Developer Studio Application Development Getting Started: Version 7 Release 6
Developer Studio Application Development Getting Started: Version 7 Release 6
Developer Studio Application Development Getting Started: Version 7 Release 6
Application Development
Getting Started
Version 7 Release 6
DN4500796.1208
EDA, EDA/SQL, FIDEL, FOCCALC, FOCUS, FOCUS Fusion, FOCUS Vision, Hospital-Trac, Information Builders, the
Information Builders logo, Parlay, PC/FOCUS, SmartMart, SmartMode, SNAPpack, TableTalk, WALDO, Web390,
WebFOCUS and WorldMART are registered trademarks, and iWay and iWay Software are trademarks of Information
Builders, Inc.
Due to the nature of this material, this document refers to numerous hardware and software products by their
trademarks. In most, if not all cases, these designations are claimed as trademarks or registered trademarks by their
respective companies. It is not this publisher’s intent to use any of these names generically. The reader is therefore
cautioned to investigate all claimed trademark rights before using any of these names other than to refer to the
product described.
Copyright © 2008, by Information Builders, Inc. and iWay Software. All rights reserved. Patent Pending. This manual,
or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Information Builders, Inc.
WebFOCUS
Contents
Preface................................................................................................................7
Documentation Conventions..............................................................................................8
Related Publications..........................................................................................................9
Customer Support.............................................................................................................9
Information You Should Have...........................................................................................10
User Feedback................................................................................................................11
Information Builders Consulting and Training.....................................................................11
4 WebFOCUS
Contents
HTML Composer....................................................................................................119
Document Composer.............................................................................................120
Match Wizard........................................................................................................121
Engine Tool...........................................................................................................122
OLAP Graphical Tools.............................................................................................123
Text Editor............................................................................................................124
SQL Editor............................................................................................................125
Deploy Wizard.......................................................................................................126
Command Console................................................................................................128
WebFOCUS Reporting Server Console.....................................................................128
3. Setting Preferences.....................................................................................131
General Tab..................................................................................................................132
Reporting Tab...............................................................................................................135
Explorer Tab.................................................................................................................137
Source Control Tab........................................................................................................138
External Tools Tab.........................................................................................................139
Title Format Tab............................................................................................................139
Reader Comments...........................................................................................241
6 WebFOCUS
WebFOCUS
Preface
This documentation provides an introduction to the WebFOCUS development environment.
This manual is intended for application developers and power users.
Chapter/Appendix Contents
Chapter/Appendix Contents
5 Tutorial: Creating a You will use the HTML Composer to create a layout
Reporting Application Using in which you can insert text, an image, a report, a
the HTML Composer frame for drill-down output, and selection parameters.
During this tutorial, you will directly access other
tools, such as the Graph Assistant and the Report
Painter, to create procedures and an HTML form.
Documentation Conventions
The following table lists and describes the conventions that apply in this manual.
Convention Description
THIS TYPEFACE Denotes syntax that you must enter exactly as shown.
or
this typeface
this typeface Highlights a file name or command. It may also indicate a button,
menu item, or dialog box option you can click or select.
{} Indicates two or three choices; type one of them, not the braces.
... Indicates that you can enter a parameter multiple times. Type only
the parameter, not the ellipsis points (...).
8 WebFOCUS
Preface
Convention Description
Related Publications
To view a current listing of our publications and to place an order, visit our Technical
Documentation Library, http://documentation.informationbuilders.com. You can also contact
the Publications Order Department at (800) 969-4636.
Customer Support
Do you have any questions about this product?
Join the Focal Point community. Focal Point is our online developer center and more than a
message board. It is an interactive network of more than 3,000 developers from almost
every profession and industry, collaborating on solutions and sharing tips and techniques,
http://forums.informationbuilders.com/eve/forums.
You can also access support services electronically, 24 hours a day, with InfoResponse
Online. InfoResponse Online is accessible through our World Wide Web site,
http://www.informationbuilders.com. It connects you to the tracking system and known-
problem database at the Information Builders support center. Registered users can open,
update, and view the status of cases in the tracking system and read descriptions of reported
software issues. New users can register immediately for this service. The technical support
section of www.informationbuilders.com also provides usage techniques, diagnostic tips,
and answers to frequently asked questions.
Call Information Builders Customer Support Service (CSS) at (800) 736-6130 or (212) 736-
6130. Customer Support Consultants are available Monday through Friday between 8:00
a.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST to address all your WebFOCUS Managed Reporting questions.
Information Builders consultants can also give you general guidance regarding product
capabilities and documentation. Please be ready to provide your six-digit site code number
(xxxx.xx) when you call.
To learn about the full range of available support services, ask your Information Builders
representative about InfoResponse Online, or call (800) 969-INFO.
10 WebFOCUS
Preface
User Feedback
In an effort to produce effective documentation, the Documentation Services staff welcomes
your opinions regarding this manual. Please use the Reader Comments form at the end of
this manual to communicate suggestions for improving this publication or to alert us to
corrections. You can also use the Documentation Feedback form on our Web site,
http://documentation.informationbuilders.com/feedback.asp.
Thank you, in advance, for your comments.
12 WebFOCUS
WebFOCUS
WebFOCUS Architecture
In this section:
WebFOCUS and Your Network
WebFOCUS Components
WebFOCUS Processing
WebFOCUS Configuration
This topic briefly explains the main WebFOCUS components and implementations. For a
complete description of WebFOCUS, see the WebFOCUS documentation.
WebFOCUS Components
There are two main WebFOCUS components.
WebFOCUS Client. The WebFOCUS Client resides on the Web server and connects
WebFOCUS to the Web through either the Java servlets, CGI, or ISAPI. When a user makes
a request from Developer Studio or a browser, the WebFOCUS Client receives and
processes the request by passing it to the WebFOCUS Reporting Server.
14 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Note: When you perform a full Developer Studio installation for stand-alone development,
you do not have to install the WebFOCUS Client separately because it is packaged with
the WebFOCUS Reporting Server.
A stand-alone development environment is typically one in which all software components
(the Web server, WebFOCUS Client, and WebFOCUS Reporting Server) are installed on
the same local machine. This configuration gives you access to all your application files
and data from a single machine. You do not need a physical network connection to access
any other machine in order to accomplish your development tasks.
WebFOCUS Reporting Server. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server resides on machines
that can access your data. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server provides data access, number
crunching, and report generation functionality.
WebFOCUS Processing
The following steps accompany the figure and describe how WebFOCUS processes requests:
1. A user requests a report and passes parameters by calling a WebFOCUS Servlet, CGI,
or ISAPI through links and forms on a Web page or through Developer Studio.
2. The request and parameters come to the WebFOCUS Client on the Web server, which
processes the parameters and creates a request for the WebFOCUS Reporting Server.
3. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server receives the request, processes it, and accesses any
necessary data.
4. Data is retrieved from data sources to process the request.
5. The WebFOCUS Reporting Server processes the user's request using the retrieved data.
6. The response is returned to the WebFOCUS Client on the Web server.
7. The response is returned to the user.
WebFOCUS Configuration
WebFOCUS employs a distributed architecture, so the WebFOCUS Client, WebFOCUS Reporting
Server, and your data can be located on any platform, anywhere in your network. You can
easily connect an Apache Web server running on UNIX to SQL Server data on Windows or
DB2 data on z/OS. There can be any number of WebFOCUS Reporting Servers connected
to the WebFOCUS Client. WebFOCUS can report on all of them. The requirements are the
following:
The WebFOCUS Client must reside on a machine with a Web server.
An instance of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server must be installed on machines with your
data or machines that have access to your data.
For more information on WebFOCUS configuration options, see the WebFOCUS and
ReportCaster installation manuals and the server configuration manuals.
16 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Contains directories and data. By default, this is the Application Root directory (APPROOT
directory) in which WebFOCUS looks for project files. Sample files are provided in the
\ibinccen and \ibisamp directories.
The Application Root directory is created during the installation of Developer Studio and
the WebFOCUS Reporting Server. It is defined by the APPROOT attribute located in the
edaserve.cfg and cgivars.wfs files. For Project-based development, the above Application
Root directories must point to the same drive. For more information about the Application
Root directory, see WebFOCUS Environments in Developer Studio on page 22.
\DevStudio76
Contains the graphical front-end components for creating Developer Studio projects.
\DevStudio76\srv76\home
Contains the local WebFOCUS Reporting Server configuration files. WebFOCUS Client
CGI and ISAPI files are installed in this directory, and some files can affect the Developer
Studio front-end.
To start Developer Studio, select WebFOCUS Developer Studio from the WebFOCUS Developer
Studio program group. The Developer Studio Explorer opens. In this example, the nodes on
the left are expanded to illustrate more folders in the working environment:
The Developer Studio Explorer is based on the familiar Microsoft Windows Explorer tree
structure and provides access to development tools to quickly build and deploy Web-based
reporting applications. In addition, you can use the Maintain features to allow updating of
your data.
18 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
If the main Explorer window has been closed, you can reopen it by clicking
Projects on localhost. The Projects area helps you organize, develop, maintain, and
deploy WebFOCUS applications. Each project appears as a suitcase folder with
subdirectories (virtual folders) used to organize project resources. For example, HTML
files are in the HTML Files folder, and Master Files are in the Master Files folder. The
Maintain Files folder contains Maintain procedures and launches the WebFOCUS Maintain
Development Environment (MDE), where you can add updating functions to your reporting
applications. A sample project named SESSION is created when Developer Studio is
installed. Additionally, IBI Demonstration and Magnify Demo sample applications are
available. For more information about sample applications, see Using Demonstration
Applications in Developer Studio on page 25.
You can create a new project by right-clicking the Projects folder and selecting New Project.
For each of the subdirectories, you can create a new resource by right-clicking the folder
and choosing New. For more information, press the F1 key to access the help system.
By default, the Projects area shows projects on the localhost. However, you can manage
projects on remote WebFOCUS Reporting Servers if you define WebFOCUS environments
as explained.
The project files are stored in a subdirectory located under the Application Root directory
(APPROOT). A directory containing project files is distinguished from other directories
under APPROOT by the existence of a .gfa (graphical FOCUS application) file. When you
create a project, a .gfa file and a directory are created to store the project's files. Files
are grouped into virtual folders (HTML Files, Procedures, and so on). These virtual folders
only appear in the Developer Studio Explorer and only directories that contain a .gfa file
appear under the Projects folder. Virtual folders are created by the Developer Studio
interface to organize files of the same type.
Note: The case of file names entered by a developer is preserved and Developer Studio
does not enforce any case sensitivity rule upon any files received/sent from/to a Reporting
Server or Web Server. Developer Studio projects (.gfa) are always case insensitive, but
its cross-platform functionality relies on information stored in lowercase and it is the
developer's responsibility to be consistent with the way a particular Reporting Server
handles files on UNIX platforms. For example, when performing remote Project
development against UNIX environments, developers must ensure that file names are
created in lowercase and that the appropriate lowercase is also used when referencing
files using the INCLUDE command. While working in the Data Servers area, by default
the Reporting Server will enforce lowercase of files and directories that are created in
this area.
20 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Note: If the local or remote configuration of the Web/Application Server is not correct and
Developer Studio fails to connect to the WebFOCUS Client, a logon dialog box will be
presented. This occurs even if there is no security setup for the WebFOCUS Client. Select
Cancel from the logon dialog box and correct the WebFOCUS Client configuration before
attempting to connect again.
There is a check box option on the logon dialog box for remembering the ID or password.
By default, it is not checked. If you check this box, your credentials will be stored and
encrypted in the wfscom.xml file, the local configuration file that stores information processed
by the Developer Studio communication layer. For details about the wfscom.xml file, see
Working With Environment Properties on page 43. If you decide to change the stored
credentials later, you can do so from the WebFOCUS Environment Properties dialog box. For
details, see Managed Reporting/ReportCaster Properties on page 50.
Note: In Developer Studio 5.3 and earlier, this file was named wfscom.wfs. When you launch
Developer Studio 7.1, an existing wfscom.wfs file is renamed to wfscom.xml.
Data Servers. Displays each WebFOCUS Reporting Server that the WebFOCUS Client
can access. The Data Servers feature enables development against multiple WebFOCUS
Reporting Servers that are configured on any supported platform. The Applications folder
beneath each WebFOCUS Reporting Server displays the directories based on the
Application Root directory (APPROOT directory) for that WebFOCUS Reporting Server (on
Windows, drive:\ibi\apps by default).
The WebFOCUS Reporting Server uses the APPROOT setting to locate files used in
development. Any directory located under APPROOT appears under the Data Servers
Applications folder.
The Data Servers folder is a physical view; all files in this location are displayed. The
WebFOCUS Reporting Server's Application Root directory is used to store server-based
files such as procedures and metadata. You can only edit and run files processed or
used by the Reporting Server (such as .fex, .mas, .acx, .gif, .htm, .html, and .sty files).
For more information, see the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Developer's Manual.
22 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Note:
The Application Root directory (APPROOT directory) is where WebFOCUS Developer
Studio looks for application files. Each application has a directory under APPROOT
containing its files. In addition, projects can be explicitly designed to use files in
another application's directory, and all projects use files in the baseapp directory.
You can change the APPROOT directory in the cgivars.wfs and edaserve.cfg files, but
if you change one file, be sure to change the other so that they both point to the same
physical location. This is a requirement for creating projects. You must ensure that
configuration is set this way when you specify a remote server as the development
server.
When you use Developer Studio with a local WebFOCUS Reporting Server, the
application names and files under the Data Servers folder and the Web Applications
folder will be the same, since the APPROOT setting of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server
points to the same place as the APPROOT setting of the WebFOCUS Client. The
WebFOCUS Client resides on the Web server and uses CGI, ISAPI, or servlet, based
on its configuration. The same applies for remote environments that have the
WebFOCUS Client installed on the same machine as the WebFOCUS Reporting Server
and the APPROOT setting of the WebFOCUS Client and the WebFOCUS Reporting
Server points to the same location. If the APPROOT settings point to different locations
or if WebFOCUS and the WebFOCUS Reporting Server are installed on different
platforms, the Applications folder under Data Servers and the Applications folder
under Web Applications will show files and directories based on their configurations.
The cgivars.wfs file contains the APPROOT variable for the WebFOCUS Application Root
directories. Typically these files include HTML pages, graphic images, Cascading Style
Sheets, and JavaScript files.
The cgivars.wfs file is located in:
WebFOCUS install_drive:\ibi\WebFOCUS76\client\wfc\etc
The edaserve.cfg file contains the APPROOT variable for the WebFOCUS Reporting Server's
Application Root directory. Typically these files include procedures, WebFOCUS StyleSheets,
and customized HTML pages that require processing on the Reporting Server.
WebFOCUS install_drive:\ibi\srv76\wfs\bin
Managed Reporting. Allows you to use Developer Studio to administer and develop
against a Managed Reporting environment.
Note: The Managed Reporting area is not visible if WebFOCUS Managed Reporting is
not installed, or if you are using CGI or ISAPI as the communication method. Beginning
in Version 7 Release 1, CGI and ISAPI are not supported for development with Managed
Reporting. For Managed Reporting, CGI and ISAPI are only supported for running Self-
Service applications. For more details see, Technical Memo 4575: WebFOCUS Managed
Reporting and CGI/ISAPI Requests.
Domains provides an environment that developers can use to build and test
procedures and Web pages that launch those procedures. There is no limit to the
number of domains you can create. A domain is organized into a series of folders and
components. The folders and components contained in a domain are the Standard
Reports folder, the Reporting Objects folder, the Other Files folder, the Profile
component, and the Help component. For details, see the WebFOCUS Managed
Reporting Administrator's Manual.
User Management enables Managed Reporting Administrators to access each user's
reports. The User Management feature is available only to Managed Reporting
Administrators. Managed Reporting Administrators can open, edit, save, and delete
Managed Reporting users' reports. For details, see the WebFOCUS Managed
Reporting Administrator's Manual.
Managed Reporting Administration and User Management capabilities are available only
with the full Developer Studio edition.
Web Applications. Displays the contents of the WebFOCUS Client’s APPROOT directory
(on Windows, drive:\ibi\apps by default). The WebFOCUS Application Root directory is
used to store files processed by the WebFOCUS Client for self-service applications such
as HTML launch pages, Cascading Style Sheets (.css files), and images. The Web
Applications folder allows you to open files with the Text Editor, or the associated tool
you used to create them. This is a physical view; all files in this location appear.
24 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Reference:
IBI Demonstration Applications
Magnify Demo Sample Application
The IBI Demonstration Project and the Magnify Demo Project are available as demonstration
applications in Developer Studio.
The following image is an example of the IBI Demonstration Project folder in Developer
Studio.
The following image is an example of the ibidemo folder in the WebFOCUS Environments
area of Developer Studio.
26 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
The following image is an example of the Magnify Demo Project folder in Developer Studio.
28 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
The following image is an example of the magnify_demo folder in the WebFOCUS Environments
area of Developer Studio.
Locally develop and deploy self-service applications from the Projects area.
Stand-alone Project-based development and deployment requires installation of a
WebFOCUS Reporting Server on the same machine as Developer Studio. A WebFOCUS
Client is also required for Project-based development. The files that you create for a local
project reside in a subdirectory under APPROOT (defined in the configuration files
edaserve.cfg and cgivars.wfs). The Application Root directories (APPROOT directories)
attribute must point to the same directory for Project-based development since files will
be created with the WebFOCUS Client, which resides on the Web server.
Connect to one or more remote servers and modify existing self-service applications on
those servers. For example, you can add a reporting procedure to an existing application.
Configure access to one or more WebFOCUS environments so that you can manage
resources on the WebFOCUS Client and Reporting Server, and in the Managed Reporting
Repository (if installed). From the environment tree you can create and edit procedures,
metadata, HTML files, and more.
If you do not have a WebFOCUS Reporting Server and the WebFOCUS Client on your
development machine, for example if you have installed the Managed Reporting Developer
edition of Developer Studio, your environment allows the last two capabilities. For details,
see the Developer Studio Installation and Configuration manual.
Project-based Development
Reference:
Summary of Steps for Project-based Development
30 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
In the second environment, you can use a remote WebFOCUS installation for Project-based
development. Developer Studio is installed on a local machine (a “thin” installation), and
the WebFOCUS components (which include a Reporting Server and the WebFOCUS Client,
which resides on the Web server) are installed on remote machines.
Use of a remote environment for Project-based development requires the following:
The WebFOCUS Reporting Server must be at a supported release level.
The WebFOCUS Reporting Server must be installed on a supported Windows or UNIX
platform.
The WebFOCUS Reporting Server and the WebFOCUS Client must be properly configured.
For example, the APPROOT variable must be set as required on both servers. APPROOT
on both servers must point to the same physical location. For more information on
APPROOT, see the Developing Reporting Applications manual.
You must have read and write access to the WebFOCUS Reporting Server and the
WebFOCUS Client.
4. Create a project in the Projects on localhost folder. Before you begin Project-based
development, you must create a project directory that will contain the associated files.
You create this directory with the Project Wizard. The Project Wizard enables you to name
the project, designate a directory for it, and optionally add other directory paths from
which the project can retrieve information, or paths to other resources. For more
information, see Creating a Reporting Application in the Developing Reporting Applications
With Graphical Tools manual.
5. Create, develop, and test the project's components. Open the project, create its
components—its procedures, data source synonyms, HTML files, and related files—and
develop and test them on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server and Web server.
While working in the Projects area and performing local project development, files refresh
automatically when you are updating your application files without requiring a manual refresh.
Automatic Refresh also improves performance as files get loaded significantly faster when
launching Developer Studio and while performing development.
Remote Development
How to:
Perform Project-based Development Against a Remote WebFOCUS Environment
Create a Remote Application in the Data Servers Area
Edit a Remote Application in the Data Servers Area
Create an Application in the Managed Reporting Area
Edit a Managed Reporting Application on the Server
Reference:
Summary of Steps for Remote Development
Developing in the Data Servers Area
Developing an Application in the Managed Reporting Area
Domains Folder Operations
Explorer Toolbar
WebFOCUS Environments Toolbar
32 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
The Managed Reporting area enables you to access User Administration Services (UAS)
and the Managed Reporting Repository. From here, you can develop and manage Managed
Reporting applications against a configured WebFOCUS environment.
The Web Applications area enables you to manage resources on the Web server and edit
the resources in place against remote environments. HTML forms, Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS), and other Web components are stored in the Web Applications folder. You can
view and modify HTML files with an editor.
2. Select the environment you want to set as the development environment and click Set
Development Environment.
3. Click OK to refresh the Explorer tree. The current environment appears in the Projects
area as a new node name (for example, Projects on Sales Reporting). The Explorer tree
also displays available projects in that environment and allows you to create new ones.
The Status column on the Environments List dialog box displays current information
about each WebFOCUS environment. The status types are:
Online. Indicates that the environment is available for development and the icon is
enabled.
The attempt to connect to the environment failed and the following messages
may appear:
"Failed to access the Web server"
"Object not found URL: http(s)://host_name:port/... "
Indicates that the environment is not available or not configured properly. This occurs
if the Web server is not functioning or is unavailable. The environment's icon is
marked with a red "x" if it is unavailable.
Error Attaching to ODIN node node_name. Indicates that the default Reporting
Server for the environment is not available or functioning. Check to see if the Reporting
Server is running. The environment's icon is marked with a red "x" if it is unavailable.
34 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
3. Type a name in the New Domain dialog box and click OK.
When a new domain is created, the Server property check box is not selected, and the
drop-down list of WebFOCUS Reporting Server nodes is disabled. The default server
detected for your session is displayed in the list box. All reports and reporting objects
in this domain will inherit the server setting shown in this list box.
36 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
The Application Path property check box is not selected by default. This means that
Managed Reporting requests will be processed by the WebFOCUS Reporting Server's
default search path. The server's search path is generally determined by the settings
in its profile, but can be overridden by user and group profiles also (depending on
platform). For more information about server search path behavior, see the Server
Administration for UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and z/OS manual.
To override the server's default search path behavior for reports run from this domain,
check the Application Path property. This enables the associated combo box. Select an
application from the drop-down list or type it in manually.
You can enter two applications in the Application Path, but you must enter them manually.
You cannot choose them from the list. The Application Path property sends the APP
PATH values command to the server, where values is the path or paths you entered in
the text box. A supplied value overrides the server's default search path (it does not
append to it). A domain's properties are inherited by the reports under it and can be
overridden at the report level. For details, see Working With Domains and Standard
Reports in the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Developer's Manual.
Folder Operations
38 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Button Operation
Button Operation
40 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
For more information about WebFOCUS products accessed from this toolbar, see the
WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Developer's Manual.
Button Operation
Toggles between the double pane Explorer view and the single right pane
Explorer view.
Executes the selected report in deferred mode. This option is only available
in Managed Reporting.
Displays the Deferred Report Status Interface in a new browser window. This
option is only available in Managed Reporting.
Launches the View Builder, where you can create and manage public views
(general and custom) and group views. This option is only available in Managed
Reporting if you have installed the WebFOCUS Business Intelligence Dashboard.
For more information, see the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Administrator's
Manual.
Button Operation
Launches the Server Console for the selected WebFOCUS Reporting Server,
which you use to configure and manage WebFOCUS Reporting Servers. Note
that the Server Console is sometimes referred to as the Web Console.
Displays items in the view as large icons, small icons, or in a list; also displays
item details.
42 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
You add new WebFOCUS environments and edit existing environments in Developer Studio
using the WebFOCUS Environment Properties dialog box. This lets you create and manage
multiple environments, such as development, test, and production instances. An environment
can be on the same machine as Developer Studio or elsewhere in your enterprise. One
environment is set as the development environment and is used in the Projects area of
Developer Studio. By default, Project-based development is done on the local machine
(localhost). Once a WebFOCUS environment is defined, you can tell Developer Studio to
perform Project-based development on a remote machine instead of localhost.
Note: For Managed Reporting development, you must set up access to a WebFOCUS
environment where Managed Reporting is installed. If Managed Reporting is installed on the
same machine as Developer Studio, then administrators automatically can access the local
instance of Managed Reporting. However, Managed Reporting is not installed with Developer
Studio.
How to:
Add a WebFOCUS Environment
When you set up access to WebFOCUS environments, your settings are retained when you
restart or even reinstall Developer Studio. WebFOCUS environment settings are normally
stored in:
drive:\Documents and Settings\user_id\Application Data\
Information Builders\wfscom.xml
where:
user_id
Is your logged on Windows ID.
Note:
This file and directory may not be visible by default. To see this directory, open Windows
Explorer, click Tools, choose Folder Options, and select the View tab. Then, select Show
hidden files and folders and click OK.
In Developer Studio Version 5 Release 3 and earlier, this file was named wfscom.wfs.
When you launch Developer Studio Version 7 Release 6, an existing wfscom.wfs file is
renamed to wfscom.xml.
This dialog box lists all WebFOCUS Environments defined for Developer Studio. If you
previously installed Developer Studio, WebFOCUS Environments may already be defined.
Otherwise, only the localhost environment appears. To edit an existing environment,
select and click Properties.
Note: The Set Development Environment button does not apply to Managed Reporting.
Tip: You can also add a WebFOCUS Environment by right-clicking WebFOCUS Environments
on the Developer Studio Explorer and selecting Add.
44 WebFOCUS
1. Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio
Use the WebFOCUS Environment Properties dialog box to define which components
make up the environment. You can optionally enter authentication information for
components that require logon credentials.
3. On the top of the window, type a description for the WebFOCUS environment. This
description will appear in the Developer Studio Explorer under WebFOCUS Environments.
The following image shows the top area of this screen. This area contains a series of
buttons that each represents a component in a WebFOCUS environment. The Web
Components button is selected by default. The Project Development Environment settings
is only available in the full edition of Developer Studio.
4. On the bottom of the Web Components page, specify the information needed to access
the Web server.
For some environments, once you specify the Web server, all other settings default. If
the WebFOCUS environment you are accessing does not use default settings or
components require authentication, click the appropriate button in the top pane to
provide parameters. The sections that follow explain the parameters available for each
component.
Note: WebFOCUS environment properties must be entered in a specific order. For
example, if Web server security is enabled, you cannot set the WebFOCUS Client Path
until you have provided valid Web server credentials. Similarly, you cannot retrieve a list
of WebFOCUS Reporting Servers until you have provided a valid WebFOCUS Client Path.
As you select a component button in the dialog box, Developer Studio ensures that it
has the necessary information before it displays that component's properties in the
lower part of the dialog box. If the required information is not available, you will not be
able to proceed to the next component.
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The following image shows the WebFOCUS Environment Caching section of the WebFOCUS
Environment Properties dialog box.
In caching, copies of files or information stored on a remote machine are temporarily stored
on your local Developer Studio machine. Developer Studio then works with the locally stored
files. Caching speeds Developer Studio performance because remote machines are not
accessed and queried every time you request information. This is especially useful when
accessing mainframes or when a network connection is slow. However, caching should not
be used when multiple developers are working with the same files because the possibility
exists that you may overwrite each others changes. By default, caching is not enabled.
Two properties are available:
Cache remote directory and file information. This option caches information about
files stored on the WebFOCUS environment. This does not actually cache files, only
information about them. If selected, Developer Studio does not re-query the WebFOCUS
Reporting Server every time it needs a list of files stored on the server.
Enable file content caching. This option caches files normally stored on the server.
Developer Studio only retrieves files once and then when you wish to read or edit them,
it uses a cached copy. Be aware that when you edit a cached file, the edited cached file
is returned to the server and replaces the actual file on the server.
Developer Studio retrieves information and files the first time you request them and then
caches them locally. Developer Studio then uses the cached copies until Developer Studio
is restarted or you click the Clear buttons for each level. You can perform a manual refresh
and clear all cache files by clicking View, then Refresh, or by pressing F5. Refresh is performed
for the area that is selected in the Explorer when you perform this action.
Note:
If you create a new synonym, you must manually perform a refresh to view the new files
in the Developer Studio Explorer when caching is enabled.
You cannot use the caching options for the local development environment if the Source
Control feature is enabled.
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Note: If the Client Path field is empty and the Use Default option is selected, there is a
problem connecting to the WebFOCUS Client. Ensure your Web server is started and that
you typed the correct properties on the Web Components page. If you cannot connect, contact
your WebFOCUS Administrator.
The following properties are available:
Client Path. This specifies how calls are made from Developer Studio to the Web server.
By default, when you add a new WebFOCUS environment, it is set to use the WebFOCUS
Servlet with the default ibi_apps context path:
/ibi_apps/WFServlet
If the WebFOCUS environment does not use servlet or uses a non-default context path,
uncheck Use Default and provide the correct Client Path. Common default settings appear
in the Client Path drop-down list. They are:
/ibi_apps/WFServlet (Servlet)
/cgi-bin/ibi_cgi/ibiweb.exe (CGI)
/cgi-bin/ibi_cgi/webapi.dll (ISAPI)
Servlet is required for Managed Reporting or Tomcat. If the Client Path is incorrect for
the environment, you receive an error when you click the Data Servers button on the top
of the page. If you do not know your path, ask your WebFOCUS Administrator or check
the WebFOCUS Administration Console of the environment to which you want to connect.
The Client Path settings for the environment are located under Utilities and Client Selection.
Select Language. This specifies the GUI language that is used when Developer Studio
connects to a remote utility (Managed Reporting, HTML tools). When a multi-language
master file is used, this setting specifies the language titles in reports.
Supply Credentials. If required, you can check this box and type a WebFOCUS Client
User ID and Password. These credentials are only used for Project-based development
and do not apply to Managed Reporting. They are used to ensure that a developer is
authorized to perform certain activities such as deploying an application and writing to
Web server directories.
WebFOCUS Client user IDs are the same IDs used to access the WebFOCUS Administrative
Console in Developer mode. If authentication is enabled for the Console and these fields
are empty, you are prompted to log on to the WebFOCUS Client when you access the
environment. Your WebFOCUS Administrator will let you know if you need to supply
WebFOCUS Client credentials.
When the correct WebFOCUS Client Path is provided, you can specify properties for the
remaining component.
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The following image shows the Managed Reporting Repository section of the WebFOCUS
Environment Properties dialog box.
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The following image shows the Project Development Server section of the WebFOCUS
Environment Properties dialog box.
How to:
Change the Development Environment
To use remote Project-based development, you must change the development environment.
If you do not plan to use remote Project-based development, you can skip this procedure.
After you set up connections to WebFOCUS environments, you can add, edit, and delete
files on remote machines through the WebFOCUS Environments folders. However, you may
want to use the organizational tools available in the Projects folders to manage applications
on remote machines. This is known as remote Project-based development and it allows
developers on different desktops to share files and work on the same application.
Remote Project-based development requires that all WebFOCUS components in the remote
environment reside on the same machine as each other, but not necessarily the same
machine as Developer Studio. In addition, the remote WebFOCUS environment must have
the same Application Root directory (APPROOT directory) for its WebFOCUS Reporting Server
and WebFOCUS Client.
You can change the development environment using the Environments List.
2. Select the WebFOCUS Environment that you wish to use for Project-based development.
3. Click Set Development Environment.
4. Click OK.
The Developer Studio Explorer now shows Projects on the WebFOCUS environment you
chose. Resources will be stored on the remote machine. If multiple WebFOCUS Reporting
Servers are defined, reports are run using the WebFOCUS Reporting Server that is set for
project development in this environment.
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You can logoff and then reconnect using different credentials for the following areas in
WebFOCUS Environments (without having to restart Developer Studio):
The environment name.
All available Data Server nodes.
Managed Reporting.
If credentials are stored in the Environment properties, required cookies are deleted during
the logoff process and stored credentials are reused to establish a new connection.
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Developer Studio includes sample data and Master Files to help you familiarize yourself with
the interface and practice creating applications. However, to create applications that report
on your own data, you need Master (.mas) and Access (.acx) Files (synonyms). Master Files
describe the data so WebFOCUS can report on it. Access Files provide information that
WebFOCUS needs to access the data. A synonym is a collection of Master and Access Files
for a specific data source.
To create and run applications on your local machine, Master and Access Files must be in
a subdirectory of the Application Root directory (APPROOT) located on drive:\ibi\apps by
default. If you are developing applications using a remote WebFOCUS environment, you have
access to the Master and Access Files on the remote WebFOCUS Reporting Server.
If you use a local copy of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server, you can create and run applications
locally by configuring the local WebFOCUS Reporting Server. There are two ways to configure
the local server to access data:
Connect the local WebFOCUS Reporting Server to remote WebFOCUS Reporting Servers
that have access to your data. Data adapters should be configured on the remote servers
if they have not been already.
or
Configure data adapters for your data sources using the local server. This is only an
option when your local machine has access to your data sources. The data sources must
be on your machine or accessible through a third-party product. For example, Oracle Client
is needed to create a data adapter to a remote Oracle Server, and OLE DB is needed to
create a data adapter to a remote Microsoft SQL Server.
After you have added a remote server or a data adapter, the synonym tool can create your
Master and Access Files as explained in How to Create a Synonym in Developer Studio on
page 69.
Note: If you are not using a local copy of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server, you use resources
on the remote environment. If you have administration rights to the remote Reporting Server,
you can launch the Reporting Server Console in order to administer the server, configure
data adapters, create synonyms, and perform other tasks. All processing will be done on
the remote machine.
How to:
Access the Create Synonym Tool
Access the Create Synonym Tool From Developer Studio Reporting Tools
Configure an Adapter in Developer Studio
Add a Remote Server in Developer Studio
Create a Synonym in Developer Studio
Refresh Synonyms
Delete Synonyms
View or Edit Synonym Code
View and Modify the Properties of a Synonym
Reference:
Synonym Creation Parameters for Microsoft SQL Server
Synonym Creation Parameters for Stored Procedures
You can set up access to your data using the Create Synonym Tool within Developer Studio
or the Server Console. Both approaches edit the same underlying server files, so it does
not matter which you use. This topic explains how to add a remote server, configure a data
adapter, and create a synonym using the Create Synonym Tool within Developer Studio. For
information on the Server Console, see Using the Reporting Server Web Console for Data
Access and Synonym Preparation on page 86.
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The Create Synonym tool opens. By default, no adapters are available. Your first task
is to configure an adapter in order to be able to access a relational, multidimensional,
or other type of data source.
Note: If any adapters have already been configured for the server you will not see this
message. Instead, you will see the available adapters, from which you can immediately
begin to create synonyms.
3. In this instance, we are assuming that no adapters are available. Click the Configure
Adapters button at the bottom right to start the configuration process.
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Depending upon your needs, you can use this Window to start configuring an adapter,
adding a remote server, or both.
Configured.This folder contains any data adapters or remote servers that are already
configured. By default, when Developer Studio is installed on its own, the Configured
folder displays a Remote Servers folder that contains EDASERVE, the default
WebFOCUS Reporting Server.
You can use the Configured folder to add new connections for existing data adapters
or servers, edit existing data adapters or servers, or create synonyms.
Note that this folder will not initially be visible for a WebFOCUS installation; it becomes
visible only after an adapter or a remote server has been explicitly configured.
Add Adapter Configuration. This folder lists the data adapters that you can configure
on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server platform.
Procedure: How to Access the Create Synonym Tool From Developer Studio Reporting Tools
When building a report, you can access the Create Synonym Tool directly from any of the
Developer Studio reporting tools when you want to report against a synonym that is not
available in the list.
1. To launch the Create Synonym tool from Developer Studio reporting tools:
Click Create New from the Open dialog box, as show in the image below.
Click Create New from the WebFOCUS Table list, as shown in the image below.
Note: When accessing a Developer Studio Tool in the Managed Developer Edition,
the Create New button will not appear for developers without Data Server privileges.
The Data Server privilege is optional for Developers and standard for Content
Managers and Managed Reporting Administrators. This restriction does not apply to
the full edition of Developer Studio.
The Create Synonym Tool opens.
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When you have completed the synonym creation process, the new synonym appears in the
list of available synonyms. You can then select it and continue to create your report request.
Tip: If you need information about these fields, refer to the Server Console help, which
you can access by choosing WebFOCUS Reporting Server Console from the Command
menu. The Server Console opens. Click Help on the menu bar, select Contents and
Search, expand the Adapters topic in the Table of Contents pane, and look for the adapter
you are configuring. (This is the same information contained in the Adapter Administration
for UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and z/OS manual.)
5. Click Configure.
A message from the Reporting Server confirms that the adapter has been added to your
configuration.
6. Click Continue to return to the Manage and Configure Data Adapters window.
A folder for your adapter should appear under Configured.
7. Expand your adapter's folder and click the connection you defined.
The Create Synonym, Test, Delete, and Properties buttons appear.
2. Instead of choosing an adapter from the list, select Remote Servers and choose Add
connection or Configure.
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Basic Description
Parameters
NODE Type a name by which you will refer to the server. The name is your
choice, but cannot be the same as any other server. It must begin
with a letter and cannot be more than eight characters.
PORT Specify the base TCP port for the server. The default is normally
8120, not 8100.
HTTP_PORT Specify the HTTP port for the server. This is normally one more
than the base TCP port. The default is normally 8121, not 8101.
CLASS If this is a z/OS server, you must include a qualifier. (Pertains only
to z/OS servers.)
Basic Description
Parameters
domain For a server on Windows, you can specify the domain where the
user ID is defined.
DESCRIPTION Optionally, type a description for the node. This description displays
in the WebFOCUS front-end tools.
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4. When connecting to a Unified Server, click the Advanced tab and specify the SERVICE
NAME, and other parameters, as required.
Advanced Description
Parameters
Advanced Description
Parameters
CONNECT_LIMIT Defines the maximum time, in seconds, that the client will wait
for a TCP connection response from the server. Enter:
-1 for indefinite wait.
0 for no wait.
MAXWAIT Defines the time, in seconds, that the client will wait for a
response from the server:
-1 indicates indefinite timeout.
6. Click Continue.
7. Expand Configured and Remote Servers to see the new server.
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2. Select New and then Synonym. The Create Synonym tool opens.
3. In the first window, you can choose any configured Data Adapter or any Remote Server
that has been added to the default Reporting Server. (Note that when you are creating
a synonym through a Remote Server, the remote server should already contain the
required synonyms and the corresponding adapters.)
The server configuration, indicated by the server profile, determines which adapters and
servers appear. In this example, the Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server is configured. If
you have configured remote servers, they will appear expanded in the Remote Server
folder.
4. Expand the folder for your adapter or the Remote Server folder.
5. Select the server or adapter that you configured and click OK.
A window opens in which you can enter additional information about the data source
you wish to access.
Important: The options in this window vary depending on the type of adapter or server
you are using. To access the pertinent information for your adapter directly from Developer
Studio, choose WebFOCUS Reporting Server Console from the Command menu. The
Server Console opens. Click Help on the menu bar, select Contents and Search, expand
the Adapters topic in the Table of Contents pane, and look for the adapter for which you
wish to create the synonym. The relevant synonym creation parameters are fully defined.
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The following example is for accessing an adapter for Microsoft SQL Server.
After you complete this window, the data source or server is queried to determine the
metadata you can use to create synonyms. For a relational database, this is usually a
list of tables or views. This window lets you filter the results so there are fewer tables
from which to choose. Optionally, choose whether both Tables and Views should be
returned. By default, both are checked.
For some data sources, you can select to generate synonyms for other object types, for
example, Stored Procedures. If you do, the remaining input parameters will vary slightly.
For details, see Synonym Creation Parameters for Stored Procedures on page 78.
6. For some data sources, you have the option to choose a database or other parameter.
In this Microsoft SQL Server example, select the appropriate database or choose Use
current database. You will be able to choose from the database tables when this window
is complete.
7. Optionally, check Filter by name and owner to filter the results based on owners or table
prefixes. This limits the list of tables returned from the remote data source and makes
it easier to choose the data for which you want to create synonyms. If you do not include
selection criteria, the entire list of tables is displayed.
8. Click Next.
The top of the Create Synonym window now displays additional fields you can use to
refine your synonym. Remember that the parameters vary depending on the type of
adapter or server you are using.
The bottom of the Create Synonym window provides a list of tables for which you can
create synonyms. To choose all, select the check box to the left of Default synonym
name.
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The synonyms are created in the selected application directory. (In this example, the
default application, baseapp, is used.)
Parameter/Task Description
Restrict Object Type to Restricts candidates for synonym creation based on the
selected object types: Tables, Views, External SQL Scripts,
and any other supported objects.
Choosing External SQL Scripts from the drop-down list enables
you to represent SQL SELECT statements as synonyms for
read-only reporting. A Synonym candidate can be any file that
contains one (and only one) valid SQL Query and does not
contain end-of-statement delimiters (";" or "/") and comments.
For related information, see Location of External SQL Scripts
in this chart.
Depending on adapter, you can further restrict your search
by choosing check boxes for listed objects.
Database selection To specify a database from which you can select a table or
other object, do one of the following:
Check Use current database to use the database that has
been set as the default database.
Select a database from the Select database drop-down
list, which lists all databases in the current DBMS
instance.
Before selecting a database, if Use current database is
checked, uncheck it. (This does not apply to Informix SE,
for which Use current database must be checked.)
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Parameter/Task Description
Filter by Owner/Schema Selecting this option adds the Owner/Schema and Object
and Object name Name parameters to the screen.
Owner/Schema. Type a string for filtering the selection,
inserting the wildcard character (%) as needed at the
beginning and/or end of the string. For example, enter:
ABC% to select tables or views whose owner/schema
begin with the letters ABC.
%ABC to select tables or views whose owner/schema
end with the letters ABC.
%ABC% to select tables or views whose owner/schema
contain the letters ABC at the beginning, middle, or
end.
Object name. Type a string for filtering the procedure
names, inserting the wildcard character (%) as needed at
the beginning and/or end of the string. For example, enter:
ABC% to select all procedures whose names begin with
the letters ABC.
%ABC to select all procedures whose names end with
the letters ABC.
%ABC% to select all procedures whose names contain
the letters ABC at the beginning, middle, or end.
Parameter/Task Description
Location of External SQL If you specify External SQL Scripts in the Restrict Object type
Scripts to field, these additional fields are displayed.
Extension The following standard naming conventions apply for UNIX,
i5/OS IFS, and z/OS HFS:
In the Location of External SQL Scripts field, specify the
physical directory location of the file that contains the SQL
Query.
In the Extension field, enter the extension of the script
files to filter the list of candidates.
On i5/OS you can use alternative IFS naming conventions to
access library members. The following entry illustrates this
method:
In the Location of External SQL Scripts field, enter:
/QSYS.LIB/MYLIBRARY.LIB/MYSRC.FILE
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Parameter/Task Description
With foreign key Select the With foreign key check box to include within this
synonym every table related to the current table by a foreign
key. The resulting multi-table synonym describes all of this
table's foreign key relationships.
Dynamic columns To specify that the Master File created for the synonym should
not contain column information, select the Dynamic columns
check box.
If this option is selected, column data is retrieved dynamically
from the data source at the time of the request.
Prefix/Suffix If you have tables with identical table names, assign a prefix
or a suffix to distinguish them. For example, if you have
identically named human resources and payroll tables, assign
the prefix HR to distinguish the synonyms for the human
resources tables. Note that the resulting synonym name
cannot exceed 64 characters.
If all tables and views have unique names, leave prefix and
suffix fields blank.
Customize data type To change the data type mappings from their default settings,
mappings select this check box. The customizable mappings are
displayed.
Overwrite Existing To specify that this synonym should overwrite any earlier
Synonyms synonym with the same fully qualified name, select the
Overwrite existing synonyms check box.
Default Synonym Name This column displays the name that will be assigned to each
synonym. To assign a different name, replace the displayed
value.
Parameter/Task Description
Select tables Select tables for which you wish to create synonyms:
To select all tables in the list, select the check box to the
left of the Default Synonym Name column heading.
To select specific tables, select the corresponding check
boxes.
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If there are no OUT parameters or INOUT parameters in OUT mode, the segment is
omitted.
ANSWERSETn, one for each answer set.
If there is no answer set, the segment is omitted.
The following chart describes the parameters used to create the synonym.
Parameter/Task Description
Filter by Owner/Schema Selecting this option adds the Owner/Schema and Object name
and Object Name parameters to the screen.
(for DB2, this applies to Owner/Schema. Type a string for filtering the selection,
all platforms except inserting the wildcard character (%) as needed at the
i5/OS) beginning and/or end of the string. For example, enter:
ABC% to select tables or views whose owner/schema
begin with the letters ABC.
%ABC to select tables or views whose owner/schema
end with the letters ABC.
%ABC% to select tables or views whose owner/schema
contain the letters ABC at the beginning, middle, or end.
Object name. Type a string for filtering the procedure
names, inserting the wildcard character (%) as needed at
the beginning and/or end of the string. For example, enter:
ABC% to select all procedures whose names begin with
the letters ABC.
%ABC to select all procedures whose names end with
the letters ABC.
%ABC% to select all procedures whose names contain
the letters ABC at the beginning, middle, or end.
Parameter/Task Description
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Parameter/Task Description
Overwrite Existing To specify that this synonym should overwrite any earlier
Synonyms synonym with the same fully qualified name, select the
Overwrite existing synonyms check box.
Customize data type To change the data type mappings from their default settings,
mappings select this check box. The customizable mappings are
displayed. For information about them, see Data Type Support
in the chapter for your adapter in the Adapter Administration
for UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and z/OS manual.
Parameter/Task Description
Values Select the check box for every parameter displayed for the
specified procedure.
Note the following before you enter parameter values. If the
procedure you selected has input parameters (IN parameters
and/or INOUT parameters in IN mode), you will be prompted
to enter values for them. However, the need for an explicit
Value entry depends on the logic of the procedure and the data
structures it produces. Therefore, while you must check the
parameter box, you may not need to enter a value. Follow these
guidelines:
Explicit input values (and separate synonyms) are required
when input parameter values cause answer sets with
different data structures, which vary depending on the input
parameters provided.
Explicit input values are not required when you know the
procedure’s internal logic and are certain that it always
produces the same data structure. In this situation, only
one synonym needs to be created and you can leave the
Value input blank for synonym creation purposes.
If a Value is required, enter it without quotation marks. Any
date, date-time, and timestamp parameters must have values
entered in an ISO format. Specify the same input parameters
that will be provided when the procedure is executed at run
time if it is a procedure that requires explicit values.
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Note: By default, you also see Access (.acx) Files in the Master Files folder.
If the server is using EDAPATH, these files are visible under the Cataloged Path/Data folder.
To view Access File code, right-click the Access (.acx) File and then choose Open or Edit
Access File As Text.
Using the Reporting Server Web Console for Data Access and Synonym Preparation
How to:
Access the Reporting Server Web Console
A server administrator, or an application administrator who has been granted these privileges,
can configure and manage WebFOCUS Reporting Servers through the Reporting Server Web
Console. You can use the Server Console as an alternative to the Developer Studio tools to
configure adapters, add remote servers, and create synonyms. In addition, many other
configuration options are available through the Server Console. For a full understanding of
configuration options and server capabilities, see the Server Console help system or the
following manuals: Server Administration for UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and z/OS and
Adapter Administration for UNIX, Windows, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and z/OS.
Note:
This console is sometimes referred to as the Web Console or the Reporting Server
Console.
For Developer Studio installations that allow stand-alone development, the local, default
WebFOCUS Reporting Server normally runs with security OFF, and the user who installed
Developer Studio is the default administrator.
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2. To add an adapter through the Server Console, click Data Adapters on the menu bar.
On the expanded menu bar, click New Adapter, expand folders on the right, and click
your adapter type to bring up a form for adding the data adapter.
3. To create a synonym through the Server Console, click Metadata on the menu bar. On
the expanded menu bar, click New Synonym, select the remote server or adapter on the
right, and complete the forms that follow.
4. To access the Server Console help, click Help on the menu bar and choose Contents
and Search. Expand the Adapters folder in the Table of Content, and review the
information for your adapter.
Note: You may need to use Internet Explorer to properly view the help.
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WebFOCUS
Development Environment
In this section:
QuickLinks
How to:
Add or Modify External Tools
Reference:
Main Toolbar
Commands Toolbar
The Explorer is the main window from which all tools and facilities are accessed.
Feature Description
Menu Bar Displays pull-down menus; menus and options are context-sensitive
and are determined by the active window or selected object.
Depending upon your location in the Explorer, certain menu options
may be inactive.
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Feature Description
Main Toolbar Contains buttons that provide quick access to commonly performed
functions. These buttons always appear on the toolbar, but their
behavior is determined by the active window and the selected
object. Depending upon your location in the Explorer, certain toolbar
buttons may be inactive. For details, see Main Toolbar on page 91.
Commands Provides quick access to any external program added in the External
Toolbar Tools tab of the Developer Studio Options dialog box. When you
add an external program, it appears as an additional icon on the
Commands Toolbar. Select the icon from the Commands Toolbar
to launch the external tool. For details, see Commands Toolbar on
page 93.
Explorer Toolbar Contains buttons to perform the available operations for the
selected object and area in the Explorer window. Depending upon
the object you select, certain toolbar buttons may be inactive or
unavailable. For details, see Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer
Studio on page 13.
Title Bar The active window's title bar has information for the specific window
or tool.
Tool Tip Small descriptive text labels appear when the mouse pointer rests
on a toolbar button.
Status Bar Displays current status of WebFOCUS (either idle or busy executing
a report or other procedure) and a description of the Main toolbar
buttons; click and hold a button to display a description.
The following table gives a brief description of the buttons on the Main toolbar.
Button Operation
Enables you to create a new object; the object type is determined by the
selected folder or item. For example, when the Projects on localhost folder is
selected, the Create a Project dialog box opens; when the Master Files folder
is selected, the Add Master File dialog box opens.
Opens the appropriate tool to graphically edit the selected object. For example,
if a Master File is selected, the Synonym Editor opens.
Opens the Text Editor and enables you to edit the FOCUS commands for the
selected object.
Opens the Command Console, where you can enter commands and see the
results of your queries. See Using the Command Console in the Developing
Reporting Applications manual for more information.
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Button Operation
Opens the WebFOCUS Reporting Server Console used for project development.
This is where you configure the local server for creating Developer Studio
applications. If you are performing remote project development, the Server
Console for the remote server will be launched. For more information, see
Introducing WebFOCUS and Developer Studio on page 13.
3. Type the Tool title and enter the Tool path, or click the Browse button, to find the selected
program.
4. Click OK to close the Developer Studio Options dialog box.
The external tool appears as an additional icon on the Commands Toolbar.
5. Select the added program icon from the Commands Toolbar to launch the external tool.
Note: The external program added is also available from the Command menu.
Tip: You may also access the Developer Studio Options dialog box by selecting Options from
the Windows menu. Click the External Tools tab to see the list of registered external tools.
QuickLinks
The QuickLinks dialog box opens by default when you launch Developer Studio. This dialog
box provides links to the most popular Developer Studio tools, enabling you to launch them
more quickly.
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Development Tools
Developer Studio offers a selection of graphical development tools for building Web-based
reporting applications. These tools can be accessed from the Projects on localhost folder
for local development and deployment to the Web. A subset of the tools can also be accessed
from the WebFOCUS Environments folder for development or editing directly on the WebFOCUS
Reporting Server and the Web Server.
Below are some of the tasks and tools that you can use in Developer Studio.
Creating your local project
The Project Wizard, which you can access only from the Projects area, creates an application
control file and defines search paths for additional project resources. See Project Wizard
on page 100.
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Engine Tool exposes the FOCUS ENGINE SET commands and enables you to enter
ENGINE commands or connection attributes, and override parameters. See Engine Tool
on page 122.
Dialogue Manager allows you to control the flow of your application with the use of
variables. For more information, see Managing Flow of Control in an Application in the
Developing Reporting Applications manual.
Execute Wizard and Include Tool call other procedures from the current procedure.
See Execute Wizard and Include Tool on page 118.
Dimensions Tool creates temporary OLAP hierarchies for a procedure. See Dimensions
Tool on page 119.
Creating launch pages
Developer Studio creates launch pages that prompt for values.
HTML Composer creates reporting procedures and highly refined HTML pages from which
the procedures can be run, in a single process. See HTML Composer on page 119.
Performing iterative OLAP analysis
Use the following:
OLAP Control Panel manipulates multi-dimensional data for analysis.
OLAP Selections Panel provides quicker ad hoc data selection, graph transformation,
and drill downs on measures. See OLAP Graphical Tools on page 123.
Deploying projects to the Web
Deploy Wizard partitions and copies files to the specified WebFOCUS Reporting Server and
Web server. You can only access this option from the Projects folder. See Deploy Wizard on
page 126.
Coding project components
Use the following:
Text Editor enables you to create, view, and edit source code for procedures, Master
and Access files, and other types of project files. This tool is especially useful for writing
code that does not have a corresponding graphical tool, such as Dialogue Manager code.
See Text Editor on page 124.
SQL Editor allows you to code SQL Passthru and highlights any SQL commands within
the code. See SQL Editor on page 125.
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Project Wizard
The Project Wizard enables you to name the project, designate a directory for it, and optionally
add other directory paths to data sources from which the project can retrieve information,
or paths to other resources.
Note: Projects directories are created in lowercase.
When you have completed the Project Wizard, the new project is added as a node in the
Explorer under Projects on localhost.
For details about this tool, see Creating a Reporting Application in the Developing Reporting
Applications With Graphical Tools manual.
Synonym Editor
The Synonym Editor enables you to view and edit existing synonyms. This tool generates
the data description language required to read the data.
The Synonym Editor supports hierarchical data and the Financial Report Painter uses this
data to create a tree hierarchy.
For details about the Synonym Editor, see Using the Synonym Editor in the Describing Data
With Graphical Tools manual.
For more information about the Financial Report Painter, see Creating Reports With Financial
Report Painter in the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
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Synonym Wizard
For z/OS platforms, the Synonym Wizard is used to create synonyms when reporting against
other remote servers (or subservers) that are configured on the target server. You can also
create synonyms against DB2, the only relational data source supported on MVS.
You can use the Synonym Wizard to create a synonym for a data source on the WebFOCUS
Reporting Server, based on the native schema that resides with the data. If the remote
server is configured as a subserver to a hub server, the Synonym Wizard can generate a
synonym on the hub server, including an Access File that identifies the location of the data
on the subserver.
The Synonym Wizard guides you through the creation process for one or more synonyms.
The synonyms are created on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server in the current application.
The new synonym appears in the Master Files folder from which the wizard is launched.
Note: For FOCUS data sources, WebFOCUS uses the original Master Files stored on the
server, therefore no synonyms are required.
The wizard consists of panels beginning with one shown below, in which you select the
relational data source for which you want to generate a synonym.
For details about this tool, see Accessing Data and Creating Synonyms in the Describing Data
With Graphical Tools manual.
Dimension Builder
The Dimension Builder is a tool that enables you to define dimensions in your Master Files
to support multi-dimensional OLAP analysis.
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Working with relational tables or FOCUS data sources, the Dimension Builder creates a
virtual join across tables or segments within a single Master File structure. You can then
drag and drop fields from the "join" pane into the adjacent Dimensions pane, creating a
multi-dimensional hierarchy, like the one in the following illustration.
Open the Component Connector toolbar by clicking one of the yellow diamonds:
As you add components, the Procedure window displays an icon that represents the
component. Each icon on the Component Connector toolbar launches either a graphical tool
or the text editor.
You can check components in order to locate errors. Each component tool includes a Check
button that checks the syntax of the code against the server.
The options available in the Component Connector menu are also available in the Task
Viewer toolbar and in the Insert menu.
For details about this tool, see Creating a Reporting Procedure in theDeveloping Reporting
Applications With Graphical Tools manual.
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Report Painter
The Report Painter provides a graphical representation of the report you are creating.
The following list highlights features that extend your reporting capabilities:
Formatting and styling capabilities. You can:
Drag the column border to the desired width.
Add a border to an entire report, a column, or any object area (for example, Page
Heading, Page Footing, Subheading, Subfooting). You can add borders in a variety of
line styles, widths, and colors.
Style the background color for an entire report, including all column titles and all data
components. You can also specify a background color for individual columns and
alternating rows.
Apply a page color. The report on the page inherits the page color.
Insert the current page number and total page count for a report as embedded fields
in a report heading or footing.
Insert a spot marker. A spot marker divides text in a heading or footing into separate
items. You can then individually position and style these items.
Align decimal points. You can align decimal points when the displayed data has a
varying number of decimal places.
Insert the current date. You can insert the current date as an embedded field in any
object area (for example, Page Heading, Page Footing, Subheading, Subfooting) in
the Report Painter. Once the date is inserted, you can justify, position, and change
the font of the date field.
You can also specify the date format and a display format for the time. For more
information, see Assigning Field Formats in the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools
manual.
Select a column component (Title, Data, or Title and Data) and apply styling options
(font and font color, grid, border, or background color), using the Style tab on the Field
Properties dialog box. In addition, you can create a condition and apply to it any style
available on the Style tab.
Copy an existing drill-down component to a column component, using the Drill Down
tab on the Field Properties dialog box. You can also open a child report from this tab
for viewing or modification in a new instance of Report Painter.
Remove an underline from a column title on a report, using the General tab on the
Field Properties dialog box.
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Enter replacement text using the Features tab. The Features tab on the Report Options
dialog box features a Report Title input field. The text you enter into this input field
replaces the default text in the Internet Explorer title bar when you run the report in
HTML format.
For Excel report formats, you can enter a worksheet title in the Customize worksheet title
input field of the Format tab. The text in the Customize worksheet title input field replaces
the default Worksheet tab text in Excel 2000.
Use the Range option in the Variable Editor dialog box. You can specify a range of
values instead of a list of acceptable values when you access the Variable Editor
dialog box.
Use the Select Format option. The Report Options dialog box provides a Select Format
drop-down list that enables you to specify output formats such as HTML, HTML Table,
AHTML, PDF, PS, Exl2K, Exl2K Formula, Exl2k Pivot, Exl97, Default, and User.
Use shading patterns and scaling options to improve data visualization. Data
visualization is supported for PDF and PS formats. Although the color option on the
Data Visualization dialog box is the default for HTML, PDF, and PS formats, you can
select different shading patterns for PDF and PS formats. The shading patterns make
graphs in black and white reports more readable.
There are two options for specifying relative bar graph scaling for multiple report
columns under a common Across sort field to which data visualization is applied. Use
the Uniform scale option if you want each vertical bar graph to be scaled based on
the minimum and maximum values of all values compiled from each Across column.
Use the Distinct scale option to specify that each vertical bar graph should be scaled
based on the distinct minimum and maximum values for each Across column.
Apply an external Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) to an HTML report. The Style tab
features a Style File Selection button that allows you to apply an external Cascading
Style Sheet to an HTML report. You can also assign a Cascading Style Sheet class
to a report object in the StyleSheet.
WYSIWYG environment. The Report Painter window displays the actual position of
columns that have been wrapped, truncated, or set to maximum or minimum column
width.
Graphical User Interface (GUI). You can align embedded fields in object areas (Page
Heading, Page Footing, Subheading, Subfooting) with report columns.
Note: This feature is available only for HTML reports.
You can:
Copy style characteristics from one column to other columns by using the Match All
Styles button on the Font toolbar. You can copy font, grid, background color, conditional
styling, or all of these characteristics.
Launch procedure components from the Setup toolbar in the Report Painter. The Setup
toolbar lists the components that precede the report component. Click the component
to access the appropriate tool (Define, Join, or Dimension).
View the Master File structure (segments or fields) from the Fields tab in the Object
Inspector. You can drag fields from this tab to the Report Painter window. If you drag
a segment, all the fields in the selected segment are added to the report.
View all the parts of the expression as you build it. With the Expression Builder, drag
and drop the field in the expression and select the logical relation and comparison
type from drop-down lists.
Handling of images. The Report Painter:
Supports layering for the display of images with other report components.
Tiles a background image instead of enlarging the image to fit the background.
General functionality. The Report Painter:
Allows you to save a report from the Save button on the General toolbar. The Save
button saves all the components in the procedure, not just the report component.
Allows a developer to assign a variable as the display format. This feature enables a
user to select the report's output format.
Calculated trends and predicted values. You can calculate trends in data and predict
values beyond the range of values stored in the data source with the Forecast feature.
The Forecast feature uses averages, or a linear regression line, to distinguish trends and
predict values. This is useful for predicting values that may occur beyond the current
data set.
Apportioned numeric data in tabular reports. You can group numeric data into any
number of tiles (percentiles, quartiles, deciles, and so on) in tabular reports. For example,
you can group student test scores into deciles to determine which students are in the
top ten percent of the class.
Grouping is based on the values in the selected vertical (BY) sort field and is apportioned
as equally as possible into the number of tile groups you specify.
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Navigation of sort groups from a table of contents. You can add multiple BY fields
to an HTML Table of Contents (TOC). In the previous release, you could only sort on the
highest level BY field in a single request. With the implementation of this multi-level
feature, the TOC option is available when you right-click any BY field in your report.
For this feature to be useful, the report must contain at least one vertical sort (BY) field.
If you include more than one sort field in a report, the hierarchy is determined by the
order in which the fields are specified in the request. The TOC displays, as hyperlinks,
all values of the first (highest level) vertical sort field, as well as the values of any lower
level BY fields that you designate for inclusion. Unless otherwise specified in the request,
a page begins when the highest level sort field changes.
The TOC itself is an object that appears as an icon in the upper left corner of the report,
or as one or more drop-down lists in a heading or footing.
Check button to run procedures against the default server. The Check button
replaces the Run button that appeared in the Define, Set, Use, and Filedef tools . When
you click the Check button, the current procedure is run against the default server. A
dialog box opens that displays the component's code, and either an error message or
text stating that no error exists.
For more information about the Report Painter, see Creating Reports With the Report Painter
in the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
Graph Assistant
The Graph Assistant provides an easy way to transform almost any type of data into an
effective graph that you can customize to suit your needs. Working through the tabs of the
Graph Assistant, you will see the many features available when creating a graph.
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Display missing data values in a graph. Previously missing data was displayed as
zero. You can display missing data as zero, a gap, dotted line to zero, or an interpolated
dotted line.
Customize the fonts in your graph. You can select the size, style, color, justification,
and rotation for data and label text on the X- and Y-axis, legend text, and heading text.
Temporarily hide the display of a Y-axis field. This is useful when you want to
temporarily take out one field in the graph, while retaining all the properties of the current
graph.
Save graph output to multiple format. You can save graph output to PNG, SVG, GIF,
and JPEG formats.
The Graph Assistant is available for local and server-based development.
For details about this tool, see Creating a Graph With Graph Assistant in the Creating Reports
With Graphical Tools manual.
For details about this tool, see Creating Graphs With Advanced Graph Assistant in the Creating
Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
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Define Tool
The Define tool enables you to create a virtual field as a component in a reporting procedure.
A virtual field is evaluated on each retrieved record that passes any selection criteria on the
real fields. Define the virtual field by assigning a format and typing an expression or
composing it using the calculator and the fields and functions listed in the tabbed panes in
the Define tool window. The result of the expression is treated as though it were a real field
stored in the data source.
When you click the Check button, the generated code is validated. A dialog box opens,
displaying the component's code and either an error message or text stating that no error
exists.
For details about this tool, see Creating Temporary Fields in the Creating Reports With
Graphical Tools manual.
Join Tool
If a report requires data from two or more related data sources, you can temporarily join the
files and report from them as if they were one. Joined files remain physically separate, but
are treated as one data source structure.
The Join tool provides a graphical method for creating and manipulating all types of Joins.
You must specify a host file, then a cross-referenced file to create a join. The Join tool
displays both files and ordinarily, a default Join:
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Left Outer joins. Some rows in a host table may lack corresponding rows in a
cross-referenced table. When a report displays all matching rows, plus all rows from the
host file that lack corresponding cross-referenced rows, the join is called a left outer join.
For details about this tool, see Joining and Merging Data Sources in the Creating Reports
With Graphical Tools manual.
Set Tool
The Set tool enables you to customize procedure development. It controls the way that
reports and graphs appear on the screen or printer; the content of reports and graphs; data
retrieval characteristics that affect performance; and system responses to user requests.
It also helps you set up your metadata and manipulate information such as dates.
You can select parameters from a list in the Set tool, and apply an appropriate value; the
tool provides the acceptable values for most of the parameters.
The Check button replaces the Run button. When you click the Check button, the generated
code is validated. A dialog box opens that displays the component's code, and either an
error message or text stating that no error exists.
For details about this tool, see Customizing Your Environment in the Developing Reporting
Applications manual.
Filedef Tool
For a file managed by the operating system, such as an ISAM or comma-delimited data file,
the physical file name is the actual name of a file as it appears to the operating system. A
logical name (or ddname) is a shorthand name that points to the physical file name. Logical
names simplify code by allowing short names to be used in place of the longer physical file
name.
The Filedef tool enables you to assign a logical name to a physical file name and specify
file attributes.
Tip: Instead of including a Filedef component in individual procedures, you can include all
Filedefs in a single file that you call with the Include tool at the beginning of each procedure.
This allows you to make changes to your Filedef assignments globally instead of changing
the information in each procedure. See Execute Wizard and Include Tool on page 118.
The Check button replaces the Run button. When you click the Check button, the generated
code is validated. A dialog box opens, displaying the component's code and either an error
message or text stating that no error exists.
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For details about this tool, see Defining and Allocating WebFOCUS Files in the Developing
Reporting Applications manual.
USE Tool
When you access a FOCUS data source, WebFOCUS searches for a Master File with the
specified file name and then searches for a data source with the same name. The USE tool
enables you to specify the name and location of a FOCUS data source. This is helpful under
the following conditions:
The default naming convention is not used.
The data source cannot be found on the standard search path.
An explicit extra option is desired.
Tip: Instead of including a USE component in every procedure, you can create a USE directory
by including all USE specifications in a single file, which you call with the Include tool at the
beginning of each procedure that needs to access the USE directory. See Execute Wizard
and Include Tool on page 118.
The Check button replaces the Run button. When you click the Check button, the generated
code is validated. A dialog box opens, displaying the component's code and either an error
message or text stating that no error exists.
For details about this tool, see Accessing a FOCUS Data Source in the Developing Reporting
Applications manual.
Impact Analysis
You can use the Impact Analysis tool to analyze Master Files and fields and determine if
they are used in WebFOCUS procedures. This tool helps developers to determine how
frequently a Master File or field is used and the impact that would result if you change the
Master File.
The Impact Analysis tool provides developers with a listing of all the procedures that are
impacted. It can also interactively open procedures based on the results and make necessary
changes. You can access this tool in the Explorer window of Developer Studio.
The Include tool allows one procedure to run another procedure as if the second one were
embedded in the first. In this case, the procedure being included (called) has full access to
variables defined in the calling procedure. Using this tool, you can create an object that
includes another procedure within a host procedure.
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Dimensions Tool
The Dimensions Tool allows you to create a temporary OLAP hierarchy and dimensions.
Unlike the Dimension Builder, this tool does not modify the Master File. Information is stored
in the active procedure instead. You may access the Dimensions Tool by selecting OLAP
Dimensions from the Component Connector toolbox.
To create a hierarchy, drag and drop fields from the left pane into the Dimensions pane.
HTML Composer
You can do the following when using the HTML Composer:
Build an HTML launch page. The HTML Composer enables you to add push buttons,
hyperlinks, and other objects that launch other WebFOCUS reports in your application.
Create a launch page for one or more reports that contain parameters.
Create a complete report by adding multiple reports and graphs into a single HTML
formatted report.
Create an advanced report layout by including images, frames, and other Web elements.
You can change the location, size, and properties of all objects in your layout.
Directly edit an HTML page in the HTML Editor or in a third party editor.
Set background, font, and other properties in the Style Composer tool.
When you open the HTML Composer, it appears as shown in the following image.
For more information about the HTML Composer, see Designing a User Interface for a Web
Application With the HTML Composer in the Developing Reporting Applications With Graphical
Tools manual.
Document Composer
The Document Composer enables you to design reports, and to coordinate and distribute
layouts made up of multiple reports and graphs in a single document.
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You can position reports and graphs anywhere on a single page or combine a series of
layouts within a single document.
When creating compound reports from the Document Composer, PDF, HTML, Active Reports,
Power Point, and Excel are available as output formats.
When you open the Document Composer, it appears as shown in the following image.
Note: To include a graph in the Document Composer, the graph must be saved in .SVG
format. For more information about saving graphs, see the Creating Reports With Graphical
Tools manual.
For more information about the Document Composer, see Creating Reports With the Document
Composer in the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
Match Wizard
You can merge two or more data sources, and specify which records to merge and which to
sort out, using the Match Wizard. The wizard creates a new data source—a HOLD file—into
which it merges fields from the selected records. You can report from the new data source
and use it as you would any other HOLD file. The merge process does not change the original
data sources.
You select the records to be merged into the new data source by specifying sort fields in
the Match Wizard. You specify one set of sort fields—using the BY phrase—for the first data
source, and a second set of sort fields for the second data source. The Match Wizard
compares all sort fields that have been specified in common for both data sources, and
then merges all records from the first data source whose sort values match those in the
second data source into the new HOLD file. You can specify up to 32 sort sets; this includes
the number of common sort fields.
In addition to merging data source records that share values, you can merge records based
on other relationships. For example, you can merge all records in each data source whose
sort values are not matched in the other data source. Yet another type of merge combines
all records from the first data source with any matching records from the second data source.
You can merge up to 16 sets of data in one Match request. For example, you can merge
different data sources, or data from the same data source.
Note: The limit of 16 applies to the most complex request. Simpler requests may be able
to merge more data sources.
Access the Match Wizard from the Procedure Viewer in Developer Studio. It uses typical
wizard behavior so you can easily navigate from one step in the process to the next.
For more information, see the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
Engine Tool
The Engine tool in Developer Studio exposes the FOCUS ENGINE SET commands and enables
you to enter ENGINE commands or connection attributes, and override parameters.
Note: The Engine tool is only used to create ENGINE statements. You are responsible for
having the knowledge of the ENGINE SET command or the Connection Attribute needed.
For more information about this tool, see Developing Reporting Applications WIth Graphical
Tools manual.
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In the following example, the Control Panel is closed to maximize the screen space available
for your analytic comparisons.
For details about these tools, see Analyzing Data in an OLAP Report in the Creating Reports
With Graphical Tools manual.
Text Editor
Developer Studio provides a fully integrated text editor that you can use to create, view, and
edit the source code for procedures, procedure components, Master and Access files, and
other types of files required by your projects. The text editor enables you to use familiar
Windows editing techniques, such as cut, copy, paste, undo/redo, and drag-and-drop.
In addition, you can:
Take advantage of color-coded syntax designed to make writing, editing, and debugging
procedures easier.
Bookmark lines of a file for quick editing and easy reference.
Find and replace text.
Run procedures or procedure components directly from the Editor.
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When you open a Master File, procedure, or HTML file in the Editor window, syntax elements
in the text appear color-coded for easy viewing and editing. For example, the keywords in a
procedure appear in red. You can change default colors or remove text coloring to suit your
preferences.
For details about this tool, see Editing Application Components as Text in Developer Studio
in the Developing Reporting Applications With Graphical Tools manual.
SQL Editor
Developer Studio provides an SQL Editor that enables you to code SQL Passthru and highlights
any SQL commands within the code. This editor also allows you to choose your connection
engine and connection name from drop-down lists on the toolbar. The supported engines
are DB2, DB2 for AS/400, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, and Teradata. The SQL
Editor provides you with the option to select another engine.
Note: If you choose the Other option, you must know the correct syntax to use for the engine
name.
The SQL Editor also provides you with the option of preparing an SQLOUT file, which you can
use with the Report Painter or Graph Assistant. The SQLOUT file is a temporary file that you
can select when you invoke the Report Painter and Graph Assistant. It is placed in the Hold
Files area of the Open (Master Files) dialog box.
To access the SQL Editor, open the Procedure Viewer and click the SQL Editor icon on the
Component Connector toolbar. You can also access the SQL Report icon in the Setup area
of the Report Painter Object Inspector to modify existing procedures. For more information,
see the Developing Reporting Applications manual.
Deploy Wizard
After you create, test, and debug a project in the development environment, you are ready
to make it available as a live application on the Web. This process involves moving certain
project files to selected target servers in a WebFOCUS environment. Developer Studio
automates the process for you.
Deploying a project is the process of copying project files to a Web server and a WebFOCUS
Reporting Server so the application can run on the Web and be accessed by other users.
HTML forms are used to launch the application in the Web environment. The Deploy Wizard
guides you through the process of creating a configuration that manages the deployment of
your project files to the Web. You can take advantage of the following features in the Deploy
Wizard:
Multiple deployment scenarios. You can define multiple deployment scenarios and
save them for future deployment. A deployment scenario includes the partitioning of the
project files and the selection of servers. For example, you might have two deployment
scenarios for a project: one that maps the files to a production server, and another that
maps the files to a test server.
Consolidated deployment tool for Developer Studio and Maintain. The Developer
Studio and Maintain environments have a consolidated deployment tool.
Deployment to multiple servers. You can deploy your project files to multiple WebFOCUS
Reporting or Maintain servers. This enhancement enables you to access data on multiple
servers, run your report components in the most suitable environment, and speed up
your application processing. It also enables greater control of access to your reporting
applications.
This feature is relevant if you develop WebFOCUS reporting applications or WebFOCUS
Maintain applications, and are responsible for deploying your application to end users who
access it from a Web browser.
You can create more than one deployment scenario for a project, and you can view and
modify the properties of an existing scenario.
Developer Studio supplies a deployment scenario named Local Deploy, which it uses to
prepare files to run on a local server. Do not modify or remove Local Deploy.
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You must enter and select appropriate information in the New Deployment Scenario dialog
box to create a new deployment scenario.
For details about this tool, see Partitioning and Deploying Project Files in the Developing
Reporting Applications With Graphical Tools manuals.
Command Console
The Command Console enables you to send commands directly to a server from Developer
Studio. This benefits users who have worked with Information Builders' products and are
already familiar with the command syntax.
The Command Console sends output to your Web browser. Output can include error
messages, responses to query commands, and report output. If you open the Command
Console before you run a procedure, it will also serve as a troubleshooting and debugging
tool.
For details about this tool, see Using the Command Console in the Developing Reporting
Applications manual.
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For details about this tool, see Partitioning and Deploying Project Files in the Developing
Reporting Applications With Graphical Tools manual.
Note: When launching this tool from the main toolbar, or selecting WebFOCUS Reporting
Server Console from the Command menu, the console for the project development server
will open. Depending on the type of project development you are performing (local or remote),
the corresponding local or remote WebFOCUS Reporting Server Console will open. Also,
when working in the WebFOCUS Environment area of the Object Explorer, and the Data
Servers area is opened, an icon is enabled in the Object Explorer Toolbar. When a data
server is accessed, this option is enabled to allow users to open the WebFOCUS Reporting
Server Console for the selected server. This is supported on Windows, UNIX, and USS
platforms.
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WebFOCUS
3 Setting Preferences
General Tab
The General tab contains the following options:
Startup Options
Option Description
Maximize main window Select this option to maximize the Explorer window
when you begin each session.
Open the Console window Launches the Console window each time you begin
a session.
Open last project on startup Opens the last edited application automatically when
you begin your next session.
Open last accessed file on Opens the last file opened in the appropriate tool.
startup
Option Description
When running a Procedure Minimizes the main window when any procedure
(FOCEXEC) is executed.
Other Settings
Option Description
Save window positions on exit Saves the positions of all windows so that they
appear in the same place the next time they open.
Use new browser to execute Opens a new Web browser window to display output
generated by Developer Studio.
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Option Description
Start local WebFOCUS server Starts the local WebFOCUS Reporting Server when
Developer Studio is launched.
Stop local WebFOCUS server Stops and closes the local WebFOCUS Reporting
on exit Server when you exit Developer Studio.
Confirm close Displays a prompt for users to confirm that they want
to exit Developer Studio.
Start local Web server Starts the IIS Web server by default if you are
performing a full installation for stand-alone
development.
If you do not have IIS or you do not want the IIS Web
server to start automatically when you launch
Developer Studio, you can uncheck the Start local
Web server option. Even if this option is not
unchecked and you use another Web server (such as
Apache, WebSphere, and so on) instead of IIS, you
will be able to use the servers based on your
configuration.
This option will be enhanced to allow developers to
select which Web server or application server to start
when launching their desktop application.
Option Description
Default new Data Sources type Lists data sources you can use, such as:
Comma Delimited (COM)
Dbase (DBASE)
EDA (EDA)
Fixed Format (FIX)
FOCUS (FOC)
Fusion (FUSION)
IBM DB2 (SQLDBM)
Informix (SQLINF)
Microsoft SQL Server (SQLMSS)
ODBC (SQLODBC)
Oracle (SQLORA)
Sybase Server (SQLSYB)
Teradata (SQLDBC)
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3. Setting Preferences
Reporting Tab
The Reporting tab contains the following options:
The following options affect the display of the Fields window in the Report Painter, the Graph
Assistant, and other tools:
Sort the list by field Sorts any list of field names alphabetically.
name
Show fully qualified field Displays any list of field names as qualified field names,
names which includes data source and table names,
alphabetically.
Display the field name Displays the full field name in the Fields window, as
specified in the file description.
Display the field alias Displays the alternate field name in the fields window, as
specified in the file description.
Display field titles Displays the column title in the Fields window, as specified
in the file description.
Display field descriptions Displays descriptive information about the field in the Fields
window, as specified in the file description.
Display the data formats Displays the field's length and format type in the Fields
window, as specified in the file description.
Expand Field Tree Displays fields in expanded mode when using a Field Tree.
If this option is not selected, segments appear collapsed
wherever a Field Tree appears.
Note: This option can also be accessed from the Field
Tree context menu.
Display Filters in Filters Displays Filters in a separate Filters folder of the Field Tree.
Folder If this option is not selected, Filters appear with the rest
of the fields in the segment.
Note: This option can also be accessed from the Field
Tree context menu.
Option Description
Drill Down Preserves drill downs in your current StyleSheet when you
apply another StyleSheet to a report.
Other Options
Option Description
Report Format Select the display format for your reports. You may choose:
Web (HTML)
Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
Excel 2000
FOCUS default (This option applies whichever of the
previous formats was set as an environment parameter.)
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3. Setting Preferences
Option Description
Default Style Sheet Specifies the default styling rules when you open the Report
Painter. Click the Browse button to choose user-created
style sheets.
Default Report Template Specifies the default report settings when you open the
Report Painter.
Always author reports Enables you to set how fields are written to the procedure
with qualified field files (.fex). Consequently, the field names are displayed in
names the Developer Studio reporting tools (such as
headers/footers, and so on) as they are written in the
procedure files (.fex). By default, qualified field names is
turned off.
Explorer Tab
The Explorer tab contains the following options:
Note: These options are used to control the development areas that are visible in the
Explorer tree. At least one option must be selected and applied to all configured environments.
Explorer settings
Option Description
Show Projects on Shows the Projects area in the Explorer tree. This is the
Explorer tree default option.
Show Data Servers area Shows the Data Servers area in the Explorer tree.
Show Managed Reporting Shows the Managed Reporting area in the Explorer tree.
area
Option Description
Show Web Applications Shows the Web Applications area in the Explorer tree.
area
Show Desktop on Shows the Windows Desktop in the Explorer tree, showing
Explorer tree all of the files on your local PC and network.
Option Description
No Source Control providers This is displayed when the product does not detect
are available any supported Source Control client software.
Installed Source Control The list of Source Control providers is displayed with
providers the first provider selected by default. If you have more
than one type of Source Control software installed,
select the one you want to use, or clear the selected
option if you do not want to use the Source Control
feature.
Note: Source Control software is third-party software
that is installed separately from Developer Studio.
The Source Control software can be installed on the
developer's PC after Developer Studio is installed.
When Source Control software is enabled, UI options
are enabled in Developer Studio to allow developers
to use the Source Control feature.
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3. Setting Preferences
Option Description
Tool title When you provide a descriptive name for the application,
Developer Studio displays this title on the Command menu.
Tool path Type the path name for the file or click the Browse
(binoculars) icon to locate an executable file.
Option Description
IBFS Path (long Name) Displays the full path of the file using the IBFS naming
convention.
Show Tool Name Adds the Tool name before the file name.
Show the File Extension Displays the file extension. This is available only when
selecting to view the Long Name.
Results
Option Description
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Sample Files
Reference:
Century Corporation Sample Files
You will be working with the Century Corporation sample Master Files and their associated
data sources. These sample files are installed in the \install_directory\ibi\apps\ibisamp
directory and the \install_directory\ibi\apps\ibinccen directory during program installation.
They contain financial, human resources, inventory, and orders data, and are used to build
the OLAP project.
brokers.mas brokers.foc
centord.mas centord.foc
trades.mas trades.foc
WebFOCUS Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) enables you to view and quickly analyze data
in order to make critical business decisions. You can drill down or roll up data hierarchies,
pivot fields from columns to rows (or vice versa), and slice-and-dice information by filtering
or querying data sources based on specified criteria or thresholds.
In the first exercise of this tutorial, you will create a project called OLAP. Use the Dimensions
Tool to create the OLAP dimensions hierarchy, and create a report using the Report Painter.
Then you can OLAP-enable the report so that you can manipulate data for quick comparison
and analysis.
For more information about OLAP, see the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
In this exercise, you will:
Create the OLAP project.
Add Master Files to the project.
Create a procedural OLAP dimensions hierarchy.
Create and run an OLAP report with a procedural hierarchy.
Manipulate output with dimension controls.
Create a second OLAP report.
Analyze and manipulate output using the OLAP selections panel and the OLAP Control
Panel (OCP).
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The following is an example of report output that is generated after you OLAP-enable and
run a report.
3. Name the Project OLAP and accept the default directory for the new project. Notice that
the project name is registered as OLAP.gfa (Graphical FOCUS Application).
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4. Click Next.
5. The following message appears:
Directory OLAP does not exist. Do you want to create it?
Click Yes to confirm the creation of the physical directory for the new project.
6. In Step 2, you will specify a directory path to the data source from which the project
must retrieve information.
7. Choose ibinccen. This is the directory in which the sample files for the fictional Century
Corporation are stored. You will be using some of these files to create your income
statement.
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8. Click OK.
9. Click Add again.
10. Choose ibisamp.
The Project Wizard displays your selections.
11. Click Finish. Your new project now appears in the Explorer tree.
12. Click the + sign to expand the OLAP folder. You will see subfolders: HTML Files, Maintain
Files, Master Files, Procedures, and Other.
Tip: These are virtual folders, categorized in this way for your convenience. They are
called virtual folders because they apply a logical structure to the project but do not
actually exist as physical directories. The files listed in these folders, along with the
project's GFA file, are actually stored on a WebFOCUS Reporting Server and a
Web/Application Server. Nevertheless, you can identify and access the files associated
with a project from a folder in the local projects development area of Developer Studio,
without concern for where the files actually reside.
To complete the tutorial, you will use the Master Files and Procedures folders.
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The icons for these Master Files are now active for your project.
3. Click the binoculars icon to limit the list to the active Master Files.
Tip: You can toggle back to the full list at any time.
When you run a report later in this exercise, WebFOCUS will identify, locate, and read the
active Master File (.MAS) for the data source (.FOC) named in the request. It will then interpret
the contents of the data source based on the information in the Master File. You do not
have to make the data source files active.
Notice that the ibinccen folder also contains some sample procedures (.FEX files). You will
not be using these procedures. (They have been created for use in demos and other
exercises.) For this tutorial, you will create your own OLAP-enabled procedure.
Close WebFOCUS Environments; you will create the procedure in the local projects
development area.
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This section explains how to create a procedure and use the Dimensions Tool to create a
local dimension hierarchy for the procedure. You will later use the local hierarchy with OLAP
analytic tools for reporting purposes.
Procedure: How to Create the OLAP Hierarchy With the Dimensions Tool
To create and name the procedure and select the tool you will use to create the report:
1. If it is not already open, expand the OLAP project folder.
2. Click the Procedures folder.
3. Now right-click the Procedures folder and select New then select Procedure. The Add
Procedure dialog box opens.
If you can see the inactive procedures in the Procedures folder and want to hide them,
click the binoculars icon.
4. Name the procedure TRADESREP and choose Procedure Viewer from the Create with
drop-down list.
5. Click Open.
The Procedure Viewer opens.
6. In the Procedure Viewer, click the component connector (yellow diamond) to the right of
the Comment component.
7. Select the Olap Dimensions component from the component connector toolbar.
8. The Open dialog box asks you to specify the data source you will be using to create your
hierarchy. Select TRADES.MAS.
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10. From the left side of the window, drag the CONTINENT field and drop it directly onto the
Dimensions label in the right pane of the Dimensions Tool.
11. Right-click the CONTINENT label (located below Dimensions) and select Rename.
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13. Drag and drop the REGION field onto the CONTINENT field in the right pane of the
Dimension Builder. The REGION field appears below the CONTINENT field.
14. Drag and drop the COUNTRY field onto the REGION field in the right pane of the Dimension
Builder. The COUNTRY field appears below the REGION field.
15. Drag and drop the QTR field onto the Dimensions label.
16. Rename the QTR label as Date.
17. Drag and drop the MONTH field onto the QTR field in the right pane of the Dimension
Builder. The MONTH field appears below the QTR field.
18. Drag and drop the DATE_OF_TRADE field onto the MONTH field in the right pane of the
Dimension Builder.
19. Close the Dimensions Tool and click Yes to update the procedure.
You have successfully created a hierarchy and return to the Procedure Viewer. From
there, you will launch the Join Editor to join two data sources.
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1. In the Procedure window, click the diamond to the right of the Dimensions component
and select Join from the component connector toolbar.
The Open dialog box asks you to specify the data source you will be using to create your
hierarchy.
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5. Select the BROKERS Master File to specify the cross-referenced file for this join. Click
Open.
The Join Editor creates a join between the TRADER_ID field in the TRADES Master File
and the BROKER_ID field in the BROKERS Master File.
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Now you'll create a report with the Report Painter and use the TRADES data source. You will
use the dimensions you created earlier with the Dimensions Tool. After you OLAP-enable
and run your report, you will drill down on dimensions and measures, drag and drop them,
and use the new right-click menu on the enhanced OLAP user interface.
2. In the Procedure Viewer, click the diamond to the right of the Join component and select
Report from the component connector toolbar.
The Open dialog box asks you to specify the data source you will be using to create your
report.
3. Select TRADES.MAS.
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4. Click Open. The Report Painter opens, where you will create a report using fields from
the TRADES data source.
Procedure: How to Add Fields From the TRADES Data Source to the Report
To create a report, you must add fields to it. Follow these steps to add fields to your report
in the Report Painter.
The Object Inspector window, located at the left side of the Report Painter, lists the fields
in the TRADES Master File.
1. Double-click the following fields in the Fields tab on the Object Inspector to add them
to the report:
CONTINENT
QTR
TRADER_ID
TYPE
AMOUNT
2. Select the Continent column and press the Shift key and click the QTR column to select
them simultaneously.
3. Click the By button on the main toolbar to sort the data for the Continent and
QTR columns vertically.
4. Click the Broker_ID column.
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2. In the OLAP area, select Top Panel from the Enable OLAP drop-down list. When you later
run your report, the OLAP selections panel will appear above your report output.
3. Select Dimensions and Measures from the Automatic Drill Down list. When you later run
your report, this will enable automatic drill downs on dimensions and measures.
Notice that the OLAP selections panel appears above the report output, as you requested
in step 2. Use this panel to manipulate your output. Also, notice that drill down hyperlinks
are active for the dimensions and measures.
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3. Now click the Month dimension control (the L-shaped line to the left of MONTH) and
drag it to the right of the QTR column in the body of the report.
Note: You may also use the OLAP Control Panel window to select Month and add it as
a Drill Down field. Click Run from the OLAP Control Panel.
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Right-click the QTR dimension in the report and select Move to Across from the menu.
Now you have experimented with data manipulation in a report created with a procedural
hierarchy.
You can continue to the next exercise, where you will use another data source and
explore other ways of manipulating data in an OLAP-enabled report.
Now you'll create a report with the Report Painter and use the CENTORD data source. You
don't need to create a hierarchy when you create this report, because the sample CENTORD
data source already contains dimensions. After you OLAP-enable and run your report, you
will drill down on dimensions and measures, drag and drop them, and use the right-click
menu on the OLAP user interface.
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Procedure: How to Create the OLAP Report With the CENTORD Data Source
1. If it is not already open, expand the OLAP project folder.
2. Click the Procedures folder.
3. Right-click the Procedures folder and select New then select Procedure.
The Add Procedure dialog box opens.
4. Name the procedure CENTREP and choose Report Painter from the Create with drop-down
list.
5. Click Open.
The Open dialog box asks you to specify the data source you will use to create your
hierarchy.
6. Select CENTORD.MAS.
7. Click Open.
The Report Painter opens, where you will create a report using fields from the CENTORD
data source.
Procedure: How to Add Fields From the CENTORD Data Source to the Report
To create a report, you must add fields to it. Follow these steps to add fields to your report
in the Report Painter.
The Object Inspector window, located at the left side of the Report Painter, lists the fields
in the CENTORD Master File.
1. Double-click the following fields in the Fields tab on the Object Inspector to add them
to the report:
QUARTER
STORENAME
PRODTYPE
ORDER_DATE
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LINE_COGS
2. Select the Quarter column and press the Shift key and click the Store Name column to
select them simultaneously.
3. Click the By button on the main toolbar to sort the data for the Quarter and Store
Name columns vertically.
4. Click the PRODTYPE column.
9. Highlight the first line of heading text and select Fonts from the Properties menu.
The following font attributes are the default:
Font: Arial
Font Style: Bold
Size: 10
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1. From the Report menu, select Features. The Report Options dialog box opens at the
Features tab.
2. In the OLAP area, select Top Panel from the Enable OLAP drop-down list. When you later
run your report, the OLAP selections panel will appear above your report output.
3. Select Dimensions and Measures from the Automatic Drill Down list. When you later run
your report, this will enable automatic drill-downs on dimensions and measures.
4. Click OK.
5. Click Run.
Notice that the OLAP selections panel opens above the report output, as you requested
in step 2. Use this panel to manipulate your output. Also, notice that drill-down hyperlinks
are active for the dimensions and for measures.
OLAP provides facilities that make it easy for you to query and analyze data from within the
OLAP report itself, from the OLAP selections panel, or from the OLAP Control Panel.
This section describes how to use the various OLAP tools to analyze your data. For details
and more examples, see the Creating Reports With Graphical Tools manual.
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1. Suppose you want to see a horizontal display of the QUARTER column. Drag and drop
QUARTER above the report.
Suppose you want to discover a trend in the Line Cost of Goods Sold column.
2. Right-click Line Cost of Goods Sold and choose Visualization. This applies a data
visualization bar graph to each value in the column.
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Scroll down in the report to see the bar graphs that are now applied to the values in the
Line Cost of Goods Sold column.
3. Drag and drop the QUARTER field back to its original location to the left of the Store
Name field. Now you see a horizontal representation of the bar graphs.
Now that you have manipulated data directly within the report, you can try different
methods from the OLAP Selections Panel in the next exercise.
How to:
Manipulate Output With the OLAP Selections Panel
You can quickly customize the report from the OLAP selections panel. Every dimension in
the hierarchy has a control (drop-down list) next to it. You can multi-select values from any
of the dimension controls to further simplify your report output.
You can also use Measures and Graph controls. Each control contains a down arrow to the
left that, when clicked, opens the corresponding pane. These controls enable you to make
basic customizations on the measures present in your report. They are located to the left
of the first dimension control.
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To use the Measures control so that this report does not display the Date of Order column:
1. Click the down arrow to the left of the Measures control and uncheck the Date of Order
box.
2. Click the Run button. The report output no longer shows the Date of Order column.
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Now you can use the Graph control to view a graph that shows product sales for the
first month of the quarter.
You have just experimented with the OLAP Selections Panel to drill down on dimensions
and change the graph style.
In the next exercise, you will use the OLAP Control Panel (OCP) to perform other functions
that will customize your report with even greater precision.
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How to:
Stack Multiple Measures
Specify a Date Range From the OLAP Control Panel (OCP)
From the OLAP Control Panel (OCP), you can perform every function available to a WebFOCUS
OLAP user. In this section, you will perform certain functions that can only be performed
from the OCP.
For more details about the OLAP Control Panel and its functions, see the Creating Reports
With Graphical Tools manual.
2. Click the down arrow to the left of the Measures control and check the Date of Order
box.
3. Click the Line Cost of Goods Sold check box until Include Measure is selected.
4. Click Run.
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5. Click the OLAP button in the selections panel to open the OLAP Control Panel.
6. Select the Stack Measures check box to display measures in separate rows.
7. Click Run to execute your report.
The measures for PRODTYPE, Date of Order, and Line Cost of Goods Sold are now
displayed in stacked rows.
Procedure: How to Specify a Date Range From the OLAP Control Panel (OCP)
You can choose selection criteria from a date selection panel containing the appropriate
controls for the date format. When you apply selection criteria to date elements, the results
are limited by the date(s) you select. For example, you can select to view data associated
with a particular date or to exclude data from the specified date.
The OLAP Control Panel provides a date selection panel that enables you to select a full
date format (YYMD) or a partial date format (YMM) that includes only the month or year, and
to specify a quarter of the year when applying selection criteria to date elements.
Imagine that you want to restrict information in your report to data that ranges from 2000
to 2003. Before you specify a range, unstack the measures:
1. Click the OLAP button in the selections panel to open the OLAP Control Panel.
2. Uncheck the box to the left of Stack Measures.
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3. Click Run.
4. Click the OLAP button in the selections panel to open the OLAP Control Panel.
5. In the Dimensions box, click Time Period, then Values under Year.
The Date selection panel for YEAR opens.
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10. Scroll down in the Selection Criteria panel until you see the Year drop-down list. The
range 2000-2003 should appear in the Year drop-down list.
12. Click Run to execute your report. Only order dates for Q1 that fall between the years
2000 and 2003 are shown.
Congratulations! You have successfully completed this tutorial. Now you have knowledge of
all the different ways you can customize your OLAP-enabled reports.
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4. Click the binoculars icon to limit the list to the active Master Files.
Tip: You can view the full Master File list by clicking the binoculars icon again.
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Begin by creating a procedure that contains a graph. Later, you will add this graph to a frame
in the HTML file and drill down to it from a report that you will soon create.
3. Type STORSAL in the File name text box and verify that Procedure Files (*.fex) is selected
from the Files of type drop-down menu.
4. From the Create with drop-down menu, select Procedure Viewer.
5. Click Open.
The Procedure viewer window opens.
6. Click the diamond to the right of the default Comment component and select Advanced
Graph from the component connector toolbar.
or
Click the Advanced Graph Tool icon on the Procedure Viewer toolbar.
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12. Select STORENAME in the Fields list, then click and drag the field into the X group axis
heading in the Available Fields area.
STORENAME is added as the field value plotted on the X group axis.
13. Select PRODNAME in the Fields list, then click and drag the filed into the Multi-Graph
heading in the Available Fields area.
Multi-graph creates a separate graph for each value of this field, in this case, the Product
Name.
3. Click the Heading Value field in the Chart Properties to open the Heading dialog box.
4. Type Sales of and leave a space.
5. Double-click PRODNAME from the Field list.
<CENTORD.INVSEG.PRODNAME is added to the Heading.
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The following image shows the Filter expression builder which appears in the Advanced
Graph Assistant.
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Here you will create the layout for the project and add elements to it, such as text, background
color, reports, images, and a target frame for the drill-down output. You will also customize
the parameters and rearrange the items in your layout.
For the report (which you will create directly from the layout), you will add calculated values,
Where statements to limit the data in the report, and drill down capabilities. You will also
style the report with color, borders and a page heading.
4. Click Open.
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3. Click on the box and type Century Corporation Product Report and Graph.
4. Click anywhere outside of the heading text box, then right-click the text box and select
Style from the menu that appears.
The Style Composer dialog box opens with Font highlighted in the list at the far left.
5. To set the Font type, in the Font name area, select the Family option, then click the
ellipse button to the right. In the Font Picker dialog box which opens, select Arial in the
Installed fonts area, click the right arrow to move Arial to the Selected fonts area, and
click OK.
6. To set the font Style, select Bold from the Absolute drop-down list in the Bold area.
7. To set the font Size, in the Size area, select px from the Specific drop-down list and type
16 in the input area to the left.
8. To set the font color, select Navy from the color drop-down list in the Font attributes
area.
9. To set the text alignment, select Text below Background in the list at the far left, then
select Centered from the Horizontal drop-down list in the Alignment area.
This centers the heading text horizontally within the text box.
10. To set the heading background color, select Background below Font in the list at the far
left, then select the Transparent option below the Background color menu.
This allows the light color you will select for the background color to show through the
heading.
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The following image shows how the HTML Composer should appear at this point,
depending on the size of your text box.
2. Click and drag the crosshairs and create a report area placeholder.
Note: You can resize and reposition the report placeholder at any time.
The following image shows the Field Tree in the Report Painter window. The Object
Inspector, located in the left pane, lists the fields in the CENTORD Master File.
5. Double-click the following fields in the Object Inspector Fields tab to add them to the
report:
PRODNAME (in the INVSEG directory)
LINEPRICE (in the PINFO directory)
LINE_COGS (in the INVSEG directory)
6. Select the Product Name field and click the By button on the toolbar. This sorts
all of the data vertically by product name.
7. Select the Line Total column and click the Sum button. This sums the data in
the Line Total column.
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The following image shows how the new report should appear at this point.
4. Place the cursor in the box below the input area labeled Field.
5. Create the following expression: (LINEPRICE / LINE_COGS) – 1.
6. Click OK.
The new column PROFIT is added to the Report Painter window.
7. Select the PROFIT column and then click the Sum button.
8. Right-click the PROFIT column and select Column Title.
9. Change the title by typing Profit Margin.
10. Click OK.
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The following image shows how the report should appear at this point.
2. Click Assist.
The Expression Builder opens.
8. Double-click each of the following values (BOS, DAL, LA, ORL, SEA, STL) to add them to
the Accept List.
The following image shows the Variable Editor populated with the values you selected.
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10. Click OK to close the Expression Builder and return to the Where/If dialog box.
Leave the Where/If dialog box open to create the next Where statement.
15. From the Variable Type drop-down list, select Multiselect OR.
16. In the Data Context area, select Values for field.
17. Click the Select a field ellipse button to get values for the YEAR field. The Value Retrieval
dialog box opens.
The Value Retrieval dialog box provides a list of available fields in your data source.
Double-click the YEAR field to close the Value Retrieval dialog box and return to the
Variable Editor. The available values for the YEAR field are listed.
18. Double-click each of the following values (2000, 2001, 2002) to add them to the Accept
List.
The following image shows the Variable Editor populated with the values you selected.
3. After the <YEAR field, type Sales Metrics for All Products.
4. Press Enter.
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11. Select the Styling tab, then click the Single Color option in the Background Coloring
section.
12. Click the Select Colors button and choose a color from the color palette.
13. Click the Justification drop-down list and select Center.
14. Click OK to close the Properties for Page Header dialog box.
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11. In the Report Options dialog box, select Heading from the Active Object drop-down list.
12. In the Graphical area, click Select Borders.
13. Deselect the Make All Borders the Same check box.
14. In the Top Border area, select:
Medium for width.
Dotted for style.
Black for color.
15. In the Bottom Border area, select the Same as Top Border check box.
16. In the Left Border and Right Border areas, select OFF from the Width drop-down lists.
The following image shows the Border dialog box populated with the selected values.
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The list is in alphabetical order. Scroll down to find the STORSAL procedure.
The following image shows the Field Properties dialog box populated with the values you
selected.
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The following image shows how the HTML Composer should look at this point.
5. In the Static Values area, double-click each of the values in the Display column and type
the full city name as indicated below:
Change BOS to Boston
Change DAL to Dallas
Change LA to Los Angeles
Change ORL to Orlando
Change SEA to Seattle
Change STL to St. Louis
This changes the display name in the drop-down list from the value stored in the data
source to the values you specify.
6. To make Boston the default selection, click the Boston check box in the Selected column.
The following image shows how the LOCATION parameter settings should appear.
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9. In the Control Type column, click the down arrow that appears to the right and select
Radio button.
10. Drag and drop the Year values so they appear in descending order.
or
Select a year and use the up/down arrows above the Static Values area to change the
order of the years.
11. To make 2002 the default selection, click the check box in the Selected column for the
2002 value.
The following image shows the Parameters dialog box populated with selected values.
2. Scroll down past the report placeholder to insert the frame by clicking and dragging the
crosshairs to form a rectangular box just below the report area.
3. Click anywhere inside the frame you inserted and view the Properties window.
The properties associated with the new frame are displayed in the Properties window.
Note: Click the Properties tab if the Parameters are still showing in the Properties
window.
4. Double-click the iframe1 value in the right column next to Name in the left column of
the Properties tab. Replace this value by typing graphframe which is the same Target
Name entered in the Drill Down tab. See How to Set Up the Drill-Down Report on page
220.
The following image shows the Properties window with graphframe as the new Name
value.
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2. Click the new frame and grab the handles to resize it to almost the same size as the
report placeholder.
This frame will contain graph output when a user clicks a drill-down link in the report.
3. Press the Ctrl key and click the report placeholder and then the frame placeholder.
6. Click the Insert image button and click to insert an image below the bottom left
corner of the new frame.
The Get source file dialog box opens.
8. Navigate to the following directory (where install_dir is most likely the C directory):
install_dir:\ibi\apps\ibinccen\images\powered.gif
9. Click Open.
The powered.gif image is added to your report layout.
10. Holding the Ctrl key, click the image and then the frame.
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The following image shows the completed reporting application. Your report layout will
appear somewhat different depending on the size and location of the components you
added to the PRODREP.htm file.
You have completed developing your reporting application; now you can run it.
The following image shows how the completed reporting application should appear when
you click Run.
3. Select a plant location and a year, then click the submit report button.
The report appears.
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4. Click a link in the report and the graph output appears below the report.
The following image shows an example of how graph output should appear.
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Index
A B
Access Files 57 BY field 109
copying 57
storing 57
accessing data sources 87 C
accessing Developer Studio tools 94 calculated values 211
accessing FOCUS data sources 117 Cascading Style Sheets 107
accessing project data 151 Catalogued Path (EDAPATH) 22
accessing Server Console 87 cgivars.wfs file 23
accessing the Match Wizard 122 change management
Managed Reporting Repository and 36
adapters 57, 63
changing environments 53
add or modify external tools 93
Check button 109
adding a remote server 64
choosing fields in the Object Inspector 153, 163,
adding a remote server to server configuration 64
173
adding objects to procedures 103
Command Console 128
Advanced Graph Assistant 111
commands 128
agent connections 128 executing 128
analyzing Master Files 118 Commands toolbar 93
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E F
field display options 135
edaserve.cfg file 23
fields 165, 174
editing application files 124 adding to reports 174
editing source code 124 Fields window 135
editing SQL code 125 file names 116
Editor window 124 Filedef tool 116
Engine Tool 122 files 114, 116, 126
copying 126
environments 21, 29, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 38, 43,
joining 114
48, 51, 53, 54
naming 116
adding 43
local development 29, 31 filter 202
Managed Reporting/ReportCaster properties 51
G I
General tab of Options dialog box 131, 132
IBI Demonstration 25
Graph Assistant 110, 195, 201, 204
formatting graphs with 110 identifying data for procedures 153, 163, 173
Graph control 182 identifying FOCUS data sources 117
graphical tools 96 images 227
adding to reports 227
Graphical User Interface (GUI) 13, 100, 107 Impact Analysis tool 118
graphs 107, 110, 111, 199, 201, 202, 204 analyzing Master Files 118
creating 199 Include tool 118
creating with Advanced Graph Assistant 111
creating with Graph Assistant 110
formatting 204 J
headings for 201
in reports 107 join structures 114
limiting data in 202
Join tool 114
selection criteria for 202
styling 201 joining data sources 158
grouping numeric data 108 joining files 114
GUI (Graphical User Interface) 13, 100, 107
L
H
launch pages 220
headings for graphs 201 limiting number of records read 135
headings for reports 216 limiting number of records retrieved 135
hierarchical data 100, 152 Local Deploy 126
host files 114 local development environments 30, 31
HTML Composer 119, 120, 195, 227, 229 configuring 31
creating HTML pages 119 local servers 57
reorganizing 227
logging off of WebFOCUS Environments 55
running reports from 229
toolbars 120 logging on to WebFOCUS Environments 55
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Index
parameters 223
R
Parameters dialog box 223
physical file names 116 Range check box 190
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Index
toolbars 19, 39, 40, 91, 93 WebFOCUS 13, 14, 15, 16, 89, 90
Commands 93 configuration 16
Explorer 39 Explorer 90
Main 19, 91 interface 89, 90
WebFOCUS Environments 40 request processing 15
WebFOCUS Client 14, 16, 49
properties 49
U
WebFOCUS Client Path parameter 49
USE command 117 WebFOCUS Environment Properties 43, 46
USE directory 117 WebFOCUS Environment Properties dialog box 45
USE tool 117 WebFOCUS Environments 21, 22, 40, 42, 53, 55,
56, 151
adding 42
V changing 53
creating reports with 21
Variable Editor 213 Data Servers folder 22
Variable Editor dialog box 107 logging off 56
logging on 56
viewing synonym code 84 toolbar 40
virtual fields 113 WebFOCUS Environments toolbar 40
virtual folders 150 WebFOCUS Maintain 14
virtual joins 102 WebFOCUS Reporting Server 15, 16, 57, 128
installing 16
local 57
W remote 57
WebFOCUS Reporting Server Console 128
Web Applications folder 38
creating remote applications 38 WebFOCUS Server properties 52
Web Console 86 Where statements 213
Web server properties 48 Where tab 213
Web servers 31, 33 Where/If button 213
configuring 31, 33
windows 132, 137, 138, 139
startup options 132, 137, 138, 139
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Information Builders, Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2898 (212) 736-4433
Developer Studio Application Development Getting Started DN4500796.1208
Version 7 Release 6
Reader Comments
Information Builders, Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2898 (212) 736-4433
Developer Studio Application Development Getting Started DN4500796.1208
Version 7 Release 6