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    .......................................................................................

    D12997GC10

    Production 1.0June 2002

    D34780

    Oracle9 i Reports Developer:Build Reports

    Volume 1 Instructor Guide

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    Author

    Ellen Gravina

    Technical Contributorsand ReviewersCem Ayberkin

    Christian Bauwens

    Alena Bugarova

    Laurent Dereac

    Warren Lord

    Marcelo Manzano

    Darren McBurney

    Paul Narth

    Daphne Nougier

    Miyuki Ohsato

    Ligia Jasmin Robayo

    Jim Safcik

    Rie Saitoh

    Sarah Spicer

    Martijn van der Bruggen

    Vanessa Wang

    Philipp Weckerle

    Ted Witiuk

    PublisherJohn B Dawson

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    This documentation contains proprietary information of Oracle Corporation. It isprovided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosureand is also protected by copyright law. Reverse engineering of the software isprohibited. If this documentation is delivered to a U.S. Government Agency of theDepartment of Defense, then it is delivered with Restricted Rights and thefollowing legend is applicable:

    Restricted Rights LegendUse, duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions forcommercial computer software and shall be deemed to be Restricted Rightssoftware under Federal law, as set forth in subparagraph (c) (1) (ii) of DFARS252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software (October 1988).

    This material or any portion of it may not be copied in any form or by any meanswithout the express prior written permission of Oracle Corporation. Any othercopying is a violation of copyright law and may result in civil and/or criminalpenalties.

    If this documentation is delivered to a U.S. Government Agency not within theDepartment of Defense, then it is delivered with Restricted Rights, as defined inFAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data-General, including Alternate III (June 1987).

    The information in this document is subject to change without notice. If you findany problems in the documentation, please report them in writing to EducationProducts, Oracle Corporation, 500 Oracle Parkway, Box SB-6, Redwood Shores,CA 94065. Oracle Corporation does not warrant that this document is error-free.

    Oracle is a registered trademark and all references to Oracle and Oracle productsare trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

    All other products or company names are used for identification purposes onlyand may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports iii

    .....................................................................................................................................................Contents

    Contents

    PrefaceProfile xvi

    Resources xviiTypographic Conventions xviii

    IntroductionCourse Objectives I-3Course Content I-5

    Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports DeveloperOverview 1-3What Is Business Intelligence? 1-5Enterprise Reporting 1-7Web Publishing and Paper Publishing 1-11Oracle9i Reports Developer 1-13Oracle9i Products 1-15What Is Oracle9i Reports Developer? 1-21Summary 1-25

    Lesson 2: Designing and Running ReportsOverview 2-3

    Designing Reports 2-5Design Considerations 2-9Retrieving and Sharing Data 2-17Running a Report 2-19Previewing Reports 2-21Summary 2-27Practice Session Overview: Lesson 2 2-29Practice Session: Lesson 2 2-30

    Lesson 3: Working in Oracle9i Reports DeveloperOverview 3-3Reports Developer Executables 3-5Reports Builder 3-9

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    Reports Builder Components 3-13Navigating Around the Oracle9i Reports Main Menu 3-15Object Categories 3-23Customizing Your Oracle9i Reports Session 3-33Oracle9i Reports Environment Variables 3-35Reports Builder Help Options 3-37Summary 3-39Practice Session Overview: Lesson 3 3-41Practice Session: Lesson 3 3-42

    Lesson 4: Creating a Paper ReportOverview 4-3Invoking Reports Builder and the Report Wizard 4-7

    Creating a Tabular Report Using the Wizard 4-9Creating Other Report Styles 4-27Previewing a Paper Report in a Web Browser 4-37Summary 4-39Practice Session Overview: Lesson 4 4-41Practice Session: Lesson 4 4-42

    Lesson 5: Enhancing a Basic Paper ReportOverview 5-3

    What Is the Paper Design View? 5-5Modifying a Report in the Paper Design View 5-7Summary 5-23Practice Session Overview: Lesson 5 5-25Practice Session: Lesson 5 5-26

    Lesson 6: Managing Report TemplatesOverview 6-3Using the Report Templates 6-5Modifying a Template 6-7

    Adding Web Links to a Template for Report HTML Output 6-13

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    Using REF Cursor Queries 9-15Using Data Links to Structure Data 9-19Efficiency Issues: Multiple- or Single-Query Hierarchy 9-25Summary 9-27Practice Session Overview: Lesson 9 9-29Practice Session: Lesson 9 9-30

    Lesson 10: Enhancing Reports Using the Data Model: Creating ColumnsOverview 10-3The Data Model Column Types 10-5Maintaining Data Source Columns 10-7Using a Data Source Column to Output Contents of a File 10-9Creating a Column 10-11

    Creating Summary Columns 10-13Example Report Displaying Subtotals 10-15Example Report Displaying Percentages 10-17Creating Formula Columns 10-21Creating Placeholder Columns 10-23Example Report to Populate a Placeholder 10-25Summary 10-27Practice Session Overview: Lesson 10 10-29Practice Session: Lesson 10 10-30

    Lesson 11: Enhancing Reports Using the Paper LayoutOverview 11-3Viewing the Paper Layout 11-5Designing Multipanel Reports 11-9Recognizing Layout Objects 11-13The Paper Layout Layers 11-15Creating Layout Objects 11-21The Paper Layout Tools 11-23

    Report Bursting 11-25Creating Variable Length Lines 11-35Summary 11-37Practice Session Overview: Lesson 11 11-39Practice Session: Lesson 11 11-40

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Contents

    Lesson 12: Controlling the Paper Layout: Common PropertiesOverview 12-3Modifying Paper Layout Object Properties 12-5Modifying Common Layout Properties 12-7Sizing Objects 12-9Anchors 12-11Layout Object Relationships 12-13Using Format Triggers 12-25Layout Object Properties for Web Support 12-27Summary 12-29Practice Session Overview: Lesson 12 12-31Practice Session: Lesson 12 12-32

    Lesson 13: Controlling the Paper Layout: Specific PropertiesOverview 13-3Modifying Properties of a Repeating Frame 13-5Print Direction 13-7Minimum Widow Records 13-13Column Mode 13-15Modifying Properties of a Field 13-17Displaying File Contents with a File Link 13-25Summary 13-31

    Practice Session Overview: Lesson 13 13-33Practice Session: Lesson 13 13-34

    Lesson 14: Web ReportingOverview 14-3High Quality Web Publishing 14-5Creating Reports for the Web 14-7Adding Dynamic Content to a Web Page 14-9Creating a Report Block 14-11

    Examining the Web Source Code 14-13Customizing Reports JSPs 14-17Summary 14-23Practice Session Overview: Lesson 14 14-25Practice Session: Lesson 14 14-26

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    Lesson 15: Extending Functionality Using XMLOverview 15-3Why Use XML Report Definitions? 15-5Creating and Using XML Report Definitions 15-7Running XML Report Definitions 15-17Debugging XML Report Definitions 15-21Summary 15-23Practice Session Overview: Lesson 15 15-25Practice Session: Lesson 15 15-26

    Lesson 16: Creating and Using Report ParametersOverview 16-3Creating User Parameters 16-5

    Referencing Parameters in a Report Query 16-7Hints and Tips for Referencing Parameters 16-13Creating a List of Values 16-15Referencing System Parameters 16-19Building a Paper Parameter Form 16-23Using Parameter Form HTML Extensions 16-27Summary 16-31Practice Session Overview: Lesson 16 16-33Practice Session: Lesson 16 16-34

    Lesson 17: Embedding a Graph in a ReportOverview 17-3Creating and Embedding a Graph in a Report 17-5Using a Graph Hyperlink 17-13Summary 17-15Practice Session Overview: Lesson 17 17-17Practice Session: Lesson 17 17-18

    Lesson 18: Enhancing Matrix Reports

    Overview 18-3The Matrix Data Model 18-5The Matrix Paper Layout 18-7Creating Matrix Summaries 18-9

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Contents

    Creating the Simple Matrix Report Manually 18-11Building a Matrix with Group Report 18-13Building a Nested Matrix 18-15Summary 18-23Practice Session Overview: Lesson 18 18-25Practice Session: Lesson 18 18-26

    Lesson 19: Coding PL/SQL TriggersOverview 19-3Types of Triggers in Reports 19-5Using Report Triggers 19-7Using Data Model Triggers 19-11Using Layout Triggers 19-15

    Writing Common Code 19-25Publish Reports Based on Database Events 19-27Summary 19-31Practice Session Overview: Lesson 19 19-33Practice Session: Lesson 19 19-34

    Lesson 20: Extending Functionality Using the SRW PackageOverview 20-3Contents of the Reports Builder Built-in Package 20-5

    Outputting Messages 20-7Executing a Nested Report 20-9Restricting Data 20-13Initializing Fields 20-15Performing DDL Statements 20-17Setting Format Attributes 20-19Summary 20-25Practice Session Overview: Lesson 20 20-27Practice Session: Lesson 20 20-28

    Lesson 21: Maximizing Performance Using Oracle9iAS Reports ServicesOverview 21-3Why Use Oracle9iAS Reports Services? 21-5Oracle9iAS Reports Services Architecture 21-9

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    Oracle9iAS Reports Services Runtime Architecture 21-13Making a Request to Run a Report 21-15Managing and Monitoring Oracle9iAS Reports Services 21-23Summary 21-31Practice Session Overview: Lesson 21 21-33Practice Session: Lesson 21 21-34

    Lesson 22: Building Reports: Efficiency GuidelinesOverview 22-3Tuning Oracle9i Reports 22-5Different Development and Run-Time Environments 22-19Developing Reports to Run in Different GUIs 22-21Building Reports to Run in Different Languages 22-23

    Summary 22-27Practice Session Overview: Lesson 22 22-29Practice Session: Lesson 22 22-30

    Appendix A: SolutionsPractice Session Overview: Lesson 2 A-3Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 2 A-4Practice Session Overview: Lesson 3 A-8Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 3 A-9

    Practice Session Overview: Lesson 4 A-11Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 4 A-12Practice Session Overview: Lesson 5 A-18Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 5 A-19Practice Session Overview: Lesson 6 A-23Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 6 A-24Practice Session Overview: Lesson 7 A-27Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 7 A-28Practice Session Overview: Lesson 8 A-30

    Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 8 A-31Practice Session Overview: Lesson 9 A-33Practice Session Overview: Lesson 10 A-40Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 10 A-41

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Contents

    Practice Session Overview: Lesson 11 A-45Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 11 A-46Practice Session Overview: Lesson 12 A-52Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 12 A-53Practice Session Overview: Lesson 13 A-55Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 13 A-56Practice Session Overview: Lesson 14 A-58Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 14 A-59Practice Session Overview: Lesson 15 A-61Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 15 A-62Practice Session Overview: Lesson 16 A-63Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 16 A-64Practice Session Overview: Lesson 17 A-67Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 17 A-68Practice Session Overview: Lesson 18 A-72Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 18 A-73Practice Session Overview: Lesson 19 A-77Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 19 A-78Practice Session Overview: Lesson 20 A-83Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 20 A-84Practice Session Overview: Lesson 21 A-93Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 21 A-94Practice Session Overview: Lesson 22 A-95Practice Session Solutions: Lesson 22 A-96

    Appendix B: Table Descriptions

    Glossary

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    Preface

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    Instructor Note

    PowerPoint Slides The slide show provides some manual builds to enable you to

    step through your explanation. So that content can be reused for different deliveryformats, Oracle University does not allow the use of animation in the slide show. If you know how to use PowerPoint, you can add animation or modify the manual buildsif you prefer.

    Demonstrations Additional demonstration reports that are not mentioned in thecourse instructor notes are included in the \reports\samples directory.There is also a hosted enviroment for Oracle9 i Reports demonstrations. Visit OracleTechnology Network for the latest information: http://otn.oracle.com.

    Practice Sessions Students might want to view the report output that they are askedto produce in each question. Solution files of all reports are available in the SOLNdirectory.Suggest that students use Reports Builder to run any solution report file to see thedesired result. Remind them to use the appropriate option (i.e., Run Web Layout orRun Paper Layout) to view the output

    Setup Environment TThe setup environment for this course contains two tiers: thedatabase server and the client workstation.Oracle9 i Database Server Enterprise Edition is recommended for the database server.The tables in the Human Resource (HR) and Order Entry (OE) schemas are used forthe demonstrations and practices. The EMP and DEPT tables are used in the lessonExtending Functionality Using XML.Oracle9 i Developer Suite (Business Intelligence installation option) is recommendedfor each client workstation. All reports, both Web and paper layouts, are run fromReports Builder.There is no middle tier application server required for this setup environment.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................

    Known Issues If your setup environment uses Reports Builder 9.0.2, you need to beaware of known issues with that release, as they may affect instructor demonsrationsand student practices. Query Builder: You cannot open tables containing user-defined objects in Query

    Builder because Query Builder does not recognize these object types. These tablesinclude CUSTOMERS, OC_CORPORATE_CUSTOMERS, OC_CUSTOMERS,OC_INVENTORIES, OC_ORDERS, OC_PRODUCT_INFORMATION,PRODUCT_INFORMATION, PRODUCTS, and WAREHOUSES. To create areport with one of these tables, you have to enter the query directly.

    Query Builder: Using the Sort option causes Reports Builder to crash. Refer to bug#2352728 in the bug database (http://bug.us.oracle.com) for more information.

    Report Wizard: If you create a report using an object column (e.g.,CUST_ADDRESS in the CUSTOMERS table) and then reenter the Wizard tomake modifications to the report or the layout, the selections you initially made forthat object column are not retained. Refer to bug #2294059 in the bug database formore information.

    Templates: If you open one of the predefined templates in Reports Builder andsave it as another name, you receive REP-69: Internal error. Note, however, thetemplate is saved correctly under that new name. Refer to bug #2353764 in the bugdatabase for more information.

    Creating Columns: Suppose you create a report using the Report Wizard and thenmanually create columns in the Data Model view of the Report Editor. In order todisplay the new columns, you reenter the Wizard to update the layout. Reenteringthe Wizard destroys the data model and you will receive several error messages(e.g., invalid reset group) when you finish the Wizard and the paper layoutattempts to run. Refer to bug #2288263 in the bug database for more information.

    Matrix Reports: If you create a matrix with group report and save it as a JSP, youwill get an error: ID attribute of rw:field tag is not unique. Refer to bug#2310757 in the bug database for more information.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................xvi Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports

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    Profile

    Before You Begin This CourseBefore you begin this course, you should have:

    Thorough knowledge of creating SQL query statements Working experience of:

    Creating PL/SQL constructs, including conditional statements, procedures andfunctions

    Creating PL/SQL stored (server) procedures and functions Using a graphical user interface (GUI)

    Prerequisites The following instructor-led training (inClass) courses:

    Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL Introduction to Oracle9i: PL/SQL

    Or the following self-paced CD-ROM training (TBT) courses from the SQLand PL/SQL Library: Oracle SQL: Basic SELECT Statements Oracle SQL: Data Retrieval Techniques Oracle SQL: DDL and DML PL/SQL: Basics PL/SQL: Procedures, Functions and Packages PL/SQL: Database Programming

    Suggested Oracle9i: Advanced SQL (inClass) Or SQL and SQL*Plus: Advanced SELECT Statements (TBT) Oracle9i: Advanced PL/SQL (inClass)

    Suggested Follow-up Courses Oracle9i Reports: Create Reports for the Web and Portals (eClass) Oracle9i Reports: Integrate Pluggable Data Sources (eClass) Oracle9iAS Reports Services: Deploy Internet Reports (eClass)

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports xvii

    .....................................................................................................................................................Profile

    How This Course Is OrganizedOracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports is an instructor-led course featuringlecture and hands-on exercises. Online demonstrations and written practice sessionsreinforce the concepts and skills introduced.

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    Resources

    Oracle Publications

    Additional Publications System release bulletins Installation and users guides read.me files

    International Oracle Users Group (IOUG) articles Oracle Magazine

    Web Sites Oracle Technology Network: http://otn.oracle.com Oracle9 i Reports Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

    http://otn.oracle.com/products/reports/htdocs/faq9i.htm Oracle9 i Reports whitepapers, presentations, and viewlets:

    http://otn.oracle.com/products/reports/content.html Getting Started with Oracle9i Reports: http://otn.oracle.com/docs/products/

    reports/htdocs/doc_library/getstart/GettingStarted/index/index.html

    Title Part Number

    Oracle9iAS Release 2 Reports Services Release Notes - Solarisand Windows NT

    A96189-01

    Oracle9i Reports Developer Tutorial A90900-01Oracle9i Reports Developer Building Reports A92101-01Oracle9iAS Reports Services Publishing Reports A92102-01

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Typographic Conventions

    Typographic Conventions

    Typographic Conventions in TextConvention Element Example

    Bold italic Glossary term (if there is a glossary)

    The algorithm inserts the new key.

    Caps and lowercase Buttons,check boxes,triggers,windows

    Click the Executable button.Select the Cant Delete Card check box.

    Assign a When-Validate-Item trigger . . .Open the Master Schedule window.

    Courier new,case sensitive(default islowercase)

    Code output,directory names,filenames,passwords,pathnames,URLs,user input,usernames

    Code output: debug.seti('I',300);Directory: bin (DOS), $FMHOME (UNIX)

    Filename: Locate the init.ora file.Password: Use tiger as your password.

    Pathname: Open c:\my_docs\projects

    URL: Go to http://www.oracle.comUser input: Enter 300Username: Log on as scott

    Initial cap Graphics labels(unless the term is aproper noun)

    Customer address ( but Oracle Payables)

    Italic Emphasized wordsand phrases,titles of booksand courses,variables

    Do not save changes to the database.For further information, see Oracle7 Server SQL Language Reference Manual.

    Enter user_id @us.oracle.com , whereuser_id is the name of the user.

    Quotation marks Interface elementswith long namesthat have onlyinitial caps; lessonand chapter titles incross-references

    Select Include a reusable modulecomponent and click Finish.This subject is covered in Unit II, Lesson 3,Working with Objects.

    Uppercase SQL columnnames, commands,functions, schemas,table names

    Use the SELECT command to viewinformation stored in the LAST_NAMEcolumn of the EMP table.

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    Typographic Conventions in Code

    Typographic Conventions in Navigation PathsThis course uses simplified navigation paths, such as the following example, to directyou through Oracle Applications.

    Example:

    Invoice Batches Summary(N) Invoice > Entry > Invoice Batches Summary (M) Query > Find(B) Approve

    This simplified path translates to the following:1 (N) From the Navigator window, select Invoice > Entry > Invoice Batches

    Summary.2 (M) From the menu bar, select Query > Find.

    3 (B) Click the Approve button.

    N = Navigator, M = Menu, B = Button

    Arrow Menu paths Select File>Save.Brackets Key names Press [Enter].Commas Key sequences Press and release these keys one at a time:

    [Alt], [F], [D]Plus signs Key combinations Press and hold these keys simultaneously:

    [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del]

    Convention Element ExampleCaps and lowercase Oracle Forms

    triggersWhen-Validate-Item

    Lowercase Column names,table names

    SELECT last_name

    FROM s_emp;

    Passwords DROP USER scottIDENTIFIED BY tiger;

    PL/SQL objects OG_ACTIVATE_LAYER(OG_GET_LAYER ( 'prod_pie_layer'))

    Lowercase italic Syntax variables CREATE ROLE role

    Uppercase SQL commandsand functions

    SELECT userid

    FROM emp;

    Convention Element Example

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    ................................

    I

    Introduction

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    I-2 Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports......................................................................................................................................................

    ......................................................................................................................................................Introduction

    Instructor NoteTopic TimingLecture 10 minutesTotal 10 minutes

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Course Objectives

    After completing this course, you should be able to dothe following: Describe the capabilities of Oracle9 i Reports Develop and maintain Web and paper reports in

    different styles using Reports Builder Lay out and format data to meet user reporting

    requirements Incorporate text, images, and graphics in reports

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    Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports I-3......................................................................................................................................................

    ......................................................................................................................................................Course Objectives

    Course Objectives

    Course DescriptionThis course enables you to design and build a variety of standard and custom Web

    and paper reports using Oracle9 i Reports Developer. You learn how to retrieve,display, and format data from any data source in numerous reporting styles andpublish the output to any destination.During the course, you learn how to add dynamic content to a static Web page andpublish reports to the Web. You also learn how to customize more complex reports,embed graphical charts, and use Oracle9 iAS Reports Services to deploy yourreports.

    Course ObjectivesAfter completing this course, you should be able to do the following:

    Describe the capabilities of Oracle9 i Reports

    Develop reports using data from any source, in any format, and publish to anydestination

    Develop and maintain different styles of reports using Reports Builder

    Lay out and format data to suit user reporting requirements

    Incorporate text, images, and graphics in reports

    Publish a report on the Web

    Manage server resources

    Tune reports

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    I-4 Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports......................................................................................................................................................

    ......................................................................................................................................................Introduction

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Course Content

    Day 1: Introducing Oracle9 i Reports Developer Designing and running reports Working in Oracle9 i Reports Builder Creating and modifying paper reports using the

    Wizard Enhancing a paper report in the Paper Design view

    Day 2: Managing templates Creating a Web report Enhancing report structure

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Course Content

    Day 3: Using the paper layout Modifying properties Using Web reporting Extending functionality using XML

    Day 4: Customizing reports with parameters Embedding graphs Enhancing matrix reports Adding PL/SQL code

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    Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports I-5......................................................................................................................................................

    ......................................................................................................................................................Course Content

    Course ContentThe lesson titles show the topics covered in this course and the usual sequence of lessons. However, the daily schedule is an estimate, and may vary for eachindividual class.

    Day 1Course IntroductionIntroduction to Oracle9 i Reports DeveloperDesigning and Running ReportsWorking in Oracle9 i Reports DeveloperCreating a Paper ReportEnhancing a Basic Paper Report

    Day 2Managing Report TemplatesCreating a Web ReportEnhancing Reports Using the Data Model: Queries and GroupsEnhancing Reports Using the Data Model: Data SourcesEnhancing Reports Using the Data Model: Creating Columns

    Day 3Enhancing Reports Using the Paper LayoutControlling the Paper Layout: Common Properties

    Controlling the Paper Layout: Specific PropertiesWeb ReportingExtending Functionality Using XML

    Day 4Creating and Using Reports ParametersEmbedding a Graph in a ReportEnhancing Matrix ReportsCoding PL/SQL Triggers

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    ......................................................................................................................................................Introduction

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Course Content

    Day 5: Extending functionality using the Reports Builder

    built-in package Using 9 iAS Reports Services Efficiency and performance guidelines

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    Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports I-7......................................................................................................................................................

    ......................................................................................................................................................Course Content

    Day 5Extending Functionlaity Using the SRW PackageMaximizing Performance Using Oracle9 iAS Reports ServicesBuilding Reports: Efficiency Guidelines

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    ......................................................................................................................................................Introduction

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    ................................

    1

    Introduction toOracle9 i Reports Developer

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Instructor NoteTopic TimingLecture 30 minutesTotal 30 minutes

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Objectives

    After completing this lesson, you should be able to dothe following: Describe business intelligence List the benefits of enterprise reporting Describe the differences between Web publishing

    and paper publishing Describe the key features of Oracle9 i Reports

    Developer Describe the architecture of Oracle9 i Application

    Server Describe Oracle9 iAS Reports Services

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Overview

    Overview

    IntroductionOracle9 i Reports Developer is a powerful enterprising reporting tool that allows

    developers to rapidly develop and deploy sophisticated high quality reports from anydata source, in any format, to any destination.This lesson identifies the key features and benefits of Oracle9 i Reports Developer andits relationship with Oracles end-to-end business intelligence solution.

    ObjectivesAfter completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following: Explain Oracles business intelligence solution List the benefits of enterprise reporting Describe the differences between Web publishing and paper publishing

    Describe the key features of Oracle9 i Reports Developer Describe the architecture of Oracle9 i Application Server Describe Oracle9 iAS Reports Services

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    1-4 Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports......................................................................................................................................................

    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Business Intelligence

    XML

    Discoverer Server Reports Server

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    Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports 1-5......................................................................................................................................................

    .....................................................................................................................................................What Is Business Intelligence?

    What Is Business Intelligence?

    IntroductionReporting is the delivery of information to information consumers. These consumers

    must often further investigate that information. Historically, different tools haveperformed different tasks. There is however a growing need to integrate dataconsolidation, data analysis, and enterprise reporting tools. This provides a seamlessenvironment that allows users to move from the role of pure information consumer toinformation investigator.The combination of providing information and enabling additional investigation of that information is commonly referred to as business intelligence (BI).

    The Oracle Business Intelligence SolutionOracle9 i offers an integrated business intelligence solution that provides the user witha complete picture across the entire organization. The Oracle9 i BI solution is designedto easily and quickly put data into the database, find information from the database,share this information, and exploit BI to learn more about a business and its customers.Oracles set of integrated BI tools allow you to seamlessly move between the roles of information consumer and information investigator: Oracle9 i Warehouse Builder (OWB) is designed to consolidate disparate data

    sources, performs any required data transformations, manage warehouse lifecycle,and integrate with analysis tools.

    Oracle9 iAS Discoverer, the powerful ad hoc query and analysis tool, can beunleashed to reveal potential opportunities and risks associated with your products,customers, and marketplace.

    Oracle9 i Reports, the high-fidelity enterprise reporting tool, enables businesses togive immediate access to information to all levels within and outside of theorganization in a scalable and secure environment. Oracle9 i Reports is the solutionfor Web and paper publishing, enabling you to publish any data, in any format,anywhere. Oracle9 i Reports delivers high-quality information to users with onlyan Internet browser in open Internet document standards. Authentication ishandled through single sign-on, and scalability is guaranteed through Oracle9 iASReports Services.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    WebApplication

    Server

    Data ServerAnyClient

    Enterprise Reporting

    Provides access for more users to vital customizedinformation

    Lowers cost of ownership Uses integrated business intelligence

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    Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports 1-7......................................................................................................................................................

    .....................................................................................................................................................Enterprise Reporting

    Enterprise Reporting

    Evolution of Enterprise ReportingFor as long as there has been electronic data storage, there has been reporting. In the

    mainframe computing era a one-report-fits-all metaphor was used. Reports wereexpensive to develop and were typically generated in overnight batch jobs. With theadvent of the personal computer and its rich graphical user interface and fourthgeneration languages, reports where easier to produce. Report developers could nowwrite reports tailored to the needs of particular information consumers. Mostcompanies however shifted from a one-fits-all model to a paradigm of one-report-fits-one. Reports were stored on an individual PC, or at best shared across small work groups. Enterprise reporting grew out of a business need for better, faster, and moreflexible delivery of individually tailored information to a very large number of users.No environment is better suited to fulfill this than the Internet.

    Benefits of Enterprise ReportingEnterprise reporting offers a number of important benefits. These include: Widening the reach of information access

    The ability to provide information electronically to a large and oftengeographically distributed user base, in a timely manner, picking up live data on-demand, means that everybody is kept informed at all times.

    Lowering the cost of computingCosts are minimized through a centrally managed architecture. This approachtakes the labor out of the computing infrastructure, and lowers the maintenanceneeds and associated costs.

    Allowing for extensible business intelligenceReporting is the delivery of information. Delivery alone however is not enough. If,for example, a possible trend is identified, such as a drop or rise in sales, you mustfind out why and be able to move seamlessly from mere consumer to investigator.

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    1-8 Oracle9i Reports Developer: Build Reports......................................................................................................................................................

    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Reporting

    Ad hoc query

    Advancedanalysis

    Application ServerData Server

    Web Client

    Enterprise Reporting

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Enterprise Reporting

    Challenges for Enterprise ReportingEnterprise reporting provides an organization with significant benefits. In order toobtain those benefits however, a number of challenges need to be met, including: High performance and scalability

    Timely information delivery is essential. The powerhouse of Oracles reportingarchitecture is Oracle9 i Application Server. Oracle9 iAS Reports Services, thereport publishing component of Oracle9 i Application Server, provides out-of-the-box optimized performance and scalability to run Oracle9 i Reports applications inWeb and non Web environments.

    High quality reportsEnterprise reporting uses the Internet as its conduit for information delivery.Oracle9 i Reports adheres to Internet document standards and supports HypertextMarkup Language (HTML), HTML Cascading Style Sheets (HTMLCSS),Extensible Markup Language (XML), Rich Text Format (RTF), Postscript, and

    Portable Document Format (PDF) formats. This enables you to generate anddeliver information to a browser offering a rich variety of fonts, page layouts, andgraphical widgets.

    Reduced time to marketIn Internet-based environments, information consumers have a low tolerance fordelays in information delivery. The key to reducing development time is to take thehard labor out of report development. Oracle9 i Reports does not require the reportdeveloper to write numerous lines of code or manually format complex layoutstructures. The entire development environment is wizard driven and Oracle9 iReports Developer generates the code automatically, making this an extremelyproductive development environment.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Web Publishing

    GIF89a

    hyperlinks

    JavaScript

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Paper Publishing

    8.5

    11

    GIF89a

    hyperlinks

    JavaScript

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Web Publishing and Paper Publishing

    Web Publishing and Paper PublishingToday, many people turn to the Web first to find information. However, publishingenterprise data using a browser has not lowered the demand for high fidelity paperpublishing. HTML pages that look great in a browser often do not look professionalwhen printed from the browser. There are few tools today that recognize this and helpdevelopers publish data with high fidelity to both the Web and paper.

    Web PublishingA Web page is very fluid. A Web page does not have the limitation of page size; a pagecan contain as much or as little data as you wish. If there is more content than will fitin the browser window, scroll bars are displayed to allow users to navigate through thecontent. Web specific features, such as bookmarks and hyperlinks, can also aid theuser in navigation.A Web page comes alive with rich images, color, JavaScript, and animation. Users caninteractively drill down to see details or related data. Style sheets are used touniversally control appearance.

    Paper PublishingA paper report has characteristics that include rigid geometry restrictions, headers andfooters repeated on each page, and higher resolution allowing more details to bepresented to the end user at once, giving the end user the option of printing the outputand the ability to study the data.Oracle Reports has historically done a very good job of publishing high fidelity paperreports. The tools understands the concept of a paper page. It manages geometry andincludes features to control behavior when a page break occurs.

    Effective PublishingThe key to effective publishing is understanding the medium, utilizing thefunctionality the medium provides, and generating visually attractive content for thatmedium. For the Web, this means the ability to incorporate Java, JavaScript, andanimated Graphic Interchange Formats (GIFs). For paper, it requires theunderstanding of paper layouts and complicated geometry management.Recognizing the differences between Web publishing and paper publishing, Oracle9 i Reports Developer provides a declarative environment with the power to generatehigh quality output for the Web and e-business requirements, as well as high fidelitypaper reports.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 i Reports Developer

    Publish data from any source, in any format, to anydestination with high fidelity.

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Benefits

    Publish data from any source, in any format, withhigh fidelity

    Develop one time and deploy anywhere Open, standards-based, modular architecture

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Oracle9 i Reports Developer

    The Goal of Oracle9 i Reports DeveloperOracle9 i Reports Developer provides an enterprise-wide publishing solution that

    delivers high fidelity, dynamic Web pages to corporate (intranet) and Internet userswithout compromising scalability and performance. Using Oracle9 i Reports, you canpublish information from any data source, in any format (PDF, HTML, printed, XML,etc.), to any destination (Web, Portal, e-mail, file, etc.) in a scalable, efficient manner.The goal of Oracle9 i Reports is to be the universal publishing solution of choice forany publishing need within an organization.

    Benefits Oracle9 i Reports enables you to publish data from any source in any format with

    high fidelity.In addition to SQL, PL/SQL, and Express, you can publish data from JavaDatabase Connectivity (JDBC) sources, XML, text files, or you own data sourcesthat you have defined. Report output can go anywhere you wish: the Web, e-mail,the printer, wireless devices, and so forth.

    Develop your report once, deploy it anywhere. Output formats include HTML, HTMLCSS, XML, PDF, Postscript, RTF,

    delimited, character, etc. The Web layout is optimized for HTML. The paper layout is designed for PDF and Postscript. Share a single data model among all output formats.

    Customize the appearance and content of your output at runtime by applyingXML customization files. Oracle9 i Reports uses a standards-based, modular architecture.

    Use the Reports Java APIs to define your own plug-ins for data sources, outputdestinations, security infrastructure, cache management, engines, and so on.

    Take advantage of the industry standards used in Oracle9 i Reports: JavaServerPages (JSPs), servlets, JavaBeans, CORBA, and IIOP information protocol.

    Flexible design fits any middle-tier configuration.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 i Products

    Oracle9 i provides the complete solution: Oracle9 i Database Oracle9 i Developer Suite Oracle9 i Application Server

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 i Database

    Oracle9 i Database manages all of your data:

    Relational Data

    Documents

    Multimedia

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Oracle9i Products

    Oracle9 i ProductsOracle9 i provides the complete Internet infrastructure that makes it easy forcompanies interested in e-commerce to create and deploy scalable, Web-basedapplications. Oracle markets three products to help you achieve this: Oracle9 i Database, Oracle9 i Developer Suite (Oracle9 iDS), and Oracle9 i Application Server(Oracle9 iAS).The Oracle9 i Database manages all of your structured and unstructured data, includingWord documents, Excel spreadsheets, XML, images, and more. It provides a scalable,secure, and reliable architecture.The Oracle9 i Developer Suite offers a complete set of integrated development tools,empowering you to easily and quickly create Internet applications for personalizedWeb portals and hosted software services. Oracle9 i Developer Suite combines leadingOracle application development and business intelligence tools into a single integratedproduct. Built on Internet standards such as Java and XML, Oracle9 iDS provides a

    complete development environment.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 iDS Application Development

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 iDS Business Intelligence

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Oracle9i Products

    Oracle9 i Developer SuiteThe components of Oracle9 iDS include Oracle9 i Designer, Oracle9 i FormsDeveloper, Oracle9 i JDeveloper, Oracle9 i Software Configuration Manager, Oracle9iClickstream Intelligence Builder, Oracle9 i Discoverer Administrator, Oracle9 i

    Discoverer Desktop, Oracle9 i Reports Developer, and Oracle9 i Warehouse Builder.

    Oracle9 iDS Application Development Modeling: Oracle9 i Designer provides visual modeling, reverse engineering, and

    code generation tools by utilizing visual tools for activity and class modeling withthe JDeveloper component.

    Rapid Application Development (RAD): RAD capabilities in Oracle9 iDSfeature integrated builders, reentrant wizards, live previewers, and propertyinspectors. The JDeveloper component supports additional RAD functionalitythrough Business Components for Java (BC4J), a built-in Java 2 PlatformEnterprise Edition (J2EE) framework.

    J2EE and Web Services: Oracle9 iDS supports the latest J2EE applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) including Enterprise Java Beans (EJB), JavaServerPages (JSP), and servlets. Web services support Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP), Web Service Definition Language (WSDL), and Universal Description,Discovery, and Integration (UDDI).

    Team Support: Oracle9 i Software Configuration Management providesversioning, dependency management, and impact analysis for all objects and filetypes.

    Oracle9 iDS Business Intelligence

    Extract, Transform, and Load: Oracle9 i Warehouse Builder provides a graphicalinterface for mapping and transformation. It also provides an extensibleframework for integrating a diverse set of data sources with BI tools.

    End User Query and Analysis: With Oracle9 i Discoverer Administrator, you cancreate and maintain a business-oriented view of the data that supports theDiscoverer client tools: Discoverer Plus and Discoverer View, both components of Oracle9 iAS, and Discoverer Desktop, a component of Oracle9 iDS.

    Enterprise Reporting: Oracle9 i Reports Developer enables you to access anydata, publish it in any format, and send it to any destination.

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    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 i Application Server

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Oracle9i Products

    Oracle9 i Application ServerOracle9 i Application Server (Oracle9 iAS) is a comprehensive and integratedapplication server that runs any Web site, portal, or Internet application. Oracle9 iASconsists of a set of services and utilities that can be used to implement applications in a

    distributed environment for scalability and reliability. These are: Communication Services: These services handle incoming requests received by

    Oracle9 iAS. Some of these requests are processed by the Oracle HTTP Server andsome requests are routed to other areas of Oracle9 iAS for processing.

    Presentation Services: The presentation services of Oracle9 iAS generally outputsome kind of graphical representation, often in the form of HTML. Oracle9 iASsupports a variety of ways to generate presentation presentations that can bedelivered to the client ranging from low level programming using Perl scripts andJava servlets, to high level frameworks using Oracle portal services.

    Business Logic Services: Oracle9 iAS provides several ways to develop businesslogic, utilizing both Java development approaches and high level, model-driventechniques. These approaches include Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE),Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), and Oracle Business Components for Java (BC4J), aswell as rich GUI oriented approaches such as Oracle9 i Forms Developer andOracle9 i Reports Developer.

    Data Management Services: To reduce the load on the database instance and toavoid network roundtrips for read-only data, Oracle9 i Application Server includesOracle9 i Cache.

    System Services: To provide system management and security services,Oracle9 iAS includes Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Advanced Security.These system services provide a comprehensive management framework for your

    entire Oracle environment and network security using Secure Sockets Layer(SSL)-based encryption and authentication facilities.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Features of Reports Developer

    User-friendly wizards Pluggable data sources Customizable report templates WYSIWYG live editor for paper reports Dynamic Web publishing using JSP/HTML Run-time customization Dynamic SQL execution Portal integration Event-based reporting

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    .....................................................................................................................................................What Is Oracle9i Reports Developer?

    What Is Oracle9 i Reports Developer?Oracle9 i Reports Developer is a component of the Oracle9 i Developer Suite. Oracle9 iReports Developer is a collection of programs that allows you to centralize reportprocessing and better manage reporting efforts. Reports Builder is one of the programcomponents included with Oracle9 i Reports Developer. Features include: Wizards that guide you through the report design process The ability to access data from any data source A query builder with a graphical representation of the SQL statement to obtain

    report data Default report templates and layout styles that can be customized if needed A live editor that allows you to modify paper report layouts in WYSIWYG (what

    you see is what you get) mode The ability to add dynamic report output to an HTML page by embedding custom

    JavaServer Page (JSP) tags within an HTML document An integrated chart builder to graphically represent report data The ability to generate code to customize how reports will run Web publishing tools that dynamically generate Web pages based on your data Standard report output formats such as HTML, HTMLCSS, XML, PDF, PCL

    (Printer Control Language), Postscript, and ASCII The ability to apply run-time customization The ability to execute dynamic SQL statements within PL/SQL procedures Support for Oracle objects Seamless integration of Oracle9 i Reports with Oracle9 iAS Portal for

    administering report security The ability to publish report output to portlets Report execution based on database events

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Instructor NoteThe Reports CGI component is maintained only for backward compatibility.

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 iAS Reports Services

    Flexible reporting Reduced overhead Fast distribution Real time publishing

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Oracle9 iAS Reports Services Architecture

    Oracle HTTP Listener mod_OC4J

    JSP Engine

    Oracle9 iASReports Services

    CORBA/IIOP

    ReportsEngine

    PDS

    HTTP

    CORBA/IIOPOracle Internet Directory

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    .....................................................................................................................................................What Is Oracle9i Reports Developer?

    Oracle9 iAS Reports ServicesOracle9 iAS Reports Services, a component of Oracle9 iAS, provides the deploymentenvironment for Oracle9 i Reports Developer applications. Oracle9 iAS ReportsServices executes, distributes, and publishes your reports for enterprise wide

    reporting. Using Oracle9 iAS Reports Services to deploy your reports results in gainsof flexibility, time savings, and processing capacity.Users can schedule, batch, queue, view, and reuse reports according to their needs.This flexibility improves the delivery of mission critical information and enhancesworkflow. An advanced reports cache prevents needless rerunning of common reportsand reduced overhead on resources.Oracle9 iAS Reports Services integrates into standard Web environments withJavaServer Pages (JSPs), Java servlets, and Common Gateway Interface (CGI,maintained only for backward compatibility) and provides powerful distribution andpublishing capabilities that broaden access and improve the usefulness of information.Users can distribute a report using the Web, a printer, and e-mail, or split a report intomultiple sections and send each section to a different destination.

    Oracle9 iAS Reports Services ArchitectureIn a Web environment, Oracle9 iAS Reports Services can consist of four tiers: the client tier (a Web browser) the Web server tier the Oracle9 iAS Reports Services tier the data tier (databases and pluggable data sources)The major components of Oracle9 iAS Reports Services include:

    Oracle9 iAS HTTP Server: This is the Web server. It incorporates an OpenSSLmodule to provide support for Secure Socket Layers (SSL) and HTTP SecureSockets Layer (HTTPS). It also provides a servlet engine to support the running of Java servlet applications.

    Reports Servlet and JSP: These components process custom (JSP) report tagsand deliver information between the HTTP Server and the Reports Server.

    Reports Server: The Reports Server processes client requests, including userauthentication, scheduling, caching, and report distribution.

    Reports Engine: The Reports Engine fetches data from the data source, formatsthe report, send output to cache, and notifies the Reports Server that the job isready.

    Reports Cache: The Reports Cache stores completed jobs.Note: Oracle9 iAS Reports Services and report deployment will be covered in moredetail in a later lesson.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Summary

    In this lesson, you should have learned how to: Describe integrated business intelligence List the benefits of enterprise reporting Describe the challenges of publishing for different

    media List the Oracle9 i products List the key features and benefits of Oracle9 i

    Reports Developer Describe Oracle9 iAS Reports Services

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Summary

    Summary A business intelligence solution provides a set of integrated tools that enable you

    to move seamlessly between the roles of information consumer and informationinvestigator.

    Enterprise reporting grew out of a business need for better, faster, and moreflexible delivery of individually tailored information to a very large number of users. The conduit of choice is the Internet.

    Effective publishing requires an understanding of the features and limitations of the different medium. Reports need to be designed for the specific output medium.Web publishing and paper publishing differ.

    Oracle9 i Reports Developer enables you to create and deploy reports using anydata, in any format, for any medium.

    The Oracle9 i products provide the infrastructure to easily develop, deploy, andmanage Internet applications and Web sites. Oracle9 i Reports Developer is a

    component of the Oracle9 i Developer Suite. Reports created with Oracle9 i Reportsare deployed by Oracle9 i Application Server, specifically Oracle9 iAS ReportsServices.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Introduction to Oracle9i Reports Developer

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    ................................

    2

    Designing and RunningReports

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Designing and Running Reports

    Instructor NoteTopic TimingLecture 20 minutesPractice 20 minutesTotal 40 minutes

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Objectives

    After completing this lesson, you should be able to dothe following: Identify user requirements Name the common report styles Describe the structure of each style Run prebuilt reports as an end user Identify supported report file types

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Overview

    Overview

    IntroductionYour reports need to satisfy the requirements of your business. To help you begin the

    process of translating report requirements into Reports Developer solutions, you needto understand the users needs, the potential range of report styles, the distribution andoutput requirements, and gain an appreciation of the underlying report structure. Thishelps you to make the right decision about which style to use for the report.This lesson discusses understanding the user requirements, standard report designstyles, and describes options to execute reports.

    ObjectivesAfter completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following: Explain the development process Recognize user needs Name the common report styles required in a business report Describe the structure of common report styles Run prebuilt reports

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Designing and Running Reports

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    User Requirements

    What dataParameters

    Web orPaper

    Web featuresSecurity

    ChartsDrill down

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Designing Reports

    Designing Reports

    Understanding the User RequirementsIn the first stage of the development, you determine what the user needs and expects.

    While it may be tempting to skip this stage and start building right away, it is not agood idea to do so. Without a clear understanding of the users and their reportingneeds, it is virtually impossible to create effective enterprise reports.To define user requirements: Gather relevant policies, business rules, and existing documentation Observe users and their daily job activities Interview a wide variety of usersHelpful questions to help you determine the user requirements: What data will people want, and in what priority? How is the data stored? Is there a corporate standard that must be met? If so, define standard templates. Will users want Web reports, paper reports, or both? For Web reports, will the reports be static or dynamic? Will users want charts in the report? If so, what data will be used in the graph? Will users want to drill down on data? If so, plan on using hyperlinks. Will users want to specify input parameters? If so, you need to create the necessary

    parameters and establish the validation rules. Will users want a report to be embedded in a form? If so, you will have to call the

    report from a form and have the form pass the data to the report.

    Will the same report serve different types of users? If so, you need to think aboutreport sectioning and report distribution.

    Are there any administration or security issues? If so, you need to set up thenecessary specifications in the Oracle9 iAS Portal Reports Security option.

    Will the users want run-time customizations? If so, plan on using XML files.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Designing and Running Reports

    Instructor NoteAssure the students that the publishing medium will be addressed in a later lesson.This is a high-level description to introduce students to the concept of the groupstructure: Tabular: One group Master-detail: Master-detail hierarchy (may be several levels) Master and multiple details: Two or more detail groups at the same level Matrix: Two masters, one detailThe Form, Form Letter, and Mailing Label styles are not discussed at this stage,because these are all variations of a single-group report.

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Designing Reports

    Before you start development, consider:

    Specification

    Structure

    Style

    PublishingMedium

    Data retrievalCommon features

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Designing Reports

    Selecting the Report StyleBefore you create a report using any report-writing software, you must first considerthe type of report that you are being asked to produce. You will have a specification of the needs, required output, and the expected publishing medium, but you also need to

    know the underlying structure that supports the requirement and the most efficient wayto retrieve data.Also, consider whether this is a one-time requirement, or whether this specificationshares common features with other reports, especially where multiple reports arerequired in the same application.There are a few standard styles of reports that form the majority of all reportingrequirements. This section teaches you to recognize the common styles in order toenable you to interpret your report requirements and choose the correct style whendeveloping report definitions.

    The Common Report StylesThe majority of report requirements fall into the following categories: Tabular Master-detail Master and multiple details Matrix

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Designing and Running Reports

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    ProductNumber Description Price

    List of Products

    Tabular

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Design Considerations

    Design Considerations

    IntroductionDefine the report structure by identifying the number of times each piece of data is

    printed. Separate the data into groups based on this frequency. You may also need toidentify any relationships that exist between groups, so that you can create a hierarchyin the internal report structure.This section describes the four main styles of reports and the group structure for each.

    Tabular Report StyleIn the List of Products report displayed opposite, all fields for each product number,product description, and price are printed with the same frequency. They each repeat avalue for every product record.This report structure contains a single group.In tabular reports, the headings or labels appear once above each field.

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Designing and Running Reports

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Master-Detail

    Customer Name

    ProductNumber Price

    Customer Name

    ProductNumber Price

    Outstanding Customer Items

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Design Considerations

    Master-Detail Report StyleThe Outstanding Customer Items report displays one customer name, followed byseveral records containing the products and prices of items ordered but not yetreceived. This structure is repeated for every customer who has unfulfilled orders. The

    customer name does not repeat for every outstanding product; the frequency isdifferent.This report structure contains two groups.Each list of products is directly related to the preceding customer name, which meansthat there is a master-detail hierarchy. Customer information is in one group, called themaster , and the product information is in a second group, called the detail .In this Master-Detail report, the headings or labels appear as follows:

    Group Label PlacementMaster Labels appear to the left of fields.Detail Labels appear above fields (as for a tabular report).

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Designing and Running Reports

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Master with Two Details

    Customer

    OutstandingItems

    Orders in LastSix Months

    TotalValue

    ProductNumber Price

    OrderNo. Date

    Customer Statistics

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    .....................................................................................................................................................Design Considerations

    Master with Two Details Report StyleMore than one group may appear at the same level in a hierarchy.Consider the Customer Statistics report. This report has the same information as theOutstanding Customer Items report, with the addition of another group displaying

    orders placed in the last six months.Both groups, Outstanding Items and Orders in Last Six Months, relate to eachcustomer, but not directly to each other.This report has three groups, one master and two detail groups. The two detail groupsare related to the master at the same lower level.

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    Instructor NoteAnother way of describing a matrix report is one which has two masters (parents) andone detail (child). The detail data displays where the two masters intersect.

    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Matrix

    Product ID

    Customer

    Customer Matrix

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    Matrix Report StyleThe Customer Matrix report displays a group of master customer records down thepage, a group of master product records across the page, and a group of detailsummary calculations.

    The detail group is related to both of the master groups.In this report structure, the master groups are on the same level, with the detail groupbelow.This is an example of a simple matrix. Later you will see that matrix reports can havemultiple levels of nesting.

    Two MastersThe matrix style is the only style in which a detail group is related to two differentmaster groups at the same level.

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    Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2002. All rights reserved.

    Retrieving and Sharing Data

    Keep database access to a minimum Consider report structure and number of queries Make effective use of common code and objects

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    Retrieving and Sharing Data

    IntroductionOne of the primary considerations of any report is to ensure that it runs efficiently. The

    following points provide guidance for future reference.SQL and Database AccessIn Oracle9 i Reports, data for your report can come from any data source. This sectionprovides considerations for data stored in relational databases.For data that is retrieved from a database , you use SQL SELECT statements. Aim tokeep database access to a minimum. The fewer queries your report contains, the fasterit retrieves data.With hierarchical reports that contain more than one group, you can either use onequery and create additional groups, or use many queries and manually link the groups.The one-query approach is usually preferable.

    Report StructuresThe report style also affects the number of queries required. A master with multipledetail groups requires an additional query for each extra sibling group. Matrixreports can contain one or several queries.The following table shows the number of queries you can use to create the reports inthis lesson.

    Using Common CodeIn Oracle9 i Reports, you can create queries, PL/SQL libraries, and stored programunits that are accessible to more than one report. Consider which code is common andensure that all developers have access to it.

    Using Common ObjectsMany reports have a standard layout for features such as company logo image, fontsize, and style. Paper reports often have a standard page size and margin widths. Forpaper reports, consider creating one template containing these common features thatcan be the basis of all reports. You can also enhance individual reports with specificchanges. For Web reports, consider using an HTML template for yo


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