Using Ad Hoc Reports

This chapter covers the following topics:

About Ad Hoc Reports

Ad hoc reports display data in tabular format. When you work as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager you can create an ad hoc report to analyze an issue on the fly. You can also save an ad hoc report and run it on a regular basis.

Toolbar for ad hoc reports

The Document toolbar appears at the top of an open ad hoc report. The toolbar buttons enable you to perform the functions that are listed below.

Creating Ad Hoc Reports

You can base an ad hoc report on the default ad hoc report document. You can also use any saved document as the starting point for a new report.

The data in a new report initially reflects the document on which the report is based. You can then customize the report so that it displays exactly the data that you want to work with. You can also select layout and format options.

To create an ad hoc report:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. On the navigation toolbar, choose the New button,

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  3. and choose New Report.

    Alternatively, you can click the right mouse button on Documents in the navigation list and choose New Report from the popup menu.

  4. Choose one of the following:

    • Use default — Creates an ad hoc report that is based on the default ad hoc report document.

    • Based on — Creates an ad hoc report that is based on a selected document.

      If there are no saved documents, then you do not have these options. The report will automatically be based on the default report document. For information about setting the default, see "Saving Ad Hoc Reports".

  5. Choose OK to create the report.

    Result: The report is displayed in the workspace. A generic name, such as “Document 1,” appears above the body of the document.

Displaying Multiple Documents

You can open the following documents at the same time:

To learn more about the multi-document interface, see the section on The Document Workspace.

When you are working with one or more reports and a worksheet open, you can select a command from the Navigation Toolbar to refresh the open documents so that they all display the same data. See the topic on refreshing open documents in the worksheets chapter.

Opening Ad Hoc Reports

You can open a saved ad hoc report. Saved reports are displayed as objects in the navigation list, located in the left frame of your browser. Depending on how a report was saved, it might appear in the main Documents folder or in a folder that you created.

To open an ad hoc report:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. In the navigation list, identify the report that you want to open.

    Note: To search for an ad hoc report in the navigation list, click the right mouse button on the main Documents folder or a specific folder and choose Find from the popup menu. Then enter a name or name fragment. Alternatively, you can choose the Find button on the navigation toolbar.

  3. Double-click the document object.

    Alternatively, you can click the right mouse button on the document object and choose Open from the popup menu.

Default Document Layout

When a user creates a new worksheet, report or graph, Oracle Demand Planning intelligently displays immediately usable, populated documents by setting status to dimensions where data is available. To see information on the default layout for reports, see the section on the default layout in the worksheet chapter.

Selecting Data for Ad Hoc Reports

When you create a new ad hoc report, the data reflects selections for the document on which the report is based. When you open a saved ad hoc report, the data reflects selections that were in effect when the document was saved.

You can select measures and dimension values so that the report displays exactly the data that you want to work with.

To select data for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Select Data button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: A list of the dimensions in your database appears. The list includes Measure.

  3. Choose a dimension for which you want to select values.

    Result: The Select Data dialog box opens. The dimension that you chose is displayed in the Select Values for box.

  4. Choose values for the current dimension.

  5. To select values for another dimension, in the Select Values for box choose the dimension and repeat Step 3.

  6. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until the document includes the values that you want to work with.

Applying custom aggregates and saved selections to an ad hoc report

In addition to using a selection list or selection tools to select data values for an ad hoc report, you can change the data that is displayed in a report by applying saved selections and custom aggregates to the open document. For more information, see the following topics:

"Defining Custom Aggregates""Applying Custom Aggregates to Open Documents"

"Defining Saved Selections"

"Applying Saved Selections to Open Documents"

If expected rows do not display

It is possible that a row that you expect to see might not appear if rows that contain NA (unavailable) data are suppressed in the report. For example, assume that you position Time on the row edge of a report, and select three Time values: October, November, and December. If NA row suppression is turned on and there is no data for December, then the report will display rows for October and November, but no row for December.

If you think that NA or zero rows are being suppressed and you want to view these rows, you can use a format option to display the rows. For more information, see"Specifying general display elements for an ad hoc report".

Arranging and Viewing Data in Ad Hoc Reports

You can change an ad hoc report so that the data is arranged in the way that you want. The following options are available:

Changing the layout of an ad hoc report

You can use the Change Layout button on the Document toolbar to change the layout of an ad hoc report. Alternatively, you can change the layout manually, by dragging and dropping dimension tiles.

To use the Change Layout button to change the report layout:

  1. With the report open in the workspace, choose the Change Layout button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Layout box displays the current positions of the dimensions on the page. Dimensions for which data displays as separate pages are shown in the page position. Dimensions for which data goes across the page are shown in the row position. Dimensions for which data goes down the page are shown in the column position.

  3. You can click a dimension and drop it on another location or drag it to a new location.

    Result: The dimension moves as follows:

    • If you drag a dimension near another dimension and the dimension turns gray, this indicates that the two dimensions will exchange (swap) positions.

    • If you drag a dimension and a black bar appears, this indicates that the dimension will be moved to the position.

  4. You can also use the controls at the top of the page to manipulate dimension positions as follows:

    1. In the left box, select an action.

      • Choose Move to move a dimension to another position.

      • Choose Swap to exchange the position of one dimension with another dimension.

    2. In the center box, select the dimension on which to perform the move or exchange.

    3. If you chose Move in the earlier step, use the right box to select the target location for the move.

      If you chose Swap in the earlier step, use the right box to select the dimension or edge for the exchange.

    4. Choose Go to update the display in the Layout box to reflect the current status of the boxes.

  5. When the Layout box displays the desired settings for the dimensions, choose OK.

    Result: The Change Layout dialog box closes. The elements in the document are moved to the locations that you specified.

To use drag and drop to change the layout:

  1. Click a row, column, or page selector. These selectors are located beside the row, column, and page labels and appear similar to a stoplight.

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  2. Drop the selection on another location or drag it to a new location.

    Result: The dimension moves with the selector as follows:

    • If you drag a dimension near another dimension and the dimension turns gray, this indicates that the two dimensions will exchange (swap) positions.

    • If you drag a dimension and a black bar appears, this indicates that the dimension will be placed on the edge.

Changing the document type for an ad hoc report

You can change an ad hoc report from a tabular format into a graphical format.

To change an ad hoc report into a graph:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Change Document Type button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Change Document dialog box opens.

  3. In the Change document type to box, select Graph.

  4. In the With the following subtype box, select the type of graph you want to work with.

  5. Choose OK to apply the current settings.

    Result: The Change Document Type dialog box closes. The current report changes to the type of graph that you specified.

Drilling through levels of data in an ad hoc report

If an ad hoc report includes hierarchical dimension values and the drilling option has been turned on for the document, you can view data at various levels by drilling within aggregate values. For example, if the report displays a geography that includes lower level values, you can “drill down” and expand the display to show component geographies. You can then “drill up” to collapse the display.

You can drill a dimension value that is in the row or column position if a drill arrow appears to the left of the dimension value name. The arrow shape changes, depending on whether you can expand or collapse the value:

A report format option enables you to turn drilling on or off for a report. For more information, see "Specifying general display elements for an ad hoc report".

Paging through an ad hoc report

Report data is displayed one page at a time. You can use the page controls at the top of the document to display pages other that the one that is currently in view. For example, the current page might show data for Total Product, but you can select another product from the list to see its data.

Adjusting columns and rows in a report

You can change the size of columns and rows in a report so that the information is easier to read. You can use drag and drop to adjust column and row sizes. You can also use a format option. For more information about sizing rows and columns, see "Sizing rows and columns in an ad hoc report".

Creating Ranking/Exception Reports

You can use an ad hoc report as a starting point and create a report that meets analyzes data by exception, ranking criteria, or exception-then-ranking criteria.

Example: Ranking report

For example, if you want to view the shipping history and amount of the top ranking products for all organizations in Puerto Rico, the planning engine displays the list of the products meeting the above mentioned criteria in a Ranking/Exception report.

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Planning your Ranking/Exception report

Identify the row dimension

Before you create a Ranking/Exception report, identify the dimension in which you want to rank members or specify exception criteria. This is the focus of the report and the dimension that you will select as the row or down dimension. For example, if you intend to rank geographies by units shipped for a product within a specified time period, you would specify Geography as the row dimension.

Identify the measure and the qualifying dimension values

Identify which measure to use as the basis for evaluating the dimension in the row position. Set this measure in the base report. For example, if you intend to use Geography as the row dimension, do you want to evaluate the geographies in terms of Booking History, or by another measure?

By default, Oracle Demand Planning will attempt to use the first measure displayed in the base report as the measure to use for exception, then ranking. You can also change this selection. You should also identify the measure that you want to use as the basis for evaluating the row dimension. Then identify the other qualifying values that you intend to apply. To continue with the previous example: for what time period and product do you want to look at Booking History?

Working with Ranking/Exception reports

You can work with a Ranking/Exception report just as you would any report, with several exceptions:

Creating a report that meets exception criteria

The following procedure describes how to apply exception criteria to a report for the first time. If you are modifying criteria, see "Modifying exception then ranking settings for an ad hoc report".

To create a report that meets exception criteria:

  1. With a report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

    If you see the Welcome dialog box, choose Next to continue.

    To suppress the Welcome dialog when creating other Ranking/Exception reports, uncheck the Show this page next time box before you continue.

    Result: The Row Dimension dialog box opens.

    With a report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

    • In the Ranking/Exception Wizard — Row Dimension dialog box, choose the row dimension for the report from the drop-down list.

    • In the Ranking/Exception Wizard — Row Dimension dialog box, choose members of the row dimension by choosing the Ellipsis button and using the Dimension Value Selector dialog box.

    • Choose Next to go to the next step in the Wizard.

      Result: The Ranking/Exception Wizard — Exception dialog box opens.

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  2. Choose the Yes option to apply exception criteria. Chose a measure by choosing the Ellipsis button and using the Dimension Value Selector, then select a value operator from the drop-down list.

    • Select a qualifying dimension and then choose the Dimension Values button to select specific qualifying dimension values.

    • At this point, you can choose Finish to create an exception report.

    • Choose Next to continue and create an exception-then-ranking report.

    • If the report with which you are working does not have a designated row dimension, the Dimension Values button is not enabled.

Creating a report that meets ranking criteria

The following procedure describes how to apply ranking criteria to a report for the first time. If you are modifying criteria, see "Modifying exception then ranking settings for an ad hoc report".

To create a report that meets ranking criteria:

  1. With a report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

    If you see the Welcome dialog box, choose Next to continue.

    To suppress the Welcome dialog when creating other Ranking/Exception reports, uncheck the Show this page next time box before you continue.

    With a report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. In the Ranking/Exception Wizard Row Dimension dialog box, choose the row dimension for the report and the member values that you want to evaluate.

  3. Choose Next to navigate to the Ranking/Exception Wizard Exception dialog box.

  4. Choose the No option to skip the exception criteria and move to the ranking step.

  5. 5. Choose Next to access the Ranking/Exception Wizard – Step 3: Ranking page.

    Then choose Yes to enable the Ranking Criteria frame. The ranking dimension is specified in the Ranking label at the top of the frame.

  6. Choose the ranking criteria measure by choosing the Ellipsis button and selecting with the Dimension Value Selector.

  7. To rank top values, enter an integer in the Top box that represents the number or percentage of top values to select. To indicate that the value that you entered is a percentage, choose Percent.

  8. To rank bottom values, in the Bottom box, enter the number or percentage of bottom values to select. To indicate that the value that you entered is a percentage, choose Percent.

  9. The Dimensions box displays default qualifying dimension values. There is a qualifying value for each dimension in the row position. You can accept the default value that appears in the box for a dimension, or you can select an alternate value for any dimension.

  10. To select an alternate value for a dimension, highlight the value that you want to change and choose the Dimension Values button. This opens a dialog box where you can select an alternate value for that dimension.

    If no dimension is on the Column edge, the Dimension Values button is not enabled.

  11. Choose Finish to display the ranking report.

Example: Ranking criteria

The following example shows the dialog box for defining ranking criteria.

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Creating a report that meets exception then ranking criteria

The following procedure describes how to apply exception then ranking criteria to a report for the first time. If you are modifying criteria, see "Modifying exception then ranking settings for an ad hoc report".

To create a report that meets exception then ranking criteria:

  1. With a report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Accept or close the Welcome screen.

  3. Use the Row Dimension step to choose a row dimension.

    If you convert another type of report into a ranking exception report, you should remember that you will not be able to use exception or ranking criteria until you have selected a row (down) dimension.

  4. Choose the Yes option in the Exception criteria step, and use the form as described in the procedure on creating exception criteria. Then go on to the Ranking criteria step.

  5. Choose the Yes option in the Ranking criteria step, and use the form as described in the procedure on creating ranking criteria.

  6. Choose the Finish button.

Modifying exception then ranking settings for an ad hoc report

You can change the measure, cutoff or ranking values, and qualifying dimension values for ranking then exception criteria in a report.

If you want to change the focus of the report — that is, place an alternate dimension in the row position, you must remove the exception/ranking settings and start again. Alternatively, you can create a new report.

To modify exception then ranking settings for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. When the Modify Ranking/Exception Settings dialog box opens, choose Modify Ranking/Exception Settings, and then choose OK.

    The ranking/exception wizard starts, with the Exception tab active. If you do not want to define, disable, or modify exception criteria, proceed to the Ranking tab.

  3. In the Exception tab, you can modify the current exception criteria or disable the current exception criteria by choosing No for the “Do you want to apply exception criteria" prompt.

  4. To modify or disable ranking criteria, choose the Ranking tab. In the Ranking tab, you can modify the current ranking criteria, or disable the current ranking criteria by choosing No for the “Do you want to apply ranking criteria" prompt.

  5. You can also define ranking criteria if none currently exists by following the same procedure outlined in Creating A Report That Meets Ranking Criteria.

  6. Choose Finish to display the report.

Removing exception and ranking settings from a report

You can remove exception setting, ranking settings, or exception then ranking settings that have been applied to an ad hoc report.

To remove exception and ranking setting from an ad hoc report:

  1. With the report open in the workspace, choose the Ranking/Exception Reports button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Modify Ranking/Exception Settings dialog box opens.

  3. Choose Remove Ranking/Exception Settings and then choose OK.

Viewing Events for Measures in Ad Hoc Reports

An event is an occurrence such as a promotion, new product introduction, or product phase out that is expected to impact demand for a product. When you define a stored measure, you can associate one or more events with that measure. Events might also be linked to stored measures in the shared database. Thus, your ad hoc report might include measures that have associations with events.

While you are working with reports you can access an Events Calendar which provides information about the events that are associated with a demand plan.

To view events that are associated with a measure:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Events Calendar tool on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Events Calendar opens. The Month tab displays events for the current month. The right frame displays all events that are linked to the demand plan.

  3. Choose the Filter Events by Measure button.

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  4. Result:The Choose a Measure dialog box opens. The list displays all of the measures that have been defined for the demand plan.

  5. Select a measure from the list and choose OK.

    Result:The right panel now displays only those events that have been associated with the selected measure. The measure name appears at the bottom of the frame.

  6. To view more information about the event, double-click it.

    Result:The Event Wizard opens, where you can view (and optionally edit) the event definition.

  7. You can move through the calendar to view the event time period. Choose Next to advance the month display and Previous to go back a month. Choose the Year tab to view events by year.

  8. Choose OK to exit the calendar.

Formatting Ad Hoc Reports

You can specify the following types of formats for a report:

Specifying formats that apply to the entire report

You can specify the following types of format options for the entire report:

Specifying general display elements for an ad hoc report

You can set parameters that specify how to display levels of data, gridlines, and rows that contain NA (unavailable) and zero data in a report. You can also specify how to handle formatting conflicts and drilling.

To specify general display elements for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Choose Format Document from the popup menu.

    Result: The Format Document dialog box opens. The General tab is active.

  3. The General tab displays the current settings for report display elements. You can change one or more of the following settings:

    • View Rows — Specify whether to show all rows or suppress rows with zero values, NA values, or both NA and zero values.

    • Formatting Precedence (low to high) — Specify the order in which to apply formatting when row, column, and page conflicts occur. For example, if you use the Format Selected Rows and Columns option and choose purple as the text color for a row and then choose yellow as the text color for a column that intersects with the row, the setting for Formatting Precedence will determine which color will display for the intersecting cell.

    • NA Spell — Enter a character or character string to represent NA data (up to 31 characters).

    • Indent by Level — For dimensions that have a hierarchical structure, specify whether to indent rows by level and enter the number of indent characters to use.

    • Horizontal Grid Lines — Specify whether to show or hide horizontal grid lines.

    • Vertical Grid Lines — Specify whether to show or hide vertical grid lines.

    • Enable Drilling — For dimensions that have a hierarchical structure, specify whether you can drill down to lower levels.

  4. Choose OK to apply your selections.

Displaying Item Descriptions in Reports

When you add formatting to your report, you can also customize labels so that the labels for values in a dimension are displayed in the format that you choose. In the product dimension, for example, you can display item descriptions next to their part numbers.

The process of selecting and specifying one of the four types of labels for any dimension values in your ad hoc report is identical to the process for using the Dimension Labels tab of the Format Document dialog box for worksheets. See that topic of the worksheet chapter for more information.

Selecting fonts, colors, and text alignment for an ad hoc report

You can select font style, size, color and text alignment for an ad hoc report.

Font settings will be applied to both the data and the labels in the report. Color and alignment settings will be applied only to the data.

To select fonts, colors, and text alignment for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Choose Format Document from the popup menu.

    Result: The Format Document dialog box opens. The General tab is active.

  3. Select the Font tab.

  4. The Font tab displays the current settings for font name, font size, color, and alignment. You can change one or more of these selections as follows:

    • Use the Font box to select the font name.

    • Use the Size box to select the font size.

    • In the Color box, select colors for the text and the cell background.

    • In the Alignment box, select an alignment option for data values.

  5. Choose OK to apply your selections.

Sizing rows and columns in an ad hoc report

You can change the size of rows and columns in a report so that the information is easier to read. You can use a format option. You can also change column or row size manually.

To use a format option to set row and column size:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Format Document tool on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Choose Format Document from the popup menu.

    Result: The Format Document dialog box opens. The General tab is active.

  3. Select the Autosizing tab.

  4. The Row Sizing box displays the current setting for row size. You can choose one of the following options:

    • Autosizing by Label — Automatically sizes the rows based on the height and width of the row labels.

    • Equal Sizing — Sizes rows based on a height and width that you specify. The row height is determined by multiplying the font size of the label by the value that you enter.

    • None — Removes automatic or equal sizing from the rows.

  5. The Column Sizing box displays the current setting for column size. You can choose one of the following options:

    • Autosizing — Automatically sizes the columns on the current page based on your selection. You can choose one of the following options:

      • by Label — Sizes the columns according to the size of the individual column labels.

      • by Data — Sizes the columns according to the size of the data each column contains.

      • by Largest Data or Label — Sizes the columns to the larger of either the individual column labels or the data contained in each column.

    • Equal Widths by Average Character — Sizes columns based on a width that you specify.

    • None — Removes automatic or equal sizing from the columns.

  6. Choose OK to apply your selections.

To manually size a row or column in an ad hoc report:

With the document open in the workspace, position the cursor on the border of the label of the row or column whose size you want to change. When the cursor changes to a double arrow, click and move the border.

Result: If the current setting for row or column sizing is an Autosize option or None, each instance of the dimension value in the selected row or column will change size while the other rows or columns will retain their current size. If the current setting for column or row sizing is Equal, all of the columns or rows will change size.

To reapply autosizing to columns or rows in an ad hoc report:

  1. Choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Alternatively, you can click the right mouse button in the document.

  3. Choose one of the following options from the popup menu:

    • Reapply Autosizing — Applies default autosizing to rows and columns. Does not override manual resizing (drag and drop).

    • Reapply Autosizing to All — Applies default autosizing to rows and columns. Overrides manual resizing (drag and drop).

      Note: If Equal sizing or None has been selected for rows and columns, the options for reapplying autosizing will not appear when you click the right mouse button. If Autosizing has been selected for either column or row, the options to reapply autosizing will appear when you click the right mouse button, but will only apply to the dimension position (column or row) that has autosizing turned on.

Adding a title, subtitle, and footnote to an ad hoc report

You can add a title, subtitle, and footnote to an ad hoc report and specify whether each of these elements will display in the current document.

To specify a title, subtitle, or footnote for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Choose Format Document from the popup menu.

    Result: The Format Document dialog box opens. The General tab is active.

  3. Select the Titles tab.

  4. In the Select Title Type box, choose a text element (Title, Subtitle, or Footnote) and proceed as follows:

    1. In the Font Properties box, select font properties (name, size, style, color, background color) for the text.

    2. In the Alignment box, select an alignment option for the text.

    3. In the Display Options box, choose Show to display the text element in the current document.

    4. In the Text box, enter the text for the title, subtitle, or footnote (498 characters maximum).

  5. Repeat Step 4 for each text element that you want to include.

  6. Choose OK to apply your selections.

Formatting data in selected rows and columns

You can select one or more rows or columns in a report and apply formats for font, color, alignment and borders. You can apply these formats to data in the rows and columns. You can also apply these formats to the row or column labels. You can also specific how numeric values will be displayed.

Formats that you apply to selected rows, columns, and labels take precedence over formats that apply to the entire report.

Note: If conflicts between row and column formatting occur, Oracle Demand Planning uses the Formatting Precedence setting (a Format Document, General tab option), to determine which format will prevail. For example, if you use the Format Selected Rows and Columns option and choose purple as the color for a row, and then choose yellow as the color for a column that intersects with the row, the Formatting Precedence setting determines which color will display for the intersecting cell. For information about the Format Precedence setting see "Specifying general display elements for an ad hoc report".

Applying fonts, colors, and borders selected rows or columns

You can apply fonts, colors, and border formats to selected rows or columns in an ad hoc report.

To apply fonts, colors, and borders to selected rows or columns in an ad hoc report:

  1. With the report open in the workspace, select the rows, columns, or labels to which you want to apply formatting.

    • To select a column, click the highlighter under the column label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one column.

    • To select a row, click the highlighter next to the row label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one row.

    • To select a row or column label, click the label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one label.

    • To select all labels for a row or column, click the row or column label selector. The column label selector is located to the left of the first column label. The row label selector is located at the top of the row labels.

  2. Choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  3. Choose Format Rows and Columns from the popup menu.

    Result: The Format Rows and Columns dialog box opens. The Fonts and Borders tab is active.

  4. The tab displays the current settings for font name, font size, font style, colors, alignment, and borders. You can change one or more of these selections as follows:

    • Use the Font box to select the font name.

    • Use the Size box to select the font size.

    • In the Color box, select colors for text, border, and background.

    • In the Alignment box, select alignment options for the text.

    • In the Borders box, choose styles for top, left, bottom, and right borders. For a single solid border, choose the width.

  5. Choose OK to apply your selections.

Applying numeric formats to selected rows and columns:

You can apply unique number formats to selected rows and columns in an open ad hoc report.

To format numeric values in selected rows or columns in an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, select the rows or columns in which you want to format numbers.

    • To select a column, click the highlighter under the column label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one column.

    • To select a row, click the highlighter next to the row label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one row.

  2. Choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  3. Choose Format Rows and Columns from the popup menu.

    Result: The Format Rows and Columns dialog box opens. The Fonts and Borders tab is active.

  4. Select the Number tab.

  5. The tab displays the current settings for numeric values. You can change the following settings:

    • Decimal Digits — Specifies the number of decimal places to display.

    • Use Thousands Separator — Indicates whether to display (or suppress) the thousands separator.

    • Positive Values — Specifies the format for positive numbers (Available if you do not choose the Currency/Percent option).

    • Display Leading Zeroes — Indicates whether to display (or suppress) leading zeros.

    • Negative Values — Specifies the format for negative numbers (Available if you do not choose the Currency/Percent option).

    • Apply Currency/Percent — Activates currency/percent format options:

      • Symbol — Symbol for dollars, yen, pounds, francs, or percent.

      • Positive Values — Format for positive values.

      • Negative Values — Format for negative values.

    • Scale Values Down By — Specifies scaling for large numbers.

      As you make formatting choices, the Samples box in the lower left corner of the Format Number dialog box shows the effect that your choices will have on the data.

  6. Choose OK to apply your selections.

Clearing row and column formatting

You can clear formats that have been applied to rows and columns. You can clear formats from selected rows and columns or you can clear formats from all rows and columns.

To clear selected row and column formats:

  1. With the report open in the workspace, select the rows, columns, or labels from which you want to remove formatting.

    • To select a column, click the highlighter under the column label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one column.

    • To select a row, click the highlighter next to the row label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one row.

    • To select a row or column label, click the label. Use SHIFT + click or CTRL + click to select more than one label.

    • To select all labels for a row or column, click the row or column label selector. The column label selector is located to the left of the first column label. The row label selector is located at the top of the row labels.

  2. Choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  3. Choose Clear Selected Row and Column Formatting from the popup menu.

To clear all row and column formats:

  1. With the report open in the workspace, choose the Format Document button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Choose Clear All Row and Column Formatting from the popup menu.

Formatting Ad Hoc Reports Based on Data Conditions (Color Coding)

You can create conditional format rules that apply to an ad hoc report when data values for a measure meet specified criteria. This is referred to as color coding.

A color coding rule is composed of the following information:

Color coding rules are saved with a report. When you open a report that includes one or more color coding rules, data that meet the criteria will have the specified formats.

Types of color coding conditions

Using color coding rules, you can implement conditions such as the following:

You can also combine two conditions within a single rule and specify whether the data must meet either condition or both conditions. For example, you might define a rule that applies a green background to cells in which the value for a measure is greater than or equal to 100,000 and greater than the value for another measure by 10%.

Color coding format options

You can specify the following formats when you define a color coding rule:

Defining color coding rules

You can associate multiple color coding rules with a single report.

You can define one or two conditions for each rule and associate each measure in a report with a maximum of four rules. If the format associated with one rule conflicts with the format associated with another rule, the format that is associated with the most recently defined rule takes precedence.

To define a color coding rule for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Color Coding button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: If this is the first color coding rule for this report, the Color Coding Wizard starts. If the report has at least one color coding rule, the Color Coding dialog box opens, from which you can view the existing rules and choose Add to define a new rule.

  3. In the Color Coding Wizard -- Specify Measure dialog box, select the measure to which the color coding rule will apply. Choose Use Stoplight Formatting to apply stoplight formatting.

    For information about stoplight formatting, see "Color coding format options".

  4. Choose Next to continue.

  5. In the Color Coding Wizard -- Specify Data Condition dialog box, complete the Select by box as follows:

    • Choose value to compare the measure with a numeric value.

      or

    • Choose measure to compare the measure with another measure.

      For more information, see "Types of color coding conditions".

  6. If you selected value in Step 4, proceed as follows:

    1. In the where box, select a measure on which to base the value condition. You can select the default measure, or you can select an alternate measure.

    2. In the is box, select an operator that specifies how the data values in the selected measure must compare to the value in the value box.

    3. In the value box, specify a number to which the data values in the measure will be compared.

  7. If you selected measure in Step 4, proceed as follows:

    1. In the where measure box, select the first measure to use in the comparison. You can select the default measure, or you can select an alternate measure.

    2. In the is box, choose the operator that specifies how the data values in the first measure must compare to the data values in the second measure.

    3. In the measure box, specify the second measure to use in the comparison. You can select the default measure, or you can select an alternate measure.

    4. You can specify a percentage or numeric value to include in the condition. Select percent if the value is a percent.

  8. When the condition definition is complete, do one of the following:

    • Choose Next to continue.

    • Choose Add a Second Data Condition to define a second condition for this rule.

  9. To add a second data condition, define the condition in the Color Coding Wizard -- Specify Additional Data Condition dialog box. Then choose one of the following options:

    • Apply when both first and second condition are met

    • Apply when either first or second condition is met

  10. Choose Next to continue.

  11. In the Color Coding Wizard -- Specify Appearance dialog box, specify the formats in which data that meets the condition or conditions will display.

    • In the Font box, select the font.

    • In the Size box, select the font size.

    • In the Style box, select the font style

    • To select the font color, disable the Use Default box and select a color in the Font Color box.

    • To select the background color for the cells, disable the Use Default box and select a color in the Background Color box.

      If you selected Use Stoplight Formatting in Step 2, you can only choose the cell background color.

  12. Choose Next to continue.

  13. In the Color Coding Wizard -- Specify Name dialog box, review the summary description of the data conditions. You can also enter a name for the rule.

    Note: You might want to use a name that describes the condition or conditions.

  14. Choose Finish to continue.

    Result:The Color Coding dialog box opens. It includes information regarding the appearance, description, and measure for the rule.

  15. Choose OK to apply the current rule or rules.

    Result: The report displays. If there are cells that meet the condition or conditions for a color coding rule, the data in these cells is formatted as specified.

Example: Color coded ad hoc report

Consider an example, where you want to color code an ad hoc report, where the optimistic forecast amounts below $20000.00 would be color coded. Colored cells are those that meet the color coding criteria.

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Example: Color coded ad hoc report with stoplight formatting

On the other hand, if you color-code an ad hoc report with stoplight formatting, the colored cells would be those that meet the color coding criteria. However, as the report uses stoplight formatting, the actual values do not display.

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Modifying color coding rules

You can modify a color coding rule for a report.

To modify a color coding rule for an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Color Coding button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Color Coding dialog box opens, from which you can view the existing rules.

  3. Select the rule that you want to change and choose Modify.

    Result: The color coding wizard starts. You can make new selections for measure, conditions, and color formats.

Deleting color coding rules

When you no longer want to apply a color coding rule to a report, you can delete it.

To delete a color coding rule from an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Color Coding button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Color Coding dialog box opens, from which you can view the existing rules.

  3. Select the rule that you want to change and choose Delete.

    Result:The rule is deleted.

Printing Ad Hoc Reports

You can print an open ad hoc report and specify settings that determine how the printed pages will look. When you save the document, Oracle Demand Planning saves the print settings for order, scaling, and page setup.

You can also print one or more saved ad hoc reports and other documents directly from the navigation list. Note that when you print multiple documents, you do not have the same options that are available when you print an open ad hoc report. For example, when you print an open document, you can specify the pages to print (all or current). When you print multiple documents from the navigation list, Oracle Demand Planning prints all pages of the selected documents.

To print an open ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Print button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result:The Print dialog box for your browser opens.

  3. You can change the print defaults for the browser. For example, you can specify new values for printer and number of copies.

  4. Choose OK to continue.

    Result: The Print dialog box for Oracle Demand Planning opens.

  5. In the Print box, specify the pages that you want to print. You can choose one of the following options:

    • Current Page of Data — Prints the current page of data as indicated by the page label.

    • All n Pages of Data — Prints all pages of data, beginning at the first logical page, regardless of the current page settings.

      If you choose to print all pages, the system prints all data for all dimension values that are in the page position in the document. Depending on the number of dimensions that are in status in the page position, printing all pages might result in many pages of output.

  6. In the Order box, you can specify the order in which to print the pages. You can choose one of the following options:

    • Across then down — Prints as many rows and columns as will fit on a physical page, then moves across the columns (until all are printed) and then down the rows (until all are printed).

    • Down then across — Prints as many rows and columns as will fit on a physical page, then moves down the rows (until all are printed) and then across the columns (until all are printed).

  7. In the Scaling box, you can specify how to scale the document. You can choose one of the following options:

    • Adjust to — Scales each logical page by a percentage that you select. The output will span the number of physical pages that are necessary to meet the specified percentage.

    • Fit to — Scales each logical page to span the width and height of the number of pages that you select.

  8. To indicate how you want the printed pages to look, choose Page Setup. This opens the Page Setup dialog box, where you can perform the following operations:

    • Specify optional header text (up to 100 characters) for the printed page.

    • Specify an optional footer for the printed page.

    • Specify whether row, column, and page labels will be repeated on each printed page.

    • Specify whether a title, subtitle, and footnote will appear on the printed pages.

    • Specify margin settings for the printed pages.

  9. If you want to preview the pages before printing them, choose Preview.

  10. Choose OK to print the document.

To print multiple documents from the navigation list:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. In the navigation list, open the folders that contain the documents that you want to print.

  3. Scroll to a document, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the document object.

    Result:The document is highlighted.

  4. Repeat Step 3 for each document that you want to print.

  5. After you make your final selection, click the right mouse button and choose Print from the popup menu.

Saving Ad Hoc Reports

When you have created or modified an ad hoc report, you can save it for use at another time.

Saving a report saves the view with the current measures and dimension value selections, formatting, and layout. Saving also preserves current specifications for ranking/exception, print scaling and page setup, as well as export option settings.

You have the following options when you save an ad hoc report:

To save an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Save As button on the Document toolbar.

    The Save As dialog box opens. If you are saving a new document, a default name, such as “Document 1,” appears in the Save Document As box. If you are saving modifications to an existing document, the document name appears in the Save Document As box.

  2. Specify the name for the report that you are saving, as follows:

    • If you are saving a new document, type a name for it in the Save Document As box. The name can be up to 70 characters long.

    • If you are saving an existing document under a new name, replace the name in the Save Document As box with the new name. The name can be up to 70 characters long.

    • If you want to give the report the name of an existing document (overwrite the document), choose the Save As box and select a name from the list of saved documents.

      If you are saving an existing report under its current name, or if you intend to save the document as the default ad hoc report, do nothing with the information in the Save Document As box.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • In the Into Folder box, select the folder into which you want to save the report.

      To save the report into the main Documents folder, select (none) in the Into Folder box.

      or

    • If you want to save the report as your default ad hoc report document, so that its structure will appear whenever you create a new ad hoc report, select the Save As Default option.

  4. Choose OK.

    Result:The Save As dialog box closes. The report that you saved is again visible in the workspace. If you saved the report in a folder, the document object appears within that folder in the navigation list. If you did not specify a folder, the report appears in the main Documents folder.

Copying Data from Ad Hoc Reports

You can copy data from contiguous cells in an ad hoc report to the Windows clipboard. You can choose to copy data that has been stripped of special formats such as thousands separators, currency signs, and percent symbols or you can include these elements. You can also copy row and column labels.

To copy data from an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, select the cell or cells that you want to copy.

    You can select cells by using row and column selectors. You can also select cells by selecting a cell as a starting point, dragging the mouse pointer, and then releasing the mouse button at the end of the block.

    You cannot select cells that are not contiguous.

  2. Choose the Copy button on the Document toolbar.

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  3. Alternatively, you can click the right mouse button.

  4. Choose a copy option:

    • Copy — Copies the data but excludes formats such as thousands separators, currency signs, and percent symbols.

    • Copy Special — Presents a submenu from which you can select one of the following:

      • Copy Data with Labels — Copies the data but excludes formats such as thousands separators, currency signs, and percent symbols. Also copies row and column labels that are associated with the selection.

      • Copy Number Formatted Data — Copies the data and includes formats such as thousands separators, currency signs, and percent symbols.

      • Copy Number Formatted Data with Labels — Copies the data and includes formats such as thousands separators, currency signs, and percent symbols. Also copies the row and column labels that are associated with the selection.

      • Copy Row Labels — Copies the row labels that are associated with the selected data. Does not copy the actual data.

      • Copy Column Labels — Copies the column labels that are associated with the selected data. Does not copy the actual data.

  5. If you see a dialog box requesting additional privileges, choose Grant.

    Result: The data is copied to the Windows clipboard.

Exporting Data from Ad Hoc Reports

You can export data from an ad hoc report to files that can be used in Microsoft Excel and other applications. You can select one of three export format options (CSV, TXT, or HTM for Excel 2000+), and export data from all pages or from a specific page.

Note: If the document contains many pages of data, you might have difficulty opening the file in certain applications. To avoid this situation, modify the data selections to reduce the number of values before creating the export file.

To export data from an ad hoc report:

  1. With the document open in the workspace, choose the Export button on the Document toolbar.

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  2. Result: The Export dialog box opens.

  3. In the Export box, choose the pages to include in the export file. You can select one of the following options:

    • Current Page — Exports data from the current page as indicated by the page label.

    • All n Pages — Exports all pages of data, beginning at the first logical page, regardless of the current page settings.

  4. In the As Type box, select the format for the export file. You can choose one of the following:

    • Comma delimited (*.csv) — Exports the data in Comma Separated Value format, in which labels and data values are separated by commas.

    • Tab delimited (*.txt) — Exports the data in text file format, in which labels and data values are separated by tabs.

    • Excel 2000+ (*.htm) — Exports the data in a format that can be read by a browser and opened in Excel version 2000 and version 2002, also known as XP.

  5. In the Options box, you can choose the following options for the export file:

    • Include Number Formatting — For a CSV or TXT export, check this option to export the data with the current setting for number formats. Do not check this option if you want to export unformatted numeric data. Note that an HTM export automatically includes number formats.

    • Repeat Group Labels — Check this option to repeat outer labels for columns and rows of inner, nested dimensions. Do not check this option if you want the export file to display labels as they appear in the screen display.

      Include Title, Subtitle, Footnote — Check this option to include the title, subtitle, and footnote of the document in the export file. Do not check this option if you want to exclude these elements.

    • Create One Sheet per Page — For a multi-page HTM export, check this option to export the data from each logical page to a separate Excel worksheet. Do not check this option if you want to export the data from all pages to a single Excel worksheet. For more information, see About Excel 2000+ output files .

  6. Choose OK to continue.

    Result:If you chose CSV or TXT format, the File Download dialog box opens. If you chose HTM format, the Export to HTML/Excel 2000+ dialog box opens.

  7. For a CSV or TXT export, proceed as follows:

    1. In the File Download box, choose Save this file to disk.

      Result: The Save As dialog box opens.

    2. In the Save in box, select the output directory for the export file.

    3. In the File name box, enter a name for the export file.

    4. Choose OK to export the file.

  8. For an HTM export, proceed as follows:

    1. In the Save in box, select the output directory for the export file.

    2. In the File name box, enter a name for the export file.

    3. Choose OK to export the file.

About Excel 2000+ output files

When you export to a single worksheet in Excel 2000+ (*.htm) format, Oracle Demand Planning generates a single HTML file in the directory that you specify.

When you export to a multi-page file in Excel 2000+ format and indicate that you want to create one sheet per page, Oracle Demand Planning generates an HTML table of contents file plus a number of other files in the directory that you specify. Use the table of contents file to access the individual worksheets.

Closing Ad Hoc Reports

When you have finished working in an open ad hoc report, you can close it. If you have modified the report but did not save it, you will be prompted to specify whether you want to save the document.

To close an ad hoc report:

Choose the Close button, located in the upper right corner of the document.

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Renaming Ad Hoc Reports

You can give a new name to a saved ad hoc report. If the report is in more than one folder, it will be renamed in all folders.

To rename an ad hoc report:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. In the navigation list, identify the ad hoc report that you want to rename.

    To search for an ad hoc report in the navigation list, click the right mouse button on the main Documents folder or a specific folder and choose Find from the popup menu. Then enter a name or name fragment. Alternatively, you can choose the Find button on the navigation toolbar.

  3. Click the right mouse button on the document object and choose Rename from the popup menu.

  4. Enter the new name, up to 70 characters long.

Viewing Ad Hoc Report Properties

You can view the following properties of a saved ad hoc report:

To view the properties of an ad hoc report:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. In the Navigation list, identify the ad hoc report whose properties you want to view.

  3. Click the right mouse button on the document object and choose Properties from the popup menu.

Deleting Ad Hoc Reports

When you no longer need a saved ad hoc report, you can delete it. If the report exists in more than one folder, only the selected version will be deleted.

You can delete an individual report. You can also delete a report as one of multiple documents.

To delete an ad hoc report:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning page as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. In the Navigation list, identify the ad hoc report that you want to delete.

  3. Select the report and choose the Delete button on the navigation toolbar.

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  4. Alternatively, you can click the right mouse button on the document object and choose Delete from the popup menu.

    Result: You will be prompted to confirm the deletion.

To delete multiple documents:

  1. Access Oracle Demand Planning as a Demand Planner or Demand Plan Manager.

  2. In the navigation list, open the folders that contain the documents that you want to delete.

  3. Scroll to a document, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the document object.

    Result:The document is highlighted.

  4. Repeat the previous step for each document that you want to delete.

  5. After you make your final selection, click the right mouse button and choose Delete from the popup menu.

    Result:You will be prompted to confirm the deletion.