WebFOCUS is a complete information control system with
comprehensive features for retrieving and analyzing data that enables
you to create reports quickly and easily from real-time transactional
systems, relational data warehouses, cubes, and any ERP or legacy
source.
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InfoAssist is a powerful report generation tool that
enables business users to leverage state of the art ad hoc functionality.
With InfoAssist, you can generate highly complex reports, charts,
and documents from any enterprise information source without IT intervention.
You can also analyze multiple reports and charts simultaneously
and output report data in a variety of formats.
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InfoAssist Report, Chart, and Document
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Within Support for InfoAssist. As
of Release 8.0 Version 04, new aggregation functionality is available
in InfoAssist. Within functionality allows you to use specific aggregation
tasks at different report levels. You can use the Within phrase
to manipulate display field values as they are aggregated within
a sort group, rather than a report column.
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Subquery Filter Using a HOLD File. You
can create a subquery using a HOLD file. A subquery is a nested
query, which is added to the Where clause of an SQL statement. A
subquery is valuable because it is reusable.
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InfoAssist Basic. InfoAssist
Basic is a modern web-based facility that provides comparable functionality
to legacy reporting tools.
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Accessibility. You
can insert a title in a report, chart, or document that is 508 compliant.
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Field to Field Conditional Styling and Drilldowns. Conditional
Styling has been enhanced to allow field to field comparison and
drilldown on conditional styling.
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Missing Data. You
can control the display of missing data values for charts.
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Restarting Page Numbering After a Page Break. You can
specify that page numbers should restart at 1 after a page break
occurs.
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Active Technologies Report Styling Options. The
active report styling options available in Report Assistant Releases
7.7.x are available in InfoAssist. You can style active reports,
charts, and documents.
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Default Currency Symbol. You
can set the default currency symbol in reports.
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Multi-Page Documents and Dashboards. In
Document mode, content can be created on multiple pages. The available
output formats are PDF, HTML, active report, PowerPoint, Excel,
active PDF, and active Flash.
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Relative Positioning. You
can specify that report components should be relatively positioned.
This means that based on the length of one report component, another
report component may be positioned immediately after it.
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WebFOCUS Active Technologies reports and dashboards
provide business intelligence (BI) for any computer or mobile device
running a web browser. Active Technologies present data with a variety
of interactive analytic capabilities in a single portable document,
deliverable to any type of mobile device. Users of rich interactive applications
created with Active Technologies can easily manipulate the data,
intuitively explore information, and uncover critical trends and
patterns using device-specific user interface characteristics and
gestures for multi-touch screens.
With Active Technologies, you can quickly develop completely
portable BI applications, deliver interactive reports and dashboards
to any user, and reduce the load on the database and server systems
by allowing users to work in disconnected mode. The built-in analytics include
sorting, filtering, performing data calculations, charting, and
much more.
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Developer Studio provides intuitive GUI tools that enable
you to concentrate on interface design, business logic, and data
manipulation.
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Source Control Enhancements. You can use Microsoft
Team Foundation Server as a source control provider in Developer
Studio Release 8.0 Version 02 and higher. In order to use this as
a source control, you must have the Microsoft Visual Studio Team
Foundation Server 2012 MSSCCI Provider 32-bit plug-in installed.
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Developer Studio Viewer. When
an application is run in Developer Studio, it opens in the Developer
Studio Viewer. The Developer Studio Viewer functions similar to
a web browser. It has forward, back, stop, and reload buttons. It
also has an address bar for entering application names and locations.
Using the Output Viewer Options tab from the Developer Studio Options
dialog box, you can choose to run applications in Internet Explorer.
You can also choose to run applications in a new window or refresh
in a currently open window.
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Sort Columns in Master File Dialog Boxes. Master
File dialog boxes accessed from the Developer Studio Data Servers
area and Managed Reporting are enhanced to allow sorting of the
files by clicking on the column header. The dialog box has also
been enhanced to allow resizing.
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Display Application Name in Master File Dialog Boxes. Master
File dialog boxes accessed from Developer Studio and BI Portal tools
are enhanced to display the Reporting Server application directory
name in addition to Description and Title. This enhancement allows
developers to identify the location where the Master File resides
and allows the Master File list to be sorted by the available columns.
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Stop Running Requests. An
option has been added to the Developer Studio main toolbar to allow
users to stop running requests. Users can stop running requests
from multiple WebFOCUS Environments that are configured in Developer Studio.
A dialog box displays the environments where a user has made a connection when
pressing the Cancel running objects button.
The last environment used to run a job is selected by default.
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Controlling Screening Conditions Against Cross-Referenced Segment Instances in a Left Outer Join. You
can select the SHORTPATH command in the Set tool to control screening
conditions against cross-referenced segment instances in a left
outer join.
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Update Assist Enhancements. Enhancements
to Update Assist include live display for selecting navigation and
style, easier navigation for database functionality, and the ability
to reopen and edit .mnt files that are created by Update Assist,
if no changes have been made in the Maintain Development Environment (MDE).
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HTML Composer enables you to graphically create an HTML
page that incorporates forms, reports, graphs, and web objects.
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URL File Action. The
URL File action, found in the Hyperlink Properties dialog box, will
create a hyperlink that invokes a Managed Reporting .url file. You
can select the .url file to link to from the Source section. This
action is only available when creating an HTML page hyperlink in
the Repository area.
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Function: IbComposer_getAllAmpersValues. The IbComposer_getAllAmpersValues
is used to get the current selected values from all the controls
on your page layout. It then takes those values and assembles them
as a string that can be added to the end of a URL call.
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Master File Parameter Support. If
you reference or import an existing report that uses a Master File
that contains a parameter, the New Parameters dialog box opens with
that parameter in the list, as well as any parameters from the report procedure.
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Default Theme Option and Additional Themes. You
can use the Default Theme option to set the default theme of the
HTML page. The Default Theme option is found in the HTML Page tab
of the Developer Studio Options dialog box. Additional themes have
been added.
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Inserting a Bulleted or Numbered List. You
can insert a bulleted or numbered list into a text object.
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Chaining for Maps. Maps
may participate in a chain. They can be anywhere in the chain. The
user interface for maps has been completely redesigned with properties
on the Property Sheet, as well as actions on the Properties and
Settings dialog box to accommodate this functionality.
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Bing Maps. Mapping
support has been expanded to include Bing® Maps. All the functionality
of Google® Maps integration is supported with Bing Maps.
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Using JavaScript Code With Maps. Multiple
JavaScript™ commands have been expanded upon in the maps chapter.
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Date Formats for Calendar Options. New
date formats are available for use by a calendar.
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InfoWindow Action. An
Action has been added for a hyperlink based on the Google Maps InfoWindow
concept, whereby a window pops up to display content.
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ESRI Flex Viewer Integration. You
can integrate the ESRI® Flex Viewer product with HTML Composer controls
in the HTML Composer.
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ESRI Maps. Mapping
support has been expanded to include ESRI Maps. Functionality is
similar to Google Maps.
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Initial State of a RIA Window. When
using a RIA theme, there is a new option in the Property sheet that
allows you to control the initial state of a RIA window, when run.
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Populate a Control With Procedure Names. You
can populate a control with procedure names, which allows you to
select from a set of procedure names and run them in an output area.
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HTML Composer and Visual Discovery Integration Features
The following features are available for HTML Composer
users that license Visual Discovery.
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Values are VisDis Color By. The
Values are VisDis Color By option has been added to the Parameters
Properties and settings dialog box.
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Preselecting Values. You
can preselect values of a Visual Discovery control that display
at run time, by adding the onInitialUpdate() function to the Client JavaScript
tab of HTML Composer. When you run the HTML page, the values you preselected
will display.
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Passing a Parameter Between a Visual Discovery Control and a Report. You
can pass a parameter between a Visual Discovery control and a report,
so that when data is selected from the Visual Discovery control,
the same data is displayed in the report on the same page.
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Passing a Parameter Between a Report and a Visual Discovery Control. You
can pass a parameter between a report and a Visual Discovery control,
so that when data is selected in the report, the same data is displayed
on a new page that contains the Visual Discovery control.
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Chaining Into a Visual Discovery Control. You
can chain into a Visual Discovery control using a parameterized
procedure and a list box, double list box, or drop-down list. This
allows you to select values from a list and the data correlating
to that data will be displayed in the Visual Discovery control.
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Excluding and Restoring Data. You
can exclude and restore selected data in Visual Discovery controls
by using the Visual Discovery Exclude and Visual Discovery Restore
hyperlink actions. These actions are only available when a Visual Discovery
control is present on an HTML page.
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Document Composer enables you to design reports, and
to coordinate and distribute layouts made up of multiple reports
and graphics in a single document.
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Applying Pre-Process Code and Post-Process Code to a Document. You
can create pre-process code that applies to all objects added to
a document.
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Excel 2007 Output Format. The
Excel 2007 output format is available from the Output format property
in the Properties window.
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Apply Filter On Load Option. The
Apply filter on load check option is only available for active output
formats. It is available from the Properties and Settings dialog box
and causes the default value to be applied to the reports and charts
when the page is loaded.
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Inserting Pages Before and After the Current Page Layout. You
can insert new or existing pages before or after the current page
layout.
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Inserting Bulleted and Numbered Lists. You
can insert bulleted and numbered lists into a text object. You can
also nest those lists within themselves.
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Layering Objects. You
can layer objects in a page layout by using the object right-click
menu.
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Apply Filter on Load Property. The
Apply filter on load property is available from the Properties and
Settings window. This option causes the default value to be applied
to all reports and charts when the page is loaded.
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Page Color Property. The
Page Color property is available from the Property window. This
option lets you set the page color.
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Page Size E Property Option. The
E page size is available from the Page Size Property window option.
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Switching the Chart Engine. You
may switch between the default JavaScript charts and Fusion charts.
You can select the compound document from the Property Sheet and
then select active report from the Output format
property list. The Chart Engine property will now be available.
Select one of the options, <Not Set>, Standard, Dynamic, Flex,
and HTML5, from the Chart Engine property drop-down list.
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Page Numbering Options in the Page Master. The
following page numbering options are available from a page numbering
object in the Page Master Insert context menu: Page Number, Total
# of pages, Pages n of n, Date and Time.
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Report Painter provides you with many powerful reporting
features that enable you to create and style complex reports. You
can graphically paint the report on the Report Painter window, a
graphical representation of the report page.
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Validate Input Option. The
Validate Input check box is found in the Variable Editor dialog
box. When checked, at run time, this validates whether your data entry
is consistent with the definition of a parameter.
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Expression Builder. You
are presented with the Assist mode directly. You can create
multiple selection criteria statements in the dialog box without having
to exit and select New. An advanced area
within the dialog box is used for those who want to type code.
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Quick Prompt for Amper Variables. There
are three additional Compare Type choices, Parameter (Simple), Parameter
(Static), and Parameter (Dynamic), which automatically generate
the value clause, similar to InfoAssist, so you do not need to invoke
the Variable Editor dialog box.
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User Defined Function. A
tool has been created to generate Define Function syntax. The function
dialog boxes within Developer Studio have been enhanced to accommodate
their usage.
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Promote a Report to a Compound Document. You
can promote reports in Report Painter to a Compound Document, similar
to InfoAssist.
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VISDISAE Output Format. The
VISDISAE output format has been added to the unstyled formats and
can be selected from the Output Format drop-down list in the Report
Options dialog box.
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DFIX Output Format. DFIX
output format has been added to the unstyled formats and can be
selected from the Report Options dialog box.
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WebFOCUS is a complete information control system with
comprehensive features for retrieving and analyzing data. It enables
you to create reports quickly and easily. It also provides facilities
for creating highly complex reports, but its strength lies in the simplicity
of the request language.
The Reporting Server Release 8.0 Version 02 includes the following
Release 7.7 Version 05 Reporting Language new features:
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Compound Layout Header Supports AS Name Syntax. The
output file name for a Compound Report can be specified as an AS
name in the COMPOUND layout block. This allows the output file name
to be defined by the compound syntax rather than the first component
report. If no AS name is specified, the Hold file name is taken
from the ON TABLE HOLD phrase in the first component report.
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DB_EXPR Function: Inserting an SQL Expression Into a Request. The DB_EXPR
function inserts a native SQL expression exactly as entered into
the native SQL generated for a FOCUS or SQL language request.
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Creating a Subquery or Sequential File With HOLD FORMAT SQL_SCRIPT. When
used in a request against a relational data source, the HOLD FORMAT
SQL_SCRIPT command generates the SQL SELECT statement needed to execute
the current query and stores it in the application folder as a file
with a .sql extension along with the Master and Access File pair
that describes the SQL answer set. When used in a request against
any other type of data source, the HOLD FORMAT SQL_SCRIPT command
executes the current query and stores the retrieved values in the application
folder as a sequential file with a .ftm extension along with the
Master File that describes the retrieved data. You can use the output
from HOLD FORMAT SQL_SCRIPT as the target file for the DB_INFILE
function.
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DB_INFILE Function: Testing Values Against a File or an SQL Subquery. The
DB_INFILE function compares one or more field values in a source
file to values in a target file. It returns the value 1 (TRUE) if
the set of source fields matches a set of values from the target
file. Otherwise, the function returns 0 (FALSE). DB_INFILE can be used
anywhere a function can be used in a WebFOCUS request, such as in
a DEFINE or a WHERE phrase. The target file can be any data source
that WebFOCUS can read.
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Embedding TrueType Fonts Into WebFOCUS PDF Reports Generated in Windows. WebFOCUS
can embed the following TrueType fonts into PDF output files generated
in Windows: Courier New, Lucida Sans Unicode (normal style only
is available), Tahoma (normal and bold styles are available), Times
New Roman, and Trebuchet MS.
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Support for Column Totals in Accordion By Row Reports. Accordion
By Row reports (ON TABLE SET EXPANDBYROW ON) display the grand
total row as an anchor row below the data. This anchor row displays
above the report and page footings aligned to the left margin of
the report.
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Styling Tags for SUBTOTAL and GRANDTOTAL Lines. The tag is the
text that is displayed in the leftmost portion of each SUBTOTAL
and GRANDTOTAL row in a report. The tag is used to identify the
type of data represented within this row. The text used to generate
this tag can be customized by adding an AS name to the SUBTOTAL
syntax.
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Table of Contents for Coordinated Compound and Burst Reports. PDF coordinated
compound reports defining the Table of Contents page or Bookmarks
based on BY field entries can be coordinated (MERGE=ON) to generate
a report segmented by the primary sort key. Additionally, these
coordinated reports can be burst into separate documents by the
primary sort key and distributed using ReportCaster.
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Support for Images Stored in BLOB Fields in HTML and DHTML Reports. For
data sources that support the Binary Large Object (BLOB) data type,
images can be stored in BLOB fields for HTML and DHTML report output.
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Displaying an Accordion By Row Report Using HOLD FORMAT HTMTABLE and -HTMLFORM. The
HOLD FORMAT HTMTABLE command in conjunction with -HTMLFORM functionality
supports the display of Accordion By Row (SET EXPANDBYROW) reports
to create an HTML page.
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Displaying Superscripts On Data, Heading, and Footing Lines. Superscript
characters are supported as a text style in text objects using HTML
markup tags. The superscript markup tag is now supported in data
columns, headings, and footings in HTML, PDF, and PS output formats.
Superscript values can be defined within the data, added to virtual
fields, or added to text strings displayed in headings and footings.
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Support for Hyperlinks in Text Markups in PDF Report Output. Hyperlinks
can be included in text objects to point navigation to other WebFOCUS procedures,
web pages, or web resources, such as an email application.
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Support for Vertical Alignment of Text Markup in PDF Report Output. Text
can be vertically aligned within Text Objects in PDF format. This
feature supports top, middle, and bottom alignment options to explicitly
place text within the defined position and dimensions. The vertical
alignment tags can be used in conjunction with the horizontal alignment
tags (left, right, full) to control the placement of any text object.
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Zero Removal in Date-Time Formats. The
components in date-time formats can be displayed using a number
of options. For example, when a day number is less than 10, you
can display it with zero suppression. Zero suppression replaces
the zero with a blank space, leaving the remaining digit in the
same position it occupied when the zero was displayed. There are
now zero removal options for month and day numbers. Zero removal
eliminates the zero and moves the remaining portion of the field one
position to the left.
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Controlling Display of an ACROSS Title for a Single Field. By
default, when there is only one field displayed for an ACROSS sort
group, no column title displays above that field. Using the SET
ACRSVRBTITL command, you can control the display of ACROSS column
titles when there is one displayed field for an ACROSS group. The
field count that determines whether the ACROSS title displays is
affected by certain components in the report request, such as calculated
fields or fields in headings. The output is unaffected by SET commands
that adjust underlines with titles, adjust the space between columns,
or eliminate unpopulated ACROSS columns on the page. The size of
the title and the number of lines it occupies also do not affect
the output.
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512-Character Field Names. The
following attributes can be a maximum of 512 characters long: FIELDNAME,
ALIAS, TITLE, REFERENCE, and PROPERTY.