Preface

This manual describes the different options available for publishing reports with Oracle Reports as well as how to configure the Reports Server software for publishing reports.

Reports Server new features

Table 0-1 new features

New Feature	See
Database queue. Update your database with Reports Server queue activity.	Section 3.2.6.1, "To update the database with job queue activity"
Reports Servlet. Configure the Reports Server using Java-enabled Web servers.	Section 3.4, "Reports Servlet configuration guidelines"
Control user access to report. Restrict user access to reports that are run on Reports Servers. Oracle Reports uses Oracle WebDB to check that users have the necessary access privileges to run the report on restricted Reports Servers.	Chapter 5, "Controlling User Access to Reports"
Clustering. Improve performance and loading balancing by clustering your Reports Servers.	Chapter 6, "Configuring Reports Server clusters"
Report Customization. Apply customizations to reports at runtime without changing the original report and generate different output depending upon the audience.	Chapter 7, "Customizing Reports at Runtime"

Intended Audience

This manual is intended for anyone who is interested in publishing reports with Oracle Reports. It could be that you have built reports yourself and now want to publish them to a wider audience in your organization. It could also be that someone else built the reports for you and you now want to deploy them for other users to access. To configure Oracle Reports software for publishing reports, you should have a thorough understanding of the operating system (e.g., Windows NT or Solaris) as well as Net8. If you are planning to deploy reports dynamically on the Web, you should also be knowledgeable about your Web server configuration.

Structure

This manual contains:

Chapter 1	Introduces you to the Reports Server.
Chapter 2	Introduces the architecture of the Reports Server and choices that you need to make before you configure the Report.
Chapter 3	Describes how to configure the Reports Server with example configurations using a cgi-aware Web server..
Chapter 4	Decribes the various methods for running reports to the Reports Server.
Chapter 5	Describes how the Reports Server can be integrated with Oracle WebDB to control user access to reports.
Chapter 6	Describes how to configure the Reports Server with clustering to enhance performance and reliability.
Chapter 7	Describes how to use XML to apply customizations to reports at runtime.

Related Documents

For more information on building reports, Oracle WebDB, or the Oracle Developer Server, refer to the following manuals:

• Oracle Reports Building Reports, A73172-01

• Oracle WebDB Getting Started-Installation and Tutorial, A70070-01

• Deploying Forms to the Web with Oracle Developer Server, A73071-01

Notational conventions

The following conventions are used in this book:

Table 0-2 Notational conventions used in manual

Convention	Meaning
boldface text	Used for emphasis. Also used for menu items, button names, labels, and other user interface elements.
italicized text	Used to introduce new terms.
courier font	Used for path and file names, and for code and text that you type.
COURIER CAPS	Used for: File extensions (.PLL or .FMX) SQL commands
CAPS	Used for: Environment variables Built-ins/package names Executable names