Creating Reports in Dashboard

In this section:

How to:

Reference:

You can create new reports in the My Content folder or other folders you are permitted to create content in and write to. New reports can be created using the tools and reporting features you are authorized to access. The following tools are available to create reports: Alert Assistant, InfoAssist, Reporting Object, and Text Editor.

From the My Content folder or other folders, you can also upload (import) an external data file for use with the reporting tool, documents, and images. For details, see Uploading Data Files.

Note:


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Procedure: How to Create New Folders
  1. In the tree, expand the My Content folder or a folder you are permitted to create folders in.
  2. Right-click the folder and select New, then Folder.
  3. Enter a title for the new folder in the New Folder dialog box and click OK.
  4. The new folder appears within the folder you selected the New Folder option from.

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Procedure: How to Create a Report Using InfoAssist

InfoAssist is the web-based ad hoc reporting tool in WebFOCUS.

It is a Rich Internet Application (RIA) that uses AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technology. It delivers its cutting-edge functionality using a familiar Microsoft Windows® ribbon interface. This highly intuitive environment shields users from the underlying technical complexities associated with ad hoc reporting features, while providing access to all the functionality needed to address mission-critical information requirements.

  1. In the tree, expand the My Content folder or other folders you are permitted to create content in and write to.
  2. Right-click the folder.

    The context menu displays the options you are permitted to access.

  3. Select New, and if you are permitted to access InfoAssist, select Report, Chart, Dashboard, or Document.

    InfoAssist opens, and you will be prompted to select a data source for the procedure.

  4. Alternately, you can right-click a Reporting Object and select New, then Report, Chart, Dashboard, or Document.
  5. Design and then save your report.

    For details on using InfoAssist, see the InfoAssist User’s Manual.

Note: If you log off Dashboard without first closing InfoAssist, you must manually close the tool.


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Procedure: How to Create an Alert Procedure

When you select a new Alert from the Business Intelligence (BI) Portal or BI Dashboard, the WebFOCUS Alert Assist tool opens for the creation of components. Alert Assist launches in a separate browser window.

  1. In the tree, expand the My Content folder or other folders you are permitted to create content in and write to.
  2. Right-click the folder.

    The context menu displays the options you are permitted to access.

  3. Select New, and then select Alert from the menu.

    For the full procedure, see Creating an Alert.


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Procedure: How to Create a Reporting Object

With WebFOCUS Managed Reporting, a developer can easily transform complex views of data into simple objects labeled with common business terminology that every user can understand, such as Weekly Sales or Revenue. Developers create Reporting Objects that present available data using terms and formats meaningful to users. Users can then use Reporting Objects as templates for the creation of a wide range of reports and charts.

  1. In the tree, expand the My Content folder or other folders you are permitted to create content in and write to.
  2. Right-click the folder.

    The context menu displays the options you are permitted to access.

  3. Select New, and then select Reporting Object from the menu.

    For the full procedure, see Reporting Object Tool.


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Procedure: How to Edit a Report Procedure (FEX)

Note: Edit only one report at a time when using InfoAssist.

  1. In the tree, expand the folder containing the report you want to edit.
  2. Right-click the desired report and select Edit.

    The report will open in Alert Assist, InfoAssist, Reporting Object, or the Text Editor, depending on which tool was used to create the procedure. For details on using:

    • Alert Assist, see Creating Alerts.
    • InfoAssist, see the InfoAssist User’s Manual.
    • Reporting Object tool, see Reporting Object Tool.
    • Text Editor, see Text Editor.

      Note: After editing with the Text Editor, you will not be able to open reports created using InfoAssist if the request is modified to contain code that is not supported by InfoAssist.

  3. Alternately, you can choose to edit the procedure in a specific tool by right-clicking and selecting Edit With, and then either InfoAssist or Text Editor.
  4. Edit the report as necessary and save any changes.
  5. To change the title of the report that displays in the tree, right-click the report and select Change Title or Properties.

    From the Properties dialog box, you can also change the Name and Summary field information. The Summary field allows you to provide additional information on the purpose of the report.

  6. Click OK.

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Procedure: How to Create a Procedure With the Text Editor

The Text Editor enables you to write the code for a procedure.

  1. In the tree, expand the My Content folder or other folders you are permitted to create content in and write to.
  2. Right-click the folder.

    The context menu displays the options you are permitted to access.

  3. Select New, and Text Editor.

    The Text Editor dialog box title displays the folder path and the file name when editing an existing file. When creating a new file, the title displays the folder path and Untitled, as shown in the following image.

  4. Enter the code for your procedure.

    You can click Run to see the report in a new window.

  5. When you are finished coding, click Save.

Note: You can also create HTML files, WebFOCUS StyleSheets (STY), and cascading style sheets (CSS) with the Text Editor.


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Reference: Text Editor

You can use the Text Editor to create and edit report procedures (FEX), HTML files, WebFOCUS StyleSheets (STY), and cascading style sheets (CSS).

The following image shows the Text Editor with a sample file in the editing window.

Text Editor

The following list describes all of the functions available in the Dashboard Text Editor.

Options

Allows you to select the file type to create report procedures (FEX), HTML files, WebFOCUS StyleSheets (STY), or cascading style sheets (CSS).

You can also assign a specific server or application path for the procedure.

Save

Saves the code currently displayed. Acts as Save As the first time you save the content.

Save As

Displays the Save dialog box which allows you to specify a title value and select a folder in which to create the new item. You can also choose a different file type.

Run

Runs the currently displayed code. Report procedures are submitted to the Reporting Server. HTML files are viewed in a new browser window. WebFOCUS StyleSheets (STY) and cascading style sheets (CSS) will not produce a report when run. They can be selected from within InfoAssist to apply their specific styling.

Close

Exits the Text Editor. If you made changes to the original report, a window prompts you to save or cancel the changes.

Note:


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Procedure: How to Copy or Move a Report in Dashboard
  1. In the tree, expand the My Content folder or other folders from which you are permitted to copy or cut reports.
  2. Right-click the existing report that you want to copy or move.
  3. Perform one of the following:
    • To copy a report, select Copy.

      Use when you want to create a copy.

    • To move a report, select Cut.

      Use when you want to move a report to a different folder. The internal file name does not change.

  4. Right-click a folder you are permitted to create or write reports in.
  5. Select Paste.

    When you copy or cut and paste a file within a folder you are permitted to create content in and write to, the request is evaluated based on the destination folder and whether or not the name or the title of the source file exists in the destination folder.

    If you paste a file in the same folder, you are warned that the Item already exists, and you can choose to replace the existing file or create a new file with a new name, as shown in the following image.

    Confirm Create New File dialog box

    If you choose to create a new file, a copy number is appended to the file name.

    If you are pasting multiple files, each file will be evaluated. You can specify that your selection applies to all files being processed by selecting the Apply selection to all items check box. If you do not want to proceed with the paste request for only the file being processed, select Skip.

    For example, when you copy and paste a file named Sales Summary within the same folder, the copy appears in the tree as Sales Summary (Copy #), as shown in the following image. The new name is sales_summary_1.fex (special characters and spaces are replaced with underscores).

    My Reports example

    Note:

    • After pasting a file, you can change the title that displays in the tree by right-clicking the file and selecting Change Title (F2) or by using the Properties dialog box. This does not change the name (filename.ext) of the file.
    • Managed Reporting uses the name value to access the report, as well as in procedures to reference drill downs, -INCLUDE statements, and style sheet attributes.


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Procedure: How to Delete Folders

To delete a folder you are permitted to delete, right-click the folder and select Delete.


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URL Tool

In this section:

The URL Tool enables you to create a URL link to a website.



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URLs

A URL is a link to a website. To create one, right-click a folder in the Content section of the tree, point to New, and select URL. In the Create URL dialog box that opens, type a display title, a file name, and the URL itself. Optionally, you can provide a summary that is displayed in a ToolTip when the mouse pointer rests on the URL in the tree.

The Create URL dialog box is shown in the following image.

If you insert a URL inside the portal, be aware that some sites may not work, as their owners may not allow them to run inside a frame. Internet Explorer will show a message. Firefox® and Chrome™ browsers display just a blank frame.


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