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Use of the SAI360 BI Report Designer
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Prerequisites
- The Report Designer is a separate tool, which unlike the other BI tools is NOT web based.
- Therefore, to gain access to this tool it will be necessary to either have the tool installed on a local machine, or on a server to which the user has access.
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The information provided in this section is only high level. If you need more detailed instruction, please refer to the help which is will be installed with the Pentaho Reporting Tool itself.
Another source of information can be YouTube, which has a wide collection of tutorials around the Pentaho Report Designer.
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Introduction
The SAI360 BI Report Designer (powered by Pentaho) is a separate so called "Fat Client Tool", which allows designer to create reports which
- are complex because of the required data structure within the report - for example if you need to include sub-reports.
- require detailed formatting of the layout.
- comprise data from various sources.
- include a mix of tabular data, and graphs.
In line with it's considerable capabilities, this tool is also equally complex, and will require training to make full and efficient use of it.
This following section is NOT intended to provide training, or detailed instructions as such for the Pentaho Report Designer, but rather should be seen as a collection of a few "Quick Start" hints to get you going in the context with the SAI360 database.
Following are some general and/or basic rules and suggestions when it comes to designing a report.
In relation to ...
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You should be aware of the following ...
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Formatting reports for the purpose of a Corporate Identity.
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When formatting a report, any design elements should only be used in the HEADER or FOOTER of each report, but not in the Main Section.
This will make design, and further down the track maintenance easier.
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Using Expression in the Report Designer.
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The Report Designer offers the option to use a variety of "languages" to build expressions.
The suggested language is "Open Formula", especially since Excel users will be familiar with this language.
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Inclusion of Charts in Reports.
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Charts need to be place in the HEADER or FOOTER, not in the DETAILS section.
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Creation of Reporting Templates.
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The steps necessary to create reporting templates can be found in the Pentaho Info Center.
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