46.3 Use the Report Wizard to Create a Report

When you create a report, you can either use the Report Wizard to assist you or create the report yourself. To build the simple report in this example, you can use the Report Wizard.

Before you use a Text pluggable data source, you might want to examine the text file first to see what it looks like. You can open the census_csv.txt file in a text editor, like Notepad or WordPad, to see the data we will be using in this example.

To create a simple report:

  1. Now that you have updated the textpds.conf file, launch Reports Builder.

    Tip:

    If Reports Builder was already open when you modified the textpds.conf file, you must shut down Reports Builder and restart it for Reports Builder to recognize your text file as a valid data source.
  2. In the Welcome dialog box, select Use the Report Wizard, then click OK.

  3. If the Welcome page displays, click Next.

  4. On the Report Type page, select Create Paper Layout only, then click Next.

  5. On the Style page, type a title for your report and select Group Above, then click Next.

  6. On the Data Source page, click Text Query, then click Next.

  7. On the Data page, click Query Definition to display the Define Text Query dialog box.

    If you get an error message and cannot display the Define Text Query dialog box, check your configuration file (textpds.conf) to confirm the code you added.

  8. Under Data Definition, click the CensusCSV format in the list.

    Note:

    The CensusCSV format displays in this list because you added it to the textpds.conf file.
  9. Under Data Source, click Browse to find the provided file census_csv.txt.

    If you do not see the file listed in your directory, make sure you have selected TXT files in the Files of Type list in the Open dialog box.

  10. Click the file, then click Open.

  11. When the census_csv.txt file displays in the Location field, click OK.

    In the Report Wizard, the data source definition displays in the Data Source definition field.

  12. Click Next.

  13. On the Groups page click CATEGORY in the Available Fields list and click the right arrow (>) to move this field to the Group Fields list, then click Next.

  14. On the Fields page, click the double right arrows (>>) to move all available fields to the Displayed Fields list, then click Next.

  15. On the Totals page, click Next.

  16. On the Labels page, click Next.

  17. On the Template page, select Predefined Template and click Beige, then click Finish to display your report output in the Paper Design view. Make whatever modifications you wish. The report should look like the following image:

    Figure 46-3 Paper Design view for the Text PDS report

    Description of Figure 46-3 follows
    Description of "Figure 46-3 Paper Design view for the Text PDS report"

  18. Save the report as census_report_your_initials.rdf.

    Note:

    You can compare your results against the report we have provided in the examples directory. Before you can run the report, however, follow these steps:
    • In the Data Model view, right-click the query and choose Data Wizard.

    • On the Data page, click Query Definition.

    • Update the location of census_csv.txt to its location on your local drive.