Creating Reports Overview

Creating Reports With TIBCO® WebFOCUS Language

WebFOCUS is a complete information control system with comprehensive features for retrieving and analyzing data that enables you to create reports quickly and easily. It provides facilities for creating highly complex reports, but its strength lies in the simplicity of the request language. You can begin with simple queries and progress to complex reports as you learn about additional facilities.

WebFOCUS serves the needs of both end users with no formal training in data processing, and data processing professionals who need powerful tools for developing complete applications. A variety of tools are available that enable you to create reports and charts even if you do not know HTML or WebFOCUS reporting language commands and syntax.

How This Manual Is Organized

This manual includes the following chapters:

Chapter/Appendix	Contents
1	Displaying Report Data	Describes ways to retrieve field values from a data source and display them.
2	Sorting Tabular Reports	Describes how to display report information grouped in a particular order by sorting.
3	Selecting Records for Your Report	Describes how to use and specify selection criteria to display only the field values that meet your needs.
4	Creating Temporary Fields	Describes how to use the DEFINE and COMPUTE commands to create temporary fields.
5	Including Totals and Subtotals	Describes how to use subtotals and grand totals to summarize numeric information and aid in interpreting detailed information in a report.
6	Using Expressions	Describes how to combine operators, field names, and constants in an expression to derive new values.
7	Saving and Reusing Your Report Output	Describes how to save report data to files for reuse in different respects.
8	Choosing a Display Format	Describes the display formats available for viewing reports on the screen, including PDF, EXL2K, and XLSX.
9	Linking a Report to Other Resources	Describes how to use StyleSheets to link reports to other reports, URLs, Maintain Data procedures, and JavaScript functions.
10	Navigating Within an HTML Report	Describes navigation in an HTML report including dynamic table of contents (TOC), the WebFOCUS Viewer, and linking report pages.
11	Bursting Reports Into Multiple HTML Files	Describes how to provide more efficient retrieval of reports by bursting, or separating, a single report into multiple HTML files.
12	Handling Records With Missing Field Values	Describes how missing data affects report results and how to treat and represent it.
13	Joining Data Sources	Describes how to join two or more related data sources to create a larger integrated data structure from which you can report.
14	Merging Data Sources	Describes how to merge and concatenate two or more data sources into a new permanent data source.
15	Formatting Reports: An Overview	Provides a brief overview of the formatting options available in WebFOCUS.
16	Creating and Managing a WebFOCUS StyleSheet	Describes how to create a StyleSheet and reviews general StyleSheet syntax.
17	Controlling Report Formatting	Describes how you can control how reports are formatted including generating internal cascading style sheets, conditional formatting, setting measurement units, and controlling the display of empty reports.
18	Identifying a Report Component in a WebFOCUS StyleSheet	Describes how to identify a report component using StyleSheet declarations.
19	Using an External Cascading Style Sheet	Describes how you can increase your formatting options by using external cascading style sheets.
20	Laying Out the Report Page	Describes basic report page layout including page size, orientation, page numbers, margins, images, grids, borders, page-breaks, and mailing labels.
21	Using Headings, Footings, Titles, and Labels	Describes how to add and format headings, footings, titles, and labels to add context to your report.
22	Formatting Report Data	Describes formatting and positioning text in a report including font style, size, and color.
23	Creating a Graph	Describes the GRAPH facility, which you can use to display data in graph format instead of tabular format.
24	Creating Financial Reports With Financial Modeling Language (FML)	Describes the Financial Modeling Language (FML) used to create and present financially oriented data, using inter-row calculations.
25	Creating a Free-Form Report	Describes how to present data in an unrestricted (non-tabular) format.
26	Using SQL to Create Reports	Describes how to use SQL to retrieve and analyze FOCUS and DBMS data.
27	Improving Report Processing	Describes methods of increasing data retrieval and reporting efficiency.
28	Master Files and Diagrams	Contains Master Files and diagrams of sample data sources used in the documentation examples.
29	Error Messages	Describes how to obtain information about error messages.
30	Table Syntax Summary and Limits	Summarizes TABLE commands and options.
31	Referring to Fields in a Report Request	Describes methods for referring to fields in a request including by alias, using long and qualified field names, and referring to all fields in a segment.

Chapter/Appendix

Contents

Displaying Report Data

Describes ways to retrieve field values from a data source and display them.

Sorting Tabular Reports

Describes how to display report information grouped in a particular order by sorting.

Selecting Records for Your Report

Describes how to use and specify selection criteria to display only the field values that meet your needs.

Creating Temporary Fields

Describes how to use the DEFINE and COMPUTE commands to create temporary fields.

Including Totals and Subtotals

Describes how to use subtotals and grand totals to summarize numeric information and aid in interpreting detailed information in a report.

Using Expressions

Describes how to combine operators, field names, and constants in an expression to derive new values.

Saving and Reusing Your Report Output

Describes how to save report data to files for reuse in different respects.

Choosing a Display Format

Describes the display formats available for viewing reports on the screen, including PDF, EXL2K, and XLSX.

Linking a Report to Other Resources

Describes how to use StyleSheets to link reports to other reports, URLs, Maintain Data procedures, and JavaScript functions.

Navigating Within an HTML Report

Describes navigation in an HTML report including dynamic table of contents (TOC), the WebFOCUS Viewer, and linking report pages.

Bursting Reports Into Multiple HTML Files

Describes how to provide more efficient retrieval of reports by bursting, or separating, a single report into multiple HTML files.

Handling Records With Missing Field Values

Describes how missing data affects report results and how to treat and represent it.

Joining Data Sources

Describes how to join two or more related data sources to create a larger integrated data structure from which you can report.

Merging Data Sources

Describes how to merge and concatenate two or more data sources into a new permanent data source.

Formatting Reports: An Overview

Provides a brief overview of the formatting options available in WebFOCUS.

Creating and Managing a WebFOCUS StyleSheet

Describes how to create a StyleSheet and reviews general StyleSheet syntax.

Controlling Report Formatting

Describes how you can control how reports are formatted including generating internal cascading style sheets, conditional formatting, setting measurement units, and controlling the display of empty reports.

Identifying a Report Component in a WebFOCUS StyleSheet

Describes how to identify a report component using StyleSheet declarations.

Using an External Cascading Style Sheet

Describes how you can increase your formatting options by using external cascading style sheets.

Laying Out the Report Page

Describes basic report page layout including page size, orientation, page numbers, margins, images, grids, borders, page-breaks, and mailing labels.

Using Headings, Footings, Titles, and Labels

Describes how to add and format headings, footings, titles, and labels to add context to your report.

Formatting Report Data

Describes formatting and positioning text in a report including font style, size, and color.

Creating a Graph

Describes the GRAPH facility, which you can use to display data in graph format instead of tabular format.

Creating Financial Reports With Financial Modeling Language (FML)

Describes the Financial Modeling Language (FML) used to create and present financially oriented data, using inter-row calculations.

Creating a Free-Form Report

Describes how to present data in an unrestricted (non-tabular) format.

Using SQL to Create Reports

Describes how to use SQL to retrieve and analyze FOCUS and DBMS data.

Improving Report Processing

Describes methods of increasing data retrieval and reporting efficiency.

Master Files and Diagrams

Contains Master Files and diagrams of sample data sources used in the documentation examples.

Error Messages

Describes how to obtain information about error messages.

Table Syntax Summary and Limits

Summarizes TABLE commands and options.

Referring to Fields in a Report Request

Describes methods for referring to fields in a request including by alias, using long and qualified field names, and referring to all fields in a segment.