COGNOS 8 QUERY STUDIO -...

eSchoolPlus+

Cognos Query Studio Training Guide

Version 2.4

May 2015

Arkansas Public School Computer Network

eSchoolPlus Cognos Query Studio

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Table of Contents

Cognos Query Studio .............................................................................................................. 5 Accessing Cognos Query Studio ............................................................................................ 5 Working in Query Studio ......................................................................................................... 8 Query Studio Menu and Toolbars ........................................................................................... 9

Menu Items ...........................................................................................................................10 Insert Data .........................................................................................................................10 Edit Data ............................................................................................................................11 Change Layout ..................................................................................................................13 Run Report ........................................................................................................................15 Manage File .......................................................................................................................17

Tool Bar Icons ......................................................................................................................18 Standard Tool Bar Items ..................................................................................................18 Formatting Toolbar Icons.................................................................................................19

Creating a List Report .............................................................................................................20 Filters .......................................................................................................................................32 Report Formatting ...................................................................................................................41

Groupings ............................................................................................................................42 Sections ................................................................................................................................44 Calculations .........................................................................................................................46 Custom Groups ....................................................................................................................49 Conditional Styles ...............................................................................................................54 Report Item Font Style .........................................................................................................58 Changing Report Borders ...................................................................................................59

Creating A Crosstab ...............................................................................................................60 Procedures for creating a crosstab ....................................................................................60 Procedures for Creating A Nested Crosstab .....................................................................64

Creating Charts .......................................................................................................................66


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Cognos Query Studio

Cognos Query Studio is an ad hoc querying tool used to create simple queries and reports. Reports or data files generated through Query Studio can be viewed on screen, printed as a PDF document, downloaded to Excel, or downloaded as a CSV file. Report procedures created in Query Studio can be saved in private folders (My Folders) for future use or shared with other district users by placing a copy of the report in the district shared folder.

Accessing Cognos Query Studio 1. Log into eSchool.

2. Select Cognos Reporting from the eSchool menu

3. A Log On box appears.


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4. In the User ID box, type user login name; in the Password box, type user password, and click OK. Cognos opens on the user’s home screen (by default this is the Public Folder screen).

NOTE: The login and password used here are the same as the login and password used for

eSchool and should be entered in the same format as eSchool.

5. Users must wait until the Log On/Log Off link is set to Log Off.

6. Click on the Launch Menu and select Query Studio.

7. When Query Studio is accessed a window appears requiring the user to make a package selection

before proceeding. Select eSchoolPLUS Admin – Arkansas from the ‘Recently used packages’ box or by going to Packages > Student Management System.


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8. Once a package is selected Query Studio opens.


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Working in Query Studio

There are typically several things to consider when developing reports in Query Studio.

Define the Requirements of the Report – When determining the requirements of the report, it is important to know what data items are needed on the report, what records should be included in the report, and what report type will best display the data for the report (list report, grouped list report, and crosstab report are examples of report type). The target audience for the report may also be a consideration when generating a report. Knowing the intended purpose of the report should help answer questions about the report requirements.

Add Data Items and Calculations to the Report – After determining what data needs to appear on the report, data items from the package can be added to the work area of Query Studio. The fields should be arranged on the report as needed. Once fields are added to the work area, calculations can be performed on the fields as needed.

Apply Filters – Once the data is selected, filters can be added to the report procedure to set criteria for specific records. This ensures that only data from the desired records will appear on the report.

Apply Groups and Sorts – Grouping and sorting the data makes the report easier to read and understand. Grouping combines like data together on the report. For example, students might be grouped together based on their grade level or their homeroom. Setting a sort order on the report is helpful in finding specific information on the report. Typically student reports are sorted in alphabetical order by student name.

Apply Formatting – After the report has been created, formatting can make the report a more professional looking document. Specific fields, or the overall document, can be formatted to make the report more meaningful and easier to understand.


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Query Studio Menu and Toolbars There are 5 menu items listed on the Query Studio Menu. Many selections under the five menu items are also listed on one of the two toolbars available in Query Studio. The following pages give an overview of the menu items and toolbar icons.


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Menu Items

Insert Data Data items and filters from the selected package can be added to the report from this menu selection. The selected package can be expanded to display different folders that contain Query Subjects, Query Items, Measures and Filters.

Click the ‘plus’ (+) symbol next to any package or query item to expand the selection.

Identifier – Fields, such as Student ID, that help uniquely identify records.

Measure or fact is a query item that represents a column of quantitative data in the database, such as number of Interval Total Membership Days

Query item represents a column of qualitative data in the database, such as student name.

Query subject represents a table in the database

Package – A package typically represents a module in the Student Plus software.

Filter – Pre-defined filters that are commonly used in reports.


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Edit Data Once data items have been added to the report, there are several editing options available to use on the report.

Filter ( ) – allows the user to set criteria for specific records that will appear on the report. Combine Filters – this option allows users to define how filters should work together. Filters

are combined with the use of “and” or “or”. If filters are joined with “and”, all criteria in the combined filter must be met for a record to be included on the report. If filters are joined with “or”, records meeting any part of the criteria in the combined filter will be included in the report.

Suppress ( ) – allows records containing a zero value in a field to be suppressed from a

report. This can be especially helpful to eliminate rows or columns containing zero values in

a crosstab making the report easier to read.

Sort ( ) – defines which field should be used to sort data on the report. The data can be sorted on multiple fields, though the sort order must be defined one field at a time. The sort order in which fields appear on the report determines the order in which multiple sorts are used.

Summarize ( ) – predefined options can be used to summarize the data. Calculate a count, calculate a total, and calculate an average, are examples of the predefined summaries that are available options for a measure. Summary options used with text data are Count or Count Distinct.


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Format Data ( ) – using this option allows users to change the size of text fields, or define the type and size of numeric measures.

Calculate ( ) – different calculations can be run on fields in the report. If the field is a measure, arithmetic, percentage or analytical, operations can be performed on the field. If the data item is a text field (query item), then a calculation might be used to shorten the field. Also, two or more query items can be concatenated to create a new field in the report. See page 49 for more information on the Calculate option.

Define Custom Groups – custom groups can be used to create new report items that are

more meaningful to the user. As custom groups are created, specific values are given for each grouping. One example of how this could be used is to set up a specific group for everyone whose address is within a certain zip code and set up a different group for everyone whose address is something other than that zip code. See page 52 for more information on defining custom groups.

Drill Down ( ) – not applicable to student data.

Drill Up ( ) - not applicable to student data.

Go to ( ) - not applicable to student data.

Rename Column Heading – by default a column heading is named the same as the data item. This option allows the user to change the name from the default setting. This can also be accomplished by double clicking the column heading.

Cut ( ) – cut text or data items to be moved to a different location.

Paste ( ) – paste text or data items that have been cut.

Delete ( ) – delete text or data items.

Undo ( ) – undo the previous action.

Redo ( ) – redo an action that was reversed by clicking the Undo icon.


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Change Layout Items available under the Change Layout menu allow the user to change presentation of the data. Adding charts or borders or changing font styles are just a few options available.

Chart ( ) – allows the data to be presented graphically. Charts available are Column, Bar, Pie, Line, Column-Line, Area and Radar. Each chart type offers various configurations.

Define Conditional Styles ( ) – gives the user the ability to highlight data in different colors and font styles based on a pre-defined range or set of values. For example, an attendance report could be setup to highlight values over 10 absences in red. See page 57 for more information on defining Conditional Styles.

Change Font Style ( ) – the color, size, style, weight, effects, background color, and alignment can all be defined from this area. Advanced options allow the user to apply the font style changes to specific parts of the report.

Change Border Style ( ) – borders can be adjusted or removed based on user needs.

Reset Font and Border Styles – resets the font type and borders to the default setting.

Apply Template – allows a pre-defined template to be applied to the report. This option in not applicable to the student data at this time.

Edit Title Area – allows the title of the report to be defined. Can also be accessed by clicking

on the default heading of “Title”.


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Set Web Page Size – the view of reports in Query Studio is an HTML format. This option is used to define how many records can be viewed on a webpage.

Set Page Breaks – define page breaks on list reports using groups or sections.

Group ( ) – the grouping feature allows common report item values to be grouped together. The values will only be displayed once. See page 45 for more information on Groupings.

Pivot ( ) – creates a Crosstab report from selected columns in a list report. The selected columns on the list report are placed along the top of the Crosstab and the intersections are calculated accordingly. See page 63 for more information on creating crosstabs.

Ungroup ( ) – removes groupings and sections from the report, making duplicate values display on the report.

Create Sections ( ) – groups the value of selected report item as the heading of a section. See page 47 for more information on Sections.

Swap Rows and Columns ( ) – this option allows the rows and columns to be swapped on a Crosstab while maintaining the intersecting data.

Collapse Group ( ) – temporarily removes progressive levels of detail. Only those reports that contain a measure can be collapsed.

Expand Group ( ) – opens up groups that have been collapsed on a report.


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Run Report The options available under this menu choice allow reports to be run in several different formats, such as PDF, Excel or CSV formats. The Query Studio workspace can also be changed to reflect limited or no data as new data items are added to a report.

Note: If the data is turned off, the column headings will appear with 1,234, or abcd, or the current

date displayed in the detail area of the report. The advantage of using the “Limited” or “No Data” option is that there is not as long of a wait time as there is when all data loads onto the workspace.

Run with All Data ( ) – as data items are added to the workspace, the report will run displaying all data that matches any set criteria for the report. The report refreshes as new items are added to the workspace.

Preview with Limited Data ( ) – the report will reflect actual data for items added to the workspace, however only a limited amount of records will appear on the report. The heading “Limited data” appears above the report title.

Preview with No Data ( ) – data items added to the workspace will not reflect actual values, but rather will show an alpha, numeric, or date formatting in place of the data. The heading “Data is turned off” appears above the report title.

View in PDF Format – generates the report in PDF format.

Specify PDF Options – allows user to set orientation and paper size for a PDF report.

View in Excel 2007 Format – generates the report in an Excel 2007 format. Any page

breaks in the report will be represented by separate tabs in the spreadsheet.


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View in Excel 2002 Format – generates the report in an Excel 2002 format. Any page breaks in the report will be represented by separate tabs in the spreadsheet.

View in Excel 2000 Single Sheet Format – generates a single page Excel 2000 report. All

page breaks in the report are ignored.

View in CSV Format – generates a report in a Comma Separated Values format.

View in XML Format – generates a report in an XML format.

Advanced Options – there are two advanced options available.

o Query Options – selections available here allow for a summary footer to be generated on measures. Another option is for the detail value on the report to be summarized with duplicates suppressed. When this is checked, the report will display only one occurrence of data on records that have identical information.

o Drill Options – this does not apply to student data.


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Manage File In this menu option, reports can be saved or new reports can be started. The report definitions can also be viewed from this section.

New ( ) – allows user to start a new report. If selected, users will have the option of saving any current report. When using this option the currently selected package will remain open for the new report. To select a new package, close and re-open Query Studio.

Open ( ) – allows user to open reports previously created in Query Studio. These reports can be in the Public Folder or in My Folder in Cognos Connection.

Save ( ) – saves the changes to the current report.

Save As ( ) – allows user to save current report under a new file name.

Report Definition – shows Report and Query definitions of the current report. Can be useful in troubleshooting problems when creating reports.

My Preferences – users can set the default display option and the default filter type to be

used when authoring reports in Query Studio. The display options include “Run with All Data”, “Preview with Limited Data”, and “Preview with No Data”. The options available for the filter default are “Pick values from a list”, “Search for values”, “Type in values”, as well as an option for “Default” that allows the system to determine the filter default.


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Tool Bar Icons

Standard Tool Bar Items

Hide Toolbar Sort

Show Toolbar Summarize

New Report Calculate

Drill Down Open Report

Save Drill Up

Save As Go To

Cut Chart

Paste Group

Delete Pivot

Undo Ungroup

Redo Create Section

Run Swap Rows and Columns

Filter Collapse Group

Expand Group Suppress


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Formatting Toolbar Icons

Hide Toolbar

Show Toolbar

Font Style

Font Size

Font Color

Bold

Italic

Underline

Background Color

Text Alignment

Change Font Styles

Change Border Styles

Tip: Many of the menu/toolbar options can be selected by right clicking the heading of a data item

that has been added to the report. This would include such options as Filter, Sort, Delete, Summarize, and Calculate, as well as the Cut and Paste functions.


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Creating a List Report 1. From the Cognos Connection screen, open Query Studio.

2. Select eSchoolPLUS Admin – Arkansas from the ‘Recently used packages’ box or by going to

Packages > Student Management System.


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After selecting the desired package, Query Studio will open with the selected package displayed in the Insert Data menu.

3. Click on the plus symbol next to the package, which expands the package making Query Subjects,

Query Items, Facts, and Filters visible for selection.


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4. Select and insert all needed data items onto the workspace. By default, items placed in the work area will display the actual data from all records matching any filter that has been set. As new items are added to the work area, the report being displayed will reflect the changes. This setting can be changed to Preview with Limited Data or Preview with No Data within the Run Report menu option.

Data items can be added to the work area by….

A. Clicking on the desired item and dragging it onto the designated work area. If items currently are displayed in the work area, and a new item is dragged on to the work area, a dark vertical line will appear at any point where the new item can be dropped.

B. By double clicking on the item. Additional items added to the workspace in this way appear to the

left of any highlighted column. If no column is highlighted, the new data item will be inserted at the end of the list report.

C. By highlighting an item and clicking the Insert button at the bottom of the list of data items.

Multiple items can be inserted by holding the control key down while clicking each item. This keeps the previous choices highlighted while making more selections. When the Insert button is clicked all items will be added to the work area in the order in which they were selected. If additional items are added to the workspace using this method, the data items will be inserted to the left of any highlighted column. If no column is highlighted, the new data items will be inserted at the end of the list report.

Warning: With option “C”, do not use the scroll wheel on the mouse when the control key is

pressed. This is a feature of the Internet browser that changes the font size of the browser window.


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Warning: If a Query Subject is inserted onto the report workspace, all items within that Query Subject will be displayed on the report in the order in which they appear within the Query Subject. If this occurs, click the Undo icon to remove the data items.

5. Arrange the data items on the workspace as needed. If a field is not inserted into the desired location, it must be cut, and then pasted into the desired location. If multiple columns are cut and pasted, the columns will be pasted back in the order in which they were cut. See example on next page.


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To move a field, highlight the field to be moved by clicking on the field heading. Click the Cut icon (

).

To place the field back in the report, click on the column heading just to right of where the field that is

being moved should be placed. Click the Paste icon ( ). If no fields are highlighted when the Paste icon is clicked, the field that was cut is placed at the end of the list report.


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Apply filters to the report. Filters that exist in the package can be inserted into the report or new filters can be added for the report. New filters are generally created on fields that exist in the report. Once the filter has been created, the field used in generating the filter can be deleted without losing the filter. See the section on Filters for more information on creating filters. Pre-defined filters are preceded by the filter

icon ( ) and can be inserted into the report in much the same manner as report items.

6. Change column headings. The headings that appear at the top of each column can be changed by

either double clicking the column heading or by highlighting the column heading and selecting the link “Rename Column Heading…” from the Edit Data menu. Either option will open a window at the bottom of the screen where a new name for the column can be entered.

7. Define the sort order for the report. Typically fields are added to the report in order to create a sort order for the report. If a report item being used to define the sort order does not need to be in the report that item can be deleted without losing the sort order. If the report is sorted on multiple fields, the primary sort will be based on the first sorted field in the report (going from left to right), the secondary sort will be based on the next sorted field and so on. This guideline still applies on fields that are used as part of the sort order but have been deleted from the report.


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To add a sort order to a report, click the heading of the field to be used to sort the report, then click

the Sort icon ( ). Clicking this icon once sorts the report item in Ascending order, clicking it a second time changes the sort to Descending order, and clicking the icon a third time removes the sort from the field. The sort option is also available under the Edit Data menu.

Tip: The sort option can also be selected by right clicking the heading of the report item or by opening the Edit Data menu.

As data items are selected for the sort order, a triangle ( , ) will appear next to the heading of the field being sorted. The up triangle means the data will appear in ascending order while the down triangle means the data will be appear in descending order. The sort can be removed by clicking the sort link at the top of the report or by highlighting the data item and clicking the sort icon (

) until the sort is cleared.


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To remove a field and keep the sort order and/or filter, click the heading of the field to be removed

then click the delete icon ( ). A new window appears at the bottom of the screen indicating that there is a sort order and/or filter associated with the field. Uncheck any sort order and/or filter that should be retained. Once the check is removed, click OK to save the changes. The field that was deleted will be removed from the report but the sort order will continue to apply to the report.

Warning: The check MUST be removed from any sort order and/or filter checkbox that should be retained. If the check is not removed, the sort order and/or filter will be deleted with the field.

8. Add any needed summaries to the report. If a count of student records is needed, a summary should

be defined for a field that has a unique value for each student record such as student ID.


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Highlight the heading of the field that will be summarized and click the Summarize icon ( ) or select Summarize from the Edit Data menu.

If Summarize is selected from the Edit Data menu, a window opens at the bottom of the screen, where a selection can be made. Numeric measures allow for multiple options where data items allow for only Count and Count Distinct.

When Count is selected, a count of records will be displayed at the bottom of the field on which the summary was calculated. If Count Distinct is selected, each unique value in the summarized column is counted only once.

Note: To remove the summary, select the summarized column, click Summarize under Edit Data, and

select ‘None’.


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9. Update the heading for the report by clicking on the word Title or selecting Edit Title Area from the

Change Layout menu. By default filter, sort and suppression definitions appear in the report heading. Remove the check from “Show filters”, “Show sorts”, and/or “Show suppression”, if these definitions should not appear in the report heading.

10. If desired, preview the report in a different format. If the report is built with the data turned on, the

default view of the report will be in an HTML format. If the report is to be printed, it can be helpful to view the output in a PDF format or an Excel format. These options are located within the Run Report menu. Once the report is saved, the default view of the report will be determined by the report’s property settings or by user preferences.


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11. Save the report in My Folders or another personal folder for future use. Click the Save ( ) icon to

save changes to a previously saved report, or click the Save As icon ( ) to save the report under a new name. The Save and Save As options can be selected from the standard tool bar or from the Manage File menu. Warning: Reports that need to be saved to the District Shared folder (located under the Public

Folder of ADE APSCN-Student Management System), to be viewed and/or copied by others, should first be saved in the report author’s My Folders. All users have full access to the District Shared folder, so it is possible that any user can delete or remove a report from this folder even though the report was created by another user.

12. Set the desired property settings of the report item within Cognos Connection. When a report

created in Query Studio is saved, it is saved as “View most recent report” by default. If this setting is kept the report will always open in Query Studio each time it is run by clicking the report name link.

This setting can be changed to “Run the report” by selecting the property settings ( ) of the report once it is stored in Cognos Connection.

Note: As items created in Query Studio are saved, the icon displayed next to the item is the Query

Studio icon ( ), which indicates the item will open in Query Studio when the report item link is clicked. When the property settings are changed to “Run the report” the item icon will change to display the run icon next to the default report format icon (for example, the icon for a report set to

run in PDF would display as ). Reports created in Query Studio can still be modified by

clicking the “Open with Query Studio” icon ( ) located under the Actions menu.


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Within the property settings select the Query tab and change the Default action to “Run the report” and click OK.

If the report needs to default to a specific format (CSV for example), check the Override the default values checkbox and select the desired format.


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Filters Filters are used to define criteria to determine which records should be included on the report. Any records that do not meet the filter criteria will be omitted from the report. Some pre-defined filters exist in the package of data items, but most filters will be created specifically for the report.

Filter Features

Filters on numeric values or dates can be set to search for a specific range.

Filters can be set to only return records with a field that has a missing value, omitting the records

with the missing values, or to include the records with the missing values. Filters can be defined so the desired values are typed in, searched for, or selected from a list.

Filters can be created with a prompt so different criteria can be used each time the report is run.

Combine filters can be created for more complex filtering using AND/OR conditions.


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Creating Custom Filters 1. Select the field from the report workspace that should be filtered by clicking in the heading of the field

(typically filters are created on fields that are in the report). When creating a filter, only one field can be selected at a time.

2. Click on the filter icon ( ) on the standard tool bar. A new window appears with information on the selected field and options as to how the filter should be created. The filter window will differ depending on the type of field that is being filtered.


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3. Determine the type of filter to be used when working in Query Studio. The options for alpha

numeric fields are

Pick values from a list (default setting) – displays a list of items that currently exist in the selected field.


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Search for values – allows a keyword to be entered for a search, and once the keyword

match is located, it can be used as the filter. Options available for the keyword search include “starts with” or “contains”.

Type in values – allows a value to be entered that will be used for the filter.

Note: The different prompt types can only be seen in Query Studio. If a filter type other than the default is selected, it will revert back to the default once the report is run in Cognos Connection.


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If a filter is created on a measure (numeric field), the filter type is a range filter as seen below.

Range Filter on Measure

Filters created on Dates can be based on a Range of dates or a set number of days from the current date.

Filter on a Range of Dates


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Filter on Last number of days

Each of the filter types have options for Condition, for Missing values and for Prompt every time the report runs. If the checkbox on Prompt every time the report runs is checked, the values used for the filter can be changed each time the report is generated.

The Condition options are Show only the following Do not show the following (NOT)

Options available for Missing values are Include missing values Leave out missing values Show only missing values


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4. Select the values and conditions for the filter and click OK. Make sure to check the box labeled “Prompt every time the report runs” on filters that should be defined when the report is run.


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5. For reports containing multiple filters, determine how the filters should be combined. After the initial filter is applied to the report, any additional filter added to a report will cause the Combine filter option screen to open. Users can define the join between multiple filters in the Combine filter screen.

Within the Combine filter window multiple lines of criteria can be joined with AND/OR, filters can be grouped or ungrouped, filters can be modified to apply NOT or to remove NOT from the filter, and filters can be added or deleted.

To group the filters, click the first Select line ( ) icon, and then control-click the remaining filters to be grouped. Once all the filters to be grouped are selected, click Group from the menu at the bottom of the screen. The combined filter will change to show one filter line rather than multiple filter lines.


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By grouping multiple lines of criteria, filters can be combined differently within the group than they are between groups. For example the filters within the group may need to be joined with AND, but the

different groups can be joined with OR. To change AND to OR, click the dropdown symbol ( ) next to AND which opens up an option for OR to be selected, and click on OR.

6. Click OK to save and apply the combined filter.


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Report Formatting Several formatting options exist to help create a more useful report.

Groupings can be created on different data items in the report so that each value of that item appears

only once on the report.

Sections can be created so that each value of a data item appears as a heading for that section.

Calculations can be performed on existing data items to create new report items. Custom groups are fields created within a report that contain information that is defined based on the

value of an existing data item. For example, students could be grouped based on their current GPA. The new field name might be GPA Groups. The value of Group 1 could be assigned to those students with a 4.0 GPA and above; the value of Group 2 could be assigned to those students with a 3.0 GPA to a 3.9999 GPA, and so forth. Once the groups are defined, the sort order of the report can be set based on the new field created by the custom grouping.

Conditional styles can be applied to data items so that different values for a particular field will appear

in a different style on the report.

The font style of the data items can be changed to show different font sizes, weights, and colors. There are also options to change data item background colors and text alignment.

Borders can be removed or modified on different parts of the report. By default a border will be

placed around headings, summaries and report detail. Heading only, headings and summaries, or all borders can be changed to a different color and/or width. There is also an option to remove all borders from the report. Borders will appear on reports that are displayed in an HTML or PDF format.


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Groupings

1. Select the data item or items to be grouped by clicking in the heading field of the item. If multiple

items are to be grouped, use control-click to select additional fields.

Note: The order in which the fields are selected will determine how the fields are grouped. The first field selected will be used as the primary grouping, the second field as the secondary grouping and so on.


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2. Click the Group icon ( ) on the standard tool bar or click the Group option under the Change Layout menu.

As the items are grouped, they are moved to the front of the list of items in the report and the grouping order is set.

3. With grouping applied, page breaks can now be set on any grouped field. To create a page break,

select a single grouped data item and then click on Set Page Breaks, which is located under the Change Layout menu. Page breaks are removed by highlighting the data item on which the page break is set and clicking the Set Page Breaks menu item again. An option appears to remove the page break. Any summaries added to the report will be subtotaled on each grouping in the report.


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Sections 1. Select the data item or items to be sectioned by clicking in the heading field of the item. If multiple

items are needed in creating sections, use control-click to select additional fields.

Note: The order in which the fields are selected will determine how the fields are sectioned. The first field selected will be used as the main section, while all other data items will be used as subsections.


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2. Click on the Create Section icon ( ) or click on Sections under the Change Layout menu.

Items selected for the sections are now placed above the other columns in the list report. As noted above, the first data item selected becomes the main section and any other field selected becomes a subsection.

3. Set any desired page breaks by selecting one of the sectioned data items on the report and clicking Set Page Breaks on the Change Layout menu.

Page breaks are removed by highlighting the data item on which the page break is set and clicking the Set Page Breaks menu item again. An option appears to remove the page break. Any summaries added to the report will be subtotaled on each section in the report.


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Calculations

1. Select the field (or fields) to which the calculations should be applied. In this example two data fields will be concatenated to form one new field.

2. Click on the Calculate icon ( ) or click on Calculate under the Edit Data menu. A new window appears showing options available for the calculations of the two fields.

Note: If the field is an alphanumeric field there will be options to select the first characters of the field,

the last characters of the field, or trim trailing spaces of a field. The option for concatenation can be used to concatenate text with a single field, or to concatenate multiple data fields. If the calculation is based on a measure that is selected from the report, the Operation dropdown menu as seen on the next page will contain options to perform Arithmetic, Percentage or Analytic operations.


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3. From the Operation drop down menu select Concatenation.

Once Concatenation is selected the data items used to create the calculation appears in the Selected report items box. Options are available to insert preceding and following text. A new name can be assigned to the new data item below the New item name option or the default name can be kept. Under the Separator between report items section, a separator between fields can be designated.

4. Type the name of the field in the New item name box and indicate how the selected items should be

separated.


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5. Click Insert to insert the new data item onto the report. The new item appears to the right of the last field used in the calculation in the format defined in the calculation.

Note: Once the new field has been inserted into the report, the source data items can be deleted by

highlighting the heading of the data items and clicking the delete icon ( ).

Tip: Reports containing sections on multiple fields can be given a more professional look if the fields are concatenated first then sectioned. An example would be if Homeroom Teacher Name and Grade needed to be displayed in the section heading. Sectioning the concatenated values would give the report one section header rather than two. This will only work with alphanumeric data items.


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Custom Groups 1. Select the data item to be used in the Custom Grouping and click the Define Custom Groups link (

) under the Edit Data menu.

Note: Only one data item can be selected when doing a custom grouping. Custom groups cannot be

based on multiple data items.


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2. Define the custom groupings by designating a value for each group and selecting which values from the selected data item should belong to each grouping.

Note: If the Customization type is set to Ranges, the screen changes to allow for a range of values to be

defined for each group.


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3. The progression for adding the custom groups by using the Individual values option is to first name

the New group name and clicking the down arrow ( ) to add it to the Custom groups list.

4. From the list of Available values, select items that will be included in the new custom group and click

the arrow pointing to the left ( ) to add the values to the Custom group values list. Use Control Click to select multiple values.


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Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all custom groups are defined. Any values not included in a group are dealt with in one of three ways.

The individual value is used as the custom group.

The custom group is left blank.

The remaining values are combined under one group name, These options are available by clicking the All remaining values (including future values) link (

) at the bottom of the screen.

5. Enter the New item name and click OK.


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The new field is now included in the report.

Note that the field on which the custom group is based can be deleted from the report without affecting the new custom group.


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Conditional Styles 1. Select the data item to which the Conditional Style will be applied. This option is used to emphasize

data within the report that meets specific criteria. How the data is emphasized can be determined by the report author.

2. Click on the Define Conditional Styles option ( ) under the Change Layout menu item. The following option appears. Click Select a date to enter a specific start or end date.


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Note: Options of Select Values and Define a Range will be available on same data items. When the Select a date link is clicked, a calendar appears for the date to be selected.

3. By default the date appears in the lower section of the range. If needed, use the Move value icon ( ) to move the date to the upper section of the range. If a second date is needed in the range, click the Select a date option again and repeat the process. The setting in the lower part of the range in this example is looking for any date prior to and including July 31, 1990.

4. To define how the selected values of the report item will be emphasized, select a pre-defined style or

create a custom style. Use the pencil icon ( ) to create a custom style.


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5. In the custom style settings, define the Font style, size, weight, color, background and effects. Click OK to save the new settings.

6. Repeat the process for any field to which a conditional style should be applied. Click OK when all fields are defined.


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When the conditional styles are applied to the data item, the value of the data item will determine how the field is formatted.


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Report Item Font Style

1. Select the area of the report for which the font needs updating. The font style can be changed for a column heading or the values within the column by selecting the area that needs to be changed.

2. Select the desired settings from the options on the formatting tool bar (see page 21 for a list of

the icons in the formatting tool bar). If multiple font style changes to the selected areas are

needed, click the Font Style icon ( ) located in the tool bar or under the Change Layout menu.


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Changing Report Borders 1. From the Formatting tool bar or the Change Layout menu select the Change Border Style option (

).

2. Select the desired settings from the Change border styles window.


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Creating A Crosstab Crosstabs are useful in analyzing the summary or count of total records in a report. Crosstabs present the data more clearly in a matrix format. Rotating the values of a list report creates a crosstab report. The list report used to create a crosstab must contain at least one measure. If the report contains multiple (more than two) non-measure data items a “nested” crosstab is created. When creating “nested” crosstabs, to ensure accurate counts, it is important to have the data sorted correctly in the base report and to make sure the non-measure items are positioned correctly in the crosstab.

Procedures for creating a crosstab 1. Create a basic list report. Make sure to include the appropriate “count” data item as one of the fields

in the report. There are two student counters located under Student Center > AR Student Center Custom Fields. Define any needed sorts and filters for the report.

Delete any data items used for filtering that do not need to be reflected in the report. In this example, there is a filter for Enrollment Building, but the field Enrollment Building does not appear in the report detail. Note that the sort order has been defined as well.


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2. Highlight the heading that will comprise the columns of the crosstab and click the Pivot Icon ( ) or the Pivot menu choice on the Change Layout menu.


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Example of a crosstab

Notice the difference between the crosstab that has sorted data and the crosstab with unsorted data. Note: The crosstab heading title is changed by highlighting the current heading and selecting

Rename Column heading under the Edit Data menu.


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Once a crosstab has been created, the rows and columns can be “swapped” by clicking the Swap

Rows and Columns icon ( ) or by selecting Swap Rows and Columns from the Change Layout menu.

Tip: Sections can be applied to a crosstab to provide a breakdown of information into smaller groupings of data displayed in multiple crosstabs. For example, if a section is created based on enrollment building, a crosstab is created for each building with only the data from that building. Each crosstab will have a section title of the data item by which the report was sectioned.


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Procedures for Creating A Nested Crosstab Nested crosstabs allow users to get a further breakdown of the data by creating subgroups in the crosstab. Nested crosstabs contain multiple data items in either the row or the column, or multiple data items can be contained in both the row and the column.

1. Create a simple crosstab report as described starting on page 63.


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2. More items can be added to the report by pulling items into either the rows or columns.

In addition to the intersection counts and summary totals, a subtotal is created for each primary grouping in both the row and the column. The sort order will also be changed depending on the order in which data items were selected.


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Creating Charts Charts can be created on list reports that contain a measure, or from a crosstab. Multiple chart type options exist when creating a chart. The different chart types available are

Column

Bar

Pie

Line

Column-Line

Area

Radar Several formatting options are available for each of the chart options.

Procedures for Creating a Chart 1. Create a List Report with at least one measure or a Crosstab report. Once the report is created,

click the Chart icon ( ) or the Chart menu option under the Change Layout menu.


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2. Define the chart properties.

As different options are selected in the dropdown menu, the available formats for each chart type will appear below the chart type menu. Indicate if values should appear on the chart. Also, specify whether the report should contain the Chart only, or the Chart and table. Once all Chart options are selected, click OK.


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Example of Crosstab and Chart Report

Note: If a chart is created on a crosstab and the option to Swap Rows and Columns is selected, the

following window appears.

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