Report Definitions
Working with the Report Viewer

When you run a report definition, the Report Viewer displays its results in a separate window. The Report Viewer offers many options for manipulating the displayed report, such as printing it and exporting it to Excel.

From the Report Viewer, you can open a report for editing in the Report Editor.

Viewing Reports

In the Report Viewer, the report's title displays at the top of the window. When the report is being run, there is a search box that lets you search for specific text within the report. When searching for text, click the search icon repeatedly to move the cursor from instance to instance of the search term where it appears in the report.

When viewing a list report in which paging is enabled, you usually only see a single page of results (typically, 50 rows) at a time. Page links at the top of the report allow you to move to other pages.

When viewing a summarized report, you usually see results grouped by one or more columns' values. Each group section will show one or more subtotals, sub-averages, or other values for that group.

Each group is expandable and collapsible for easier viewing: click the arrows to the left of the group headings. The Expand all group headings and Collapse all group headings links at the top of the report let you expand or collapse all group headings with a single click.

You can drill down by clicking on a row or cell of a summarized report to view detailed information about that row or cell. When you drill down to a detailed view, a breadcrumb trail at the top of the report lets you return to the original, summarized report.

If the report developer has enabled it, you can click on a column heading to sort the report by the values in the column. An arrow indicator and a small number beside the column name indicate in which direction (higher to lower or lower to higher) the column is sorted and where it stands in the sort order, if sorting is being used for multiple columns.

Command Ribbon and Search

Toolbar

If the report developer has enabled it, a toolbar appears at the top of the Report Viewer, with one or more of the commands described below.

• Edit Report - Click to open the report in the Report Editor to make changes to the report.
• List - Displays for a summarized report. Click to convert the report to a list report.
• Summarize - Click to open the Summarize form. The form allows you to:
  • Specify whether and how each column's values will be summarized. For each column you can select one of the possible options. Depending on the column data type, the options include some or all of the following:
    • Do Not Include - the column is dropped from the report.
    • GROUP BY - Summarized values in the report will be shown grouped by the values in columns using this option.
    • COUNT - Displays a count of the number of rows with a non-null value in this column for each group.
    • COUNT DISTINCT - Displays a count of the number of unique values in this column for each group.
    • SUM - Values in the column are totaled for each group.
    • MAX - Displays the highest value in each group.
    • MIN - Displays the lowest value in each group.
  • Change the sort type for columns: For each column you can select one of the possible sorting options:
    • No Sorting
    • Lowest to Highest
    • Highest to Lowest
  • Change the sort order for columns: If you are sorting results by more than one column, click and hold the drag icon to the left of the column name, and drag the column row higher or lower in the list of columns to change the column order in which sorting is applied.
  • Include a column of row counts - Check the check box to add a column of row counts to the report.
  • Expand all group sections by default in initial display - Check the check box to expand all group sections by default when the report first appears in the Report Viewer. If this box is unchecked, group sections will all be collapsed when the report first appears.
  • Do not display group headings - Check the check box to not show group headings in the report display. This results in a spreadsheet-style display with no subtotals, subaverages, or similar values. In this view, you can sort the results in any way you want. When results are grouped there are restrictions on how results can be sorted: the first n-1 GROUP BY columns must also be the first columns in the sort order.

  Click Apply Changes to apply the changes you made in this form to this report, or click Cancel to abandon your selections and close the form.

  For a list report, using this command and summarizing the values in one or more columns, or clicking the Include a column of row counts check box, converts the report from list to summarized.

• Print - Click to display your system's normal print dialog and then print the report.
• Export to Excel - Click to export the report's data into an Excel workbook.
• Export to PDF - Click to export the formatted report into a PDF document.
  
  Note: if you are working in languages other than English, you may need to provide character support for the text in the report. See the PDN article Exporting reports as PDFs in languages other than English.
• Save - Click to save changes you have made to the report. You can also enter a new name for the report. If you enter a new name, the report is saved using the new name. Use Save As to save the report as a new report in addition to the original report.
  
  Note: If you have run a report and saved it with a new title using Save As, and then save the report using Save without closing the Report Viewer, and give the report a new title in the Save confirmation dialog box, the original file is renamed, not the second file that was created using Save As. If you close the Report Viewer after clicking Save As, rerun the second report, click Save and enter a new title for the report the second report is renamed.
• Save As - Click to save this report, with any changes you have made, as a new report. In the form that appears, enter the new report's name, title, and description; and select the category type (Public or Private) and category in which to save the new report.
  
  Click OK to save the copy of the report; click Cancel to close the form without saving a copy.

Column command menu list type reports

For list type reports, click the triangle at the right of any column header to display the column command menu, if the developer has enabled it. The menu options are:

• Filter - Click to display a form where you can select values in the column, and only display the rows that have those values. Click "Clear Filter" to remove any filter settings. Click Apply to apply the filter. Click Cancel to abandon your edits and close the form.
• Sort - Select "Lowest to highest" or "Highest to lowest". You can perform the same sort by clicking on the left of the column header. Click again to reverse the sort. An arrow, pointing up or down, appears beside the column label if the report is sorted by that column
• Appearance - Select to display the Appearance form. Provide values for the fields:
  • Column heading - Required. Provide a display label for the column.
  • Format values - Optional. Select a format. Click the icon to the right of the field to display the Param Window, where you can configure parameters to populate the format.
  • Width - Optional. Provide the column width in pixels or as a percentage of the window width.

  Click Submit to save the settings. Click Cancel to abandon your edits and close the form.

• Summarize - Click to display the Summarize column form, which changes a list report to a summarized report that displays row counts grouped by the values in this and any other columns of the report that are selected on the form.
  
  Check the Expand all group sections by default checkbox to display all group sections fully expanded when the report initially appears in the Report Viewer. If this is not selected, only the Overall Total group section and the group section for the first Group By column display when the report first appears.
  
  Check the Do not display group headings checkbox to suppress all group headings in a summarized report. When this is selected, no subtotals, sub-averages, or similar values appear in the report; the report displays in "spreadsheet style", with the values for each Group By column repeated on each row. When this option is selected, you can sort results using any combination of columns. If it is not selected, sorting options are limited since displaying group headings requires that the results be sorted first by the Group By columns, in their group order, to keep detailed rows in the correct group section.
  
  Click OK to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form without making any changes.
• Delete - Select to remove the column from the report. A confirmation form appears. Click Submit to remove the column. Click Cancel to keep the column and close the form.

Column command menu summary type reports

For summary type reports, right-click any column header to edit, reformat, or delete that column. The menu options are:

• Heading - Click to display the Heading form, and enter the desired column heading text changes. Click Apply Changes to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form and leave the column heading unchanged.
• Format - Click to display the Format form, then press the down-arrow and select a valid format for the data values in the column. Some formats permit or require parameters: specify parameters by clicking the icon next tot he format field. Click Apply Changes to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form and leave the format unchanged.
• Width - Click to display the Width form, then enter the desired column width as a numeric value followed by a selected unit (pixels, or as a percentage of overall report width). Click Apply Changes to apply your changes, or Cancel to close the form and leave the column width unchanged.
• Delete - Click to delete the current column. If you delete a group-by column, any chart included in the report is deleted. If the report has only one column, you cannot delete it.
• Sort - Hover the mouse over the Sort command and click one of the options to re-sort the rows of the report based on just the values of this column, then select whether to sort values from lowest to highest or highest to lowest.
• Display Values Across Columns / Display Values Vertically - When the data values for a column display vertically within a single column, click Display Values Across Columns to display the column's values horizontally. This creates a pivot table. When the data values for a column display horizontally across columns, click Display Values Vertically to display the column's values vertically within a single column.

Filtering

Filter conditions restrict which rows of data are included in a report (such as "only orders from these customers"; "only open cases"). Filter conditions appear at the top of the report, below the toolbar. However, filter conditions can be defined in the rule form and not appear on the report.

You can add new filter conditions only in the Report Editor or directly in the Report Definition that supports the report.

The developer can opt to let the report user:

• provide filter parameters before the report runs
  If the developer has selected this option, when the user runs the report, a form appears letting the user provide parameters that the report's filters use. The form fields display default values that the developer has set for each parameter; the user can accept some or all of the default values, and then submit the form to run the report.
  
  The parameters submitted are valid only for the current running of the report, and do not change the default parameter values.
• edit the filter conditions
  If the developer has selected this option, the report user can edit existing filter conditions (for instance, changing "less than 100" to "greater than 100" or "less than 150"). Any changes are valid only for the current execution of the report.
• select both null values and not null values
  Null and not null values can be entered in the filter panel in the Report viewer. An error message displays if the user searches for a date range by entering a From date that is later than the To date in the Data time column filter panel. An error message displays when the value entered in Greater than or equal to is greater than Less than or equal to.

Editing filter conditions:

Filter conditions that you can edit appear as hyperlinks. Click a filter link to see the Edit filter form. This form shows the following information and options for the selected filter:

• The column name to which the filter applies. This entry cannot be edited.
• Relationship: Select a relationship operator for the condition, such as Is Equal or Starts With.
• One or more comparison values for the condition. You can:
  • Enter one or more values. Separate multiple values with commas. Enclose text values that contain spaces or special characters in double quotes: "Pegasystems Inc.".
  • Enter the name of a property (if, for example, you want to select cases where the date of resolution was the same as the date on which they were created), or select a different property using the SmartPrompt option by entering some characters and clicking the down arrow.
  • Enter an expression using then Calculation Builder by clicking the icon.
  • Click Pick Value to select one or more valid values for the column.
  If you selected Is Null or Is Not Null, you do not have to provide a comparison value.
• Enter an optional Filter Caption to describe the condition in business terms. If a caption is entered, it displays on the report for the condition.
• Click the chevron to the right of the Advanced Options header to display further options:
  • Use Null If Empty: Check the check box to use a comparison value to NULL if none is supplied above.
  • Ignore Case: Check the check box to perform case-insensitive comparisons. 

Click Apply to accept your changes, or click Cancel to close the form without changing the filter.

Related Information

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