Using the Report Browser, Report Viewer, and Report Editor (6.2 SP2)
Summary
Report Definition rules, introduced in PRPC 6.1, make it easy for both developer and non-developer users to create and share clear, accurate, and illuminating reports on business processes. Enhancements introduced in 6.2 SP2 extend and simplify what you can do with Report Definition reports.
New in SP2 is the Report Editor. The Editor assembles the various report-editing functions in a single interface, and adds simplified access to data properties and calculated values so you can quickly add columns to a report.
Reporting in PRPC 6.2 SP2 - Nine tutorial videos offers an introduction to the suite of reporting features and some detailed examples of working with reports.
Suggested Approach
Here is what you can do with a report in the Browser, Viewer, and Editor.
Note that some editing functions are available in both the Report Viewer and the Report Editor. Also note that which of these options are available depends on settings in the Report Definition rule that generates the report.
To access these tools:
- In the Designer Studio, click
and then select Reporting > Access > Report Browser. - In the Case Manager Portal, select the My Reports tab.
Open a report in the Report Viewer by clicking on one of the shortcut links in the Browser. If the report is editable, an edit icon appears that lets you open it in the Report Editor.
Report Browser
The Report Browser lists all reports available to you. You can view the entire list at once, or select a category to see only the reports in that category.
Browse or search for a report Use the search tool to find a report with your search text in its title., Create a new report, or create a category to help organize reports, by clicking the New Report and New Category buttons. Click on a category to see the reports it holds. |  |
Right-click on a report shortcut The context menu that appears lets you
See How to schedule reports and subscribe to scheduled reports. |  |
Right-click on a category The context menu lets you rename or delete a category |  |
| Run a report | Click on the report shortcut to open it in the Report Viewer. |
For more information about the Report Browser, see the tutorial videos, or Using the Report Browser to organize and manage reports.
Report Viewer
Open a report in the Report Viewer to see and work with the report.
The icons at the top of the Viewer let you:
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Right-click a column heading The context menu lets you:
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Click any Filters link You can adjust existing report filters, or add a filter, to change the amount of data displayed |  |
For more information about the Report Viewer, see the tutorial videos.
Report Editor
The Report Editor uses simulated data to let you work quickly on the report's design and the columns it includes. Return to the Report Viewer to see the report with live data.
A series of hints is available just below the icons at the top of the Report Editor.
The icons at the top of the editor let you:
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Data Explorer Select properties or create calculations and use them to populate columns in the report. Depending on a setting in the Report Definition rule for this report, the Data Explorer may display unoptimized properties (properties in the BLOB column only). Using unoptimized properties can cause significant performance slowdowns, so all properties needed in reports in a production system should be optimized. |  |
Right-click a column heading The context menu lets you:
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Click any Filters link You can adjust existing report filters, or add a filter, to change the amount of data displayed |  |
For more information about the Report Editor, see the tutorial videos.
Note: in newer versions of PRPC you can add charts to illustrate summary-type Report Definitions. See Working with charts in reports (6.3) or Working with charts in reports (7.1).
Access to Report Browser functions
When you create a report in the Report Browser, you also create a Report Definition rule. Since non-developers do not normally have permissions to create and save rules, a non-developer who wants to create reports must have a production RuleSet associated with their access group to hold the Report Definition rules they create.
