The first step in data mapping for this type is to select the columns you want to include in your report from the Set Report Mapping window in the Report Wizard. The left side of the window lists all available columns from your query or data file and the right side lists columns that will be added to the report. Click on a column name to select it (Shift+Click for multiple selections) and press the ADD or REMOVE buttons to add it or to remove it from the report. The order in which you select columns in this window is the order in which they will appear in your report. You can change the order of the selected columns by highlighting the column you want to move and clicking the UP or DOWN buttons. Fields can also be moved by clicking and dragging the selected field.

The second step for report mapping is to set the column options. For simple columnar reports there is only one available option. The window displays a table showing all the columns you have selected for the report and all available options. The first field displays column names, the second one displays data type, and the third one displays a check box called Visible. Checking or un-checking this box will make the column visible or invisible within the body of the report (All columns are visible by default).

Simple Columnar Report Mapping

The first step in data mapping for this type is to select the columns you want to include in your report from the Set Mapping window in the Report Wizard. The left side of the window lists all available columns from your query or data file and the right side lists the columns that will be displayed in the report. Click on a column name to select it (SHIFT+Click for multiple selections) and press the ADD or REMOVE buttons to add it or remove it from the report. The order in which you select columns in this window is the order in which they will appear in your report. You can change the order of the selected columns by highlighting the column you want to move and clicking the UP or DOWN buttons. Fields can also be moved by clicking and dragging the selected field.

The second step in data mapping is to set column options. There are five column options available for summary break reports. The window displays a table showing all of the columns that you have selected for your report and all available options. The first field displays column names, the second one displays data type, and the third one displays a check box marked Visible. Checking or un-checking this box will make the column visible or invisible within the body of the report (All columns are visible by default). The fourth field is the row break field. Checking this box indicates that the report will break and insert column summaries every time the selected column field changes. By default, the first column selected for the report is the break field. The fifth field allows you to select aggregation. If the Perform Column Aggregation checkbox at the bottom of the window is checked, the selected aggregation will be performed on the entire column and the report will only contain summarized data. If the box is not checked, the report will display all data and only insert aggregations as summaries after each row break.

The drop-down menu allows you to select the aggregation operation to be performed for that column. The aggregation operations that can be performed are: none, sum, maximum, minimum, count, average, first, last, sum of squares, variance, standard deviation, and count distinct. If you select to perform column aggregation, you must select an aggregation option for each column. Columns selected as row break fields cannot be aggregated.

For example, suppose we have the following data table:

Setting Order # as the row break field and the aggregation on Quantity to Sum without checking Perform Column Aggregation will produce the following report:

However, selecting Perform Column Aggregation and changing the Product aggregation to Count will produce the following report:

The sixth field allows you to select whether to repeat a break field or not. By default, a row break column will only print each distinct value in the column once (i.e. once for each group). Selecting this option will cause the break fields to repeat for each row of data in the group.

Summary Break Report Mapping

Summary Break Report Mapping

If you want to keep the data ordering specified in the data source, select the Keep Data Source Order option. To learn more about this feature, see Section 4.1.2.9 - Keep Data Source Order.

Report mapping for crosstab reports is more complicated than other report types and may require some planning to be able to execute it correctly.

The first step in data mapping for this type is to select the columns you want to include in your report from the Set Report Mapping window in the Wizard. The left side of the window lists all available columns from your query or data file and the right side lists the columns that will be displayed in the report. Click on a column name to select it (Ctrl+click for multiple selections) and press the ADD or REMOVE buttons to add it or remove it from the report. The order in which you select columns in this window is the order in which they will appear in your report. Once you select the columns, click the Next button.

The second step in data mapping is to set column options.

The top of the column options window displays a table showing all of the columns that you have selected for your report and all available options.

	Note
	The aggregation that will be performed depends on the aggregation of the Column Break Value column(s). For example: if you use the MAX aggregation, the greatest value from the row will be displayed in the Grand Total column.

For example, assume we have following crosstab mapping:

Crosstab Fixed-Field Mapping

Setting CATEGORYNAME and PRODUCTNAME as Row Break fields, PRODUCTID as a Column Break Value field with an aggregation of SUM, and CATEGORYNAME as a Column Break field with the Show Column Aggregation Grand Total option enabled will produce a report from the beginning of the Crosstab Report section.

You can easily change the crosstab settings using the Change Data Mapping option under the Data menu. This will open the crosstab report mapping dialog again. To learn more about this feature, see Section 4.1.2.8 - Change Data Mapping.

The following table shows various formatting in crosstab reports:

The crosstab report also provides a unique feature that allows users to create a transposed report. Data transposition allows users to create a report presentation where the input data is essentially rotated by 90 degrees. Columns become rows and rows become columns. For example, you have a following set of data:

The data transposition feature can be used to create a report that will look like this:

To transpose the data, click the Transpose Data option at the bottom of the result screen that first appears when you select a data source for the report. The following dialog shows the initial result set from the sample data in the example above.

Data Table Dialog

When you check the option at the bottom, a new dialog will appear allowing you to select the columns that you want to transpose. In this example, you would select the Forecast and Sales columns. Note that in order to perform transposition, the selected columns must have the same data type.

Select Transpose Dialog

After making your selections, click the OK button to apply the changes. You will see the transposition in the data table dialog. The Sales and Forecast headers are transposed into a column called ColumnLabel and their values are merged into a column called Value. Now you can map this result set using a crosstab report where ColumnLabel is the Row Break, Region is the Column Break, and Value is the Column Break Value to create the final transposed report layout.

Data After Transposition

The first step in data mapping for this type is to select the columns you want to include in your report from the Set Mapping Window in the Report Wizard. The left side of the window lists all available columns from your query or data file and the right side lists columns that will be displayed in the report. Click on a column name to select it (Ctrl+click for multiple selections) and press the ADD or REMOVE buttons to add it or remove it from the report. The order in which you select columns in this window is the order in which they will appear in your report.

The second step in data mapping is to set the column options. There are three column options available for Master & Details reports. There is a drop-down menu at the bottom of the column options window. It is labeled primary key. The drop-down menu contains all of the columns that you have selected for the report. Selecting a column as the primary key will group the report according to that column. A new group will be created every time the value in the selected column changes.

The top of the column options window displays a table showing all of the columns that you have selected for your report and the available options. The first field displays column names, the second one displays data type, and the third one displays a checkbox marked Visible. Checking or un-checking this box will make the column visible or invisible within the body of the report. The fourth field is the Master field field. Selecting a column as a Master field will place the column value in the column header instead of the data section of the report.

A checkbox at the bottom of the data mapping window allows you to change the layout of the report. Checking the Side-By-Side Layout box will arrange the report so that the master section is displayed next to the details section rather than above it.

For example, suppose we have the following data table:

Setting Order # as the primary key and Customer Name as a Master field without using side-by-side layout will result in the following report:

However, the same report with side-by-side layout would look like this:

Master & Details Report Mapping

Master & Details Report Mapping

If you want to keep the data ordering specified in the data source, select the Keep Data Source Order option. To learn more about this feature, see Section 4.1.2.9 - Keep Data Source Order.

Data Mapping for this type is exactly the same as for simple columnar report. The first step is to select the columns you want to include in your report from the Set Report Mapping window in the Report Wizard. The left side of the window lists all available columns from your query or data file and the right side lists columns that will be displayed in the report. Click on a column name to select it (SHIFT+Click for multiple selections) and press the ADD or REMOVE buttons to add it or remove it from the report. The order in which you select columns in this window is the order in which they will appear in your report.

The second step for data mapping is to set the column options. For mailing label reports there is only one available option. The window displays a table showing all of the columns you have selected for the report and all available options. The first field displays column names, the second one displays data type, and the third one displays a checkbox marked visible. Checking or un-checking this box will make the column visible or invisible within the body of the report (all columns are visible by default).

Mailing Label Report Mapping

Mailing Label Report Mapping

In addition to the five pre-defined styles included with ReportDesigner, users can create their own style definitions. Style definitions are special versions of report templates that are saved with a .stl extension. Users can create a style definition using any report template.

There can also be nested sections in addition to the Report Header, Table Header, Group Header, Group Footer, Table Footer, and Report Footer sections. Nested sections are useful for placing sub-reports and rich text fields with variable lengths. This allows these type of elements to resize without overlapping any elements below. Nested sections inherit most of the section options from their parent sections, including page-breaking and repeating options.

To add a nested section, select Insert Section from the section options pop-up menu for the parent section. For more information about section options, options see Section 4.1.3.3 - Section Options. Note that if you select to insert a section from a nested section, it will inherit the same parent section (i.e. nested sections cannot be a parent).

The button in the upper left corner of the Design window allows you to toggle between inches and centimeters. By default, ReportDesigner uses inches for measurement. Depressing the button will change the ruler measures to centimeters. If centimeter is selected, all of the manually entered values like element bounds and page margins will also be entered and displayed in centimeters.

This menu performs most of the file operations.

This menu allows you to edit and cut/paste report elements.

This menu allows you to insert elements into the current report.

The format menu contains formatting options for the currently selected element within the report. Some menu options will not work depending on the type of element which is currently selected.

The view menu contains options allowing you to navigate through the report in the Preview window and sort the data. It is only active when you are previewing the report.

The data menu contains options that allow you to see and manipulate the data used in the current report and its properties.

The drill-down menu contains options that allow you to add, remove, and navigate layers of drill-down within the report. For more information about drill-downs, please see Section 4.1.8 - Drill-Down.

This menu contains display and printing options

This menu allows you to view program version and open the User's Guide.

You can edit elements in one of four ways: by selecting Edit from the Edit menu, clicking on the Edit button in the toolbar, right clicking on the element, and then selecting Edit from the pop-up menu, or by double clicking on the element.

You can also copy and paste cell attributes between report elements. This will apply all attributes including data formatting (assuming the data types are the same), alignment, font, color, and border attributes, as well as the bounds of a cell.

To copy the attributes of an element, right click on the element and select Element Appearance from the pop-up menu. This will expand into two additional choices. Select Copy from the second menu. To apply the copied attributes to another cell, repeat the same steps as before and select Paste from the secondary menu.

4.1.3.7.2.1. Editing Element Attributes

In addition to directly editing an element, you can directly access all of the element's attributes by selecting Edit Attributes option from the Format menu, or by right clicking on an element and selecting Edit Attributes from the pop-up menu. This will bring up a tabbed dialog that allows you to set a number of properties for the element at once.

Multi-Attribute Editing Dialog

The options will vary depending on what type of element you select. For each tab in the dialog, you can set the option you want and then click the Apply button to set the changes for that attribute.

4.1.3.7.2.2. Word Wrapping

By default, any text within report elements, including labels, formulas, and columns will wrap to the next line if the cell boundaries are not wide enough to fit the text. However, this behavior can be disabled. To set text wrapping, select an element and select Format → Wordwrap, or right click on an element and select the option from the pop-up menu. This will disable/enable text wrapping.

Word Wrapping Dialog

To disable word wrapping, un-check the option. Note that when word wrapping is disabled, the entire contents of the cell will be printed regardless of the cell boundaries. This can overlap and obscure other report elements. Also, word wrapping cannot be disabled for rich text fields as the rich text and Excel-based exports will still display the wrapped text.

4.1.3.7.2.3. Editing Side-By-Side Master & Details Reports

As noted in Section 4.1.2.4 - Master & Details Report of this guide, you can specify a side-by-side layout for master & details reports. This will print the master field (group header) next to the details section (table data), rather than its traditional position above the details section. When you select this report format, the master section will appear as a gray rectangle next to the column fields within the table data section of the report.

Side-by-Side Master & Details

The master section can be moved in free-form like any other report element. You can edit the contents of the master field in one of three ways: selecting it and clicking the Edit button on the toolbar, right clicking it and selecting Edit from the pop-up menu, or double clicking it. The master section will open in a new window, allowing you to modify its contents.

Edit Master Section Dialog

The elements in this section can be moved, resized, and edited in the same way as other elements in the report. The master section acts the same as a group header section. It repeats for each unique value in the primary key column. After you finish editing the contents of the master section, it can be closed by selecting Close from the File menu.

	Note
	After you finish editing the master section, it will automatically resize to fit its contents.

You can change the output of formulas and column fields in one of three ways: clicking the Data Format icon in the toolbar, selecting Data Format from the Format menu, or right clicking on a formula or column field and selecting Edit Attributes from the pop-up menu. When you select the format option, a dialog box will appear (or the format tab of the multi-attribute editing dialog). The box that appears depends on what type of data is present in the selected element: numeric, string, date/time, or logical/boolean.

After you finish selecting additional options, click the OK button to return to the main dialog box. Click the OK button and the data format will be changed.

After you finish selecting additional options, click the OK button to return to the main dialog box. Click the OK button and the data format will be changed.

4.1.3.7.3.1. Formatting Null Data

By default, null data will display in a report as Null. You can change the appearance of null data by selecting Null Data Handler from the Option menu. This will bring up a dialog, prompting you to specify a string to be displayed for nulls.

Null Data Handler

Enter a value you want and click the OK button. All the null values in the report will be displayed as the value you specified.

You can format the appearance of lines and rectangles in the report by right clicking on a line or rectangle element. The pop-up menu will contain a list of available options.

This option allows you to specify attributes for charts exported to DHTML. You can format the chart export properties by selecting Chart Export Format from the Format menu or by right clicking on a chart and selecting Export Format from the pop-up menu. When you select this option, a dialog box will appear. You can select GIF, PNG, JPEG, or FLASH for the image type and set some options for each type. For GIF images, you can set the background to be transparent. For PNG images, you can set the compression. For JPEG images, you can set the quality (Image quality is directly proportional to file size). For FLASH images, you can enable animation and set the frame count and frame rate.

You can also specify to create an image map when the report is exported. If you create an image map, the hyperlinks defined in the chart will be active when the report is exported. If no hyperlinks are defined, the map will contain display pop-up labels for the chart containing data point information. Note that FLASH images do not support image maps.

Chart Export Format

You can change the appearance of report elements by changing the font, color, and border properties.

One of the common reporting needs is the ability to create form letters or other blocks of formatted text to a report and merge in data fields and functions. This functionality is available using rich text fields. Rich text fields, unlike labels or string function fields, allow for complex paragraph, font, and color formatting within the cell. They also allow the ability to embed column fields and functions directly in the text flow.

To add a rich text field to a report, select Insert Rich Text Field from the Insert menu, or click the Rich Text Field button on the toolbar. After you select this option, a small box will follow your mouse pointer around the design window. Position the box where you want to insert the field and click. A new window will open, allowing you to enter the rich text field.

Rich Text Editor

The rich text editor works like a small word processor. The first drop-down box allows you to select the font and the font size. The three buttons allows you to specify bold, italic, or underlined text. The next drop-down-box allows you to specify font color. The last one allows you to select function or column field formats.

You can specify a columnar layout for the text by selecting Columns from the Option menu. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to specify the number of columns for the rich text field, as well as the spacing between the columns.

Rich Text Column Options Dialog

You can add in-line images to the text flow in rich text fields as well. To add an image, select Insert Image from the File menu. This will bring up a dialog prompting you to specify the image file you want to import. After you specify it, a new dialog will open, allowing you to specify the size for the in-line image in pixels. After you set the size, click the Ok button and the image will be added to the rich text field.

You can import any rich text file (.rtf format) into a rich text field. To do this, select Import from the File menu in the editor. This will bring up a dialog prompting you to specify the file you want to import.

	Note
	Certain paragraph settings will be lost when you import a rich text file.

You can apply a hyperlink to any report element except column fields. To apply a hyperlink to an element, select it and then select HyperLink from the Format menu or right click on the element and select HyperLink from the pop-up menu. A dialog box will then pop-up asking you to enter the link, hint, and target. You can enter any URL as the link or another .pak file. The hint will display text in a hint box on mouse over when the report is viewed.

If you are running ReportDesigner in stand-alone mode, then hyperlinks to URLs will not work from the Preview window. If you export to DHTML or PDF, links to .pak files will no longer work.

Hyperlink Dialog

You can also apply dynamic hyperlinks to report elements, including column fields, by using cell scripting. For more information about cell scripting, please see Section 4.1.7 - Scripting.

This feature is useful for reports that have few or narrow columns of data that are longer than one page. Rather than have the data take up only a portion of the page width and extend over multiple pages in length, you can 'wrap' the columns so that they will continue to the right of the original columns on the first page of the report.

For example, say you have the following report listing product names, and the number of units ordered:

Assuming this report is long enough to encompass multiple pages, it is ideal to use column wrapping because it uses fewer pages and fills the blank space in the page width. The report will look like this with column wrapping:

Column wrapping is available for simple columnar and summary break report types. To implement column wrapping, select Column Wrap from the Format menu. A gray vertical bar will be drawn across the middle of the Design window indicating the column wrapping placement.

Column Wrapping in Design Window

Column wrapping begins immediately to the right of the bar, so be sure to allow adequate space. Also, anything to the right of the column wrap bar will be truncated.

You can edit the column wrap properties by first selecting the column wrap bar and then selecting Column Wrap from the Format menu. You can also right click on the column wrap bar and then select Column Wrap from the pop-up menu. A dialog box will then appear allowing you to edit the properties of the column wrapping.

Column Wrapping Options

From this dialog, you can specify the X position of the column wrapping, as well as the number of times you want the columns to wrap in the page. The X position is the distance (in inches or centimeters) from the right side of the page where column wrapping is to begin. By default, column wrapping occurs once. Setting Repeat Wrap to -1 will cause the wrapping to occur as many times as can fit within the page width.

	Note
	You can not specify column wrapping to occur more times than can fit within the page width. For example, if you specify three times, and the resultant report would be wider than the page, it will only repeat the wrapping twice.

ERES has an ability to generate a table of contents for your report. The table of contents can either show the defined groups in the report, or a list of user-defined bookmarks. The TOC will display in Report Viewer, Page Viewer, DHTML, and PDF exports.

4.1.3.7.10.1. Adding a Table of Contents

To add a table of contents to a report, select Insert Table of Contents from the Insert menu. Your cursor will turn into a cross. Click to place the table of contents in either the Report Header or Table Header sections. You can not add it to any other section. A dialog will open asking you if you would like to use groups or bookmarks for the table of contents.

TOC Type Dialog

If you select to use groups, the table of contents will generate an entry for each group (and sub-group) in the report. In order to use this option, your report must contain grouped data (i.e. summary break, crosstab, master & details reports) with detail records. A crosstab report with one row break or a summary break report with column aggregation may be grouped, but because there are no detail records, you cannot create a table of contents for this presentation. If you select to use bookmarks, a one-level table of contents will be generated for each bookmark that is defined in the report. Bookmarks are defined using cell scripts. For more information about setting bookmarks, please see Section 4.1.7.2.1 - Formatting Actions.

The next dialog that appears allows you to specify options for the table of contents.

TOC Options Dialog

The first option in this dialog allows you to set the font for each level of the table of contents. When you click the Select Font button, a new dialog will open that allows you to specify font options.

TOC Font Dialog

For each level you can set the font face, style, size, and color. Note that a level corresponds with a level of nested grouping in the report. If you select to create a report with bookmarks, only the top level will be available. Sub-levels can inherit the font from the parent level. After you make changes to the font for a particular level, click the Apply button to save the changes.

The next option allows you to select whether to show numbering for the table of contents and which style to use. You can customize each style by clicking the Customize button. The following styles are supported:

Decimal:

This will use a numbered configuration for the table of contents entries with whole numbers for the outermost group and decimals for each sub-group. If you click the Customize button for this option, the following dialog will appear:

Customization Options for TOC Decimal Format

The first drop-down list allows you to select how the number should be formatted. The second option allows you to select the starting number. After you make your choices, click the Apply button to apply the changes.

Outline:

This option will use an outline format allowing you to select numbers, letters, or Roman numerals for each level of the table of contents. If you click the Customize button for this option, the following dialog will appear:

Customization options for TOC Outline Format

The list on the left side allows you to select the level for which you would like to apply formatting. The first drop-down allows you to select the number format (this will apply whether you select numbers letters or Roman numerals for the level). The second drop-down allows you to pick the format for that level - either numbers, capital letters, lower-case letters, capital Roman numerals, or lower-case Roman numerals. The last option allows you to select the starting point for the selected style. After you make your choices, click the Apply button to apply the changes.

Bulleted:

This option will use bullets for each entry. There are now additional customization options for this format.

The next option allows you to specify indentation for sub-groups. You can turn on/off the indentation and specify the number of spaces to use.

The next option allows you to specify whether to show the page number in the table of contents and whether to draw a spacer to the page number. You can draw a dotted line or a solid line for the spacer.

The last option in the dialog allows you to set the layout for the table of contents, either right to left, or left to right. After you finish setting options for the table of contents, click the Done button and it will be added to the report.

In the report, the table of contents will appear as a small grey rectangle. By default, the resize to fit content option will be turned on, but the width of the table of contents will be based on whatever size you allot for it in the section. Generally, you want to make this at least as wide as your report.

TOC in Design Window

You can see the complete table of contents when you preview the report. The table of contents is only supported for the DHTML and PDF exports. It will not appear if you export the report to other formats.

TOC in Preview Window

There are several ways to move and resize report elements. You can use rulers, mouse, or you can manually enter the element bounds.

4.1.3.7.11.1. Controlling Element Overlapping

In ReportDesigner, each element in a report has an associated Z index. This Z index number determines how elements behave when placed in the same space (on top of each other). When elements are placed in the same space, the element with the highest Z index will appear on top and all subsequent elements with lower Z indexes will be drawn successively below each other. To set the Z index for a report element, right click on it and select Set Z-Index from the pop-up menu. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to specify a number for the index of that element.

Z Index Dialog

	Note
	Certain export formats that require a tabular layout, like HTML and Excel, may not appear correctly if the report has elements that overlap each other.

By default, Report Designer operates in Snap to Grid mode. This forces report elements to move only in set increments. The grid layout is represented by small dots drawn in the Design window. By default, the grid step size is 0.1 in or 0.25 cm (depending on which measurement is selected).

To modify snap to grid options, select Snap To Grid from the Option menu. A dialog will open allowing you to set grid properties.

Snap To Grid Options

In this dialog, you can change the grid step size or disable the snap to grid feature. If you disable it, the report elements can be moved in free-form around the Design window.

Shift mode is toggled on and off by selecting Shift On/Off from the Option menu. When shift mode is enabled, report elements will move to accommodate changes in other report elements. Hence, if you resize the width of one report element from 1" to 2", the elements next to the current element will shift to the right. If shift mode is not selected, other report elements will not move, even if the resized element ends up overlapping another.

	Note
	Shift mode works best if you only resize elements or move them by a small amount. If you move elements a pronounced distance with shift mode enabled, it will displace other report elements by a pronounced distance as well, giving the report an odd appearance.

Another way to position and move groups of elements is to use guidelines. Guidelines allow you to place arbitrary position lines within the Design window and snap report elements to those lines. Guidelines allow you to precisely line up and position report elements without worrying about performing precise movements.

Elements Positioned with Guidelines

4.1.3.7.14.1. Inserting Guidelines

You can insert both horizontal and vertical guidelines by selecting Insert Guideline from the Insert menu. This option will open a sub-menu, prompting you to select whether you want a vertical or horizontal guideline. After you select your desired option, click in the design panel where you would like the guideline to be drawn. The guideline will appear as a dotted line with a marker in the upper or left ruler. You can move the guideline by clicking and dragging the marker in the ruler.

You can remove any guideline from a report by right clicking on the guideline (or the guideline marker in the ruler) and selecting Delete from the pop-up menu.

	Note
	Horizontal guidelines cannot be moved between report sections. If you wish to move your guideline to a new report section, you will need to insert a new guideline.

4.1.3.7.14.2. Positioning Elements with Guidelines

There are two ways in which objects can be snapped to guidelines. The first option is to snap all the elements that are near the guideline. To do this, right click on the guideline (or the guideline marker in the ruler) and select Snap Elements in Range. You can then further select to snap the cells left edge, right edge, or center. This will snap all the cells that are up to 0.1 inches away from the guideline.

The other option is to selectively snap elements to guidelines. To do this, first select the elements you want to snap to the guideline using CTRL+Click (you can select only one element, but you must use CTRL+Click to select it), then right click on the guideline (or the guideline marker in the ruler) to which you want to snap it. You can specify to snap the cell's left edge, right edge, or center to the guideline for both horizontal and vertical guidelines. Select the option you want from the pop-up menu and the cell(s) will snap to the guideline.

Guideline Positioning Options

Once an element is attached to a guideline, moving the guideline will cause the element to move as well. You can also snap an element to multiple guidelines. Snapping an element to two guidelines will cause it to stretch to fit.

Element Snapped to Two Guidelines

When you have an element attached to two guidelines, moving either guideline will cause the element to resize (either stretch or shrink).

To release an element from a guideline, right click on it and select Separate From Guidelines from the pop-up menu. This will release the element from any guidelines to which it is attached. You can also release all of the elements attached to a guideline by right clicking on the guideline (or the guideline marker in the ruler) and selecting Separate All from the pop-up menu.

The global formatting feature allows you to give all the elements in your report a consistent look and feel. To set the global formats, select Global Format from Option menu. This will bring up a second menu with each of the different report element types listed: chart, column, formula, image, label, line, rectangle, column header, and title. Selecting one of these will bring up a tabbed dialog box prompting you to set the formats for those elements. Each tab contains formatting options for an element attribute. The formatting options are as follows:

At the bottom of each tab is a checkbox marked Apply Property. Checking this box will apply the property to the global formats when you click OK. The box automatically becomes checked when you change a property. After you make all the property changes, clicking the OK button will change the properties of all elements of that type in the entire report. It will also become the default attribute for any additional elements placed in the report.

	Note
	You have an option to insert images in the original size (default attribute). This can be done using the checkbox labeled Default Size in the Set Bounds tab of the image global format dialog.

Global Format Dialog

To apply formatting to a group of elements, first select a group of elements either by drawing a selection box around them or using CTRL+Click. You can also select a row or column of cells by right clicking on a cell and selecting the Select Column or Select Row option from the pop-up menu.

Once you select the group, format the properties as you would for a single element. Formatting will only take effect on elements where it is applicable. For example, if you select four elements, two labels, a formula, and a chart, and then change the font size, it will have no effect on the chart.

The features and elements of any report (.pak, .qrp, .rpt or .xml) file can be applied to another report. This is accomplished using the apply template feature. To apply a template to the current report, select Apply Template from the File menu or click on the Apply Template Button on the toolbar. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to select the file you want to apply. When you apply a template, all of the elements and their respective formatting will be applied to the current report. Only the data source information is not carried over (this includes functions and scripts in the table data section of the report).

Apply Template Dialog

There are two additional options available in the dialog.

If you would like to have a report that has the same look and feel as another one without replacing the labels, formulas, etc, you can accomplish this by using the global format import/export feature rather than applying an entire template.

You will be presented with the data options dialog the first time you preview a report. This dialog allows you to set several options related to how the Preview window displays report data.

Preview Data Options Dialog

The first option allows you to select whether or not to use live data when previewing the report. If you select live data, the report will connect to the data source and retrieve data every time the report is previewed. Note that if the data cannot be obtained (for example, if the database connection is down), the preview will show an error. You will then need to reload the report (once the connection has been reestablished) or go back to the Preview Data Options and select Use Saved Data. If you select to use saved data, the report will show whatever data it has when you preview the report. This could be either two records of back-up data that are stored in the template, the first twenty records that are retrieved when a report is first created, or the full dataset from the previous preview (if the option had been set to use live data).

If you select to use live data to preview the report, a second option can be set that allows you to limit the number of records that should be retrieved from the data source. If your report uses a large dataset, this option allows you to see the report with data while limiting the processing time and preserving client memory.

Once you set this option the first time a report is previewed, you will not be prompted again when you preview the report. If you want to change these settings, select Set Preview Data Options from Data menu (this option is active only in Design tab). This will bring up the dialog again, allowing you to change the preview settings.

You can sort the data within the Preview window based on any column in the report in ascending or descending order. To do this, select ‘Sort by (ascend)’ or ‘Sort by (descend)’ from the View menu. Each option will bring up a secondary menu containing all of the report column fields. Selecting a column field will cause the report to sort by that column in either ascending or descending order. This feature is also available in the Report Viewer applet.

To sort by multiple columns, select Sort By... from the View menu. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to select which columns to sort by and the direction.

Preview Sorting Dialog

To sort by a column, select it in the left side dialog and click the Add button. You can set the sorting direction by selecting the column on the right side and clicking either the Ascending or Descending button.

	Note
	Any sorting performed will not be saved with the template. When the template is re-opened (run), the data will use the original order. However, you can export the report after sorting and the exported file will reflect the re-ordered data.

It is not recommended that you use this feature with reports containing a large amount of data, as this will use a large amount of memory and can compromise performance.

If your report uses a parameterized query or if you have defined any formula parameters in the report, you will be prompted to select parameter values when you preview the report.

Parameter Prompt Dialog

You are prompted to type in or select parameter values depending on how the parameters are mapped. Clicking the Ok button will generate the report using the specified values. You can disable parameter prompting by toggling the Preview Parameter Prompt option in the Data menu. If date variables are not mapped to a database column, the parameter prompt will appear as below, with the options of entering a date from the calendar or a date variable.

Date Parameter Prompt Dialog

For more information about query parameters, see Section 3.1.3.2.2 - Parameterized Queries. For more information about formula parameters, see Section 4.1.6.2.6 - Formula Parameters.

Generally when you preview the report, the entire report with its data is kept in memory. This allows you to quickly preview and navigate through the generated report. However, for large reports, previewing the entire report could significantly affect system performance as the entire report is loaded into memory. To prevent this problem, you can limit the number of records that are fetched during preview as detailed in Section 4.1.4.2.1 - Preview Data Options.

On the other hand, you may want to preview the entire report without loading it into memory when creating an ad-hoc report. To do this, ReportDesigner allows you to load the report in the Page Viewer. To do this, select Launch Page Viewer from the View menu or click the Launch Page Viewer icon on the toolbar. This will open a Page Viewer window containing the report.

Report Shown in Page Viewer Window

The Page Viewer window will show you the entire report. You can navigate around the different pages by clicking the buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the window or by right clicking and selecting to change pages from the pop-up menu. Because the Page Viewer is a static format, the window will not automatically reflect any subsequent changes made to the report. You will need to close the window and re-launch the Page Viewer. For more information about the Page Viewer, please see Section 7.7 - Page Viewer.

Both data registry files and report templates in ERES can be saved in XML format. By default, both types of files use the Western European encoding. In order to save data registries (including queries) and report templates correctly in XML, you will need to set the XML encoding to use a different character set. For more information about using this feature, please see Section 10.1.2.4 - XML Encoding.

ReportDesigner allows you to use any font on the system for reports. For most formatted exports (DHTML/Rich Text/Excel/Excel 2007) system fonts will translate automatically in the generated output (For Rich Text and Excel/Excel 2007, if the fonts cannot be found, they will default to Arial). However, for PDF you will have to manually specify a .ttf (true type font), .ttc (true type collection), .pfb, or .afm file for any system font that you would like to use in the report.

To set font mapping for the PDF export, select Font Mapping from the Option menu. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to specify font files.

Font Mapping Dialog

You can select a specific .ttf, .ttc, .pfb, or .afm file for each font and style combination. You can either type the full path or browse to the font file. If you are using a .ttc file, you will need to specify the font index in the box provided (.ttc files contain more than one font). Once you specify the correct file, click the Add button to save the mapping to the list. You can edit or delete existing mappings by selecting them in the list and clicking the appropriate button.

When exporting a report to DHTML, the style definitions are created for each element in the report by default. This makes the export faster. However, it can result in a very large file size for large reports. To limit the size of the generated DHTML file, users can select to generate an internal list of global style definitions. This option is slightly slower, but it produces a significantly smaller file. In addition, ReportDesigner provides an option that allows users to apply their own style definitions to report elements by selecting a .css file when exporting the report.

If you are going to use external style sheet definitions, you will need to first select the class name from the external style definitions that should be associated with elements in the report. To set the class for a report element, right click on the cell and select Set Style Class Name from the pop-up menu. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to specify a style name for that report element.

Set Style Class Dialog

Elements for which you do not select a style class will generate their own style based on the settings in the report when the report is exported to DHTML.

Users can also export a .css file for the formatting defined in the report. These style definitions are the same as generated by the internal style sheet option. This feature can be used to apply formatting created in the Report Designer to other reports or other web pages. To export a .css file from a report, select Export Style Sheet from the Option menu. A dialog will open, prompting you for the name and location for the generated file.

CSS options can be set in the export dialog for the DHTML export.

DHTML Export Dialog

The Use External Style Sheet option allows you to specify the location (either relative path or full HTTP path) of a .css file which contains the definitions for the style classes that you have assigned to report elements.

	Note
	The formatting from an external style sheet file will only be applied to the DHTML export. Other export formats will use the formatting defined in the report template.

Formulas are constructed using the Formula Builder interface. To launch the Formula Builder, you can select to create a new formula by selecting New from the formula list dialog. This will prompt you to specify a name for the new formula. Once you specify a name, the Formula Builder will open, allowing you to construct a formula. You can also use the Formula Builder to edit an existing formula. To edit a formula, select it from the list and click the Edit button or double-click on a formula cell in the Design window.

Formula Builder Window

The main window of the Formula Builder contains the text of the formula. The folders on the right side contain various elements that can be added to the formula, including column fields, other formulas, parameter values, database fields, and built-in functions. The first two rows of buttons contain the most common arithmetic and Boolean operators (operators and functions are discussed in the next section). The last two rows of buttons serve as command buttons and perform the following functions:

You will often want to use data from column fields for your formulas. This can be easily accomplished in formulas using the following syntax: {<Field Name>}. The braces delimit the field and the field name is the name of the column field you're referencing. So in a basic example: {UnitPrice} * {Quantity} would multiply two column fields together.

In most cases, the column name is the name specified in the data source (i.e. the database column name or alias). If you are uncertain about the correct name, you can simply select the column field you want to use from the Columns node in the right panel in the formula builder.

There are two other functions you can use to retrieve column data:

ReportDesigner allows you to easily re-use report formulas by plugging them directly into new formulas. You can refer to a formula using the following syntax: @<FormulaName>. The formula name is the name that was assigned to the formula the first time it was created. So for example if you created a formula {UnitPrice}*{Quantity} called Total, you could retrieve the result of this formula by typing @Total.

If you are uncertain about the correct name, you can simply select the formula you want to use from the Formulas node in the right panel of the Formula Builder.

You can also use this notation to aggregate computed columns if the formula has been placed in the Data Table section of the report.

In addition to column field and formula values, you can also access parameter values as part of a formula. Parameter values are the user supplied values to either query or formula parameters. For more information about query parameters, see Section 3.1.3.2.2 - Parameterized Queries. For more information about formula parameters, see Section 4.1.6.2.6 - Formula Parameters.

To refer a parameter value, use the following syntax :<ParameterName> for query parameters and ?<ParameterName> for formula parameters. For example, if the report has a query parameter named StartDate that prompts the user to supply a date, :StartDate will return the date that the user has supplied when the report is run.

If you are uncertain about the correct name, you can simply select the parameter you want to use from the Parameters node in the right panel of the Formula Builder. Also, if you type a formula parameter name wrong, the Formula Builder will assume that you are trying to define a new parameter.

If your report uses a database as the data source, you can also use database fields that were not selected for the report in a formula. Database fields are referenced in a similar manner to column fields and use the syntax {<Table Name>.<Field Name>}. If your database requires three part names, the fields should be referenced accordingly.

You can select database fields to add from the Database Fields node in the right panel of the Formula Builder. In addition, the Formula Builder allows you to preview database fields. To do this, first select a field in the right panel and then click the Browse Data Field button. This will bring up a new dialog showing the first few rows from the selected column.

When using constants in formulas, there are certain formats that are required for each data type.

Rather than adding constants into a formula, you can specify a parameter. Using a parameter, you can collect constant values from the user (or elsewhere) at run-time and dynamically compute the formula based on those values. To specify a parameter in the formula, use a question mark “?” followed by the parameter name.

For example, the following formula {Quantity}+?Value would add a user supplied value to the Quantity field in a report.

	Note
	If you want to define a new parameter within a formula, you have to use a unique name. If you specify a parameter name of a parameter that is already defined in another formula within the report, the new formula will return the value from the previous parameter.

4.1.6.2.6.1. Initializing Formula Parameters

Like query parameters (detailed in Section 3.1.3.2.2.2 - Initializing Query Parameters), you must initialize a formula parameter before a formula can be used in a report. To initialize any parameters defined in the current formula, click the Initialize Parameter button in the Formula Builder. This will bring up a dialog prompting you to specify options for the parameter.

Initialize Formula Parameter Dialog

From this dialog, you can specify a default value for the parameter, map the parameter to a report column (this will give the user a drop-down list of distinct values, rather than having them type in the parameter), specify the data type for the supplied parameter, as well as specify the prompt for the end user. Clicking the Previous Parameter and Next Parameter buttons allows you to initialize each of the parameters that have been defined in the formula. Click OK when you finish setting up the options for all parameters.

Note

For formula parameters, you must specify a default value for each parameter. Also, if the parameter is mapped to a report column, the first time the report is previewed, the dialog will only contain the first twenty values of that column. This is because the full dataset is not retrieved when the report is first created. At run-time, the dialog will contain all the available values in the report column.

ReportDesigner provides several arithmetic and Boolean operators that allow you to create expressions in formulas. Operators use in-fix notation that places the operator between arguments in the expression, i.e. <argument1> <operator> <argument2>.

You can automatically insert operators into a formula by clicking one of the operator buttons in the formula builder.

In addition to the basic operators, ReportDesigner provides a number of built-in functions. Function syntax generally takes the form of a function name outside of a set of parenthesis enclosing the comma-separated arguments function(<argument>, <argument>).

You can insert functions into the formula by selecting the function you want under the Numeric Functions, String Functions, or Date Functions nodes in the Formula Builder. Functions are inserted with hints indicating the type and number of arguments it should take. In order for the function to return properly, these hints have to be removed and replaced with valid arguments.

The following is a list of element attributes that can be modified using scripts.

There is also a special action called ALERT. To learn more about alerts in report scripts, please visit Section 11.2.4 - Reports.

In addition to modifying these properties for the current cell, you can also retrieve these properties from other report elements. You can retrieve the value from a report element in the same manner that you do in formulas either {Column Field}, @Formula, :Parameter, etc, or using the id() function for other cells or labels. For more information about this, please see Section 4.1.7.2.3 - Using Formulas.

You can retrieve all other attributes using the following syntax ATTRIBUTE(Report Element). For example, FONTCOLOR(id(RPT_HDR_LB0)) would return an integer array [R,G,B] representing the font color of a label in the Report Header section. You can use this to run comparisons based on attributes or to match the attributes of the current cell with those of another report element. For example, BGCOLOR=BGCOLOR({ProductName}); would change the current cell's background color to match that of the ProductName column.

Depending on which type of element the script is being applied to, certain formatting actions may have no effect. For example, you can set scripts on lines and rectangles, but you can only modify their bounds and colors.

4.1.7.2.1.1. Scripting Image URLs

Utilizing the if else conditionals and the Image URL formatting option, you can create image URL scripts that change images dynamically based on data in your report. Suppose you want to include two simple images to help readers determine if the sales for a particular category has achieved the desired goal. Let's say that the sales goal for each category is 100 units sold. Using this information, you can write the following script to display the success image when the goal is met and the failed image when the goal is not met.

if(@SUM_Quantity > 100) {
    value = "http://www.quadbase.com/images/green.jpg";
} else {
    value = "http://www.quadbase.com/images/red.jpg";
}

Create a new formula cell that has a string data type (you can simply use "" for the content) and apply this script to the cell. Then set the data formatting for this cell to be "Image Url". More information about data formatting can be found in Section 4.1.3.7.3 - Data Formatting for Formulas and Column Fields. Here is how the report will look like using this script:

Scripted Image URL

In addition to the if else statements, you can also define variables and arrays in a script. Variables and arrays are defined at the beginning of the script (before any statements).

4.1.7.2.2.1. Variables

If you have a constant or expression that you intend to use in multiple places in a script, it can often be easier to define a variable rather than re-typing the constant or expression in every place where it is used. A variable can be declared at the beginning of a script using the following syntax: DataType VariableName;. The data type is the type for the variable value and can be either Number, Boolean, String, or Date.

	Note
	DateVar is used as the data type declaration for Date variables. This avoids confusion with the date() function. The variable name can be anything except an operator or function name.

The following example uses variables which contain an expression.

String Line1;
String Line2;
Line1 = {Address1} + "\n";
Line2 = {City} + ", " + {State} + " " + {Zip};

if ({Address2} == NULL) {

    VALUE = Line1 + Line2;
} else VALUE=Line1 + {Address2} + "\n" + Line2;

This script pieces together several report fields to create an address entry. The first two lines of the script declare the variables. The script then concatenates fields and strings depending on whether there is an Address2 entry or not. Using the variables prevents having to re-type the expressions. Note that “\n” is used to break the text to a new line.

You can also assign a value to a variable as part of an action in a script. You can use this to modify the variable value based on some conditions and then return the variable value to the cell. This is useful if you only want to write one value statement. The following example assigns a value to a variable:

if ({Flags} == "M") {
    LinkAppend = "Main";
} else if ({Flags} == "R") {
    LinkAppend = "Remote";
} HYPERLINK = ["StatPage.html#" + LinkAppend, "", ""];

In this example, a variable is defined without an initial value. The value of the variable is assigned based on a string flag in the report. At the end of the script a hyperlink is defined for the element that uses the variable value to specify a page location.

String[] MonthNames = ["January","February","March","April", 
"May","June","July","August","September","October",
"November","December"];

VALUE = MonthNames[({Month} - 1)];

You can use any of the ReportDesigner formulas from the main report or any sub-reports (for more on accessing sub-report formulas, see Section 4.1.6.3 - Subreport Formula Access) in both the condition and action components of the script, as well as for variable values. Most commonly formulas are used to retrieve values either from the current element or other report elements. You can retrieve the value from column fields using {Column Field}, the value from existing report formulas using @FormulaName and the user supplied values for query and formula parameters using :ParamName and ?ParamName respectively.

In addition to these methods, there is one additional function that can be used in scripts.

You can also use the formulas to build expressions for comparison or to change an element's value. For more information about ReportDesigner formulas and their syntax, please see Section 4.1.6 - Using Formulas & the Formula Builder.

Using cell scripts you can check for null values within report columns. To specify a null as a constant, simply use the word null without any delimiters. So a simple script that checks for nulls would look like this:

if (this() == null) {
    VALUE="yes";
}

	Note
	Even if you have set the null data handler in Report Designer, you can still use script in this manner. This is because the script will execute before the null handler has a chance to convert the content of the cell.

Using scripts, you can retrieve and modify values for specific rows of column fields. Normally when you retrieve or replace the value of a column field you will get/replace the first value from the column or the current row if the script is applied to a field in the Table Data section. However, you also have the option of specifying which row you would like to get/replace. To do this, you can append a column field with the following syntax: .row(Row Index). The row index is the index value associated with each row in a report starting with 0. For example {ProductName}.row(3) would return the fourth value of the ProductName field.

You can obtain the current row index as well as the total number of rows in the report using the getRowIndex() and getTotalRowIndex() functions respectively. The following example uses this feature to hide repeated values in a column field.

if (({Category}.row(getRowIndex()) == {Category}.row(getRowIndex()-1)) AND (getRowIndex() <> 0)) {
    FONTCOLOR=[255,255,255];
}

This example assumes that the background color for the report is white and hides the field by adjusting the font color accordingly.

In addition to conditional if else statements, ReportDesigner also allows you to add loops to scripts. Used in conjunction with variables and row-specific options/formatting, loops are useful if you need to perform running totals/calculations independent of the current row or section of the report. The basic syntax for loops is:

while (Condition) {Action(s);}

The specified actions will be performed as long as the condition (Boolean expression) is true.

For example, say you have the following report:

Adding a formula that calculates the total quantity to the Table Footer (sum({Quantity})) would return 66. However, say you only wanted to show the total quantity for chairs in the Table Footer. To do this, you write a loop. Applying the following script to the aggregation.

Number i; 
Number s; 
i = 0;
s = 0;

while (i < getTotalRowIndex()) {
    
    if ({Product}.row(i) == "Chair") {

        s = s + {Quantity}.row(i);
                
    }
    
    i = i + 1;

}

VALUE = s;

will return 45 - the sum of the quantity column for Chair. The script loops through each row in the report and checks to see if the value for the Product column is “Chair”. If it is, the Quantity value for that row is added to the variable s.

In addition to individual cells, scripts can also be applied to report sections. Based on conditions within the report data, individual section options can be turned on/off and section background colors can be set. To add a script to a report section, click on the button with the section name on the left side of the Designer. You can also right click on a blank portion of the section field and select Scripting from the pop-up menu.

Writing section scripts is exactly the same as writing scripts for report elements as they use the same syntax. The only difference is that instead of Cell Attributes folder in the Formula Builder, you will see Section Attributes folder containing various formatting actions that can be performed with section scripts.

4.1.7.2.7.1. Formatting Actions for Section Scripts

The following is a list of section attributes that can be modified using scripts (not all options are available for every report section).

BGCOLOR:

The action syntax that allows you to change the background color of the element is BGCOLOR=[R,G,B]; where R is a number for the red value of the new color, G is a number for the green value of the new color and B is a number for the blue value of the new color. You can automatically generate the RGB array using the Insert Color button in the Formula Builder.

PRINT_ON_NEW_PAGE:

This action allows you to turn on/off the print on new page section option. The syntax is PRINT_ON_NEW_PAGE=True/False; For more information about the print on new page feature, please see Section 4.1.3.3 - Section Options.

RESET_PAGE_NUMBER:

This action allows you to turn on/off the reset page number section option. The syntax is RESET_PAGE_NUMBER=True/False; For more information about the reset page number feature, please see Section 4.1.3.3 - Section Options.

VISIBLE:

This action allows you to control whether a section is visible or not. The syntax is VISIBLE=True/False; Setting visible to false will make the section invisible. Using this attribute coupled with the nested section feature (Section 4.1.3.1.1 - Nested Sections) allows you to create different headers/footers to display depending on the data.

HEIGHT:

This action allows you to set the height of a section. The syntax is HEIGHT=Size; (in inches or centimeters depending on which measurement is selected). For example HEIGHT=0.25; would set the height of the section to 0.25 inches/centimeters.

	Note
	Scripts that set or refer to section attributes can only be applied to sections. They cannot be applied to other report elements.

You can also add comments to a script to explain its design and operation. A comment is preceded by two slashes //. Anything following this on the same line is treated as a comment. You can break comments into multiple lines, but each line must begin with //.

If you have scripts applied to cells in your report, you can access these values using the syntax .getScriptValue(). For example, you may have this data:

String, int
Month, Revenue
January, 3567
"February", 6854
"March", 5421
"April", 8425
"May", 5611
"June", 2356
"July", 6543
"August", 2563
"September", 4432
"October", 8841
"November", 1023
"December", 2265

If you wish to take this data and create a year to date revenue column, you could use the following script, which would display the scripted value from the previous row added to the revenue from the current row. This script is written to be put on a formula consisting of the number 0 as a column in the table data section, refered to within this script as {formula1}.

if(getRowIndex()==0)

    VALUE={revenue};
else
    VALUE={revenue} + {formula1}.getScriptValue(getRowIndex()-1);

This would yield a report like this:

By default, a link will be placed on the column in the top-level report which is mapped to the sub-level report. Instead of using the default link, you can place the link on a different column, or multiple columns using the Drill-Down Link option from the Drill-Down menu.

To add or remove a drill-down link from a report column, first make sure that you are currently editing the correct template (top or higher level). Then select a column field and select Drill-Down Link from the Drill-Down menu. This will bring-up a drop-down list allowing you to select which sub-level report you would like to link to. To remove a drill-down link, select the blank option at the top of the drop-down list.

Drill-Down Link Dialog

Adding layers of multi-value drill-down to a report is almost exactly same as adding regular drill-down layers. The only difference is in the query in the lower-level report. To create a multi-value drill-down layer, the lower-level report must have a multi-value parameter in its query that is mapped to a column in the higher-level report.

Using the previous example, say the query for the lower level has a multi-value parameter for a customer id - something like Where Customers.CustomerID IN (:CustID). If the CustID parameter is mapped to the Customer ID column in the top-level report, this will automatically create a multi-value drill-down layer. For more information about multi-value parameters, see Section 3.1.3.2.2.1 - Multi-Value Parameters. If you do not wish to create a multi-value drill-down layer, simply use a single value parameter in the lower-level report.

	Note
	You can have only one report per level when using multi-value drill-down. It does not support linking different columns from the same report to different reports.

You can place column links in multi-value drill-down reports; however, a dialog or form is used to allow users to select multiple column values and drill to the next level. For more information about this, please see Section 4.1.8.4 - Viewing Drill-Down Reports.

When you select to add a drill-down layer to a crosstab report, you will be prompted whether you would like to create a standard (column linking) drill-down presentation or use crosstab drill-down.

Crosstab Drill-Down Options

If you select to use crosstab drill-down, the setup will continue just as it would for any other drill-down presentation. The only difference comes with parameter mapping. Instead of mapping parameters from the lower level report to columns in the main report, they are mapped to the row break and column break values for the top-level report.

Parameter-Column Mapping for Crosstab Drill-Down

Once you add the drill-down layer, the cells (column break values) in the crosstab matrix for the top level report will automatically be linked to the layer you have added.

The size of the gray rectangle in the main report Design window represents the size of the sub-report, so if the sub-report is larger than the space you allow in the Design window, portions of the sub-report may be truncated.

Fixing a sub-report's size within the main report may not be the best solution if the number of records in the sub-report vary. You can solve this by setting the sub-report to have variable height. Dynamic sizing for sub-reports is set in the same way as for other report cells using the resize to fit option. For more information about this feature, please see Section 4.1.3.7.11 - Moving and Resizing Report Elements.

You can also set the width of the sub-report to be dynamic. This feature is most useful for crosstab type reports where the number of columns in the report can vary as the data or filters change. This sets the sub-report to always draw wide enough to fit all the visible columns in the sub-report. To set dynamic width for the sub-report, right click on the sub-report in the Design window and select Auto Resize Width from the pop-up menu (To disable this feature, open the pop-up menu and click on this option again).

	Note
	If you set a sub-report to have variable height, any objects placed directly below the sub-report in the same section of the primary report will not shift to accommodate the resized sub-report. Hence, these objects may be overlapped by the sub-report.

To ensure that objects are not overlapped, it is recommended that you place sub-reports with dynamic height in their own report sections. If necessary, you can add nested sections to the report. For more information about this, see Section 4.1.3.1.1 - Nested Sections.

Although linked sub-reports will run in any configuration and in any report section, it is important to be aware of the behavior of sub-reports when creating a linked presentation. As noted in Section 4.1.9.2 - Editing a Sub-Report, sub-reports will only run as many times as the section in which they are placed and will only run once when placed in the Table Data section.

Therefore, if you place a linked sub-report in a section that runs only once (Table Header, Report Header, Table Data, etc), the sub-report will only run once and it will use the first value from the column to which it is linked to filter the report. To generate a linked presentation where the sub-report runs for each value in the column to which it is linked, you should use a summary break layout. By setting the column as a row break and placing both the column and the sub-report in the Group Header section, you will get the desired result.

	Note
	If a relationship between the column and the sub-report already exists in the database, you may want to generate a side-by-side master & details layout instead of linked sub-reports. Using the master & details layout will result in better performance. For more information about this, please see Section 4.1.2.4.1 - Data Mapping.

In addition to controlling the specific behavior of cells in a report, you can also assign parameter values to a security level. For example, using the scenario described earlier where a sales report is grouped by region, you could add a query parameter that filters by sales region, and then assign the appropriate region value to a security level for that region. When an employee logs in, the report is run with the appropriate security level and the user will only see data for their sales region as the appropriate parameter value has been supplied to the report by the security level. To use security parameters, the report must use either a parameterized database query or a parameterized class as the data source.

To add security settings for parameters, select Secured Query Parameters from the Data menu. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to select query parameter values.

Security Parameters Dialog

Like the cell security dialog, the parameter security dialog contains a list of all the security levels defined in the Organizer on the left side.

To add security settings to report parameters, select the level you want to assign parameter values to and click the Add button. The security level will then appear in the drop-down list on the right side of the dialog. For each selected security level, you can select which parameters you want to secure using the check box next to the parameter. For each secured parameter, you can select the value(s) that you want to be associated with this security level. Once you finish assigning parameter values, click the Ok button to return to the design window.

Only the administrator has access to the report security features. When other users access the Report Designer, it will run in secure mode. When the Report Designer is running in secure mode, users will only be able to preview reports at the level assigned to them. In addition, they will be unable to modify report cells with defined security settings or cell scripts that have been applied as security settings.

You can also call Report Designer in secure mode when launching it through the API. For more information about launching Report Designer through the API, see Section 8.1.5.8 - Calling Report Designer from Report API.