Formatting and generating Analytics reports
Concept Information
You can create traditional tabular reports in Analytics based on the format of data and columns in views. You configure various settings in a view to control how data is displayed in the report. These configuration settings are saved with the view.
Tip
You can create a separate view for configuring and saving report settings, which differs from the view you use for displaying data.
When you generate a report for the first time, you can specify a number of additional properties, such as line spacing, header and footer text, and the report output type. These properties are saved with the Analytics project when the project is saved.
Configure a view to format a report
When you configure a view to format a report you can use the same view that you use to view data on screen, or you can create a new view specifically for the report. If required, you can create multiple views configured differently for different reports based on the same data set.
You can configure a view in a number of ways to create more readable and meaningful reports:
Filter data | Create a filter to remove irrelevant records from the view. Excluded records are not included in the report. For example, you could filter a table of sales data to include only the stores that interest you. |
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Index records | Create an index to sort the records in the view by one or more columns. |
Select specific columns | Add or remove columns so that you display only relevant data. You can include any physical data fields or computed fields in the table layout. |
Arrange columns | Reorder columns in the view to present the sequence of information you want. |
Create subsections |
Specify break columns to divide the report into sections with subtotals. For example, specifying Customer_Name as a break column in an invoice table groups and subtotals the invoices by customer. You also have the option of inserting a page break after each group in the report. |
Tailor the data | Suppress duplicate identifier values such as repeated names, suppress numeric totals that are not meaningful, and display zeros as blanks. |
Control report width | Adjust the rows in a view to span multiple rows. |
Note For detailed information about configuring views, see Customizing columns in views. |
Specify the report font
You can specify the font for an individual report output to print, or to an HTML file.
- Open the view configured for the report.
- Above the display area, select Change Font .
- In the Select View Fonts dialog box, click the button or buttons for the portions of the report that you want to format.
- In the Font dialog box, specify the font information and click OK.
- When you are finished specifying fonts, in the Select View Fonts dialog box, click OK.
The specified fonts are used in the report generated from the view.
Generate a report
Once you have configured a view to use as the basis for a report, you are ready to generate the report.
Steps
- Open the view configured for the report.
- Select Data > Report.
- Specify options in the Report dialog box, using the tables below as a guide, then click OK.
The report is generated.
- (Optional) If you want to permanently save the report options you specified, select File > Save Project.
The report options are saved with the view, and they are preselected the next time you generate a report from the same view.
Tip
To quickly generate subsequent reports from the same view using the same report options, select File > Print.
Report dialog box options
The tables below provide detailed information about the options in the Report dialog box.
Main tab
Options – Report dialog box | Description |
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Header Footer optional |
Creates a report header and/or footer. Headers and footers can be more than one line, and are centered by default. Type a left angle bracket (<) before the header or footer text to left align the text. Left aligning multiple lines requires a left angle bracket at the beginning of each line. You also have the option of specifying a standard header and footer to apply to all reports produced during an Analytics session. For more information, see Specify a standard header and footer. |
If optional |
Creates a condition that specifies which records appear in the report. You can enter a condition in the If text box, or click If to create an IF statement using the Expression Builder. The IF condition considers all records in the view and filters out those that do not meet the specified condition. |
Presort optional |
Sorts the report by:
Nested sorting uses the order of the break columns or sort columns in the view, beginning with the leftmost column. Note The Presort option is available only when at least one column in the view has Break Column or Sort Key Column selected. For more information, see Modify column properties. |
Summarize optional |
Generates a report that includes only subtotals and totals of break fields, and excludes detail lines. |
Suppress blank detail lines optional |
Automatically removes blank detail lines from the report. |
Single Spaced Double Spaced Triple Spaced |
Specifies the spacing of the report. |
Setup |
Specifies various print options. |
Preview optional |
Displays a preview of the report. |
Fit to page optional |
Scales the
report to include all columns from the view. If Fit to page is not selected, only columns that appear to the left of the page width indicator in the view (vertical dotted line) are displayed in printed reports. Note Reports saved as files or displayed on the screen automatically include all columns from the view. |
Output tab
Options – Report dialog box | Description |
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To panel |
|
As panel |
File output only.
|
Header Footer optional |
Replicates any header or footer text from the Main tab. If required, you can add header or footer text in the Output tab, or update existing header or footer text. Changes you make to existing text are automatically updated on the Main tab. Type a semi-colon (;) in the Header or Footer text boxes to create a line break. |
OK |
Generates the report. If you are saving the report to a file, and the overwrite prompt appears, select the appropriate option. |
Global report options
You can specify several report options globally. Most of the global options apply only to reports output to print.
Append additional information
You can append additional information, such as Analytics table name and field definition information, to the end of a printed report. You specify options for additional information in the Options dialog box.
- Select Tools > Options > Print.
- Specify any of the options shown below and click OK.
The specified information appears at the end of every print report you generate.
Option Description Include Report History with Reports Adds the following information to the end of print reports:
- the Analytics project, table, and data file names
- the REPORT command used to generate the report
- any table history information
- any table layout notes
Include Field Definitions in Table History Adds the following information to the end of print reports:
- the field definitions for each physical data field and computed field in the table layout
- any field notes
This option requires that the Include Report History with Reports option is also selected.
Include View Note in Report History Adds the following information to the end of print reports:
- the view name
- any view notes
This option requires that the Include Report History with Reports option is also selected.
Set margins
You can specify the margins used for printed reports.
- Select Tools > Options > Print.
- Use the Margin text boxes to specify margins for printed reports.
The specified margins are used for every print report you generate.
Specify a standard header and footer
You can specify a standard header and footer to apply to all reports produced during an Analytics session. The header and footer text that you specify is stored in the HEADER and FOOTER system variables.
- In the Analytics Command Line, type HEADER
= "header text", or FOOTER = "footer
text".
To create a multi-line header or footer, use a semi-colon between the lines. For example:
HEADER = "header line 1;header line 2"
- Press Enter.
The values you specify are automatically used as headers or footers in all Analytics reports, unless you override the values with a header or a footer specified while performing an Analytics operation.
The HEADER and FOOTER values remain in effect until the variables are updated or deleted, or until the end of the current Analytics session.