Glossary
active report

An active report is a self-contained report that is designated for offline analysis. It contains all of the data and JavaScript within the output file.

accordion report

Provides a way to control the amount of sorted data that appears on an HTML report page. You can produce reports with expandable views of data for each vertical sort field. When an accordion report first appears, only data values of the first (highest-level) vertical sort field are shown. All other data is hidden. You can manually expand your view to expose data values of lower-level sort fields.

ACROSS field

Horizontally sorts and groups data in a report by the values in the selected field. You can sort a report by more than one field.

BY field

Vertically sorts and groups data in a report by the values in the selected field. You can sort a report by more than one field.

compound document

Inserts a copy of your report into Document Composer.

data field

Displays the individual values of the selected fields when the report is executed.

data file

See Master File.

Document Composer

A Developer Studio tool. Document Composer allows you to coordinate and distribute layouts made up of multiple reports and graphs in a single document. For more information, see the Creating Compound Reports With Document Composer manual.

drill-down procedure

Enables you to add one or more layers of detail to a report by embedding procedures into the report. A drill-down procedure can be an executable object (report or graph), a URL, a Maintain case, or a Maintain procedure.

Expression Builder

Allows you to create expressions quickly by selecting fields, relations, operators, and values from lists. You can base selection criteria on a specified value, a variable value, or a field value. To access the Expression Builder, click Where, If, or Where Total from the Where/If drop-down menu.

field

A set of data pertaining to a specific topic. For example, the SEATS field, within the CAR Master File, contains data for the number of seats in each car.

Field Properties dialog box

This dialog box contains numerous tabs used to accomplish a wide range of tasks relating to the field selected. The options available to you differ depending on the type of field selected. To access this dialog box, right-click a field.

Financial Report Painter

A Developer Studio tool. You can perform financial analysis using the Financial Report Painter, a graphical interface for the Financial Modeling Language. The Financial Report Painter enables you to perform sophisticated row-based calculations on data. For more information, see the Creating Financial Reports manual.

FOR field

The FOR field enables you to structure financial reports row-by-row in the Financial Report Painter.

Guided Report

A Guided Report is a highly parameterized report that allows you to select fields and options that participate in a report at run time. Fields and options that have been added to the Guided Report are displayed in controls and are available for selection. Selecting fields from controls and running the report will display the data that correlates to the field values.

HTML Composer

A Developer Studio tool. Used to create HTML pages.

IF expression

An IF expression enables you to perform Boolean tests (TRUE/FALSE), as well as the same tests you can perform with a WHERE statement.

Master File

A Master File describes the data source from which you are reporting. The Master File is a map of the data source and all of the fields. By looking at the Master File, you can determine what fields are in the data source, what they are named, and how they are formatted. You can also determine how the fields in the data source relate to each other.

Object Inspector

A panel located, by default, on the left side of the Report Painter. It allows a user to add fields to a report, create sort groups, and view column, report, and image properties. The Object Inspector has tabs that you can toggle between: Columns, Properties, Fields, Sort Groups, Setup, Pivot, and Images.

page footing

Text that appears at the bottom of every page.

page heading

Text that appears at the top of every page.

parameter group

A parameterized group of data that is used to customize selections based on the user selection. For example, you can parameterize a column of data so that when it is used in conjunction with HTML Composer maps, it only allows people to use specific data relevant to their location.

Precision report

A tool accessed through Report Painter. Precision reports enable you to create perfectly aligned output for a preprinted form, such as a Bill of Sale or Shipping invoice. The Precision Report tool enables you to build an exact layout for a form by embedding data in headings and text objects, managing images, and drawing objects to fit specific positions.

procedure

A series of components that can be executed one after another. For example, a procedure can consist of a Join, Set, and report.

Report Options dialog box

This dialog box contains numerous tabs used to accomplish a wide range of tasks relating to your report. The options available differ depending on the output format selected. You can access this dialog box by clicking the Options button on the Report Painter toolbar.

Retrieval Limits dialog box

A dialog box where you can set how much data is displayed or previewed. It is accessed from the Where/If/Where Total drop-down menu.

SUM field

A field that provides a total of all values for the selected numeric field when the report is executed.

universal concatenation

Allows you to retrieve data from unlike data sources in a single request. All data, regardless of source, appears to come from a single file. The Universal Concatenation dialog box, available from Report Painter, applies the MORE command to your procedure. You can concatenate all types of data sources, provided they share corresponding fields with the same format. You can use WHERE and IF selection tests in conjunction with MORE.

WHERE expression

A WHERE expression enables you to display only those field values that meet your needs.

WHERE TOTAL expression

A WHERE TOTAL expression enables you to select records based on the aggregate value of a field. For example, on the sum of field values, or on the average of field values.


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