1.2 Reports

The topics in this section discuss basic concepts of reports; for more advanced concepts, see Section 2.1, "Reports".

About Reports
About Web Reports

1.2.1 About Reports

A report consists of objects that collectively define the report:

data model objects (queries, groups, columns, links, user parameters)
layout objects (repeating frames, frames, fields, boilerplate, anchors)
parameter form objects (parameters, fields, boilerplate)
PL/SQL objects (program units, triggers)
references to external PL/SQL libraries, if any
code shown in the Web Source view (for JSP-based Web reports)

Using the Property Inspector, you define report properties. The document taxonomy (classification) properties (Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords) assist in cataloging and searching a report document.

When you first start Oracle Reports Builder, you can choose to open an existing report, create a new report using the Report Wizard, or create a new report manually.

Note:

Source Control is disabled by default. Therefore, the Administration option on the File menu is always disabled.

1.2.1.1 Creating a new report using the Report Wizard

Using the Report Wizard, you can quickly and easily accomplish the steps to build a report for both Web and paper layouts:

Create a new report definition.
Define the data model (choose the data, data relationships, and calculations you will use to produce the report output).
Specify a layout. You can use a default, customizing it if desired, or create your own. Oracle Reports Builder provides the default layout styles described in Section 1.3, "Report Styles".
Then, you can modify your report using the different views of the Report Editor.

1.2.1.2 Creating a new report manually

If you choose to create a new report manually, Oracle Reports Builder creates a new default report definition for you. The first window you see is called the Object Navigator. This window displays a comprehensive list of report objects. Initially, it shows all objects that Oracle Reports Builder has created for you, as part of the report definition. As you define your report, the Object Navigator provides a central location to access and modify all objects in your report(s), including attached libraries, triggers, and program units. You can change the Object Navigator view to list objects hierarchically or by object type.

1.2.2 About Web Reports

With a focus on Web publishing, Oracle Reports has moved more fully into its role as a universal publishing solution. In prior releases, Oracle Reports Builder's Web feature simply displayed paper reports (that is, multiple pages) in HTML or PDF. This moves corporate data onto the Web, but also results in large and somewhat inflexible HTML pages.

While all the prior Web report functionality remains for paper-based reports (see Section 4.6.10, "Adding Web links to paper-based reports"), Oracle Reports can also use JavaServer Pages (JSPs) as the underlying technology to enable you to enhance Web pages with information retrieved using Oracle Reports Builder. This introduces the Web Source view of a report, and enables you to have both JSP-based and paper-based definitions in a single report. In other words, you can either publish your paper reports to the Web in various output formats, or take more advantage of Web features by adding JSP coding in the Web Source view. For example, you can create a report that has a paper PDF version and a JSP-based Web version; what you choose depends on your needs and whether you are able to produce the desired results more easily in the Web Source view or in the Paper Design view.

Oracle Reports also includes servlet technology. Servlets provide a Java-based alternative to CGI programs. Servlets provide a platform-independent method for building Web-based applications, without the performance limitations of CGI programs.

You can create a Web report in any of the following ways:

In the Report Wizard, select whether the report layout is both Web and paper, Web only, or paper only. The layout for both Web and paper reports defaults in the Paper Design view. You can view the source code for the Web report in the Web Source view.
Open an existing HTML document (Web page) and embed a report in your Web page using the Report Block Wizard. This provides tremendous flexibility in creating reports that meet the demands of completely integrating multiple sources of information within a single Web page. See Section 4.6.4, "Adding a report block to a Web page".
Display the Web Source view (see Section 4.6.2, "Viewing the source code for a Web report") and manually insert the Oracle Reports custom JSP tags. See the topic "Oracle Reports JSP tags" in the Reference section of the Oracle Reports online Help.
Insert an existing report into an existing Web page, by displaying the Web Source view for the report and source code of the Web page, then copying and pasting the report block into the desired position in the Web page.
Use the functionality available since Oracle Reports 6i to add HTML and hyperlinks to an existing report to create a paper-based Web report (HTML file). See Section 4.6.10, "Adding Web links to paper-based reports".

To preview your report output in a Web browser, use Program > Run Web Layout. It enables you to immediately see the effect of your changes on the output.

Note:

If Netscape 7.0 is your default browser, and the browser does not display, set the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Oracle\Toolkit\Tkbrowser to the default browser location. Ensure that the BrowserName and the BrowserPath keys reflect the correct values. For example: BrowserName=Netscape 7; BrowserPath=C:\Program Files\Netscape\Netscape\Netscp.exe.