents as a title 490 Printing a report from drill mode 490 ❑ Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode 491 458 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 459. Overview Overview This chapter describes how to use BUSINESSOBJECTS drill mode. What is drill mode? Drill mode is a BUSINESSOBJECTS analysis mode that allows you to break down data and view it from different angles and on different levels of detail to discover what is the driving factor behind a good or bad result. Example Why is revenue better in this resort than in the others? ........................................................... You see that revenue is much higher in the Hawaiian Club resort than in the others. To find the reason for this, you need to look at all the factors that affect revenue. If you displayed all the factors that could be useful for analysis in a table or chart, it could be difficult to read. Drill mode allows you to include data for analysis behind the scenes of your report and display only the top level data. You can then go down one level at a time and display more detailed information. This allows you to see how different aspects of your business affect your revenue step by step. This behind-the-scenes data is set up by the person who creates the report. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 459
- 460. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode How does drill mode work? When you make a query on a BUSINESSOBJECTS universe, the objects you can include are grouped in folders and organized in a specific order. Sales Class The objects grouped in the Sales class are all connected to sales. They are arranged in hierarchical order with Sales Person, the highest level object, at the top and then down through Year to Invoice Date, the finest level of detail. Measure objects are stored in a separate folder. The person who creates the BUSINESSOBJECTS Universe classes objects and organizes them in a hierarchy, with the most general object in the class at the top and the most detailed at the bottom. Objects are grouped in this way to make it easy for you to find what you are looking for. They are classified inside the groups so that if you want to make a high level report you know you need to include objects at the top of the list in your query and if you want a more detailed report than you choose objects from further down the list. Hierarchies Objects are also organized in this way for drilling. When you analyze data in drill mode, you use hierarchies. The Universe classes are the default hierarchies you use for drilling but the Universe designer can also set up custom hierarchies. You can also create and edit hierarchies in your reports. Drill hierarchies only contain dimension objects. In drill mode, you drill down on dimensions, for example from Year to Quarter to Month. At each level, measures, such as Revenue or Profit Margin, are recalculated. 460 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 461. Overview The classic themes on which a designer or advanced user creates hierarchies are geography, time and product. In the demo universe, Island Resorts Marketing, there are four hierarchies: • Resort (Country, Resort, Service Line, Service). • Sales (Year, Quarter, Month, Week, Invoice Date). • Customer (Country of Origin, Region, City, Customer). • Reservations (Reservation Year, Reservation Quarter, Reservation Month, Reservation Week, Reservation Date). When you set up a report for drilling, you include high level objects to display in your table or chart but include more detailed objects in your scope of analysis. BUSINESSOBJECTS retrieves these objects from the database and stores them behind the scenes in your report so that they are there when you need them. Before you can analyze data in drill mode, you have to set up this behind-the- scenes the data. For information on how to set up data for analysis in drill mode see “Defining scope of analysis” on page 65. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 461
- 462. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Using Drill Mode Before you can analyze data in drill mode, your report must contain data which has been set up for analysis. Switching to drill mode You open drill mode from a BUSINESSOBJECTS report. To do this: 1. Select the table, crosstab or chart that you want to analyze in drill mode. You can only analyze one block at a time. 2. Click the Drill button on the Standard toolbar or choose Drill from the Analysis menu. Drill If no part of any table, chart or crosstab was selected before you clicked the drill button, the cursor becomes a magnifying glass with a question mark next to it. This cursor appears if you do not select a block before switching to drill mode. If this happens click inside the table, chart or crosstab you want to analyze. When you go into drill mode, by default: • A new report is created which contains a copy of the selected table, crosstab or chart. The report tab displays the drill icon to show you are in drill mode. The original report remains intact. • A sum is added on measure objects. • If you are working on a master/detail report the Drill toolbar is displayed. Note: You can change these default options. See page 491 for more details. You are now ready to drill on the data in the report. 462 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 463. Using Drill Mode Drilling down When you drill down, you display the next level of detail in a hierarchy. To drill down 1. Rest the cursor over the data. The cursor changes to a magnifying glass with a plus sign in it. The plus sign indicates that you can drill down on this value. A tooltip shows you the next dimension in the hierarchy: The tooltip over Resort shows Service Line, which is the next dimension in the hierarchy. This means that by double-clicking a Resort value, you will display values for Service Line. 2. Double-click the value. The data for the next dimension appears in the table and the selected value is appears in the Drill toolbar. The selected value, Hawaiian Club now appears in the Drill toolbar The table now displays the revenue for Service Line services for Hawaiian Club only. Continuing to drill down Each time you drill down the value drilled on is moved to the Drill toolbar and the data in the table is filtered according to the values displayed in the Drill toolbar. Here the table now displays the revenue for all services in the Food & Drinks category for Hawaiian Club only. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 463
- 464. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode You can drill down as long as there are objects in the hierarchy. When you reach the last level in a hierarchy, the normal cursor is displayed. This indicates you are at the bottom of a hierarchy. If tooltips are turned on, a tooltip displays the message Right-click to explore. Displaying different values in the Drill toolbar The block is filtered to only show data for the values currently displayed in the Drill toolbar. You can change the values in the toolbar to look at data for a different value. 1. Click the down arrow. 2. Choose a value from the drop-down list. The data for the chosen value is displayed in the table. The revenue column is updated to show Revenue for French Riviera. Tip: You can also click in the box and type in the first letter of the next value you want to display (making sure you type a capital letter if necessary). When you press Enter, the value is displayed and the table or chart is updated. 464 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 465. Using Drill Mode Drilling up Drilling up is the opposite of drilling down. When you drill up, you go back up through the hierarchy to display data on less detailed levels. To drill up from one dimension to the next 1. Place the cursor over a value. 2. Right-click on the value you want to drill up on and choose Drill Up from the pop-up menu. The data for the next level up is displayed. If you have drilled down to the bottom of a hierarchy the magnifying glass cursor is no longer displayed. If tooltips are turned on a tooltip displays the message Right-click to explore. Undoing drill actions You can undo up to ten drill actions which can be useful if you lose track of your analysis. To do this: • Choose Undo from the Edit menu. Drilling by When you drill down and up you move through the levels of the same hierarchy. However, if you cannot find the answer to a question by analyzing data in its current hierarchy, you can move to another hierarchy to analyze other data that belongs to a different hierarchy. Example Move from analyzing Resort to Sales ........................................................... Your report displays data for Resort, which belongs to the Resort hierarchy. The report also contains Year, which belongs to the Sales hierarchy, but the data for Year is not currently displayed. If you drill across from Resort to Year, you can then drill down on the next dimension in the Sales hierarchy. You can also drill across to other hierarchies, or back to the hierarchy you were originally working in. Drilling across opens up new paths that you can follow when analyzing data. ........................................................... Before you can drill across, your report must contain dimensions from more than one hierarchy. If this is not the case, you can: • Retrieve data for dimensions from more than one hierarchy by expanding your scope of analysis, or • Create new hierarchies inside the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 465
- 466. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode See later in this chapter for information on how to do this. To drill down to another hierarchy 1. Right-click a value and choose Drill By from the menu. The list of dimensions that you can drill to appears on a sub-menu: In this example, you selected Food & Drink from the Service Line column of the table. The first dimension in the list, Service, is the next dimension down in the current hierarchy, the Resort hierarchy. The next three dimensions belong to the Sales hierarchy. The next dimension belongs to the Customer hierarchy. More opens up a list of all the available dimensions. 2. Choose a dimension from the list. 466 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 467. Using Drill Mode Drill By - More The list in the Drill By sub-menu displays five dimensions only by default. To display the full list of dimensions: 1. Right-click a value and choose Drill By then More from the menu. The Drill By - All Available dialog box opens. 2. Choose a dimension from the list and click OK. The dimensions displayed in gray are already used in the current analysis. Note: You can change the setting in the Drill By menu to display more items. See “Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode” on page 491 for more information. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 467
- 468. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Drilling on Charts You can also drill on chart blocks in the same way you drill on tables and crosstabs. 1. Place the cursor over a part of the chart. A tooltip appears to indicate the next dimension down in the hierarchy and the cursor turns to a magnifying glass. 2. Double-click. The chart is updated and the value you drilled on is displayed in the Drill toolbar. 468 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 469. Drilling on Multiple Hierarchies Drilling on Multiple Hierarchies If your block contains more than one hierarchy, you can simultaneously drill down from one dimension to the next in all the hierarchies in the block. To do this, you have to drill down on a measure object. In the table illustrated below, Resort belongs to the Resort hierarchy and Year to the Sales hierarchy. If you rest the cursor over the Resort column, you see that the next level down is Service. If you rest the cursor over the Year column, you see that the next level down is Quarter. You could drill down on one hierarchy and then the other or you could drill down on both at the same time by drilling on the Revenue column. To do this: 1. Rest the cursor over the Revenue column. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 469
- 470. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode A tooltip shows you can drill down on both Service and Quarter. The tooltip shows you can drill down on two hierarchies, Service Line and Quarter. 2. Double-click on the Revenue column in the cell that displays revenue for Hawaiian Club in FY94. This is the highest value in the column. Resort and Year are moved to the Drill toolbar. The values in the Drill toolbar are Hawaiian Club and FY94. Service Line and Quarter appear in the table and the revenue column is updated. To drill up on multiple hierarchies To drill up on all dimensions: • Right-click on a measure object value and choose Drill Up from the pop-up menu. 470 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 471. Getting a Different View of your Data Getting a Different View of your Data As you work, you can change the data to analyze by inserting, removing or replacing dimensions and measures in the block. You can only replace data with data that is of the same type. You can replace measures with measures and dimensions with dimensions. To... Right-click..... From the Then choose.... menu choose...... Insert a • in a table, on the cell Insert the variable you variable below or to the right of want to insert where you want to insert the variable • in a chart, on the data series (or its data label, or its legend key) next to which you are going to insert the variable Replace a on the data you want to Replace the variable you variable replace want to use from the list Delete a the data you want to delete Delete variable Note: If the Insert and Replace commands are not available when you click on data, this means there is no compatible variable with which to replace the selection. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 471
- 472. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Changing the data in tables as you drill As you work on tables or crosstabs in drill mode, you can move data around from the Report Manager to the Drill toolbar or to and from your table or crosstab. You can add, replace remove data as required to get a different viewpoint for your analysis. • You can move variables from the Report Manager window to the Drill toolbar or to a table or crosstab in the report. • You can move variables from the Drill toolbar to a table or crosstab in the report. Note: You cannot drag and drop variables onto charts. The following tables summarize how you can move data around between the Report Manager, Drill toolbar and tables and crosstabs. Report Manager to Drill toolbar You can drag a variable from the list in the Report Manager and drop it in the Drill toolbar. To.. Click..... Drag...... Drop when.... Insert a the icon of the the variable to the Drill toolbar variable variable you where you want shows the Insert want to move to insert it highlighting the status bar displays Drop to insert 472 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 473. Getting a Different View of your Data To.. Click..... Drag...... Drop when.... Replace a the icon of one of the variable over the Drill toolbar variable the variables the variable you shows the Replace want to replace highlighting the status bar displays Drop to replace contents Data tab or Drill toolbar to table or crosstab You can also drag a variable from the Drill toolbar or Report Manager to the table or crosstab you are working on. To... Click..... Drag.... Drop when...... Insert a the icon of the the variable to the table or Drill toolbar variable variable you where you want to is shows the Insert want to insert insert it highlighting the status bar displays Drop to insert Replace a the icon of one the variable over the table or Drill toolbar variable of the the variable you is shows the Replace variables want to replace highlighting the status bar displays Drop to replace contents Using the Drill toolbar You use the Drill toolbar to filter the data displayed in the block you are analyzing. If you hold your cursor over one of the boxes a tooltip appears showing you: • Which hierarchy the chosen value belongs to. • The name of the dimension. • A list of the top three values available for that dimension. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 473
- 474. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Three dots after the list of values indicates that more values are available than those shown in the tooltip list. You can display a value from the list by typing in the first letter on the keyboard. Removing an object from the Drill toolbar 1. Click the arrow next to the object name. 2. Choose (Remove) from the list. The cell disappears from the drill toolbar, and the data for the variable is no longer displayed. Moving an object from the Drill toolbar to the block 1. Click the arrow next to the object name. 2. Choose (Move to block) from the list. The cell disappears from the Drill toolbar and a column of data is added to the table. Re-organizing the Drill Toolbar You can re-organize the order in which variables are displayed in the Drill toolbar. To.. Click..... Drag...... Drop when.... Move a the icon of the the variable to the Drill toolbar variable variable you where you want shows the Insert want to move to insert it highlighting the status bar displays Drop to insert 474 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 475. Getting a Different View of your Data To.. Click..... Drag...... Drop when.... Swap two the icon of one of the variable over the mouse cursor variables the variables the variable you becomes a swap want to swap it icon with the status bar displays Drop to swap Insert highlighting Replace highlighting Tip: You can drag the drill toolbar from its docked position under the other toolbars and place it where it is convenient for you in your workspace. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 475
- 476. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Analyzing Measures in Drill Mode Measures display numeric data that is the result of calculations. For example, Profit Margin is a measure that is the result of Revenue - Cost. A report can contain two different types of measure objects: • those created by the Universe designer and which are retrieved by a query (or measures retrieved by other data providers) • measures created locally in the report You can analyze measures in drill mode only if you have created them locally, based on data in the document that you are working on. Note: For information on creating measure objects locally, see Chapter 14 "Formulas, Local Variables & Functions" on page 307. In drill mode, you can expand a measure in order to view its component parts in the report and analyze numeric data. Collapsing a measure is the opposite of expanding it. Instead of viewing the measure's component parts, you display its aggregated values once more. Example Analyzing profit margin ........................................................... The data for Customer, Service and Margin are displayed in a report. Margin is a local variable with the following syntax: Product Price - Product Cost. When you expand Margin, the data for Product Price and Product Cost appear in the report. When you collapse the expanded measure, only the data for Margin is shown. ........................................................... To expand a measure To expand a measure while working in drill mode: 1. Right-click the cell or chart element that displays the measure you want to expand. 2. Choose Expand from the menu. The measure's component parts are displayed in the block. 476 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 477. Analyzing Measures in Drill Mode To collapse a measure To collapse a measure while working in drill mode: 1. Right-click the cell or chart element that displays the measure you want to collapse. 2. Choose Collapse from the menu. The data for the measure's component parts disappears. Note: If the Expand and Collapse commands are not available when you click on a measure, it means the variable was not created locally in the report and therefore cannot be analyzed. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 477
- 478. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Making Copies of Reports While You Work To keep track of the different stages of your analysis you can make copies of your work as you go along. Each copy you make of the report appears in a new tab inside the document. To make a copy of a report: • Click the Take Snapshot button on the Report toolbar. A copy of the report appears in a new tab inside your document. The name that Take Snapshot appears in the tab is Report Name(n+1). For example, if the report you copied is named Sales, the new report is named Sales (1). Note: The filters displayed in the Drill toolbar when the snapshot was taken are turned into global report filters. 478 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 479. Extending Analysis Extending Analysis You may realize that a dimension you need for your analysis is not available in your report. As you drill, you can bring in data that was not originally included in the analysis either by extending the scope of analysis in the Scope of Analysis window or by editing your query to bring in more data from the database. Expanding scope of analysis You can bring in more data by editing the Scope of analysis. To do this: 1. Right-click on the block you are analyzing. 2. Choose Scope of Analysis from the pop-up menu. The Scope of Analysis dialog box appears. To include all the dimensions from a hierarchy, click the hierarchy's check box. Click on a filter box to limit the data retrieved. Check the dimension box to just include the individual dimensions you need. 3. Choose the dimensions to include in your scope of analysis and click OK. The dimensions are now displayed in the list in the Report Manager window. Note: BUSINESSOBJECTS shows you which values are currently displayed in the Drill toolbar by placing a filter icon next to them. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 479
- 480. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Drilling through to the database to bring in new data If the lowest level of detail you need is not currently available in the report, you can drill through to the database directly from drill mode and get the data you need. You do not have to edit the query in the Query Panel. Here’s how to do it: 1. Right-click on the column or row where you want the new data to be displayed. 2. Choose Drill Through from the menu. The Drill Through dialog box is displayed. The dimensions that are currently available in the report are grayed out. All those that belong to drill hierarchies but are not currently available in the report are displayed in black. 3. Choose a dimension and click OK. The dimension is retrieved from the database and displayed in the block you are analyzing. Note: You can only choose one dimension at a time. 480 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 481. Extending Analysis Bringing in new data using filters You can use the filters applied in drill mode as query conditions when you bring in new data from the database. The example below illustrates how this works. Example Focus analysis on one high-profit resort using drill filters as query conditions ........................................................... You are interested in analyzing the excellent revenue results in the US. You have drilled down on country and see that the resort Hawaiian Club has generated the best revenue. You now want to concentrate on this one resort and find out some information on the country of origin of the customers for that resort, data that is not currently available in your report. To do this you first need to turn the drill filters option on: 1. From the Tools menu choose Options. The Options dialog box opens up. 2. Click the Drill tab. 3. Check the Apply Drill Filters box in the Drill Through section. You can now retrieve the new data from the database. Your drill mode report currently looks like this: You drilled down on Country and the table displays revenue for US resorts only. 1. Right-click on Hawaiian Club in the Resort column and choose Drill Through from the menu. The Drill Through dialog box opens. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 481
- 482. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode The dimensions already available in the report are grayed out. The Country dimension has a filter to display data only for the US and the Resort dimension a filter to display data only for Hawaiian Club. These filters will be used as query conditions and only data concerning the US resort Hawaiian Club will be retrieved from the database. 2. Choose Country of Origin from the Customer hierarchy and click OK. The data is retrieved from the database and Country of Origin is displayed in the table. Resort is moved to the Drill toolbar. Notice that France is no longer available in the Country list and Hawaiian Club is the only name in the resort list. The table now only displays data for Hawaiian Club. ........................................................... 482 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 483. Drilling Using Custom Hierarchies Drilling Using Custom Hierarchies You may find that the default order in which dimension objects are arranged in hierarchies is not optimal for your analysis needs, or that you need to drill on a hierarchy that has objects from different classes. You can edit a hierarchy by changing the order of the dimensions it contains, by adding dimensions to it, and removing dimensions from it. You can also rename a hierarchy, and even delete it. You can also create your own hierarchies using dimensions available in the report or by using user objects. There are two types of custom hierarchies: • Pre-defined custom hierarchies that are set up by the universe designer and which can be re-used in other documents. • Hierarchies you create yourself and which are only saved in the document you created them in. Editing hierarchies The changes you make to a hierarchy that was created by a universe designer affect your work in drill mode only. For example, if you delete a hierarchy, you can no longer use it in drill mode. However, the hierarchy remains unchanged in the universe so you can still use the hierarchy to define scope of analysis when building a query on the universe. The universe designer is the only person who can edit or delete hierarchies at the universe level. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 483
- 484. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode To edit a hierarchy for drill mode 1. Click the Hierarchies command on the Analysis menu. The Hierarchy Editor opens. 2. In the Available Hierarchies box, click the + sign to view the contents of the hierarchy folder. 3. In the Available Dimensions box, click the + sign to the left of the folder to view the list of dimensions. 4. Make the required changes and click OK to close the Hierarchy Editor. To add a dimension to an existing hierarchy • Click the dimension you want to add to the hierarchy, then click Add. The dimension you clicked appears in the hierarchy's folder in the Available Hierarchies box. If the Hierarchy Editor does not list the dimension that you want to add to your hierarchy, you may have to expand your scope of analysis. See “Expanding scope of analysis” on page 479. Note: You cannot combine dimensions from different data providers in a single hierarchy. 484 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 485. Drilling Using Custom Hierarchies To change the order of the dimensions in a hierarchy 1. Click the dimension you want to move up or down in its hierarchy. 2. Click Move Up or Move Down to change the dimension's position in the hierarchy. To rename a hierarchy 1. Click the hierarchy you want to rename. 2. Click a second time on the hierarchy's name, then type the new name. To remove a dimension from a hierarchy • Click the dimension you want to delete, then click Remove. To delete a hierarchy • Click the hierarchy you want to delete, then click Remove. Creating hierarchies You can create your own custom hierarchies from any dimensions available in the report. The dimensions you include in a hierarchy can be local variables, derived variables, or dimensions returned by data providers. Note: You can also use a date-type user object as the basis for a time hierarchy. For information on user objects see “Creating User Objects” on page 78. To create a custom hierarchy 1. Click the Hierarchies command on the Analysis menu. The Hierarchy Editor opens. 2. In the Hierarchy Editor, click New. 3. Type the name of the new hierarchy, then click outside the name box. 4. In the Available Dimensions box, click the first dimension for the new hierarchy, then click Add. The dimension you clicked appears in the new hierarchy's folder in the Available Hierarchies box. 5. Add the other dimensions you want to include and then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 485
- 486. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode If the Hierarchy Editor does not list the dimensions that you want to include in the hierarchy, you may have to expand your scope of analysis. See “Expanding scope of analysis” on page 479. Note: You cannot combine dimensions from different data providers in a single hierarchy. 486 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 487. Qualifying Data For Hierarchies Qualifying Data For Hierarchies BUSINESSOBJECTS qualifies data as dimensions, measures or details. Hierarchies only contain dimensions so if you want to include an object in a hierarchy for analysis in drill mode, you must qualify it as a dimension. In preparation for drill mode, you may need to change the qualification of user objects, variables or formulas that you have created in your report. For example, you want to include a variable in a hierarchy, but cannot because the variable is qualified as a detail. In this case, you must qualify the variable as a dimension before you can include it in the hierarchy. You can change the qualification of data returned by stored procedures, free- hand SQL scripts, and personal data files. You can also change the qualification of user objects, local variables and formulas. Note: You cannot change the qualification of data returned by a query on a universe. Re-qualifying local variables and formulas 1. Select one of the following report elements which displays the formula or local variable you want to qualify: • A cell in a table or a crosstab. • In a chart, the data series, a data label or the legend. • A free-form cell. 2. Click the Variables command on the Data menu. The Variables dialog box opens. 3. Select the local variable or formula from the list. Local variables are stored in the Variables folder and formulas are stored in the Formulas folder. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 487
- 488. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode 4. Click Edit. 5. In the Definition tab of the Variable Editor, click an option button to change the qualification, then click OK. 6. Click Close in the Variables dialog box. Re-qualifying variables 1. Click the View Data command on the Data menu. The Data Manager dialog box opens. 2. In the Data Providers box of the Data Manager, click the icon that represents the column of data whose qualification you want to change. 3. Click the Definition tab. The name, type, qualification and values for the column are displayed. 4. In the Qualification box, click an option button to change the column's qualification. 5. Click OK. 488 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 489. Qualifying Data For Hierarchies Re-qualifying user objects 1. Click the Universes command on the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box opens. 2. Select the universe that contains the user object, then click User Objects. 3. Click Edit. 4. In the Qualification box of the Definition tab, click an option button to change the qualification, then click OK. 5. Click OK in the User Objects dialog box. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 489
- 490. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode Printing from Drill Mode You can print out a table, crosstab or chart from drill mode to have a printed record of the results of your analysis. Before printing you can insert the contents of the Drill toolbar as a title to your report to keep track of the filters applied. Inserting Drill toolbar contents as a title 1. From the Insert menu, choose Special Field/Drill Filters. The cursor turns into the insert cell cursor. 2. Holding down the left mouse button, draw a box on your drill mode report page in the position where you would like to display the title. 3. Release the mouse button. A cell is inserted that contains a list of the values currently displayed in the Drill toolbar. You can edit the size and formatting of the cell just as you would edit any cell in a report. The dimensions displayed in the drill toolbar are inserted as a a title. This table shows the revenue results for the US resort Hawaiian Club for 1994. Printing a report from drill mode 1. Make sure the report you want to print is active. 2. From the File menu, choose Print. Note: For more information on setting up reports for printing, see the InfoView User’s Guide. 490 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 491. Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode There are a number of options you can set to manage how you work in drill mode. You can: • Control the number of items that appear on the popup sub-menus. • View the number of values for each dimension that appears on the popup menu. • Systematically create a new report when you switch to drill mode, or be prompted to choose whether or not to create a new report. • Control the cursor and the tooltip that appear in drill mode. • Automatically display the totals or percentages of numeric data (measures). • Choose to display a message before closing drill mode. • Set drill filters as query conditions when you drill through to retrieve more data from the database. To set options for drill mode: 1. From the Tools menu, choose Options. The Options dialog box opens. 2. Click the Drill tab: 3. Set the required options and click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 491
- 492. Chapter 20 Analyzing Data in Drill Mode 492 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 493. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode 494 Working with Master/Detail Reports in Slice-and-Dice Mode 496 Positioning Data Horizontally in Slice-and-Dice Mode 506 Working with Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts 507 Displaying and Removing Data in Slice-and-Dice Mode 512 Deleting, Renaming and Resetting Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode 513 Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode 513 Applying Further Modifications in Slice-and-Dice Mode 514 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 493
- 494. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode Slice-and-dice mode enables you to switch the position of data in a report. You can, for example, move data from columns to rows. The result would be a crosstab, where numeric data such as revenue appears at the intersection of rows and columns. You can also use slice-and-dice mode to: • Work with master/detail reports • Display and remove data • Rename, reset and delete blocks • Turn tables and crosstabs into charts, and vice versa • Apply, edit and delete breaks, filters, sorts, rankings and calculations. Slice-and-dice mode is enabled by the Slice and Dice Panel, a pop-up window that provides a graphical representation of the report you are working on. You carry out tasks by dragging and dropping icons that represent the data you can use. To display the Slice and Dice Panel, select the Slice and Dice command on the Analysis menu, or click Slice and Dice on the Standard toolbar. A detailed Slice and Dice illustration of the Slice and Dice Panel is provided on page 495. 494 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 495. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode a b f g c h d i e The Slice and Dice Panel a. Show or hide the different boxes of the Slice and Dice Panel. b. Apply breaks, filters, sorts, rankings and calculations. c. Lists the variables that you can display in the report. d. Let you view all variables, dimensions only, measures only, or all variables by data provider. e. Provides information on the tasks you perform. f. Let you accept or to cancel the operations you have performed. Click Apply to accept, Reset to accept and recalculate the report, and Undo to cancel. Note that clicking the Reset button removes all formatting you have applied throughout the report. See also (i.) g. Shows the master(s) in master/detail reports. h. Shows the variables in the active table, chart or crosstab. i. Shows the name and type (table, chart or crosstab) of each block in the report. You can rename, transform, reset or delete a block by clicking its tab with the right mouse button, then clicking a command on the pop-up menu that appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 495
- 496. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Working with Master/Detail Reports in Slice-and-Dice Mode Master/detail reports display data in sections. Each section contains a “master” piece of data, for example a resort, or a year. The rest of the data in the section relates to the master. The following illustration shows a master/detail report, and its corresponding representation in the Slice and Dice Panel: The Available Variables box The Section box shows presents the variables and the master, which in this formulas you can display in report is Quarter. the report. The Block Structure box shows the data that appears in the table. A master/detail report, and its representation in the Slice and Dice Panel 496 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 497. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode The Slice and Dice Panel makes it easy to work with master/detail reports. You can: • Build a master/detail report. • Re-organize a master/detail report by replacing the master or by building a master/master detail report. • Undo a master/detail report by removing the master. • Deactivate sections of master/detail reports. The following sections describe how to perform these tasks. To structure an existing report as a master/detail report To structure an existing report as a master/detail report in slice-and-dice mode, you drop the icon of the master in the Section box. You can: • Use data that is already displayed in the report. To do this, drag an icon from the Block Structure box, drop it in the Section box, then click Apply. • Use data that is not yet displayed in the report. To do this, drag an icon from the Available Variables box, drop it in the Section box, then click Apply. You can perform this task in drill mode. To do so, switch to drill mode and select the data you want to use as master. Click your right-mouse button and from the pop-up menu that appears, select the Set as Master command. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 497
- 498. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Reorganizing a master/detail report You can re-organize a master/detail report by: • Using a different master. For example, if the master is Year, you can replace it with Resort. • Building a master/master/detail report. This structure enables you to view data on two levels of detail. The illustration below shows one section of a master/master/detail report. For FY93, the report displays revenue for each resort per quarter: One section of a master/master/detail report 498 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 499. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode To use a different master You can replace the master with data that is already displayed in the report, or with data that is not yet displayed. Here is the procedure: 1. Open a master/detail report. 2. Select the icon of the master in the Section box, then press the Delete key. The icon disappears from the Section box. 3. To use data that is already displayed in the report, drag an icon from the Block Structure box, and drop it in the Section box. 4. To use data that is not yet displayed, drag an icon from the Available Variables box, and drop it in the Section box. 5. Click Apply to display the report with its new master. You can swap the master with data that is displayed in the report. To do so, hold down your Shift key, then drag the master until it is located above the icon with which you want to swap it, in the Block Structure box. Release your mouse button, then click Apply. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 499
- 500. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode To build a master/master detail report A master/master detail report contains two masters, as its name suggests. This means that in the Slice and Dice Panel, there must be two icons in the Section box. You are most likely to build a master/master/detail report from an existing master/detail report. Here is the procedure: 1. Open a master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Drag an icon to the Section box. You can drag an icon from the Available Variables box, or from the Block Structure box. 3. Drop the icon until it is located just below the existing master, then release your mouse button. 4. Click Apply to display the master/master detail report. 500 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 501. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode To undo a master/detail report Undoing a master/detail report means removing the master. In the Slice and Dice Panel, this means that you remove the master from the Section box. You can: • Place the master in a block in the report. In this case, the data that was displayed as master is still displayed in the report. To do this, drag the master from the Section box to the Block Structure box. • Remove the master from the report. To do this, select the master in the Section box, then press the Delete key. Now, click Apply. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 501
- 502. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Deactivating sections of master/detail reports Deactivating sections of a master/detail report enables you to recalculate the report without removing data from it. This feature is particularly useful in reports which contain multiple blocks, as the following example describes. The section of the report illustrated below displays revenue and number of guests per quarter for FY93. Revenue per quarter is shown in the chart on the left, while the table on the right shows number of guests per quarter: 502 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 503. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode You want to obtain the number of guests per quarter for all resorts, rather than the number of guests per resort, as shown in this illustration: You obtain this result by deactivating the Resort section for the table. The Slice and Dice Panel enables you to perform this task with simple mouse clicks. BUSINESSOBJECTS dynamically recalculates the number of guests for all resorts, while the data in the charts remains unchanged. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 503
- 504. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode To deactivate a section of a master/detail report 1. Open a master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Click the tab of the block (table, chart or crosstab) that you want to recalculate. 3. In the Section box, with your right-mouse button click the master of the section that you want to deactivate. A pop-up menu appears. 4. Click Deactivate this section: 5. Click Apply. The block appears in the section above the section that you deactivated. 504 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 505. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode To reactivate a section of a master/detail report Once you have deactivated a section of a master/detail report, you can reactivate it in the following way: 1. Open the master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Click the tab of the block (table, chart or crosstab) that you want to recalculate. 3. In the Section box, with your right-mouse button click the master that you now want to activate 4. On the pop-up menu that appears, click Activate this section. 5. Click Apply. You can also perform this task by selecting and dragging the block back to its original section. To do this, hold down your Alt key and click inside the block. Position the cursor on the block’s border. When the cursor changes to a cross, as shown in the margin, click the border. Hold down your mouse and drag the block to its original section. When you release the mouse button, BUSINESSOBJECTS dynamically recalculates the data in the block. To deactivate or activate two or more sections at the same time In master/master/detail reports, which by definition contain two or more sections, you can deactivate two or more sections at the same time: 1. Open the master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Click the tab of the block (table, chart or crosstab) that you want to recalculate. 3. In the Section box, with your right-mouse button click the master of the uppermost section that you want to deactivate. 4. On the pop-up menu, click Deactivate this section and all sections below it. 5. Click Apply. The report is recalculated. To reactivate the sections: 6. Click the master of the lowest section with your right-mouse button (Quarter, in the example above). 7. Click Activate this section and all sections above it, then click Apply. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 505
- 506. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Positioning Data Horizontally in Slice-and-Dice Mode All reports display data horizontally. In tables and crosstabs, data appears in columns, and in charts, data is plotted on the X-axis that runs from left to right. In the Slice and Dice Panel, the data that appears horizontally in a table, crosstab or chart is shown in the Block Structure box. It is represented by the icons that appear in a horizontal line, as illustrated here: You can use the Slice and Dice Panel to move variables horizontally, using drag- and-drop. You can also swap two variables. To drag a variable horizontally to a new position Select an icon, hold down your mouse button and drag the icon horizontally, left or right, to its new position. As you move the mouse, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button to drop the icon at its new position. Click Apply to display the data in its new position in the report. To swap two variables horizontally To swap two variables horizontally, hold down the Shift key and select one of the icons you want to swap. The cursor changes to show that you are carrying out a “swap” operation, as shown in the margin. Drag the icon horizontally until it is above the other icon you want to swap, then release your mouse button. Click Apply to display the swapped data in the report. 506 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 507. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode Working with Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts Working with crosstabs and 3-D matrix charts is made simple by the Slice and Dice Panel. The structure of a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart is clearly shown in the Block Structure box: c a d b a. The icon here represents the data that appears in columns in crosstabs, or on the X-axis of charts. b. The symbol for a crosstab in the Slice and Dice Panel. There is a different symbol for charts. c. The icon here represents the data that appears in rows in a crosstab or on the Z-axis in 3-D matrix charts. d. The icon here represents the numeric data that appears at the intersection of rows and columns in crosstabs (i.e., in the body), and data that is plotted on the Y-axis of 3-D matrix charts. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 507
- 508. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode The following illustrations show the crosstab and the 3-D chart. The following illustrations show the crosstab and the 3-D matrix chart that correspond to the representation in the Block Structure box, above. The crosstab The 3-D matrix chart In slice-and-dice mode you can perform the following tasks with crosstabs and 3- D matrix charts: • Build a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart from a table or 2-D chart, respectively. • Reduce a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart to a table or 2-D chart, respectively. • Reposition data that appears in rows or on the Z-axis. • Move data between rows and columns (in crosstabs), and between the Z-axis to the X-axis (in 3-D matrix charts.) • Turn crosstabs into 3-D matrix charts and vice versa. The following sections describe how to perform these tasks, with the exception of turning crosstabs into 3-D matrix charts and vice versa. This task is described in “Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode” on page 513. 508 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 509. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode To build a crosstab or a 3-D matrix chart from a table or 2-D chart You can: • Use data that is already displayed in the report. To do this, you take an icon from the Block Structure box or the Section box. • Use data that is not yet displayed. In this case, you take an icon from the Available Variables box. Here is the procedure: 1. Click inside a table or 2-D chart, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Select the icon of the data that you want to use to build the crosstab or matrix chart. 3. Drag the icon until it is positioned above the icon that is furthest to the right in the Block Structure box, then release your mouse button. The icon appears above and to the right of the other icons in the Block Structure box, as illustrated on page 507. 4. Click Apply to make the crosstab or matrix chart appear. To reduce a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart to a table or 2-D chart When you reduce a crosstab or a 3-D matrix chart into a table or 2-D chart, you take data out of the crosstab or matrix chart. You can: • Remove data from the report. • Display the data in the 2-D chart or table. Here is the procedure: 1. Click inside a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Select the icon of the variable whose data appears in rows (if you are working with a crosstab), or on the Z-axis (if you are working with a chart.) This icon is located in the upper right-hand corner of the Block Structure box. 3. If you want to remove the data from the report, press the Delete key. If you want to display the data in the table or 2-D chart, drag it down and to the left, until it is at the same level as the other icons. Then, release your mouse button. 4. Click Apply to make the table or 2-D chart appear. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 509
- 510. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode To reposition data vertically You can place more than one variable in rows in crosstabs and on the Z-axis of 3- D matrix charts. You can reposition these variables, as illustrated here: In this example, the data for Quarter and Year would appear in rows in a crosstab, or on the Z-axis of a 3-D matrix chart. You can move Year up, or Quarter, down. To move a variable up or down Select an icon, hold down your mouse button and drag the icon vertically, up or down, to its new position. As you move the mouse, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button to drop the icon at its new position, then click Apply. To swap two variables vertically To swap two variables vertically, hold down the Shift key and select one of the icons you want to swap. The cursor changes to show that you are carrying out a “swap” operation, as shown in the margin. Drag the icon vertically until it is abov the other icon you want to swap, then release your mouse button. Click Apply. 510 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 511. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode To move data between columns and rows in crosstabs Crosstabs display data in columns and in rows. This means you can change crosstabs by swapping data between columns and rows. You can do this in the Slice and Dice Panel, by moving icons from and to the upper right-hand corner of the Block Structure box: In this example, the data for Quarter and Year appears in rows in the crosstab. You can move either variable to a column in the crosstab, by dragging Quarter or Year next to Resort. To move data from rows to columns Select an icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Block Structure box, hold down your mouse button and drag it to the bottom left-hand corner of the box. As you move the mouse, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button and click Apply. To swap two variables between columns and rows Hold down the Shift key and select one of the icons you want to swap. Drag the icon until it is above the other icon you want to swap. The cursor changes to show that you are carrying out a “swap” operation, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button and click Apply. To move data between the X- and Z-axis in 3-D matrix charts This task is equivalent to moving data between columns and rows in crosstabs. Follow the procedures described in the preceding paragraphs. For “column” read “X-axis” and for “row” read “Z-axis”. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 511
- 512. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Displaying and Removing Data in Slice-and-Dice Mode The Slice and Dice Panel shows the data that is displayed in a report. It also shows any unused data that you can display. More precisely: • The icons that you can see in the Section box, and in the Block Structure box, show the data that is already displayed in the report. • The icons in the Available Variables box show all the data you can use, whether or not it is already displayed. Using the drag-and-drop technique, you can display unused data in the report, and you can remove data that is already displayed. Once removed, the data remains available for later use. To display data in the report 1. In the Available Variables box, drag an icon to the Section box to display it as a master, or double-click it to display it in the block. 2. Click Apply to display the data in the report. To remove data from the report 1. Select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box. 2. Drag the icon to the Available Variables box, and release the mouse button. Alternatively, press the Delete key. 3. Click Apply to remove the data from the report. 512 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 513. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode Deleting, Renaming and Resetting Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode You can delete, rename and reset blocks in slice-and-dice mode. To do so: 1. Click the tab of the block you want to work on. To select multiple blocks, hold down the Ctrl key then click each one. 2. Click your right-mouse button. A pop-up menu appears. 3. Click the command that corresponds to the task you want to perform. • If you select the Rename command, you must type the new name in the dialog box that appears, then click OK. • The Rename command is not available for multiple tabs. 4. Click Apply. Tip: You can reset one or more blocks using the procedure described above. To reset the whole report, click the Reset button on the Slice and Dice Panel toolbar. Resetting a block or a report removes any formatting you have applied. Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode In slice-and-dice mode, you can turn tables and crosstabs into charts, and vice versa. To do so: 1. Open the Slice and Dice Panel, then click the tab of the block you want to transform. 2. Click your right-mouse button, then select a command: Command Action Turn to Chart Turns the selected table or crosstab to a chart. Turn to Table Turns the selected chart to a table. Turn to Crosstab Turns the selected matrix chart to a crosstab. 3. Click Apply. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 513
- 514. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Applying Further Modifications in Slice-and-Dice Mode You can use the Slice and Dice Panel to apply the following features on data that is displayed in a report: • Sorts, which control the order in which the data appears. • Ranking, which enable you to view top and bottom values of selected data. • Calculations. • Breaks, which break up blocks of data. • Filters, which enable you to view only the data that you need. There is a button for each feature in the Slice and Dice Panel toolbar: a. Sorts b. Ranking c. Calculations a b c d e d. Breaks e. Filters None of the above are specific to slice-and-dice mode, as they are all core features of the User module. However, the Slice and Dice Panel’s graphical interface provides a user-friendly way to apply them. Moreover, it is useful to be able to perform slice-and-dice operations, then apply one or more of the features to the report. For example, if you build a master/detail report that displays revenue by resort, you can quickly calculate the total revenue per resort. In the sections that follow, you learn how to use the Slice and Dice Panel to apply sorts, ranking, calculations, breaks and filters on report data. References to more information on the features are provided in their respective sections. 514 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 515. Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode Using sorts to control data order To apply a sort on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box, then click Apply Sort. A sort icon appears next to or Apply Sort below the icon you selected. Click Apply to display the data in order in the report. You can also: • Invert the sort, i.e., from ascending order to descending order, or vice versa. To do this, double-click its icon. • Remove the sort. To do this, select its icon then press the Delete key. For further information on sorts and how to apply them on report data, refer to “Ordering Data” on page 260. Using ranking to view only top and bottom values of data To apply ranking on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box. Then, click Apply Ranking. A ranking icon appears next Apply Ranking to or below the icon you selected. Double-click the ranking icon. The Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box appears, where you define the ranking you wish to apply. Click OK, then, in the Slice and Dice Panel, click Apply. The report appears with the ranking you applied. You can also: • Redefine the ranking by double-clicking its icon in the Slice and Dice Panel, then modify its attributes in the Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box. • Remove the ranking. To do this, select its icon then press the Delete key. For further information on ranking and how to apply them, refer to “Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values” on page 267. Making calculations on data To make a calculation on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box, then click Insert Calculation. A calculation icon Insert Calculation appears next to or below the icon you selected. To select the calculation you want to make, double-click the calculation icon. The Calculation on dialog box appears. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 515
- 516. Chapter 21 Using Slice and Dice Mode Select the function(s) you wish to apply, then click OK. Click Apply to make the calculation(s) appear in the report. For information on how to apply calculations without using slice-and-dice mode, refer to Chapter 13 "Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations" on page 279. Applying breaks You can apply a break on data that is displayed in tables or crosstabs. You cannot apply a break on a master, or on data that is displayed in a chart. To apply a break, select an icon in the Block Structure box, then click Apply Break. A break icon appears next to or below the icon you selected. click Apply Break Apply. The report appears with the break you applied. You can also: • Redefine a break by double-clicking its icon. In the dialog box that appears, you can select different attributes for the break. • Remove a break. To do this, select its icon, then press the Delete key. For further information on breaks and how to apply them, refer to Chapter 13 "Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations" on page 279. Using filters to view only the data you need To apply a filter on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box. Then, click Apply Filter. A filter icon appears next to or Apply Filter below the icon you selected. Double-click the filter icon. The Filter On dialog box appears, where you define the filter you wish to apply. Click OK, then, in the Slice and Dice Panel, click Apply. The report appears with the filter you applied. You can also: • Redefine the filter by double-clicking its icon in the Slice and Dice Panel, then modify its attributes in the Filter on dialog box. • Remove the filter. To do this, select its icon then press the Delete key. For further information on filters and how to apply them, refer to “Limiting the Data Displayed” on page 252. 516 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 517. Part VI Formatting Reports www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter
- 519. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 520 ❑ Formatting Sections 520 What are sections? 520 Formatting sections 522 ❑ Formatting Tables 525 Formatting blocks 525 Resizing Columns, Rows and Cells 528 Showing Headers and Footers 529 ❑ Formatting Cells 533 Using the formatting toolbar 534 Repeating cell formats 534 Copying cell formats 535 Formatting text 536 Formatting numbers and dates 538 Creating your own number and date formats 540 Using hyperlinks in BusinessObjects reports 542 Editing a hyperlink 544 Aligning cell contents 545 Wrapping cell contents 547 Formatting cell borders 548 Formatting cell backgrounds 550 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 519
- 520. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Overview This chapter describes how to format sections in a report and how to format the cells, rows and columns that make up tables and crosstabs. Formatting Sections You can format the sections in a report by applying shading to the background. What are sections? There are two types of section in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report. Main Section If you have not created any sections, the main section is the only section in the report and when you apply shading, the whole report (except margins) will be shaded in the same color. Sections in a Master/Detail report If you have set up a report with sections, you can apply a different type of shading to each section in the report. This can allow you to easily distinguish between the different sections. The sections you have created are contained in the main section and a main section header is displayed at the beginning of the report and a main section footer at the end of the report. You can hide the main section header or the main section footer or both of them if you wish. 520 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 521. Formatting Sections Example Using shading to distinguish between sections ........................................................... In the illustration below, the report contains two sections: the main section and a Resort section. The Resort section has three values, Bahamas Beach, French Riviera and Hawaiian Club. The main section is shaded blue and the Resort section yellow which allows you to clearly see where the sections begin and end. As you can see from the illustration, the Resort section is contained within the main section. main section header Resort section main section footer ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 521
- 522. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Formatting sections 1. Right-click in the section you want to format. 2. Chose Format Section from the menu. 3. Click on the Shading tab: Click None if you do not want to apply shading to the Click here to select a section. color you want to the foreground. Choose the pattern or shade from the list. Click here to select the color you want to apply If you choose Clear, to the background. you apply the Background color only. This box displays a If you choose Solid, preview of the shading you apply the that will be applied to Foreground color the section. only. The other settings mix the two colors. 4. Make the settings as required and click OK. To hide the main section header of footer 1. Right-click in the main section header or footer area. 2. Choose Format section from the menu. 522 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 523. Formatting Sections 3. Click on the General tab. 4. Check the Hide Section Footer or Hide Section Header check box. A section header or footer that is hidden is shown in italics in the Report Manager Map list. Note: For more information on hiding and displaying report components, see “Hiding and Displaying Report Components” on page 561. To display the section footer or header again 1. Click the Map tab on the Report Manager. If Report Manager is not open, choose Report Manager from the View menu. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 523
- 524. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections 2. Click the Structure option button. The Main Section Header is shown in italics in the list to show that it is currently hidden in the report window Structure option button 3. Right-click on main Section in the list in the Map window and choose Format Section from the menu. The Section Format dialog box opens. 4. Click on the General tab. 5. Uncheck the Hide Section Header or Hide Section footer check box and click OK. 524 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 525. Formatting Tables Formatting Tables Tables and crosstabs are made up of headers and footers, columns and rows, and cells. All these elements together make up the block. The cell is the most basic element of a table or crosstab. Rows and columns are made up of groups of cells. When you format tables and crosstabs, you can work on the formatting cell by cell or on the block formatting. Formatting blocks You can format a block by applying shading and borders. The following procedure shows how to do this for a table. The procedure is the same for a crosstab or a chart block: 1. Right-click on the table and choose Format Table from the menu. The Table Format dialog box opens. 2. Click the Border tab: 3. Choose a line style from the Style section. 4. To change the border color, click the box next to Custom, then select a color from the color palette that opens. Click OK to close the palette. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 525
- 526. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections 5. Set which sides of the block you want to format. You can: • Click one or more borders in the Borders box, or • Click Box to put a border on all four sides of the table. 6. Click Apply. 7. Click on the Shading tab and make the required settings. The options available on the Shading tab are described on page 522. 8. Click OK to close the dialog box. Example Applying shading and borders to tables ........................................................... In the examples below, the table has been shaded yellow. In the first table, all four sides have a double-line border. In the second table, a thick border has been applied to the top and bottom sides only. ........................................................... 526 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 527. Formatting Tables Example Correctly formatting crosstab corners ........................................................... When you apply shading to a section and then insert a crosstab, the corner cells of the crosstab are sometimes incorrectly shaded or formatted as shown in the example below. In this example, you want the top left-hand corner be shaded as the section shading. There are two things you have to check. You have to make sure that the cell shading and the crosstab shading are set to transparent. To do this: 1. Right-click on the top left-hand cell and choose Format Cell from the menu. The Cell Format dialog box opens. 2. Click on the Shading tab. 3. On the Shading tab, click the None option button in the Fill section. This means the cell is now transparent and the section shading can show through. If this has not solved the problem, repeat the procedure above but this time, choose Format Crosstab from the menu. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 527
- 528. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Resizing Columns, Rows and Cells You can resize cells, rows and columns. Resizing using the mouse To change the width: 1. Click the right border of the selection. 2. Holding down the left mouse button, drag the border until the selection reaches the width you want. To change the height of the selection: 1. Click the top border of the selection 2. Holding down the left mouse button, drag the border until the selection reaches the width height you want. Resizing using a menu command 1. Select the cells, columns or rows you want to resize. 2. Select the Cell Height and Width command from the Format menu. The Cell Height and Width dialog box appears: Type an exact value, or use the arrows to increase or decrease the width that is shown. Click AutoFit to adjust the width of the selected cells automatically to the width of their contents. 3. Set the required width on the Width tab. 4. Click the Height tab and set the required height. 5. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the selection is resized, according to the settings you entered. 528 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 529. Formatting Tables Showing Headers and Footers You can choose whether you want to display headers or footers or not on a table and specify how rows and columns are managed. For crosstabs, the header rows are always displayed but you can choose to display or hide the footer row and columns and also choose to display additional information in the header. To set these options: 1. Right-click on the table or crosstab. 2. Choose Format Table (or Crosstab) from the menu. 3. Click on the General tab. The options you can set are described below. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 529
- 530. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Tables Orientation sets the type of table Displays a header and displayed. footer on the table Down displays the data in columns with the header in the top row. Across displays the data in rows with the header down the left- Displays a table in hand side. multiple columns or rows. The options available here depend on what table orientation is set. Displaying tables in a multi-column layout You can set up a multi-column or multi-row page layout to fit more information on a page. The example below shows how this works: In this example, you have a long two column table. By setting the page to display a three column layout, you use the page space more efficiently. You can also set how much space you want to have between each set of columns or rows. You can only see the results of this setting in page layout view. 530 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 531. Formatting Tables Displaying duplicate rows in a table The Avoid Duplicate Rows Aggregation option allows you to display all rows of a report instead of aggregating to avoid displaying rows with the same set of dimensions. This is demonstrated in the example below: The first table shows the revenue per resort per quarter. Since each resort per quarter is unique, there is no difference whether duplicate row aggregation is used or not. In the second table, the Resort column has been removed. The revenue column now shows a sum of all resorts for each quarter. Since there are only four quarters, there are only four rows in the table. The third table shows the effect of using the Avoid Duplicate Rows Aggregation option on the second table. Here the original number of rows is retained, even though the table shows duplicate rows based on the dimension shown (Quarter). BusinessObjects User’s Guide 531
- 532. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Crosstabs Displays or hides a Displays or hides a footer on the down footer on the across edge of the crosstab edge of the crosstab Showing additional header information When you display data in a crosstab, the headers show the values of the variables placed in the header row and column. If you check the option Show Variable Header, you can display the name of the variable as well as the values and also show what the figures in the body cells refer to. This gives additional information to help interpret the data in the crosstab. Here is an example of how this works: Here the values only are shown in the headers and the figures only in the body cells The same crosstab with the Show Variable Header option on 532 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 533. Formatting Cells Formatting Cells This section describes how to format cells. The illustration below shows what you can do to format cells and their contents: Apply color and shading to cell backgrounds. Change the color and line style of cell borders. Apply formats to numbers and dates. Apply color and font attributes to text. Align cell contents: text to the left and numbers to the right. Before you can format cells, you must first select them. Selecting the body without the header The body is made up of the cells where data is displayed in a table or a crosstab. The body does not include the title cells that appear at the top of columns and to the left of rows. By selecting the body, you can format all the cells it contains at the same time, for example by applying border styles or backgrounds. To select the body in a table 1. Place the cursor on the table’s left-hand border, but not at the top of the table where the title cells appear. 2. When the cursor turns into a black arrow pointing towards the table, click once. A hatched gray border appears around the table, and the body is highlighted to show that it is selected: A table, with the body selected BusinessObjects User’s Guide 533
- 534. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections To select the body in a crosstab 1. Click once inside the crosstab’s body. 2. If the body contains two or more variables, hold down your Shift key and click each one. A hatched gray border appears around the crosstab, and the body is highlighted to show that it is selected: A crosstab, with the body selected Using the formatting toolbar The quickest and easiest way to apply common formats is to use the toolbar buttons. To display the Formatting and Borders toolbars: 1. From the View menu, choose Toolbars. The Toolbars dialog box opens. 2. Check the Formatting and Border toolbar check boxes, then click OK. The toolbars are displayed. The buttons you can use to format cells are illustrated in the sections that follow. Repeating cell formats When you have spent time formatting a cell, you can quickly apply the same formats to other cells. To do this: 1. Select the cells you want to format. 2. From the Edit menu, choose Repeat Format. Tip: You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Y 534 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 535. Formatting Cells Copying cell formats You can copy and paste the formatting only of a cell. To do this: 1. Select the cell from which you want to copy the formatting. 2. Click Copy button on the Standard toolbar. Paste Format 3. Select the cell to which you want to paste the formatting. 4. Choose the Paste Format Only button on the Standard toolbar. The formatting is copied but the contents remain unchanged. Tip: You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V to paste the formatting only. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 535
- 536. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Formatting text You can format text in cells in the following ways: • Change the font and font size. • Apply color. • Apply bold, italics and underline. You can apply some of these text formatting features using buttons on the Formatting toolbar: a b c d e f a. Font b. Font size c. Bold d. Italics e. Underline f. Text color 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that contain the text you want to format. 2. Use the toolbar buttons to apply the required formatting. 536 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 537. Formatting Cells You can also use the Cell Format dialog box to format text. Here is the procedure: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that contain the text that you want to format. 2. Choose the Cell command from the Format menu, or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right- mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Font tab to display the text formatting features: Click here to open the color palette. 4. Choose the text formats you want, then click Apply or OK. The formats are applied to the selection. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 537
- 538. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Formatting numbers and dates This section describes how to apply formats supplied by BUSINESSOBJECTS to numbers and dates, and how to create your own formats. Using the toolbar buttons The formatting toolbar has several buttons you can use to quickly apply certain formats to numbers. You can use these buttons to format numbers in cells or on charts. 1. Make sure the Formatting toolbar is open. 2. Select the number you want to format and click the required button. a. Formats the number with the default currency style b. Formats the number with the default percent style c. Formats the number with the default million style d. Adds a decimal place a b c d e e. Removes a decimal place Note: The default currency, million and percent styles are taken from the regional settings properties in the Windows Control Panel. To format numbers and dates 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that contain the numbers or dates that you want to format. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 538 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 539. Formatting Cells 3. Click the Number tab: 4. Click a category in the Category list to display its corresponding formats: • All All formats. • Custom Formats that you have created yourself. • Number Formats for decimal values. • Currency Formats for currency values. • Date/Time Date and time formats. • Scientific Formats to display values to the nth power. • Percentage Percentage formats. • Condition Mr., Mrs., Miss. • Boolean True, False. • Image Bitmap/TIFF 5. Click a format in the Format list. An example of the effect the format has on numbers is shown below the Positive field. Examples also appear below the other fields (Negative, Equal to Zero and Undefined) if the format has been defined for negative numbers, zero and empty cells, respectively. 6. Click Apply or OK. The new formats are applied to the selection. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 539
- 540. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Creating your own number and date formats You can create your own number and date formats, based on standard formats. To illustrate the procedure that you must follow to create your own format, the steps described in this section are based on an example. Example Creating a number format with three decimal places ........................................................... The format can be applied to positive and negative values, as well as to zero values and empty cells. 1. In the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, click the Number category from the Category list. The corresponding number formats appear in the Format list. 2. Click the number format with two decimal points (0.00). The effect that this format has on positive values appears below the Positive field. 3. Click inside the Positive field, then add a zero in third decimal place. You have now created a format that will display positive values with three decimal places. If you do not wish to enter formats in the remaining fields (Negative, Equal to Zero and Undefined), go to step 6 4. Click inside the Negative field, then enter the format (0.000). Negative values will now be displayed with three decimal points. 5. Enter 0.000 in the Equal to Zero and Undefined fields. These fields correspond to null values (zero) and empty cells, respectively. In cells that contain null values, “0.000” will be displayed. The format is also applied to empty cells. 540 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 541. Formatting Cells 6. Click Add. The new format appears in the Format list, under the Number category and the Custom category. The four properties for the new format appear in the Format list. An example of the format appears below each field. 7. Click Apply or OK. The new number format is available for use. You can apply a color to number formats that you create. For example, if you want negative values to appear in red, type [Red] after the number format in the Negative field. ........................................................... To delete number and date formats that you have created You can delete number and date formats that you or other users have created. 1. In the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, click the Category where you created the format you want to delete. 2. Select the format(s) that you wish to delete. 3. Click Remove, then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 541
- 542. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Using hyperlinks in BusinessObjects reports You can easily add hyperlinks such as email addresses and web site addresses to your reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically recognizes certain keywords or symbols included in the address, adds any extra syntax behind the scenes and formats the address as a hyperlink. Hyperlinks you add to a BUSINESSOBJECTS report are retained when you save the report in PDF or in HTML format. BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically recognizes the keywords, syntax and symbols in the table below and turns them into hyperlinks: Keyword or syntax Automatically recognized and formatted as.... HTTP or www HyperText Transfer Protocol MAILTO or @ Electronic Mail FILE Host-specific Files <a href specified in the HTML code FTP File Transfer Protocol NEWS Usenet news TELNET Telnet Protocol for Interactive Sessions GOPHER Gopher and Gopher+ Protocols WAIS Wide Area Information Servers Protocol PROSPERO Prospero Directory Service NNTP Usenet news using NNTP access How are hyperlinks formatted? If you have Microsoft Internet Explorer installed, hyperlinks in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports are formatted according to the settings you have made in Internet Explorer. If Internet Explorer is not installed on your computer, unused hyperlinks are formatted in blue and underlined. 542 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 543. Formatting Cells Adding a hyperlink You can type an address directly into a cell or retrieve it through a query if your universe Designer has included hyperlinks in a universe. 1. Select the cell where you want the hyperlink to appear. 2. Type in the address using one of the supported keywords or symbols in the table above and press return. BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically detects the hyperlink and formats accordingly. Tip: Selecting and resizing cells containing hyperlinks can be a little tricky because every time you click on the cell, the hyperlink is activated. Make the cell containing the hyperlink longer than the actual text inside it so that you can select the cell after the address without activating the hyperlink. Example Adding a link to a web site in a report ........................................................... Complementary information on the data in your report is available on a company web site. Including a link to this site from your report allows your report readers to go directly to the source of further information. To add a web site address to your report: 1. Insert a new free-standing cell in your report. It’s a good idea to make the cell fairly large to allow some space in the cell after the address. This allows you to easily select the cell without activating the hyperlink. 2. Select the cell and type in the address: www.businessobjects.com. 3. Press return. BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically recognizes the key string www as part of a web address and formats the string in blue underline. If you move your mouse over the address, the cursor changes to the hand icon to show it is a hyperlink. 4. Click on the link. If you have Internet access, the BUSINESSOBJECTS web site will open in your Internet browser. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 543
- 544. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections BUSINESSOBJECTS also recognizes <a href syntax which allows you to define exactly what will be visible in the hyperlink and to define relative paths to files. In the example syntax below, the hyperlink will take you directly to the Tips & Tricks page on the Business Objects web site but you only see “BusinessObjects Tips & Tricks” displayed in your report: <a href="http://www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter//tips/start/ starthome.htm">BusinessObjects Tips & Tricks</a> If you hold your mouse cursor over the address, a tooltip appears displaying the web address syntax: ........................................................... Editing a hyperlink You can edit a cell containing a hyperlink either directly in the cell or using the Formula Bar. Using the Formula Bar: 1. Make sure the Formula Bar is open. 2. Select the cell containing the hyperlink you want to edit. The full hyperlink syntax is displayed in the Formula Bar window. 3. Make the required changes in the Formula Bar window and press the return key. The hyperlink is updated. Editing directly in the cell: 1. Double-click on the cell containing the hyperlink you want to edit. The hyperlink becomes editable. 2. Make the required changes and click out of the cell or press the enter key. The hyperlink is updated. 544 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 545. Formatting Cells Aligning cell contents Aligning contents means positioning the data in a cell relative to the borders of the cell. For example, you can align data against the left border of its cell. You can use buttons on the Formatting toolbar to align cell contents: a. Left align b. Center a b c d c. Right align d. Justify 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) whose contents you want to align. 2. Click one of the alignment buttons. You can also use the alignment features in the Cell Format dialog box. To do so: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) whose contents you want to align. 2. Right-click the cell, row or column and choose Format from the pop-up menu. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Alignment tab to display the alignment features: To modify the vertical This option aligns text to alignment of cell the right and numbers contents, click a button in to the left. the Vertical box. Click this option to display long contents on multiple lines. 4. Select the features that you wish to apply to the selection, then click OK. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 545
- 546. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Certain types of table or crosstab typically used in financial reports have a characteristic layout as shown in the illustration below. Fill character at the end of the text. Indented cell contents. Indenting cell content You can set a space between the left cell border and the text or numbers in the cell to give the appearance of an indented list in your table. 1. On the Alignment tab, click Left to align the cell contents on the left of the cell. 2. Set a value in the Indents box. A value of 1 is equal to one space. You cannot enter negative values. You can also use the buttons on the Formatting toolbar: 1. Click inside the cell. 2. Click the Left Align button on the Formatting toolbar. Align left/Align right 3. Use the buttons to increase and decrease the amount of indent. Fill and character settings You can fill in the space between the end of the text in a cell and the cell border with a selected character. 1. On the Alignment tab, check the Fill checkbox in the Settings section. 2. Type in the character you want to use. Merging cell contents When you have inserted a break on a row or column, you have several columns or rows displaying the same value. You can remove these duplicate values, merge the empty cells and center the value over the rows or columns it describes. 546 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 547. Formatting Cells To do this: 1. Click in the column or row where you have inserted a break. Center Values Across Break 2. Click the Center Values Across Break button on the Formatting toolbar. Note: For information on inserting and managing breaks see Chapter 13 "Breaking Up Tables and Displaying Calculations" on page 279. Wrapping cell contents When you have a long label in a header row or column, you can display the text on more than one line. In the example below, the Number of guests label is much longer than any of the figures displayed under it and this column is taking up unnecessary space in the table. By wrapping the cell contents and then resizing the column, you can get round this problem. To do this: 1. Right-click on the Number of guests cell and choose Format Cell from the menu. The Cell Format dialog box opens. 2. Click the Alignment tab. 3. In the Settings section, check the Wrap Text check box. Tip: If you have column labels on two or more lines, choose Bottom in the Vertical section of the Alignment tab to align all labels along the last line of the text. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 547
- 548. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Formatting cell borders You can format cell borders by applying line styles and colors. The buttons on the Borders toolbar make it easy to format cell borders: a b c d e f g h i a. Enables you to select the line style to apply. b. Applies the style to the upper border. c. Applies the style to the lower border. d. Applies the style to the left border. e. Applies the style to the right border. f. Applies the style to the inner borders. g. Applies the style to the outer borders. h. Removes the style from all borders. i. Selects the color to apply. To display the Borders toolbar: • Right-click on any other toolbar and choose Borders from the menu. Borders Toolbar or • If the Formatting toolbar is already displayed, click the arrow next to the Borders button. To format borders 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) whose borders you want to format. 2. Choose a line style and a color to apply. 3. Click the border buttons to add the required borders to the cell. You can also use the Cell Format dialog box to apply lines and colors to cell borders. To do so: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that you want to format. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu, or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 548 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 549. Formatting Cells 3. Click the Border tab to display the border formatting features: Select the line style. Clear the style from all borders. Apply the style to outer borders. Select the borders you want to format. Click to open the color palette. 4. Choose a line style from the Style section. 5. To change the border color, click the box next to Custom, then select a color from the color palette that opens. Click OK to close the palette. 6. Select the border(s) you want to format. You can select them individually, or, to select the outer borders, click Box. 7. Click Apply or OK. The border line styles and color are applied to the borders you selected. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 549
- 550. Chapter 22 Formatting Tables, Cells and Sections Formatting cell backgrounds You can format the background of cells in the following ways: • Change the color. • Apply a pattern. • Combine a color and a pattern. To format cell backgrounds: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that you want to format. 2. Choose Cell from the Format menu or • Right-click the cell, row or column and choose Format Cell from the menu The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Shading tab: Click None if you do not want to apply shading to the cell. Click here to select a This makes the cell color you want to the transparent. foreground. Choose the pattern or shade from the list. Click here to select the color you want to apply If you choose Clear, to the background. you apply the Background color only. This box displays a If you choose Solid, preview of the shading you apply the that will be applied to Foreground color only. the section. The other settings mix the two colors. 4. Make the required settings, then click Apply or OK. The shading and color attributes are applied. 550 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 551. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 552 ❑ Positioning Report Components 553 Relative positioning 553 Aligning blocks and cells 555 Displaying delimiters 556 Manually positioning components using the grid 556 ❑ Using Report Manager to Structure Report Layout 558 Organizing the report in Report Manager 559 Formatting components in Report Manager 560 Naming components in Report Manager 560 ❑ Hiding and Displaying Report Components 561 Showing and hiding report components 561 Setting a condition to hide a component 563 Hiding an empty section in a report 569 ❑ Working with Page Backgrounds 570 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 551
- 552. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout Overview This section describes how to lay out the different report components on a page to obtain a clear, professional look to your reports. It deals with how to: • Position blocks (tables, crosstabs and charts) and cells relative to one another. • Align blocks with one another. • Set conditions to hide and display blocks so that you can have different page layouts on different pages. • Use page backgrounds. 552 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 553. Positioning Report Components Positioning Report Components This section describes how to position and align the different components that make up your report. Relative positioning Relative positioning means positioning a selected block in relation to markers such as page margins or other blocks. If these markers change in size or position the block is re-positioned accordingly. The example below demonstrates why relative positioning is important. Example Why is relative positioning important? ........................................................... You have a table and a chart positioned on a report page. The table is five lines long. You refresh your report to update it with new data and your table is now 10 lines long. If you do not set the position of the chart in relation to the actual position of the table, the new table will overlap the chart as shown in the first illustration below. If you set the position of the chart in relation to the actual position of the table, when the table expands, the chart is positioned accordingly so that it is always under the table with the space that has been set. Using relative positioning is particularly important if you are setting conditions to determine whether a table or chart, for example, is displayed or not. If you do not position components in relation to one another you could end up with overlapping components or with big gaps between them. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 553
- 554. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout To position a block in relation to another report component 1. Right-click on the block or cell and choose Format (block) form the menu. The Format dialog box opens. 2. Click the Appearance tab: 3. In the Horizontal Position Relative To box, choose the marker you want to use to position the block or cell horizontally. 4. Enter a number (positive or negative) in the Left field to set how much space you want to have between the marker and the selected block. 5. In the Vertical Position Relative To box, choose the marker you want to use to position the block or cell vertically. 554 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 555. Positioning Report Components 6. Enter a value (positive or negative) in the Top field to set how much space you want to have between the marker and the selected block. The Sample box demonstrates the way the components are positioned. The space between the marker and the selected block is always Vertical position calculated from the upper left corner of the block. Horizontal position 7. Click Apply or OK to display the cells or blocks in their new position. Note: When a report contains only the main section, the Upper section is the top margin of the page. When a report contains sections, the Upper Section is the top of the section in which a block is currently positioned. Aligning blocks and cells You can align report components with one other in the following ways using the Alignment toolbar: a. Aligns the left edges b. Centers horizontally c. Aligns the right edges d. Aligns the top edges a b c d e f g e. Centers vertically f. Aligns the bottom edges g. Snap to Grid - Forces components to stick to gridlines 1. Make sure the alignment toolbar is displayed. 2. Select the first component. For example, if you want to align a cell with a table, you must first select the table. 3. Hold down the Ctrl key and select the component you want to align with the first. 4. Click the option you want to use, then click OK. The report components you selected are aligned. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 555
- 556. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout Displaying delimiters When you are working on your page layout and aligning components, it may be useful to turn on the delimiters. Delimiters are non-printing dotted lines. There are three types of delimiters that you can turn on and off: cell delimiters shows the outline of a cell margin delimiters shows the size of page margins; you can only turn margin delimiters on if you are in Page Layout view section delimiters shows where a section begins and ends To turn cell and section delimiters on: • From the View menu, choose Cell Delimiters or Section Delimiters. cell delimiters section delimiters To turn margin delimiters on: 1. From the View menu, choose Page Layout. 2. If the margins are not displayed, choose Page Margins from the View menu. Manually positioning components using the grid You can manually drag report components and place them as required on the report page. To help place components accurately you can turn on a page grid. To display the grid: • From the View menu, choose Grid. You can use the grid to automatically align the selection as you drag it. To do this: • Click the Snap to Grid button on the Alignment toolbar Snap to Grid When you drop a component in a new location, it will automatically be aligned with the nearest line on the grid. 556 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 557. Positioning Report Components To position a component: 1. Select the block(s) or cell(s) you want to position. 2. Then: • Hold the cursor over the hatched border of the block. When the cursor changes to the Move arrow, hold down your mouse and drag. Move arrow • Click inside the cell, hold down your mouse and drag. 3. Drag the block or cell to the new position and release the mouse button. Note: In master/detail reports, you can drag a block between sections. When you do this, the data in the block is re-calculated. You can also move blocks between sections using the Report Manager. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 557
- 558. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout Using Report Manager to Structure Report Layout You can use the Map tab of the Report Manager to work on the structure, layout and formatting of your report. In particular, the Map tab in structure view allows you to manage reports which contain hidden cells, sections and blocks. To display Report Manager in structure view 1. If the Report Manager is not already open, click the Report Manager button on the Standard toolbar. Report Manager 2. Click the Map tab. 3. Click the Structure option button. Structure option button The Map tab displays a list of all the components in the currently selected report arranged in the order they appear in the report. The Report name is at the top, followed by the Main Section Header and then the Sections with the cells, charts, crosstabs and tables in each section. Each report component is represented by an icon. When you click on an icon in the Report Manager window, the corresponding component is displayed in the report window. 558 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 559. Using Report Manager to Structure Report Layout Organizing the report in Report Manager You can use the Report Manager to organize the tables, cells and charts in your report. Copying report components You can copy and paste a component from one section of your report to another. When you paste a component in a new location, the original formatting is retained. For example, if you copy a pie chart from one part of your report to another in the Map window, the chart will retain all the colors, legends, title and other formatting. To do this: 1. Right-click on the icon of the component you want to copy. 2. Choose Copy from the menu. 3. Right-click again and choose Paste from the menu. This is a quick and easy way of copying a component and then working on it in the report window. Moving report components You can also drag a component from a position in the list and drop it in the new position. To do this: 1. Click on the icon of the component you want to move. 2. Click on the icon again and, holding down your mouse button, drag the icon to the new position in the list. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 559
- 560. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout 3. Release your mouse button. The icon is displayed in the new position in the list and the component is displayed in the new position in the report window. Formatting components in Report Manager You can also work on the formatting of the components in your report from the Report Manager Map tab. You can format tables, crosstabs, charts, cells and sections as well as work on the format of filters, sorts and breaks. To do this: • Right-click on the component icon in the Map list and choose the relevant option from the menu. Naming components in Report Manager You name tables, crosstabs, cells and charts. These names appear in the Report Manager Map list in structure mode. Naming components makes it easier for you and others to find your way to the different parts of the report. With one click, you can go directly to the part of the report you are interested in. More importantly, however, naming components is a good idea if you are hiding report components on certain pages. To do this: 1. Make sure you are in structure view in the Report Manager Map tab. 2. Click once on a component name and then click again. The name is highlighted 3. Type in your new name. 4. Press Enter or click out of the name. Tip: You can also name components in the FormatBlock dialog boxes either on the General tab or on the Appearance tab. 560 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 561. Hiding and Displaying Report Components Hiding and Displaying Report Components BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to create and format report components (tables, crosstabs, charts, cells and sections) and then choose which components you want to display on a given page or in a given set of circumstances. This is sometimes called conditional formatting. Conditional formatting allows you to easily set up reports which display different information and different formatting on different pages. For example, you can create a different page layout for your odd and even pages or use a different table format for customer payment records depending on whether the customer is up-to-date or not on payments. You can hide and display report components in two ways: • either by simply checking a box to temporarily hide a report component • or by setting up a condition to determine when the report component is hidden or displayed. This section describes how to hide and display report components using both methods and gives a number of illustrated examples. Showing and hiding report components You can temporarily hide a report component from the report page. This may be useful, for example, if you want to hide a cell containing a comment before you print out a report. To hide a report component: 1. Right-click on the report component. 2. Choose Format (Cell, Section, Table, Crosstab, Chart, depending on the type of report component) from the menu. The Format dialog appears. 3. The next step depends on the type of component you want to hide: • if you selected a section, click the General tab BusinessObjects User’s Guide 561
- 562. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout • if you selected a table, crosstab, cell or chart, click the Appearance tab Check this box to hide the selected component 4. Check the Hide box and click OK. The component is removed from the report page and the component name is displayed in italics in the Map list. The comment cell is in italics to show that it is currently hidden. 562 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 563. Hiding and Displaying Report Components To display the report component Since the report component is no longer displayed on the report page, you use the list in the Report Manager Map tab to display the component again. To do this: 1. Right-click on the component name in the Report Manager window. 2. Choose Format (Cell, Section, Table, Crosstab, Chart, depending on the type of report component) from the menu. 3. Click the Appearance or General tab. 4. Uncheck the Hide box and click OK. Setting a condition to hide a component You can also use the BUSINESSOBJECTS Formula Editor to set a condition to determine when a report component is hidden or displayed. To do this: 1. Right-click on the report component. 2. Choose Format (Cell, Section, Table, Crosstab, Chart, depending on the type of report component) from the menu. The Format dialog appears. 3. The next step depends on the type of component you want to hide: • if you selected a section, click the General tab • if you selected a table, crosstab, cell or chart, click the Appearance tab. 4. Check the Hide box. 5. You can then: • Either click the Edit Formula button to open the Formula Editor to write your formula. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 563
- 564. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout • Or type in your formula directly in the formula box. Click here to open Type the condition the Formula Editor here 6. Click OK to apply the condition. The components which satisfy the condition set will be hidden. A hidden component is removed from the report page and the component name is displayed in italics in the Map list in the Report Manager window. Note: For details on the syntax to use for writing formulas see Chapter 14 "Formulas, Local Variables & Functions" on page 307. Example Displaying different table formats for European and US currencies ........................................................... You produce a weekly report of the sales revenue generated per product line per city in the eFashion retail group. The report has a section for each city and you have created a variable, Currency Region, by grouping your cities into Europe and US. You want to produce a report displaying sales revenue in US dollars and in euros for your three European cities, and sales revenue in US dollars only for your US cities. 564 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 565. Hiding and Displaying Report Components To do this, you create two different table formats as shown below: European cities US cities • One table, named Dollars, has sales revenue in US dollars only. You set a condition to hide this table for all cities in Europe. The syntax is: =<Currency region>InList("Europe") Make sure you set the table position in relation to the left edge of the report. The condition tells BUSINESSOBJECTS to hide this table if the city belongs to the group Europe. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 565
- 566. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout • The other table, named Euros, displays sales revenue in US dollars and in euros. You set a condition to hide this table for all US cities. The syntax is: =<Currency region>InList("US"). Both tables are shown in italics in the Report Map list because both are hidden in certain sections of the report. When you set up two table formats with conditions specifying when each one is to be hidden, it’s important to position both tables in relation to the left edge of the report page. When one table is hidden, the other will be re-positioned accordingly. For more details on relative positioning, see “Relative positioning” on page 553. ........................................................... Example Setting up a different page layout for odd and even pages ........................................................... In this example, you are setting up a report that will printed and bound and you want to create a different layout for the odd and even pages. You want: • odd page numbers to appear in the top right-hand corner of the page and display the document name in the page footer • even page numbers to appear in the top left-hand corner of the page. Here’s how to do it: Layout for odd numbered pages You’re going to place the page numbers in the page header area and the document title in the page footer area. 1. Make sure you are in page layout view and that page 1 of your document is displayed on screen. 566 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 567. Hiding and Displaying Report Components 2. Add a special field containing the page number in the right-hand side of the page header area. 3. Right-click on the page number cell and choose Format Cell from the menu. The Format Cell dialog box is displayed. 4. Click the Appearance tab. Type a name for the cell here. The name helps you to identify the cell in the Report Map list 5. Check the Hide Cell checkbox and type the following formula in the Hide Cell text box. =Even(Page()) You can use this formula to hide all components that you do not want to be shown on even pages in your report. 6. Click OK to close the Cell Format dialog box. 7. Following the same procedure, add the document title to the page footer and set a condition to hide it on even-numbered pages. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 567
- 568. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout Layout for even numbered pages To set up the even numbered pages: 1. Add a special field containing the page number in the left-hand side of the page header area. 2. Right-click on the page number cell and choose Format Cell from the menu. The Format Cell dialog box is displayed. 3. Click the Appearance tab 4. Check the Hide Cell checkbox and type the following formula in the Hide Cell text box. =Odd(Page()) You can use this formula to hide all components that you do not want to be shown on odd pages in your report. 5. Click OK to close the Cell Format dialog box. This cell will be hidden on all odd-numbered pages. If you page through your document, you will see that the odd page numbers appear at the top right-hand side of the odd pages only and the even page numbers appear at the top left-hand side of the page. The document title appears on the odd pages only. ........................................................... 568 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 569. Hiding and Displaying Report Components Hiding an empty section in a report When you create or refresh a master/detail report, you may have empty sections, as shown in the example below: The year section contains an empty master cell. There is no data for revenue in Australia and the US for the unidentified year. This may happen for two reasons: • the section master cell is empty because you have data in the data provider that has not been organized into one of the section values. BUSINESSOBJECTS designates sections with no value in the master cell as #EMPTY. • you have a section that contains no data because there is no data currently available for that section. You can set a condition to hide these empty sections in a report. You can hide the master cell only, the section only or both master cell and section. To do this: 1. Click on the Report Manager Map tab and choose Navigation view. 2. In the Report Manager list, right-click on the empty master cell or the empty section and choose Format Section from the menu. The Section Format dialog box opens. 3. Click the General tab. 4. Check the Hide Section Header check box and type the following formula in the formula box: =IsNull(<variable>) where <variable> is the variable for which you have no data. To hide the empty year master cell in the example above, the formula is: =IsNull(<Year>) 5. Click OK. The empty cell or section is hidden on the report page and displayed in italics in the Report Manager list in the Map tab. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 569
- 570. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout Working with Page Backgrounds You can enhance the look of a report by inserting a page background. A page background is simply a picture displayed behind the report data and other pictures. To insert a page background You can insert an existing picture as a page background, or call a graphics application to create a new picture: 1. Click the Page Layout button on the report toolbar. 2. Click the tab of the report in which you want to insert the page background. 3. From the Format menu, choose Page and then Background from the sub- menu. The Page Background dialog box appears: 4. Click New. The Insert Object dialog box appears. 5. Click Create from File. 6. Type in the path of the file you want to insert in the File text box or click Browse to locate the file. 7. Check the Link checkbox if you want to link the file. If you leave this box unchecked the image is embedded in the report. 8. Click OK to close the close the Insert Object dialog box. 9. Click a Display option in the Page Background dialog box, then click OK. • Center displays the background in the center of the page. 570 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 571. Working with Page Backgrounds • Tile displays the background as multiple tiles. Tip: You can also copy a picture to the clipboard, then click Paste in the Page Background dialog box. To edit the current page background You can edit a page background in the graphics application in which it was originally created. 1. Make sure you are in Page Layout view. If not, choose Page Layout from the View menu. 2. From the Format menu, choose Page and then Background from the sub- menu. The Page Background dialog box appears. 3. Click Edit. The current page background appears in its native graphics application, i.e., the application in which it was created. 4. Make the required changes to the page background, then quit the graphics application. 5. In the Page Background dialog box, change the Display option if you wish: • Center displays the background in the center of the page. • Tile displays the background as multiple tiles. 6. Click OK. The edited page background appears in the report. To remove the current page background. • Click Remove on the Page Background dialog box, then click OK. The Page Background dialog box closes, and the page background no longer appears in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 571
- 572. Chapter 23 Formatting Page Layout 572 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 573. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 574 ❑ Multi-page Reports 575 Setting what is to appear on each page 575 Managing page breaks 576 Running headers and footers in tables 578 ❑ Page Setup 581 Setting margins 581 Using headers and footers 581 Resizing headers, footers and margins 583 ❑ Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates 584 Inserting numbers, time and date 584 Changing how the date and time is displayed 586 ❑ Inserting Document Information 587 ❑ Using Outline View 589 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 573
- 574. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Overview This chapter describes how to set up your report layout. It deals with how to set margins, headers and footers and how you can control exactly what appears on each page of the report and how to set up and manage multi-page reports. It also deals with how to handle tables which extend over several pages using running headers and footers for calculations over page breaks. Finally, it deals with how you can enhance your report by adding document and tracking information such as author, page numbers, date and time and how you can prepare a report for viewing. 574 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 575. Multi-page Reports Multi-page Reports When your report contains several pages, there are a number of options in BUSINESSOBJECTS to manage the page layout over multiple pages so that your report reads fluently and coherently and you obtain good printed copy. Setting what is to appear on each page You can control how sections, tables and crosstabs, cells and charts appear on each page of a report. For example, in a report divided into sections, you may want to start a new page at the beginning of each new section. Or, you may wish to display a specific chart on every page of your report. To display a block on every page of a report 1. Right-click on the block. 2. Choose FormatBlock from the menu. For a.. Click this tab..... And check this box... cell Alignment Repeat on Every Page table Page Layout Repeat Block on Every Page crosstab Page Layout Repeat Block on Every Page chart General Repeat on New Page To display one section or block per page 1. Right-click on the block or in the section. 2. Choose FormatBlock or Format Section from the menu. For a.. Click this tab..... And check this box... section Alignment Start on a New Page table Page Layout Start on a New Page crosstab Page Layout Start on a New Page chart General Start on a New Page BusinessObjects User’s Guide 575
- 576. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Managing page breaks When tables and charts extend over more than one page you need to make sure that they are split coherently and that the elements that help your readers to understand the tables and charts correctly, such as title headers on tables, are added to every new page. You may also want to include page sub-totals and previous page recaps for calculations to make it easier for your readers to follow tables of data over several pages. The page break options are set on the format dialog boxes. To open the format dialog for a table, crosstab or chart: 1. Right-click on the block. 2. Choose FormatBlock from the menu. The Format dialog box that opens depends on the type of block selected. 3. For crosstabs and tables, choose the Page Layout tab. See page 577 for an illustration of the Page Layout tab. For charts, choose the General tab. a c b a. Places the selected chart on a new page. b. Repeats the selected chart on every page of the report. c. Where possible, starts a new page for charts that would otherwise be split by a page break. 576 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 577. Multi-page Reports The page layout tab below shows the page break options you can set for crosstabs. The options for tables are exactly the same. The only difference is that you can manage page breaks along the across edge as well as the down edge for crosstabs. a b f c d e a. Where possible, starts a new page for blocks that would otherwise be split by a page break. b. When a table/crosstab goes over more than one page, the title header is repeated at the top of the table/crosstab on every new page. c. Before a table/crosstab goes over onto a new page, a footer is displayed at the bottom of the table. d. When a table/crosstab goes over more than one page, a page break header is displayed at the top of the table/crosstab on the new page. You can insert a formula in this header to allow you to display a recap amount from the previous page, for example. e. Before a table/crosstab goes over onto a new page, a page break footer is displayed. You can insert a formula in this footer to allow you to display a running total for example. f. Page break options for the across edge of a crosstab. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 577
- 578. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Running headers and footers in tables When a table extends over more than one page you may want to recap on certain calculated amounts to make the table easier to follow. You do this by inserting conditional headers and footers in your table and then inserting the text and the formula for the information you want to display into these header and footer cells. These headers and footers are only displayed if there is a page break in your table. The example below shows how this works for a multi-page bank statement. Example How can I display page totals and recap amounts in a multi-page report? ........................................................... The example below shows a two-page bank statement. To help the bank’s client follow this two-page statement, the account status after the list of credits and debits is displayed at the bottom of the first page. This sum is then repeated at the top of the second page before the list of debits and credits continues. These two sums are only displayed if a page break occurs. Page break footer. This line is only displayed before a page break in the table. Page break occurs here. Page break header. This line is only displayed after a page break in the table. Table footer. Displayed at the end of the table. ........................................................... 578 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 579. Multi-page Reports To set up a report with running headers and footers First, you have to turn the option on. To do this: 1. Right-click on the table. 2. Choose Format Table from the menu. The Format Table dialog box opens. 3. Choose the Page Layout tab. 4. Check Page break header after page break and Page break footer before page break. 5. Click OK to close the dialog box. Next, type in the formula: 1. Click the page layout button on the Report toolbar. You can only see page break headers and footers when you are in page layout Page Layout mode and when the table goes over to the next page. 2. Click in a cell in the page break header/footer and type in a formula. 3. Press the enter key. The result of the formula is displayed in the cell. 4. Click in an adjacent cell and type in a text to describe what the amount represents. To add columns and rows to a running header or footer By default, a page break header or footer has one column or row but you can add as many columns or rows as you need for the information you want to display. The size of the table is adjusted so that all the page break header and footer columns and rows fit onto the page. 1. Make sure you are in page layout view. 2. Select the page break header or footer in the table. 3. Use the Structure toolbar to insert the required columns and rows. 4. Insert the required formulas in the page break header and footer. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 579
- 580. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Running header and footer examples Here are some examples of formulas used in page break headers and footers where the measure object to calculate is <Revenue>. To calculate and display... Type the following formula... A subtotal for the current =Sum(<Revenue>) page A running total, that is the =RunningSum(<Revenue>) sum of all the data displayed in the table up to and including the current page A recap amount from the =RunningSum(<Revenue>)-Sum(<Revenue>) previous page, that is the sum of all the data in the table up to and including the previous page The percentage of data =Sum(<Revenue>)In CurrentPage/ displayed in the current page Sum(<Revenue>)In Block against all data displayed in the table Note: For information on writing formulas, see Chapter 14 "Formulas, Local Variables & Functions" on page 307. You can also use Input, Output and Reset contexts as well as the keyword arguments ForEach and ForAll in the page break header and footer cells. For information on using this extended syntax see Chapter 15 "Calculation Contexts and Extended Syntax" on page 335. Formatting page break headers and footers You can change the font, number, color and other attributes for the text and numbers displayed in the page break header and footer cells. See “Formatting Cells” on page 533 for information on how to do this. 580 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 581. Page Setup Page Setup This section describes how to set up report page margins and how to use and format page headers and page footers. Setting margins When setting margins, remember that the minimum margins you can set are determined by the printer you are using. You may be tempted to reduce the margins as much as possible to fit everything on the printed page. Bear in mind, however, that reports are often bound or stored in binders and you need to allow an adequate margin for this 1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup. 2. The Page Setup dialog box opens. 3. Click the Margins button to open the Margins dialog box. 4. Type in sizes for the Left, Right, Top and Bottom margins. Using headers and footers The Header and Footer areas of the page are usually reserved to display information that you want to repeat on every page of your document. Information such as page numbers, author name and creation date are typically placed in header and footer sections. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 581
- 582. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Inserting a cell in a page header or footer If you want to display information (text, pictures, variables) in a header or footer, you must first insert a cell. Here is how to do it: 1. Make sure you are in Page Layout view. If you are not, click the Page Layout button on the Report toolbar. Page Layout You can only see the header and footer sections in Page Layout View 2. Click inside the header or footer, then choose Cell from the Insert menu. The cursor changes to the Insert Cell cursor. 3. Click where you want your cell to appear and, holding down your mouse button, draw a cell. When you release the mouse button, a cell appears in the area you have drawn. When a new cell is inserted it has a flashing cursor inside it so that you can immediately type in text. 4. Type your text or formula in the cell and press Enter. You can now format the cell as you wish. Applying shading to a header or footer You can apply different color shades and patterns to a header or footer. Here is how to do it: 1. Ensure that the Page Layout command on the View menu is switched on. 2. Click inside the header or footer, then select the Page Header or Page Footer command on the Format menu. The Page Header Format dialog box or the Page Footer dialog box appears. Each dialog box contains the Shading tab only. 3. Select the fill, foreground color and background color you want, then click OK or Apply. 582 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 583. Page Setup Resizing headers, footers and margins You can reduce or increase the height of headers and footers, and the width of margins, simply by dragging the mouse: 1. Ensure that the Page Layout command on the View menu is switched on. 2. Position the pointer over the element you want to resize. 3. When the pointer changes to the resize cursor, press and hold down the left Resize cursor mouse button. 4. Drag the mouse until the header, footer or margin reaches the size you require, then release the mouse button. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 583
- 584. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates BUSINESSOBJECTS has pre-defined page number, date and time functions that you can insert in your reports directly from the Insert menu. These functions are automatically updated. Inserting numbers, time and date To insert a page number or a date at the top of the page (in the page header) or at the bottom of the page (in the page footer): 1. From the View menu, choose Page Layout. The page number commands are only available when you are in Page Layout view. The margins are displayed on your report. If the margin lines are not displayed, choose Page Margins from the View menu. 2. From the Insert menu, choose Special Field then Page Numbers or Date and Time and then an option from the submenu. Page Numbers Page # Displays the word Page followed by the current page number Page # of # Displays the current page number and then the total number of pages in the report Date and Time Current Displays the current date and time (automatically updated each time a report is opened) Save Date Displays the date on which the report was last saved (automatically updated) Print Date Displays the date on which the report was last printed (automatically updated) Last Refresh Displays the date on which the data in the report was last Date refreshed with the most up-to-date data from the database (automatically updated) The mouse cursor turns to the Insert Cell cursor Insert Cell cursor 584 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 585. Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates 3. Click once in the area of the report where you want your page numbers to appear. A cell displaying the page number is inserted. Formatting the cell When you insert a cell it has the default formatting. To change the formatting, you use the same procedure you use for formatting any other type of cell. 1. Right-click on the page number. 2. Choose Format Cell from the menu. The Cell Format dialog box opens. 3. Change the formatting as required and then click OK to close the dialog box. Example How do I know when the data in my report was last updated? ........................................................... In many companies, it is essential to know the exact date or time at which the data in the report was updated. In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can display the last refresh date in a special field which is automatically updated every time you refresh your report and see at a glance when the data was last updated. To do this: 1. Add a caption cell at the top of your report and type “Last refreshed” in it, for example. 2. From the Insert menu, choose Special Field, then Date or Time, then Last Refresh Date. The cursor changes to the Insert Cell cursor. 3. Click once next to the Last Refreshed caption. The date on which the report was last updated is inserted in the report. This date is updated each time you refresh the report. ........................................................... BusinessObjects User’s Guide 585
- 586. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Changing how the date and time is displayed When you choose the insert date and time option from the menu, the date is inserted by default. To re-format the cell to display the time or to format the date display differently: 1. Right-click the cell and choose Format Cell from the pop-up menu. 2. Click the Numbers tab on the Cell Format dialog box 3. Choose Date and Time in the Category list. The display options are shown in the Formats box. 4. Click on a format in the Formats box. An example of how the date or time will appear is shown in the Properties box. Tip: If you get a cell which displays ####, it means that the text is to long to be fully displayed in the cell size. To fix the problem, click on the cell and re-size it until the text is correctly displayed. Inserting the date and the time If you want to insert both the date and time, insert two cells using the Insert/ Special Field/Date and Time command and re-format one to display the time. 586 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 587. Inserting Document Information Inserting Document Information For tracking purposes it may be useful to display information about the query you used to retrieve the data displayed in the report, the filters you have placed on the report and the drill filters you have used in drill mode. You can do this automatically using the Insert Special Field option. The following options are available: Choose Insert Special Field... To display.... Query prompt Inserts the option you chose from the prompt dialog box when you ran the query. If you only chose to retrieve the sales figures for Northern Europe in FY95 for example, Northern Europe FY95 is inserted in the cell. Global Filters Inserts the name of the filters you have applied to the whole report. These are the filters placed in the Global folder in the Filters dialog box. Drill Filters Inserts the name of the filters currently displayed in the drill toolbar. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 587
- 588. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout Example Inserting a query prompt in a report ........................................................... In this example, when you ran a query you were prompted to choose which data you wanted to retrieve from the database. You had to choose the name of the sales representative and the year you wanted the data for. You now want to insert this information into your report to keep track of the data you have retrieved. Here’s how to do it: 1. From the Insert menu, choose Special Field and then Query Prompt. The List of Prompts box opens if there is more than one choice. 2. Choose the prompt Which Salesrep? and click OK. The insert cell cursor is displayed. Insert Cell cursor 3. Click once where you want the query prompt to be displayed. The name of the sales representative is displayed in a new cell. 4. Repeat Step 1 to Step 3 to insert the year you chose when you ran the query. You now have the name of the sales representative, Galager, and the year, FY96, displayed in your report. This information is updated if you run the query again and choose a different sales representative or year. ........................................................... 588 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 589. Using Outline View Using Outline View When you have a report in sections with a lot of information in each section, a convenient way of presenting the report is to use outline view. Outline view folds up the sections in the report to display only the high level information that you’ve included at the top of each section. People viewing your reports can then open up the sections they are interested in to get more details. To turn on outline view: • From the View menu, choose Outline. A bar with arrows is displayed at the left side of the report window. The number of buttons displayed at the bottom of the outline bar depends on the number of sections you have in the report. In the report illustrated below, there is a main section and a City section. Click here to fold or unfold all sections. If you click the S button, the main section is folded to display only the title and logo. If you click the 1 button, all section 1 City sections are folded to display only the section title, the name of the city and the section totals. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 589
- 590. Chapter 24 Formatting Report Layout To view a report in outline view: 1. Click on the Report Manager Map tab. This gives you a list of the sections in the report. 2. Click on the section you want to view in the Report Manager Map list. The high level information for this section is displayed in the Report window. 3. Click on the arrow next to the section name in the Outline bar. The selected section opens up and you can view the details for that section. 590 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 591. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 592 Who should read this chapter 592 ❑ What Are Templates And Standard Report Styles? 593 What is a standard report? 593 What is a template? 594 Setting a default report layout 595 ❑ Customizing Standard Report Styles 596 Editing settings 597 Editing settings and applying to an open report 597 Applying standard report styles 602 Making sure everyone uses the same standard report styles 603 Making sure a template contains the correct standard styles 603 ❑ Using Templates 605 Creating a template 605 Applying a Template 607 Replacing variables in a template with variables from a report 609 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 591
- 592. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Overview This chapter describes how to set up templates and how to customize the standard report styles used to create standard reports. Using templates saves you time if you regularly use the same structure and formatting for your reports. You make the settings once and then re-use them in all your reports. Customizing standard report styles allows you to change the default shading, fonts, and other formatting that BUSINESSOBJECTS uses by default each time you create a standard report or insert a new table, cell, break or other component in an existing report. Who should read this chapter Most of the information in this chapter concerns those users in your company who are designing templates and styles. If you are not designing templates and styles, all you need to know is how to: • apply a template to your report • use a template when you create a new document • apply standard report styles to a report 592 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 593. What Are Templates And Standard Report Styles? What Are Templates And Standard Report Styles? When you create a new document in BUSINESSOBJECTS, you choose the type of report layout your data will be displayed in. You can either generate a standard report or choose from a set of templates. Choose the report layout here. What is a standard report? When you install BUSINESSOBJECTS and create your first standard report, your data is displayed in a table with a report title and has the default application formatting as illustrated below: Free-standing cell Table header Table body Table footer The table header is dark blue, the body cells are pale yellow with text and numbers in Arial size 10 font and black borders. The table footer has a white background and free-standing cells have a black border. Whenever you insert a new table, crosstab or free-standing cell in a report, this default formatting is used. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 593
- 594. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles But what if your company always uses a green header row and different type of borders? Or you want to use a different font? Or you want to have a particular format every time you insert a break in a table or crosstab. Using the Standard Report Styles editor, you can customize and save these attributes so that every time you create a new standard report, or insert a new component in a report, you will have your own colors, fonts, number styles and so on. The settings that define the styles used to create a standard report are contained in a file called default.ret. This file is stored in the BUSINESSOBJECTS template folder. Since the settings used to create a standard report are contained in one file, you can customize these settings once and then distribute this file to all users in the company. Every time a user creates a standard report, the corporate formatting will be used. Note: A standard report does not contain information on page setup such as margin sizes and page orientation. If you want to include this information when you create a new report, use a template. See “Making sure a template contains the correct standard styles” on page 603 for more information. What is a template? A standard report does not contain information on page setup or include custom elements such as graphics. A BUSINESSOBJECTS template allows you to do this. A template is a special kind of BUSINESSOBJECTS document that contains pre-defined styles and structure that you use as a foundation to create reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS comes with several templates for you to use and you can also create your own. Your own templates enable you to apply the same customized styles and structure to your reports. For example, if you always display your company's logo in the header of your reports, you can place the logo in the header of a template, then use the template when creating or formatting reports. Templates contain a report structure and styles. You can either use a template when you create a report or you can apply a template to an existing report. Structure The structure of a report defines how the data is presented. Your data can be presented in a crosstab, a column chart, or it can have a master/detail structure for example. When you use a template, the data is displayed in the structure defined in the template using the formatting defined in the template. 594 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 595. What Are Templates And Standard Report Styles? Styles The styles contained in a template define the report page background and the style of the headers and footers. Setting a default report layout You can set default options for the layout you want to use when you create new reports with the New Report wizard. This allows you to always use the same template or to always create a standard report. To do this: 1. From the Tools, choose Options. The Options dialog box opens. 2. Click the New Document tab. 3. Set the required option in the Report Layout section. Prompts you to choose whether you want to use the standard report layout or select a specific template. Displays a screen that allows you to select a template. Always uses the template you select in this list box to create a new report. Always creates a standard report. Tip: If you have set a default universe and template, you can create documents without using the New Report Wizard. When you click the New button or choose New from the File menu, the Query Panel appears. The Classes and Objects list presents the classes and objects of the default universe. When you build the query, the data appears in the layout provided by the default template you set. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 595
- 596. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Customizing Standard Report Styles You customize standard report styles in the Standard Report Styles dialog box. You can open the Standard Report Styles dialog box with or without a BUSINESSOBJECTS document open. To open the Standard Report Styles dialog box: • From the Tools menu, choose Standard Report Styles. The Standard Report Styles dialog box opens: The Standard Report Styles dialog box has two parts: • Report Components The Report Components box on the left-hand side of the dialog box displays a list of the components that make up a report. This includes tables, crosstabs and cells as well as section and page components and breaks. Each component in the list is given a name and is identified by an icon. • Settings tabs When you click on an icon in the list the tabs on the right-hand side of the dialog box display the formatting options that can be set for the selected component. These are the same tabs used on the format dialog boxes. Some icons in the list have a plus sign next to them. Click on the plus sign to expand the list. 596 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 597. Customizing Standard Report Styles What you can change depends on the type of report component. The following buttons are available on the Standard Report Styles dialog box: Click... To... Add Add a break or section level. Delete Remove a break or section level from the list. OK Save the changes you have made and close the dialog box. The changes are saved in the default.ret file. Cancel Close the dialog box without saving any changes you have made. Apply Apply the changes you have made to the active report. This button is not displayed if you do not have a document open. Help Open the on-line Help for a quick explanation of the dialog box options. Note: You cannot set chart attributes in the Standard Report Styles dialog box. Editing settings To edit settings in the Standard Report Styles window: 1. Select the item you want to modify in the Report Component list. The tabs display the formatting options available for the selected item. 2. Make the required settings on the tabs. 3. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog box. Editing settings and applying to an open report If you have a document open and want to apply the changes you have made in the Standard Report Styles window immediately to the active report: • When you have made the required changes in the Standard Styles dialog box, click the Apply button and then the OK button. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 597
- 598. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Tables You can edit the default formatting and page layout options for tables. To edit general settings for tables, select the table icon in the list. General settings include whether to display headers and footers, table orientation and how page breaks are handled. To edit the settings for the different elements that make up a table, click on the plus sign next to the table icon. You can set different formatting for header, body and footer columns and rows. Crosstabs You can edit the default formatting and page layout options for crosstabs. Select the crosstab icon to edit general settings for crosstabs. General settings include whether to display headers and footers and how page breaks are handled. To edit the settings for the different elements that make up a crosstab, click on the plus sign next to the crosstab icon. You can set styles for headers and footers, for the body cells of the crosstab and for the four corners of a crosstab. 598 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 599. Customizing Standard Report Styles Breaks You can edit the settings for breaks you insert in tables and crosstabs. You can define up to nine different break levels with different attributes set for each level. Click on the Breaks icon to edit settings that will apply to all breaks in the report. Click on the Level n icon to edit settings that will apply to all level n breaks in the report. Open the Level n folder and click on Down or Across to edit settings that apply only to the selected item. Adding and deleting break levels When you add a new break level, BUSINESSOBJECTS inserts the new level below the level selected when you click the Add button. The newly inserted break level has the same style settings as the break level under which it is inserted. To add a break level: 1. Select the Break level under which you want to add a break. 2. Click the Add button. A new break level is added to the list. To delete a break level: 1. Select the break level you want to delete in the list. 2. Click the Delete button. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 599
- 600. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Sections You can set different attributes for up to nine different sections in a report. You can set attributes for the cells that are displayed at the top of each section and that contain the master value and for the background shading of the section. Click on the Section icon to edit settings that apply to all the section levels in your report. To edit settings for a particular section, click on the Level n icon and make the required changes. To edit the settings for the different elements that make up a section, click on the plus sign next to the Level n icon to open up the section list. Click on Master Cell to edit settings for the master cell. Click on Section Area to edit the background shading for the selected section. Adding and deleting sections When you add a new section level, BUSINESSOBJECTS inserts the new level below the level selected when you click the Add button. The newly inserted section level has the same style settings as the section level under which it is inserted. To add a section: 1. Select the Section level under which you want to add a section. 2. Click the Add button. A new section is added to the list. To delete a section: 1. Select the section you want to delete in the list. 2. Click the Delete button. 600 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 601. Customizing Standard Report Styles Pages You can edit the background shading for the report page. You can either set the same shading for the whole page or set the shading for the page header, page body and page footer separately. Select the Page icon to set the same shading for all three page elements. To edit the settings for the different elements that make up a page, click on the plus sign next to the page icon. You can set different shading for the page header, the main section (the page body) and the page footer. Free-standing cells Click on the cell icon to edit settings for free-standing cells. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 601
- 602. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Applying standard report styles You can create a new standard report using your custom standard report style settings or you can apply your custom styles to existing reports. You can apply your custom standard report styles to the whole report or to a selected item. Applying standard report styles to the report • From the Format menu, choose Report and then Apply Standard Style. Applying standard report styles to a selected component You may want to only apply a standard report style to a selected table, crosstab or cell, for example. When you apply a standard report style to a selected component, only the formatting attributes are applied. The pagination and break settings are ignored so that your report layout is not disorganized. 1. Make sure the Report Manager window is open. 2. Click on the Map tab. 3. Click the Structure option button. A list of all the components in the report is displayed. 4. Right-click on the component you want to apply the standard report style to. 5. Choose Apply Standard Style from the menu. Tip: For a section or cell, you can right-click on the component you want to apply the standard report style to and choose Apply Standard Style from the menu. 602 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 603. Customizing Standard Report Styles Making sure everyone uses the same standard report styles Any changes you make to the standard report style settings are saved in the default.ret file. This allows you to customize the standard report styles once using your corporate formatting and then distribute the default.ret file to all users in a company via the repository. To do this: 1. Edit and save the standard report styles on your computer. 2. Make sure all users in the company are using the same default.ret file. There are several ways of doing this: • send the default.ret file to all users and have them copy it into their BUSINESSOBJECTS template folder • change the template folder location to point to the folder containing the customized default.ret file; you can also do this during installation • use a master/ shared installation A word about the default.ret file If BUSINESSOBJECTS cannot find the default.ret file, it will re-create one using the default application settings and the standard report created may not reflect any changes you have made. Make sure the default.ret is in the Template folder in the BUSINESSOBJECTS folder. If you have changed the default location of your templates in your BUSINESSOBJECTS options, make sure the default.ret file is in this folder. Making sure a template contains the correct standard styles To make sure that the standard styles you want to use are saved in a template, apply these styles to a report before saving it as a template: 1. Make all your required formatting settings in the Standard Report Styles window and save. 2. Create a Standard report using these settings or apply the new standard styles to an existing report. 3. Set up the report page layout, margins, and add any other elements you want to include in the template. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 603
- 604. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles 4. Save this report as a template in the folder where your BUSINESSOBJECTS templates are saved. You can now use this template to create new reports. Note: The standard report styles saved with this template are the ones set at the time of creating the template. This means that if, at a later date, you change settings in the Standard Report Styles window, the styles saved in the template will not be the same. 604 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 605. Using Templates Using Templates You can use a template in the following situations: • When creating a report. The New Report Wizard includes a dialog box that enables you to view and select the template you want to use. The styles and structure of the template are applied to the new report. • When formatting an existing report. When you apply a template you can choose to apply the template styles only, or to apply the styles and the structure. If you choose to apply the styles and the structure, you can also manually replace certain variables in the template with certain variables from the report. Note: Universe Designers can apply formats (Alignment, Font, Border, Shading) to objects when creating universes. These formats are used even if you use a template with different formats. If you are designing templates, we recommend you talk to the person designing universes in the company to make sure you are using the same formats. Creating a template Set up the report you want to use as a template with all the required formatting, margin settings etc. 1. Make sure the report that you want to use as a template is active. 2. Choose Save As from the File menu. The Save Document As dialog box appears. 3. Click the Save as type box, then click BusinessObjects Templates (*.ret). 4. Select the folder in which you want to save the template. If you want the template to be available in the New Report Wizard, you must save it in the Template folder in the BUSINESSOBJECTS folder. 5. Type the name of the template in the File Name box, then click OK. Templates are saved as .ret files. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 605
- 606. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles Changing the default template folder To set a default folder other than Template in which to save your templates 1. From the Tools menu choose Options. 2. Click on the File Location tab. 3. Click User Templates. 4. Click the Browse button to select the folder you want to use. 606 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 607. Using Templates Applying a Template You can quickly format an existing report by applying a template. 1. Display the report you want to format. 2. From the Format menu, choose Report then Apply Template. The Apply a Template dialog box appears: 3. Select a template from the Available Templates list. Note: If the template you want to use is located in a folder other than the one set in the File Locations tab on the Options dialog box, click Browse. A dialog box appears, and enables you to select the folder where the template is located. 4. The next step depends on what you want to do: If you want to... Click... Then... Apply the template styles and OK. BUSINESSOBJECTS structure to the report applies the template to the report. Choose what to apply from the Options. The Template Options template to the report dialog box opens. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 607
- 608. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles 5. In the Template Options dialog box, click Apply Only the Style if you want to apply the page background and header/footer contained in the template. Only the options in the Page Options section are now available: 6. If you do not want to apply the background or header/footer, deselect Apply Template Background and Apply Template Header and Footer, respectively. 7. Click Apply Structure and Style if you want to apply the template's style and its structure (blocks, sections) to the report. This option: • Activates the options in the Structure box. • Enables you to replace variables in the template with variables from the report. For information on how to do this, refer to “Replacing variables in a template with variables from a report” on page 609. 8. Click OK, then click Apply or OK in the Apply a Template dialog box. Note: You cannot apply templates created using BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 to reports created using BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.x and vice versa. 608 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 609. Using Templates Replacing variables in a template with variables from a report When you apply a template, by default BUSINESSOBJECTS chooses how to place the variables in the report into the template structure. You can also choose manually how you want to map variables in the report to variables in the template structure. To do so: 1. From an open a report, choose Apply Template from the Format menu. The Apply a Template dialog box appears. 2. Click the Options The Template Options dialog box appears. 3. Click Apply Structure and Style. The options in the Structure box are now active. 4. Uncheck Replace Variables Automatically, then click Define. The Replace Variables dialog box appears. 5. In the Report Variables box, click the report variable you want to map to the template variable. 6. In the Template Variables box, click the template variable to be replaced by the report variable, then click Replace. The variable from the report appears in the Template Variables box: Here, the user has replaced Customer with Region. Region will appear in the report where Customer appears in the template. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 609
- 610. Chapter 25 Templates and Standard Report Styles 7. Repeat step 6 to replace other variables, then click OK. To undo a replacement, click the variable in the Template Variables box, then click Remove. 8. In the Template Options dialog box, click OK. You return to the Apply a Template dialog box. 9. Click Apply or OK. BUSINESSOBJECTS applies the template to the report. 610 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 611. Chapter 26 Including Graphics and Other Data Objects ................................................................................. In this chapter ❑ Overview 612 ❑ Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications 613 Inserting Data and Pictures from Other Applications 613 Editing Inserted OLE 2 Objects 616 ❑ Using Pictures in Reports 618 Inserting a Picture in a Cell 618 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 611
- 612. Chapter 26 Including Graphics and Other Data Objects Overview BUSINESSOBJECTS is open to working with data from and in other applications. This means that you can bring in data and pictures from other Windows applications, and display these in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. You can also transfer data from BUSINESSOBJECTS reports to other applications, such as Microsoft Excel. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports Microsoft Object Linking and Embedding version 2 (OLE 2). This feature creates objects from files that come from other applications that also support OLE 2. An OLE 2 object can be a word processing file, a spreadsheet, a picture, and so on. You can embed an OLE 2 object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report, which means that the object physically resides in the report. You can also link OLE 2 objects, which means that the data or picture remains in its native application and is displayed in BUSINESSOBJECTS thanks to a dynamic link. Finally, you can link or embed BUSINESSOBJECTS reports in other applications that support OLE 2. BUSINESSOBJECTS also supports the Microsoft Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) feature. This feature enables you to use data from BUSINESSOBJECTS reports in other applications. DDE ensures that the data in the remote application is dynamically updated when the data in the host application, i.e., BUSINESSOBJECTS, changes. Note: You can also exchange data from BUSINESSOBJECTS with other applications by exporting data to different file formats. For example, you can export the results of a query to dBASE or Microsoft Excel format. To find out about exporting data to different file formats see Chapter 8 "Exporting Data From BusinessObjects" on page 171. 612 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 613. Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications You can use data and pictures from other applications in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The data and pictures you can use are objects that you or other users created in remote applications. For example, a Microsoft Word document is an object that you can insert in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report. Inserting Data and Pictures from Other Applications Object Linking and Embedding (OLE 2), developed by Microsoft Corporation, enables you to share data and pictures between Windows applications. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports OLE 2, which means that you can insert OLE 2 objects inside BUSINESSOBJECTS reports, and use BUSINESSOBJECTS reports as OLE 2 objects in other applications. When you link or embed an object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report, you display an object from a remote application. The differences between linking and embedding are as follows: • When you create a link, the object does not physically reside in the BUSINESSOBJECTS report. It is represented there, but, thanks to the link, it remains in its native application. The link between the object’s native application and BUSINESSOBJECTS updates the object’s representation in the BUSINESSOBJECTS report. For example, if you insert a picture with a link, then modify the picture in its native application, you also modify the picture in BUSINESSOBJECTS. • When you embed an object, it physically resides in BUSINESSOBJECTS. To insert an object in a report, you must first select a cell. If you do not select a cell, BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to insert a cell in the active section and displays the object in the cell. You insert objects in reports by using the Object command on the Insert menu. When you select this command, the Insert Object dialog box appears. This dialog box enables you to: • Select the file that corresponds to the object that you want to insert. • Start a remote application, for example Microsoft Word, in which you can create an object to insert. The following sections describe these ways of inserting objects. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 613
- 614. Chapter 26 Including Graphics and Other Data Objects To create a new object to insert 1. Click the cell where you want the object to appear, then select the Object command from the Insert menu. 2. In the Insert Object dialog box that appears, click the Create New option button. 3. Click the type of object you want to create from the Object type list, as shown: Click Display Icon to display the object as an icon in the report. You open the object by double-clicking its icon. Information on the object type you select appears here. 4. Click OK. Depending on the type of object you want to create, one of two things now occurs: • If the application you use to create the object supports OLE 2, the application now appears in the cell you selected. The application’s name replaces BUSINESSOBJECTS in the title bar, and the application’s menus appear. • If the application does not support OLE 2, it opens on top of the BUSINESSOBJECTS window. 5. Create the object in the remote application. 6. To return to BUSINESSOBJECTS: • If the remote application supports OLE 2, you simply have to click outside it. • If the application does not support OLE 2, select the Exit command. The object appears in the cell you selected. 614 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 615. Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications To insert an existing object 1. Select the cell where you want the object to appear, then select the Object command from the Insert menu. 2. In the Insert Object dialog box that appears, click the Create from File option button. 3. To locate the file (object) you want to insert, type a path in the File text box, or click Browse to select the file. 4. Click Link if you want to link the object. If you do not click Link, you embed the object in the report. 5. Click OK to close the dialog box. The object appears in the cell you selected. Note: If you do not select a cell before selecting the Object command on the Insert menu, BUSINESSOBJECTS invites you to create a new cell in which the object will appear. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 615
- 616. Chapter 26 Including Graphics and Other Data Objects Editing Inserted OLE 2 Objects Once you have inserted an object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report, you can edit the object. You can: • Edit the object itself by calling the application in which it was created. You can then work on the object’s file, then save it. The new version of the object is displayed in BUSINESSOBJECTS. • Edit the link between BUSINESSOBJECTS and the object’s source file. This is the case for objects that you insert with a link, rather than objects that you embed. You must edit the link if, for example, the object’s file is moved to a different location. If you do not, the link is lost and the object is no longer displayed in the report. These two ways of editing objects are described in the following section. Editing an inserted object OLE 2 enables you to edit an object “in place”. This means that you can edit the object without leaving BUSINESSOBJECTS. This feature is only available if the application in which the object was created supports OLE 2. If in-place editing is not available, you can open the object in its native application. You can then edit the object, save its file, and return to BUSINESSOBJECTS, where the edited object is displayed. To edit an object in place When you edit an object in place, the commands and toolbars you need to edit the object appear in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The application name in the title bar changes from BUSINESSOBJECTS to the name of the remote application. To edit an object in place, you can: • Double-click the object in the report. • Click the object, then select the Object>Edit command from the Edit menu or the Edit Object command from the popup menu. A hatched border appears around the object. When you have finished editing the object, click anywhere outside the object’s borders to return to the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface, and save the active document. 616 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 617. Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications To edit an object in its native application If the object’s application does not support in-place editing, you must open the application when you want to edit the object. To do so: • Double-click the object. • Click the object, then select the Object>Open command from the Edit menu, or the Open Object command from the popup menu. The object appears in its native application. To return to BUSINESSOBJECTS when you have finished editing the object, save the file and exit the application. The edited object appears in the report. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 617
- 618. Chapter 26 Including Graphics and Other Data Objects Using Pictures in Reports You can display pictures in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. You can display a picture in a cell, or use a picture as a page background on every page of the report. The pictures that you use can be static files, or they can be objects enabled by OLE 2 (Object Linking and Embedding). Inserting a Picture in a Cell This section describes how to insert static pictures in report cells. Examples of inserting static pictures in cells include using a logo in a title cell at the top of a report, or a picture of a product that features in a report. To insert a static picture in a cell: 1. If you want to insert the picture in a new cell, click in a blank part of the report. Select the Picture command on the Insert menu, then click in a blank part of the report once again. Hold down your mouse button, then drag the mouse to draw the cell in which the picture will appear. If you want to insert the picture in an existing cell, click inside it, then select the Picture command on the Insert menu. The Open dialog box appears. 2. Select the picture’s file, then click Open. The picture appears in the cell. You can also insert a picture by double-clicking inside a cell and typing the picture’s path and file name (e.g., c:picturespicture.bmp). Then, click inside the cell and select the Cell command on the Format menu. In the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, select the Image category and Bitmap or TIFF format. When you click OK or Apply, the picture appears in the cell. 618 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 619. Part VII Appendix www.businessobjects.com/services/infocenter
- 621. Appendix A Launching BusinessObjects with the Run Command ................................................................................. In this appendix ❑ Overview 622 ❑ Using the Run Command 622 Run Command Options 623 Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables 624 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 621
- 622. Appendix A Overview This appendix explains how to run BUSINESSOBJECTS by using the Run command on Windows. You can use the Run command as an alternative way of double- clicking the BUSINESSOBJECTS icon. You can also specify command line options such as your user name, password and other options. Using the Run Command The following procedure describes how to launch BUSINESSOBJECTS by using the Run command. The options you can include in the Run command are listed and explained in “Run Command Options” below. 1. Click the Start button, then click the Run command. The Run dialog box appears. 2. In the Open text box, enter the path to the BUSINESSOBJECTS executable file (Busobj.exe). By default, this file is located in the BusinessObjects folder. You can click Browse to specify the path, rather than type it. 3. Click OK. The User Identification dialog box appears. 4. Enter the user name and password that your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor provided, then click OK. The BUSINESSOBJECTS application is now launched. 622 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 623. Using the Run Command Run Command Options You can use Run command options to log in to BUSINESSOBJECTS with your user name and password. The table below describes the options that you can use. Option Description -user [user The user name assigned to you by your supervisor. User name] names that include spaces must be written in double quotes, e.g., “user name”. -pass The password assigned to you by your supervisor. This [password] option is mandatory if you enter the -user option. Passwords that include spaces must be written in double quotes, e.g., “my password”. -online or By default, the last connection mode of the specified user, or -offline “online” the first time you launch BUSINESSOBJECTS. Offline mode disconnects you from the repository and therefore disables remote connections during your work session. repname.rep The name of the document that you wish to work with on launching BUSINESSOBJECTS. You must include the path to this file, for example: c:BusinessObjectsuserdocssales.rep -keyfile [keyfile If you are working with multiple repositories, specifies the name] repository you want to work with. -nologo Runs BUSINESSOBJECTS without showing the logo screen. -vars myfile.txt Name of a text file in which variables are specified. You can specify BOUSER and BOPASS, which manage your access to BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can also declare your own variables in the file. For more information on these variables, refer to “Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables” below. Tip: In the file you declare after the -vars option, you can also specify the variables such as DBUSER, DBPASSWORD and DBDSN. (The names of such variables depend on the database at your site). These variables can be used to define a restriction on an object, for example. For further information on these variables, refer to “BUSINESSOBJECTS Variables” in the Database Guide included in your BUSINESSOBJECTS package. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 623
- 624. Appendix A Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables You can use the BOUSER and BOPASS variables to manage your access to BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can specify the values of these variables in the Run command, or in a file that you call from the Run command. Other variables can be declared in this file. BOUSER and BOPASS When the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor creates users, he or she assigns each one a user name and password. The user’s name and password are stored on the repository. When you log in to BUSINESSOBJECTS in online mode, which is the default working mode, BUSINESSOBJECTS connects to the repository and reads your security information. Your user name and password are then written to either the objects.lsi file or the objects.ssi file, located in either the ShData folder or the LocData folder. Once you have launched BUSINESSOBJECTS in online mode, you can use the BOUSER and BOPASS variables in the Run command. You can: • Declare the value of the variables after -user and -pass. For example, if your supervisor assigned you the user name JOHN and the password SMITH, you can write the following command: c:BusinessObjectsBusobj.exe -user JOHN -pass SMITH • Declare the variables and their values in a text file in the BusinessObjects folder. Then, in the Run command, you specify the file name after the -vars option. For example, if your supervisor assigned you the user name JOHN and the password SMITH, you create a .txt file (myfile.txt) in which you specify: BOUSER=JOHN BOPASS=SMITH You can now use the following Run command: c:BusinessObjectsBusobj.exe -vars myfile.txt Note: User names and passwords that contain spaces must be written in double quotes, e.g., “user name”. You must use upper-case characters when specifying the variables that manage security, as in the example above. 624 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 625. Using the Run Command Other variables you can specify in a file In the .txt file that you declare after the -vars option, you can specify other variables that you work with in BUSINESSOBJECTS. For example, if you have created a variable that displays a prompt when a query is run, you can specify this variable’s value in the .txt file. The syntax is as follows: VARIABLENAME=VALUE BusinessObjects User’s Guide 625
- 626. Appendix A 626 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 627. Appendix B BusinessObjects and Visual Basic for Applications ................................................................................. In this appendix ❑ Overview 629 What is a macro? 629 What is an add-in? 629 What about the scripts I used in BusinessObjects 4.1? 629 ❑ Using Macros 630 Running a macro 630 Using the Visual Basic toolbar 631 ❑ Using Add-Ins 633 Installing an add-in 633 Using an add-in 634 Uninstalling an add-in 634 Exchanging add-ins with other users 634 ❑ Converting Scripts to Macros 635 To convert a script 635 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 627
- 628. Appendix B ❑ Using the Visual Basic Editor 637 Running Visual Basic Editor 637 628 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 629. Overview Overview You can customize BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.x using the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications programming language. BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.x has a Visual Basic Editor that you can use to develop macros, add-ins and VBA data providers. The Visual Basic Editor is the standard Microsoft VBA editor that you may already be familiar with if you use Microsoft Office products. This chapter describes how to use macros and add-ins in BUSINESSOBJECTS. For information on building VBA data providers, see “Using Visual Basic for Applications Procedures” on page 140. What is a macro? A macro is a series of commands and functions that are stored in a Visual Basic for Applications module and can be run whenever you need to perform the task. If you perform a task repeatedly, you can automate the task with a macro.You create macros using the Visual Basic Editor. What is an add-in? Add-ins are programs that add optional commands and features to BUSINESSOBJECTS. Add-ins are usually created by those responsible in your company for adding customized features to BUSINESSOBJECTS. All you probably need to do is install and uninstall add-ins that are sent to you. Before you can use an add-in, you must install it on your computer and then load it in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Add-ins (*.rea files) are installed by default in the UserDocs folder in the BUSINESSOBJECTS folder. Loading an add-in makes the feature available in BUSINESSOBJECTS and adds any associated commands to the appropriate menus. Unloading an add-in removes its features and commands from BUSINESSOBJECTS, but the add-in program remains on your computer so you can easily load it again. You can use your own Visual Basic for Applications programs as custom add-ins. For information about making a Visual Basic for Applications program an add- in, see the BUSINESSOBJECTS SDK Reference Guide. What about the scripts I used in BusinessObjects 4.1? The scripts that you created using the ReportScript programming language can be automatically converted into Visual Basic macros by BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.x. See “Converting Scripts to Macros” on page 635 for information on how to do this. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 629
- 630. Appendix B Using Macros Macros are created and stored inside BUSINESSOBJECTS documents (.rep files) or BUSINESSOBJECTS add-ins (.rea files). You can run macros either from the Macros dialog box or from the Visual Basic toolbar if macros have been assigned to the macro buttons. Running a macro 1. From the Tools menu, choose Macro and then Macros or click the Macros button on the Visual Basic toolbar. The Macros dialog box opens. 2. From the Macros in: list box, choose the documents where the macros are stored. You can display the macros available in the active document, all macros in all open documents, macros in a selected open document or macros in add-ins. The macros stored in the selected document(s) are displayed in the Macro Name list. 3. Select the name of the macro you want to use and click Run. 630 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 631. Using Macros Using the Visual Basic toolbar To open the Visual Basic toolbar: • Right-click on any other open toolbar and choose Visual Basic from the menu. a b c a. Opens the macros dialog box b. Opens the Visual Basic Editor c. Buttons 1-5 run the macros that have been assigned to them Associating a macro to a toolbar button 1. From the Tools menu, choose Options. The Options dialog box opens. 2. Click the Macro tab. 3. Click check box 1 to activate the first button on the Visual Basic toolbar. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 631
- 632. Appendix B 4. Click the button to the right of the Macro Name box. The Macros dialog box opens. 5. Click on the macro you want to use from the list and click the Select button. The name the macro is displayed in the Macro Name box. 6. In the Tooltip box, type the tooltip that you want to use for the macro. The tooltip appears when you rest the cursor over the button on the Visual Basic toolbar. 632 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 633. Using Add-Ins Using Add-Ins BUSINESSOBJECTS add-ins are Visual Basic for Applications programs that add optional commands and features to BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can distribute add-ins you have created to other users and retrieve and use add-ins that others have created. Installing an add-in 1. From the Tools menu, choose Add-Ins. The Add-Ins dialog box opens. The check mark shows that this add-in has been installed No check mark shows that this add-in is on the computer but not installed 2. Click the Browse button to locate and open the add-ins on your computer. The Add-Ins Available box displays the list of available add-ins. There are two types of add-ins that you may see in this dialog box: those that are available and those that have been installed. You cannot use an add-in until it has been installed. 3. Click the check box next to the name of the add-in and click OK. The add-in is installed and can now be used. Note: When a user installs an add-in, it is only installed for that user. If that user logs on under a different name, the add-in will not be available. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 633
- 634. Appendix B Using an add-in You can run an installed add-in from the Macros dialog box, or you can associate it with a button on the Visual Basic toolbar. Uninstalling an add-in 1. Click the check box next to the add-in name in the Add-Ins dialog box to remove the check mark 2. Click OK. The add-in features and commands are removed from BUSINESSOBJECTS, but the add-in program remains on your computer so you can easily load it again if you want to use it. Exchanging add-ins with other users You can send and retrieve add-ins (.rea files) in the same way you can send and retrieve BUSINESSOBJECTS documents. 634 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 635. Converting Scripts to Macros Converting Scripts to Macros In BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1, you could create scripts to automate tasks using the ReportScript programming language. This programming language has been replaced in BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.x by the Visual Basic programming language. BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.x can convert your SBL scripts into Visual Basic (VBA) macros which you can then run from the Macros dialog box. The script is converted in the following way: • Dialogs are converted to a VBA form. • The code logic is converted to a VBA module. • SBL specific functions and instructions are declared in an extra module. To convert a script 1. From the Tools menu, choose Macro then Convert from ReportScript. The Open dialog box is displayed. By default, the Scripts folder is open and a list of available scripts is displayed. 2. Select the script you want to convert. 3. In the Convert in: list box, choose where you want the converted macro to be saved. You can convert the macro in the active document or in a new document. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 635
- 636. Appendix B 4. Click Import. The script is converted. Note: The macro may sometimes need some slight tweaking in the Visual Basic Editor after conversion to get it to work correctly. For information on how to do this, see the BUSINESSOBJECTS SDK Reference Guide. 636 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 637. Using the Visual Basic Editor Using the Visual Basic Editor You can open the Visual Basic Editor directly from BUSINESSOBJECTS to create macros and programs to use in BUSINESSOBJECTS. This development environment has its own set of online Help files. Running Visual Basic Editor To open the Visual Basic Editor: • Click the Visual Basic Editor button on the Visual Basic toolbar. Visual Basic Editor The Visual Basic development environment opens up. Programming in Visual Basic requires knowledge of the programming environment and this is covered in the BUSINESSOBJECTS SDK Reference Guide. BusinessObjects User’s Guide 637
- 638. Appendix B 638 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 639. Index ####### 384 using Z-axis 408 deleting 278 #ALERTER 384 3-D charts hiding and displaying 277 #COMPUTATION 336, 370–373 building from 2-D charts 509 switching on and off 276 cumulative aggregations 371– formatting the 3-D view 427 aligning 373 formatting walls and floor 426 axis labels 431 examples 372, 374 moving data between X-, Z- blocks 555 in break footer 372, 374 axis 511 cell contents 545 non-aggregate formulas 374 using Z-axis 409, 426 cells 555 solution for reset contexts 373 3-D matrix charts analyzing data #DICT.ERROR 385 working with in slice-and-dice BUSINESSMINER 454 #DIV/0 386 mode 507–511 defining scope of analysis 65 #EMPTY 569 3-D view dimension objects 65 #ERROR 387 formatting 427 drilling across 465 #IERR 389–391 drilling down 463–470 in complex aggregate formulas A drilling through to database 390 accelerator keys 186 480 in formulas combining across edge drilling up 465 measures and dimensions 389 of crosstab 219, 532 hierarchies 65 in formulas using WHERE 391 sorts 265 in drill mode 459 #MULTIVALUE 376–384 Across tab in slice-and-dice mode 494– aggregations 376–378 breaks 284 516 applying a sort 395 adding preparing for drill mode 462 examples 377, 379, 381 breaks 283 Slice and Dice Panel, in break headers and footers columns to tables, crosstabs illustrated 495 379 233 switching to drill mode 462 in sections 381 filters 255 switching to slice-and-dice #OVERFLOW 392 rows to crosstabs 233 mode 494 #SYNTAX 392, 393 sorts 266 and #UNKNOWN 393 add-ins 629 operator on query panel 105, & operator 330 installing 633 106 .bqy file extension 214 running 634 Apply Standard Style .html file extension 211 uninstalling 634 command 602 .pdf file extension 212 Adjust Scale to Value Range applying .rea file extension 629 option 433 predefined conditions 68 .rep file extension 210 ADO 140 ranking 268 .rtf file extension 211 aggregate simple query conditions 70 .txt file extension 211 functions 326 sorts in reports 261 @prompt 131, 132 aggregation, defined 363 sorts on query objects 71 @variable 132 alerters 273 standard report styles 602 2000 #ALERTER 384 value-based breaks 289 year 176, 189 and custom sorts 263 area charts 2-D charts copying 277 formatting 423 building 3-D charts from 509 creating 273 argument formatting line charts 423 VBA 142 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 639
- 640. Index ascending sorts and input contexts 340 showing headers and footers on data 260 defined 365 284 on query objects 71 dimensions in 341 value-based breaks 284, 289 AutoFormats, for charts 406 in crosstabs 219 BUSINESSMINER 454 automation selecting crosstab body 534 BusinessObjects object, VBA 140 selecting table body 533 and zero administration 32 autoscale BOPASS 624 demo database, universe, setting on 3-D charts 427 borders reports 30, 55 average applying to chart walls 426 installing via CD 38 rolling, calculating 329 borders toolbar 548 installing via Internet browser Avoid Duplicate Rows Aggregation formatting cell borders 548 38 table option 531 formatting chart borders 417 starting from InfoView 181 axes formatting crosstab borders what does it do 26 formatting 429–431 525 what’s new 31 formatting numbers on 430 formatting section borders 525 zero admin 32 hiding 440 formatting table borders 525 BusinessObjects 3.1 axis labels both upgrading 31 applying line styles 431 operator on query panel 94 BusinessObjects 4.1 applying text formats 431 BOUSER 624 upgrading 31 applying tick marks 431 breaks 291 viewing documents 31, 188 changing orientation 431 #COMPUTATION in footer BusinessObjects documentation defining scale 431 372, 374 xvi–xxi formatting 429–431 #MULTIVALUE in header or BusinessMiner Tutorial xviii illustrated 429 footer 379 documentation service on the adding 283 web xvi B and Rank() function 354 Error Message Guide xx back wall applying in slice-and-dice guides in PDF xix on 3-D chart, formatting 426 mode 516 multimedia presentations xvii background applying on different variable obtaining more information color, setting 419 284 xxi shading, making transparent applying on more than one online help xxi 419 variable 284 Quick Tour xvii, xviii between Breaks dialog box, illustrated BusinessQuery operator on query panel 94 284 documents, saving in blank reports center across break 546 BusinessObjects 214 creating 194 changing break level 284 saving documents in block custom 289 BusinessQuery format 213 chart, formatting 417 defined 282 chart, resizing 419 editing 283, 284 C blocks folding 286 calculations aligning 555 inserting 284 applying in slice-and-dice deleting 513 managing over multiple pages mode 515 formatting 520 291 count 292 formatting borders 525 on Across tab 284 count all 292 moving 557 on Down tab 284 deleting from tables, crosstabs moving between sections 557 opening Breaks dialog box 283 294 positioning 553 page 576 dragging-and-dropping 298 renaming 513 removing 283, 284 on query panel 96 resetting 513 setting standard report style rolling average 329 setting conditions to hide 563 599 toolbar 294 body 533 using functions in 326 640 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 641. Index using in query conditions 98 data series 423 introduction 56 using on charts 450 deleting 449 opening in Query Panel 62 variance 292 displaying a legend 436 sub-classes 62 writing formulas 310 displaying data labels 439 clearing categories displaying gridlines 440 master cells in master/detail assigning to documents 202 displaying tables, crosstabs as reports 248 creating 202 513 client/server defined 198 displaying tick marks 431 connection 182 using to find documents 199 displaying title 435 collapsing CD drilling on 468 measures 477 installing BusinessObjects floor 426 colors from 38 formatting 415 applying to cell backgrounds cells formatting 3-D view 427 550 adding hyperlinks to 542 formatting axes 429–431 applying to cell borders 548 aligning 555 formatting axis labels 429–431 applying to charts 423 aligning contents 545 formatting axis styles 431 column charts combining data in 330 formatting chart block 417 displaying negative values copying formatting only 535 formatting data labels 439 424 editing free-standing 238 hiding 561 formatting columns 423 formatting 550 hiding axes 440 setting column overlap 424 formatting backgrounds 550 inserting data labels 438 setting gap between columns formatting borders 548 making calculations 450 424 free-standing 236 matrix 407 columns hiding 561 plot area 417 adding to tables, crosstabs 233 indenting content 546 positioning 553 hiding 272 inserting 233, 236 removing data labels 439 inserting 233, 236 inserting pictures 618 reorganizing data on axes 407 naming 233 master 240 repeat on every page 417 resizing 234, 528 merging 546 repeat on new page 575 selecting 232 moving 557 resizing 419 selecting in tables and positioning 553 selecting chart elements 416 crosstabs 231 repeat on every page 575 selecting to resize 419 table and crosstab, copying resizing 528 setting chart type 443 223 selecting 232 switching between chart types table and crosstab, deleting setting conditions to hide 563 406 225 setting standard report styles tick marks 429 table and crosstab, swapping 601 turning to tables, crosstabs 221 start on new page 575 405, 513 combined wrapping contents 547 types, illustrated 401 queries 77, 109 character using groups 442 queries, maximum number of functions 326 using Insert Chart Wizard 403 112 chart legend key using preset formats 406 queries, restrictions on 112 formatting 438 walls 423 command charts what elements make a chart run line options 623 adjust scale to value range 433 415 complex autoformatting 404 X-axis 429 filters 257 avoiding page breaks in 417 XY scatter 423 query conditions 91, 93 axis labels 429 Y-axis 429 query conditions, editing 98 changing data labels 439 Z-axis 426 COMPUTE creating 403 classes statement 121, 128 creating from tables 404 defined 27, 54 Concatenation() BusinessObjects User’s Guide 641
- 642. Index function 330 and pasting data from showing headers and footers conditional BUSINESSOBJECTS 172 529 formatting 561 and pasting data to an Office start on new page 575 conditions application 172 turning to charts 513 multiple 77 cell formatting 223 working with in slice-and-dice using to hide report tables and crosstabs 234 mode 507–511 components 563 count cumulative aggregations 371–373 conditions on queries 68–71 calculation 292 defined 363, 371 applying calculations 99 count all example of #COMPUTATION applying predefined calculation 292 372 conditions 68 creating example with reset context applying simple conditions 70 alerters 273 348 applying with a subquery 102 blank reports 194 solution for #COMPUTATION complex 91, 93 personal categories 202 373 complex, deleting 98 queries 58–73 currency complex, editing 98 reports 194 default format and regional complex, tips 96 crosstabs settings 189 defined 68 across edge 219 editing conversion rates 303 deleting 71, 108 across edge display 532 euro 299 predefined 91 adding cells, columns, rows to formatting numbers as 300 selecting different values for 233 ISO labels 302 simple conditions 70 and rank function 357 style 538 simple 91 and reset contexts 350 Current using a subquery 101 body, illustrated 219 date and time command 584 using groups of 105 building from tables 509 CurrentPage using lists of values 70 building using drag and drop keyword 359 connection 226 custom client/server 182 copying 234 breaks 289 creating for free-hand SQL 129 deleting 234 hierarchies 483 to databases 41 deleting calculations from 294 sorts 260 web 182 dialog box for pivoting data customizing contexts 272 block background shading defined 365 displaying charts as 405, 513 419 different contexts in a report down edge 219 breaks on data 289 341 down edge display 532 sorts in reports 260 input 339, 345 editing 230 SQL scripts 131 output 339, 345 formatting corners 527 standard report styles 596 reset 371 hiding 561 context-sensitive illustrated 219 D menus 186 insert wizard 228 DAO 140 conversion rates inserting 226 data viewing for euros 302 moving data between columns, accessing using VBA 140 Convert from ReportScript rows 511 adding to tables 224 command 635 positioning 553 combining in cells 330 converting repeat on every page 575 DDE see dynamic data scripts to macros 635 selecting 231 exchange to and from euros 300 setting standard report style dragging and dropping 227 Copy All command (Edit menu) 598 from different sources in 173 showing additional header different blocks 150 copying information 532 from different sources in same alerters 277 block 152 642 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 643. Index hiding 272 VBA 140 file, distributing 603 highlighting 273 VBA procedures, defined 40 file, location 603 incompatible types 332 why rename 165 Define As Variable limiting amount retrieved 105 data series command 318, 343 linking from different sources defined 423 defining input and output contexts 150 formatting on charts 423 346 making calculations in reports data sources defining reset contexts 349 292 accessing 149 defining sort priority in queries 72 moving from axis to axis on and data providers 149 deleting charts 410 combining 150 alerters 278 pivoting on charts 407 linking 150 blocks 513 qualifying for drill mode 487 supported 149 calculations from tables, removing from chart display synchronizing 150 crosstabs 294 411 Data tab categories 203 data labels Report Manager 190 charts 449 changing 439 database complex query conditions 98 deleting 439 connections 41 data from charts 411 displaying on chart 439 drilling through to 480 data providers 169 formatting 438, 439 multidimensional 38 link between data providers on chart, illustrated 438 relational 38 161 data provider dates master/detail cells and functions 326 applying formats to cell sections 246 data providers contents 538 number and date formats 541 building queries 58–73 combining with text in cells query conditions 71 cancelling 51 332 query condtions 108 deleting 169 custom formats 540 reports 195 deleting link 161 deleting formats 541 subquery 104 editing 50 FormatDate() function 332 table and crosstab columns examples of names 165 formatting 538, 541 225 explained 27 functions 326 table and crosstab rows 225 free-hand SQL 126 inserting in reports 584 tables and crosstabs 234 free-hand SQL, defined 39, 42 days variables and formulas 325 getting statistics on 168 sorting 262 delimiters linked and compatibility rules sorting chronologically 260 and personal data files 138 153 dBASE 137 displaying 556 linking 156, 159 files, accessing data from 139 displaying margin 556 linking data from different DBDSN 623 displaying section 556 sources 150 DBPASSWORD 623 in lists of values 87 linking dimensions 157 DBUSER 623 section 245 new 50 DDE 176 demo database, universe, reports OLAP server, defined 40, 42 DDE see dynamic data exchange 30, 55 personal data files, defined decimal demo kit 39, 42 scale on charts 432 eFashion 30 purging 169 default depth queries, defined 39, 42 file extension for documents setting on 3-D charts 427 renaming 165 210 descending sorts stored procedures 121 file locations 203 on data 260 stored procedures, defined scope of analysis 66 on query objects 71 39, 42 universe, setting 47 Designer types of 38 default.ret BusinessObjects 27, 54 updating 205 file, about 594 detail objects 57 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 643
- 644. Index Developer Suite xvi breaks 284 E different from DpVBAInterface 140 editing 322 operator on query panel 93 drag-and-drop blocks 230 operator, tips for using 97 moving blocks 557 breaks 283, 284 different from pattern moving cells 557 data providers 50 operator on query panel 94 moving cells, columns, rows euro conversion information dimension objects 57, 65 227 303 dimensions 337 drill filters 254 defined 363 filters, inserting as title 490 free-standing cells 238 hiding 394 toolbar 464, 473 hierarchies 483 linking data providers 157 drill by OLE 2 objects 616 display command 465 page backgrounds 571 across edge 532 Drill Filters 587 ranking 270 down edge 532 drill mode SQL scripts 128 setting workspace size 187 bringing in new data 479, 480 eFashion 57 displaying custom hierarchies 483 demo kit 30 alerters 277 drill button 462 demo materials 30 chart title 435 drill by 466 elevation data in reports using slice-and- drill through 480 setting on 3-D charts 427 dice mode 512 drilling across 465 eliminating duplicate rows returned data labels on charts 439 drilling down 463–470 by query 72 gridlines on charts 440 drilling on multiple hierarchies email page numbers in reports 584 469 addresses, adding links from Report Manager 190 drilling up 465 reports 542 reports inside documents 195 explained 459 data, accessing using VBA 142 section header and footer 523 inserting and replacing data equal to toolbars 185, 241 471 operator on query panel 93 document preparing for 462 error functions 326 printing from 490 in euro conversion 300 documentation see BusinessObjects qualifying data for 487 in formula syntax 314 documentation setting options for 491 messages, see also Error documents 181 setting up hierarchies for 119 Message Guide .rea file extension 629 snapshot 478 Error Message Guide xx .rep file extension 210 switching to 462 euro .rtf file extension 211 undoing actions 465 conversion errors 300 .txt file extension 211 using drill filters as query conversion rates 302 demonstration samples 30 conditions 481 converting from 301 refreshing 205 working on charts 468 converting to 300 saving 210 drill through displaying currency symbol saving as BusinessQuery files command 480 299 213 turning on use filters option editing conversion information saving as PDF files 212 481 303 saving as text files 211 drop lines triangulation 303 saving for all users 210 showing on line charts 425 even saving in html format 211 duplicate pages, setting up layout 566 saving in rich text format 211 rows, showing 531 Even() documents, defined 363 dynamic function 566 down edge filters 257 examples of crosstab 219, 532 groups, creating for analysis #COMPUTATION 372, 374 sorts 265 319 #IERR 390 Down tab Dynamic Data Exchange see DDE 644 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 645. Index #MULTIVALUE 377, 379, 381 .pdf 212 showing in tables and aggregate formula with .rea 629 crosstabs 529 extended syntax 342 .rep 210 table 218 aggregation with input and .ret 594 ForAll operator output contexts defined 346 .rtf 211 and Rank() function 354 aggregation with input context .txt 211 defined 366 defined 345 html 211 example 352 aggregation with output file locations ForEach operator context 344 default.ret file 603 and Rank() function 354 calculating minimum revenue templates 606 defined 366 per city for each region 345 filtering example 352 calculating number of cities per document lists 199 foreground region 344 filters 362 color, setting 419 calculating total revenue 338 adding 255 FormatDate() calculation contexts 340 and keywords 362 function 332 cumulative aggregation with and master cells 331 FormatNumber() reset contexts 348 applying in slice-and-dice function 332 extended syntax 342 mode 516 formats ForAll 352 block-specific 252 currency 300 ForEach 352 complex 257 formatting keywords 361 displaying values in special alerters 273 Report (keyword) 359 field 256 axis labels 429–431 running total revenue per dynamic 257 blocks 520 country 348 global 252, 478 cell backgrounds 550 semantically dynamic ignoring 258 cells and their contents 550 calculations 337 illustrated 252 cells borders 548 except inserting 253 chart axes 429–431 operator on query panel 94 managing 254 chart floor 426 operator, tips for using 97 managing filters and ranking chart legend 436 exceptions in data 271 chart legend key 438 highlighting using alerters 273 NoFilter() function 258, 362 chart plot area 421 expanding removing 256 chart walls 423 measures 476 selecting different values for charts 415 exporting data 172 254 conditional 561, 563 external formats 172 floor copying and pasting 535 options 175 formatting on 3-D chart 426 copying cell 535 using copy and paste 172 on 3-D chart, formatting 426 copying column and row 223 extended syntax folding crosstab borders 525 defined 363 breaks 286 crosstab corners 527 input and output contexts 346 sections 589 data labels 439 input, output and reset fonts data series 423 contexts 351 Windows 187 data series in 2-D line charts reset contexts 349 footer 423 using 342 applying shading to 582 data series in scatter charts 423 viewing 394 break 284 data series on 3-D charts 423 inserting a cell in 582 data series on area charts 423 F page 581 data series on column charts file page break 578 423 default locations 203 resizing 583 data series on pie charts 423 file extensions running in tables 578 footers 581 .bqy 214 headers 581 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 645
- 646. Index numbers 538 Even() 566 page 581 numbers and dates 538, 541 FormatDate() 332 page break 578 repeating cell formats 534 FormatNumber() 332 resizing 583 section borders 525 getting help on 328 running in tables 578 sections 520 IsNull() 569 showing in tables and table borders 525 logical 326 crosstabs 529 text 536 miscellaneous 326 table 218 toolbar 534 NoFilter() 258 help Formula Bar numeric 326 messages in status bar 186 using 311 Odd() 566 on functions 328 Formula Editor 395 Previous() 329 help see BusinessObjects using 312 Rank() 327, 354 documentation using functions 326 using 326 hiding formulas using in Formula Editor 326 alerters 277 adding to reports 324 Where 333 cells 561 defined 310, 364 chart axes 440 deleting 325 G charts 561 editing 324 gap crosstabs 561 editing in cells 395 setting on column charts 424 data 272 guidelines on syntax 314 width, setting on 3-D charts data in charts 411 in page break headers and 428 data labels on charts 439 footers 580 global dimensions 394 in running headers and footers filters 252, 478 empty sections 569 580 filters, in special field 256 gridlines 440 using in conditions 310 Global Filters 587 report components 561 viewing all in document 395 GOPHER 542 section header and footer 523 viewing in Structure view 395 greater than sections 561 free-hand SQL 126 operator on query panel 93 tables 561 customizing 131 greater than or equal to toolbars 185 defined 39, 42 operator on query panel 93 hierarchies 65 free/constrained 131, 133 grid 237, 556 building from personal data lists of values 131 gridlines files 138 mono/multi 131, 133 displaying 440 building in stored procedures naming data providers 165 formatting 441 124 prompts 131 illustrated 435 creating custom 483 syntax for prompts and lists of on charts, defined 440 drilling on multiple 469 values 131 grouping explained 460 free-standing cells values, to create variables 319 setting up for drill mode 119 hiding 561 groups viewing 462 inserting 236 on charts 442 high low lines setting standard report style on charts, illustrated example showing on line charts 425 601 445 highlighting FTP 542 data 273 Function Help 328 H html functions saving documents in 211 header aggregate 326 HTTP 542 additional information in character 326 hyperlinks crosstabs 532 Concatenation() 330 adding to reports 542 applying shading to 582 data provider 326 editing 544 break 284 date 326 inserting a cell in 582 document 326 646 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 647. Index I data providers 51 on using stored procedures intersect 121 in list operator operator, on query panel 111 on using user objects 79 defined 94 inverting limiting number of rows returned maximum number of values sorts on query objects 71 by query 72 97 tips for using 97 is not null line charts operator on query panel 94 showing drop lines 425 in operator, defined 366 is null showing high low lines 425 incompatible data type 332 operator on query panel 94 showing multiple lines 408 incompatible variables 153 IsNull() showing up-down bars 425 indenting function 569 line styles cell content 546 InfoView using to hide empty sections applying to cell borders 548 569 applying to chart axes 431 starting BusinessObjects from ISO linking data providers 156, 159 181 currency labels 302 in existing report 159 User’s Guide 29 when inserting new block 157 input contexts 339, 345 body 340 K why? 156 defined 365 keyboard lists of values 77 shortcuts 186 assigning personal data to 86 defining 346 keywords customizing 85 example of formula 346 syntax 346 Block 359 defined 84 Body 359 purging 89 inserting Body, example 361 refreshing 89 breaks 284 calculations on data in charts CurrentPage 359 setting up in free-hand SQL defined 366 131 450 syntax for free-hand SQL 131 cells 233, 236 filters 362 columns 233, 236 Report 359 using in simple query Report, example 359 conditions 70 crosstabs 226 viewing 89 data in tables 224 drill filters 587 L local contexts and output contexts 340 filters 253 labels defined 365 free-standing cells 236 changing on charts 439 global filters 587 Last Refresh Date command 584 dimensions in 341 local variables page backgrounds 570 layout changing qualification 324 page numbers 584 multi-column or multi-row pictures in cells 618 530 creating 316 creating by grouping 319 query prompt 587 odd and even pages 566 deleting 325 rows 233, 236 page 577 editing 322, 324 special field 584 report 558 using 315 tables 220 legend logarithmic time and date 584 displaying on chart 436 scale on charts 432 tracking information 584 formatting 436 logical installing formatting key 438 functions 326 add-ins 633 less than installing BusinessObjects operator on query panel 94 via an Internet browser 38 less than or equal to M Internet operator on query panel 94 macros browser, installing limitations assigning to toolbar buttons BusinessObjects from 38 on combined queries 112 631 interrupting defined 629 running 630 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 647
- 648. Index MAILTO 542 messages NEWS 542 main in status bar 186 NNTP 542 section 520 microcube, defined 364 NoFilter() managing 283 Microsoft Excel 97 function 258, 362 breaks 283 accessing data from 137, 139 not between filters 254 Microsoft OLAP Server 40 operator on query panel 94 ranking 271 Microsoft Outlook 142 not in list sorts in reports 264 million operator on query panel 94 Map tab style 538 operator, tips for using 97 Report Manager 190, 559 minus numbers margins operator, on query panel 112 applying formats to cell aligning blocks and cells with miscellaneous contents 538 555 functions 326 checking regional settings 189 resizing 583 mode combining with text in cells setting 581 offline 182 332 master months custom formats 540 cells 240 sorting 262 deleting formats 541 master/detail reports sorting chronologically 260 FormatNumber() function 332 building master/master/detail moving formatting 538, 541 reports 243, 500 blocks 557 formatting on chart axes 430 clearing master cell 248 cells, columns, rows using inserting page 584 deactivating sections 502–505 drag-and-drop 227 numeric illustrated 240 cells, using drag-and-drop 557 functions 326 moving blocks between moving average see rolling average sections 557 multi-page O placing master in table or reports 575 object 27 crosstab 246 multiple object linking and embedding 613– re-organizing 498 conditions 77 617 scaling on charts 433 hierarchies, drilling on 469 creating new objects to insert structuring existing reports as queries 77 614 241, 497 sorts 264 editing objects 616 undoing 246 inserting existing objects 615 undoing master/detail reports N objects 501 names applying sorts on 71 working with in slice-and-dice combining first and last 330 changing order in query 62 mode 496–505 naming defined 54 matches pattern cells 560 detail objects 57 operator on query panel 94 charts 560 dimension objects 57 matrix charts 407 columns and rows 233 including in query 62 measure crosstabs 560 measures 57 objects 57 data providers 165 qualification 57 objects, analyzing in drill mode tables 560 removing from query 62 476 VBA procedures 165 viewing in Query Panel 62 objects, collapsing 477 navigating odd objects, defined 337, 364 in reports 192 pages, setting up layout 566 objects, expanding 476 negative values Odd() menus displaying on column charts function 566 context-sensitive 186 424 offline mode right-click 186 New Data Provider command 50 using 182 merging new report wizard 44 OLAP cells 546 setting default options 47 Microsoft OLAP Server 40 648 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 649. Index OLAP server inserting 570 editing page backgrounds 571 defined 40, 42 pasting 571 inserting in cells 618 OLE 2 see object linking and removing 571 page backgrounds 570 embedding setting standard report style pasting page backgrounds 571 online help xxi 601 removing page backgrounds opening page break 571 classes in Query Panel 62 footer 578 using in reports 571, 618 documents 197 footer before page break 579 pie charts several documents together header 578 formatting 423 197 header after page break 579 pivoting data operators 366 page breaks dialog box for tables, crosstabs & 330 and charts 417 272 using in Formula Editor 313 managing 576 hiding data 411 options page layout horizontally, in slice-and-dice for drill mode 491 different for odd and even mode 506 for running queries 72 pages 566 on charts 407 setting file locations 203 parse vertically, in slice-and-dice or SQL scripts 129 mode 510 operator on query panel 105, passwords PL/SQL 126 106 for launching BusinessObjects plot area ORDER BY 181 formatting 421 statement 128 paste illustrated 421 orientation page backgrounds 571 resizing 420 table 530 paste format positioning table, changing 221 button 535 blocks 553 text, setting for axis labels 431 patterns cells 553 outline view 589 applying to chart walls 426 charts 553 OUTPUT PDF crosstabs 553 statement 121 online guides xix report components 553 output contexts 339, 345 saving BusinessObjects tables 553 and local contexts 340 documents as 212 predefined query conditions 91 defined 365 percent style 538 applying 68 defining 346 personal categories defined 68 example of formula 346 creating 202 in demo universe 69 syntax 346 personal connection removing 69 overlap selecting 130 preparing for drill mode 462 setting on column charts 424 personal data files Previous() function 329 accessing data from 135 primary P building hierarchies from 138 Y-axis 444 page defined 39, 42 PRINT layout options 577 naming 165 statement 121 layout, viewing 187 personal document printing margins see margins list, viewing in BusinessObjects from drill mode 490 numbers, inserting 584 198 printing see InfoView User’s Guide setup 581 list, viewing in InfoView 198 priority totals and subtotals, displaying retrieving 198 sorts 265 578 saving on server 201 procedures Page # command 584 send to 201 stored, data providers 121 Page # of # command 584 pictures VBA, using to access data 140 page backgrounds 570 Bitmap format (Cell Format Visual Basic for Applications editing 571 dialog box) 618 140 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 649
- 650. Index prompts query options page backgrounds 571 and refreshing documents 207 eliminating duplicate rows 72 predefined conditions 69 in SQL scripts 131 limiting number of rows ranking 270 inserting information in a returned 72 sorts 266 report 588 Query Options dialog box 73 sorts on query objects 71 syntax for free-hand SQL 131 running a query without renaming PROSPERO 542 retrieving data 72 blocks 513 purging Query Panel categories 203 data providers 169 illustrated 59 data providers 165 lists of values 89 View button 59 reports 195 viewing objects in 62 VBA procedures 165 Q Query Prompt 587 why rename data providers qualification Quick Tour xvii, xviii 165 of data for drill mode 487 re-organizing of objects, defined 57 R master/detail reports 498 variables, changing 324 Rank() re-organizing master/detail reports queries function 327 using different master 499 applying conditions 68–71 function, using context repeat applying predefined operators 354 cell formats 534 conditions 68 ranking 267–271 chart on every page 417 applying simple conditions 70 altering values for 270 Repeat Block on Every Page applying sorts 71 applying 268 command 575 building 58–73 applying in slice-and-dice Repeat on Every Page changing order of objects 62 mode 515 command 575 combined 109 managing 271 Repeat on New Page combined, restrictions on 112 removing 270 command 575 defined 39, 42 rates Report Manager defining scope of analysis 65 conversion, editing 303 hiding and displaying 190 deleting conditions 71 in euro conversion 302 in drill mode 472 editing from drill mode 480 RDBMS inserting tables from 220 including objects 62 exporting data to an RDBMS using to structure reports 558 introduction 54 175 reports inverting sorts 71 recap amounts contexts 341 names 165 displaying 578 creating 73, 194 new 50 redo creating blank reports 194 removing objects 62 an action 196 defined 364 removing predefined refreshing deleting 195 conditions 69 documents 205 demo reports 30, 55 removing sorts 71 documents with prompts 207 displaying inside document renaming 165 lists of values 89 195 running 72 setting automatic options 208 displaying page numbers 584 running a query on a different regional settings hiding components 561 universe 74 checking and changing 189 inserting crosstabs 226 Save and Exit 64 relative layout, setting default 595 saving without running 64 positioning 553 master/detail 240 selecting different values for removing master/master/detail 243 simple conditions 70 breaks 283, 284 multi-page 575 setting options 72 data in slice-and-dice mode opening 197 setting up a subquery 96 512 page backgrounds 570 using lists of values 70 data labels 439 refreshing 205 viewing the SQL 114 filters 256 renaming 195 650 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 651. Index saving 210 rotating custom 66 standard, defined 593 tables 221 default 66 structuring as master/detail rotation defining in query 65 241 setting on 3-D charts 427 dialog box 66 updating 205 rows editing in drill mode 479 using pictures in 571, 618 adding to tables, crosstabs 233 hierarchies 65 viewing in Structure view 395 hiding 272 scripts working on structure of 558 inserting 233, 236 converting to macros 635 ReportScript naming 233 folder 635 converting scripts to macros resizing 234, 528 SQL, editing 128 635 selecting 232 secondary repository 29 selecting in tables and Y-axis 444 reset contexts crosstabs 231, 232 sections defined 365 table and crosstab, deleting and #MULTIVALUE 381 example 348 225 and Rank() function 354 example of #COMPUTATION table and crosstab, swapping creating in reports 240 372 221, 223 deactivating 502–505 explained 371 run line displaying delimiters 245, 556 how to define 349 command options 623 folding in outline view 589 in crosstabs 350 running formatting 520 solution for #COMPUTATION headers and footers 578 formatting borders 525 373 hiding 561 syntax 349 S hiding and displaying 523 syntax with input and output SAP 40 hiding when empty 569 contexts 351 Save and Exit in Query Panel 64 main 520 resetting blocks 513 Save Date command 584 moving blocks between resizing saving documents sections 557 blocks 419 and reports 210 setting standard report styles cells 528 as BusinessQuery files 213, 600 charts 419 214 start on new page 575 columns 528 as html files 211 security domain columns and rows 234 as PDF files 212 choosing 182 footers 583 as text files 211 connecting to 182 header 583 in html format 211 SELECT statements 114 margins 583 in PDF format 212 selecting plot area 420 in Personal Documents 201 cells 232 rows 528 in rich text format 211 chart blocks to resize 419 restrictions Save for all users option 210 chart elements 416 on combined queries 112 WebIntelligence documents columns 232 on using stored procedures 214 columns in tables and crosstabs 121 saving query definitions 64 231 on using user objects 79 scale different values for filters 254 retrieving adjust scale to value range 433 different values for ranking personal document 198 adjusting in master/detail 270 revenue reports 433 different values for simple and quantity sold, comparing decimal 432 query conditions 70 on chart 445 defining on a chart 432 rows 232 rich text format logarithmic 432 rows and columns 232 saving documents in 211 scatter charts rows in tables and crosstabs rolling average formatting data series 423 231 calculating 329 scope of analysis tables,crosstabs 231 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 651
- 652. Index two or more blocks 231, 449 positioning data horizontally sorts, and #MULTIVALUE 395 semantically dynamic calculations 506 special field 337 positioning data vertically 510 date and time 584 sending to removing data from reports drill filters 490, 587 personal documents 201 512 global filters 256, 587 set as master Reset button 495 page numbers 584 in master/detail reports 241 Slice and Dice button 494 query prompt 587 shading Slice and Dice Panel, SQL 77 applying to cell backgrounds illustrated 495 parsing for errors 129 550 swapping variables scripts, customizing 131 background, creating custom horizontally 506 scripts, editing 128 colors 419 working in 494–516 scripts, using prompts 131 headers and footers 582 working with 3-D charts 511 viewing in query panel 114 setting background color 419 working with 3-D matrix standard report setting foreground color 419 charts 507 definition 593 shared working with crosstabs 507– standard report styles connection, selecting 130 511 and templates 603 sharing working with master/detail applying 602 user objects 79 reports 496–505 customizing 596 shortcuts Snap to Grid command 237, 556 Start on a New Page keyboard 186 snapshot command 575 Show Variable Header making in drill mode 478 statistics on data providers 168 crosstab option 532 sorting STATUS side wall days 262 statement 121 on 3-D chart, formatting 426 months 262 status bar simple query conditions 91 sorts in reports 260–261 meassages 186 applying 70 across edge sorts 265 stored procedures 121 selecting different values for adding 266 building hierarchies 124 70 and alerters 263 changing parameters 125 using lists of values 70 applying 261 defined 39, 42 Slice and Dice Panel applying in slice-and-dice naming 165 Reset button 513 mode 515 restrictions on 121 slice-and-dice mode checking regional settings 263 structure Apply button 495 custom 260 view 187, 395 applying breaks 516 customizing 260 view in Report Manager 558 applying calculations 515 down edge sorts 265 style applying filters 516 managing 264 currency 538 applying ranking 515 managing sorts and ranking million 538 applying sorts 515 271 percent 538 building master/master/detail multiple 264 styles reports 500 ordering multiple 265 standard report 596 building/reducing 3-D matrix removing 266 template 595 charts, crosstabs 509 sorts toolbar 260 subclasses 56, 62 deactivating sections of sorts on query objects subquery 101 master/detail reports 502– applying 71 deleting 104 505 ascendingdescending order subroutine displaying data in reports 512 71 VBA 141 moving data between columns, defining priority 72 subtotals rows 511 inverting 71 page, displaying 578 moving data between X-, Z- removing 71 supervisor axis in 3-D charts 511 transparent sorts 72 BusinessObjects 30 652 BusinessObjects User’s Guide
- 653. Index synchronizing defined 594 in euro conversion 303 calculations 100 replacing variables 608 troubleshooting data sources 150 setting default 595 see also Error Message Guide syntax setting up 605 turn to chart errors, in formulas 395 structure 594 command 404 guidelines for formulas 314 style 595 TXT file display style and structure 608 and BusinessObjects version T upgrading 31, 608 176 tables text double quotes 176 adding cells, columns to 233 applying text formats to axis adding data 224 labels 431 U building crosstabs from 509 formatting 536 undo building using drag and drop tick marks action in drill mode 465 220 displaying on chart axes 431 an action 196 copying 234 illustrated 429 undoing master/detail reports 246, creating 220 time 501 deleting 234 inserting 584 clearing master cell 248 deleting calculations from 294 tips xvi placing master in block 501 dialog box for pivoting data on dragging and dropping placing master in table or 272 data 227 crosstab 246 displaying charts as 405, 513 on using complex query removing master 501 editing 230 conditions 96 ungrouping headers and footers 218 tips and tricks 359, 362, 389, 393, grouped variables 322 hiding 561 394–395 union insert wizard 228 title operator, on query panel 111 multi-column or row layout displaying on chart 435 universes 530 toolbars classes 54 orientation 530 alignment 555 demo universe 30, 55 positioning 553 borders toolbar, illustrated hierarchies 65 reorganizing data in 221 548 introduction 54 repeat block on every page displaying 241 name in query name 165 575 drill 464, 473 objects 54 rotating 221 formatting 534 running a query on a different selecting 231 formatting, illustrated 536 universe 74 setting standard report style hiding and displaying 185 setting a default 47, 595 598 sorts 260 subclasses 62 showing duplicate rows 531 structure 579 updates xvi showing headers and footers Visual Basic 630 updating 529 totals data 205 start on new page 575 page, displaying 578 documents 205 turning to charts 513 tracking vewing BusinessObjects 4.1 types, defined and illustrated global filters 256 documents 31, 188 218 inserting document up-down bars TELNET 542 information 584, 587 showing on line charts 425 templates Transact SQL 126 upgrading #DICT.ERROR 385 transparent and templates 31, 608 and standard report styles 603 shading,setting 419 from BusinessObjects 3.1 31 and universe formats 605 sorts on query objects 72 from BusinessObjects 4.1 31 applying 607 trends user identification 181 changing the default folder highlighting using alerters 273 when logging on 181 606 triangulation user objects 77 BusinessObjects User’s Guide 653
- 654. Index creating 80 report in outline view 589 XY scatter creating a time hierarchy for report page layout 187, 584 charts 423 83 report structure 187, 558 deleting 82 reports in Structure view 395 Y editing 82 SQL, in query panel 114 Y-axis restrictions 79 Visual Basic 629 hiding 441 sharing 79 Editor 637 illustrated 429 writing the formula for 81 for Applications 140, 629 organizing data on 407 toolbar 630 primary 444, 447 V secondary 444, 447 value-based breaks 284, 289 W year 2000 176, 189 values WAIS 542 grouping 319 wall Z negative, displaying on back, formatting on 3-D chart Z-axis column charts 424 426 displaying data on in 2-D variable side, formatting on 3-D chart charts 408 header, show in crosstabs 532 426 displaying data on in 3-D Variable Editor web charts 409 using 316 connection 182, 205 formatting 426 variables 142 web page for documentation xvi hiding 441 adding to reports 324 WebIntelligence documents organizing data on 407 creating 316 saving 214 zero admin BusinessObjects 32 creating by grouping 319 website Zero Administration defined 364 adding links to from reports BusinessObjects 32 hiding in charts 411 542 zoom incompatibility 153 what’s new control 187 local 322 in BusinessObjects 31 local, adding to drill Where hierarchies 323 function 333 local, changing qualification wildcard characters 324 in query conditions 96 local, deleting 322 Windows local, editing 324 fonts 187 moving from axis to axis on regional settings 189 charts 410 wizard organizing on charts 407 calculation, on query panel 98 renaming 321 insert chart 403 using 315 insert crosstab 228 variance insert table 228 calculating 292 new report 44 VBA 140 workspace add-ins 629 BUSINESSOBJECTS 184 data providers 140 illustration 184 macros 629 organizing 187 procedures, naming 165 subroutine 141 X viewing X-axis BusinessObjects 4.1 documents hiding 441 31, 188 illustrated 429 extended syntax 394 organizing data on 407 lists of values 89 654 BusinessObjects User’s Guide