Designing Characteristic Types
The parameter tab on the report definition page uses Characteristic Type to define the report parameters. For each report parameter that you plan to use, you must define a characteristic type.
You do not need a unique characteristic type for each report parameter. For example, if Start Date and End Date are parameters your report, only one Report Date characteristic type needs to be defined. This characteristic type would be used on both date parameters.
Each characteristic type to be used as a report parameter must indicate a characteristic entity of Report.
To illustrate the characteristic type definitions, let's look at the sample report Tax Payables Analysis. It needs the following parameters: From Date, To Date, GL Account Type Characteristic Type and Account Type value.
Note:Account Type Parameters. The tax payables report must find general ledger entries that have posted to a certain distribution code. In order to find the appropriate distribution code, the report expects each distribution code to be defined with a characteristic indicating its GL account type (for example, Revenue, Asset, etc.) The report needs to know the characteristic type used to define this entry.
To support the required parameters, the following characteristic types are needed.
Char Type
Description
Type
Valid Values
Char Entities
CI_​DATE
Date Parameter
Ad-hoc
(Uses validation algorithm to validate proper date entry)
Report
CI_​CHTYP
Characteristic Type
FK Reference
CHAR_​TYP
Report
CI_​GLTY
GL Account Type
Pre-defined
A- Asset, E- Expense, LM- Liability/miscellaneous, LT- Liability/taxes, R-Revenue
Distribution Code, Report
Highlights for some of the above settings:
• We have defined a characteristic type for defining a characteristic type. This is to allow the user to indicate which Char Type on the Distribution Code is used for the GL account type. This is an FK reference type of characteristic.
• The GL account type characteristic type is referenced on both the Distribution Code entity and the report entity.
Parent topic 
Designing Your Report Definition