Businessobjects User'S Guide: Windows

BusinessObjects Users Guide
Version 4.1 Windows
BusinessObjects TM Version 4.1 BusinessObjects Users Guide

Revision 4
No part of the computer software or this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Business Objects. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. If you find any problems with this documentation, please report them to Business Objects in writing, using the Readers Comments Form found in the back of this document. Business Objects does not warrant that this document is error free.
Copyright Business Objects 1997 All rights reserved. Printed in France.
Trademarks: The Business Objects logo and BusinessQuery are registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. BusinessObjects, BusinessAnalyzer, BusinessMiner, WebIntelligence, ReportScript, Microcube, and PowerReport are trademarks of Business Objects S.A. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Access and other names of Microsoft products referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. All other names of Oracle products referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. All other product and company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. This software and documentation is commercial computer software under Federal Acquisition regulations, and is provided only under the Restricted Rights of the Federal Acquisition Regulations applicable to commercial computer software provided at private expense. The use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions set forth in subdivision (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013. U.S. Patent No. 5,555,403 Part Number: 310-10-410-01
Table of Contents
Preface Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Welcome to the BusinessObjects User Module ......................................................... 2 The BusinessObjects Product Line .............................................................................. 7 Chapter 2 Creating Reports 9
Overview ......................................................................................................................10 Launching BusinessObjects ....................................................................................... 13 Using the New Report Wizard to Create a Report ................................................. 14 Saving the Report Inside Its Document ................................................................... 29 Creating a Blank Report ............................................................................................. 34 Copying a Report Inside a Document ...................................................................... 35 Sample Reports ............................................................................................................ 36 Chapter 3 Building on Existing Reports 41
Overview ......................................................................................................................43 Opening Documents ................................................................................................... 44 Displaying, Renaming and Deleting Reports .......................................................... 46 Working with Master/Detail Reports ...................................................................... 47 Inserting a Table, Crosstab or a Chart in a Report ................................................. 53 Transforming Tables, Crosstabs and Charts ........................................................... 58 Pivoting Data in Tables, Crosstabs and Charts ....................................................... 60 Deleting Sections, Tables, Crosstabs and Charts .................................................... 70 Manipulating Cells, Columns and Rows ................................................................. 72
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Chapter 4
Controlling Report Data
81
Overview .......................................................................................................................83 Working on Universes and Queries ..........................................................................84 Breaking up Tables and Crosstabs ............................................................................93 Using Filters ..................................................................................................................98 Using Sorts to Control the Order of Report Data .................................................103 Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values ...........................................105 Making Calculations on Report Data .....................................................................109 Double-Clicking a Cell and Changing Its Contents .............................................113 Folding and Unfolding Sections and Blocks ..........................................................114 Chapter 5 Analyzing Data 115
Overview .....................................................................................................................116 Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode ............................................................................117 Working in Drill Mode .............................................................................................141 Chapter 6 Formatting Reports 155
Overview .....................................................................................................................157 Resizing Report Elements .........................................................................................158 Positioning Report Elements on the Page ..............................................................161 Formatting Sections and Blocks ...............................................................................166 Formatting Cells and Their Contents .....................................................................169 Formatting Chart Elements ......................................................................................180 Using Pictures in Reports .........................................................................................199 Formatting Headers, Footers and Margins ............................................................202 Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates in Reports ..............................................204
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Chapter 7
Web Publishing and Printing
205
Overview .................................................................................................................... 206 Writing HTML in Reports ........................................................................................ 211 Saving Documents in HTML Format ..................................................................... 213 Web Publishing with Document Agent Server ..................................................... 217 Printing Reports ......................................................................................................... 219 Chapter 8 Exchanging Documents 221
Overview .................................................................................................................... 222 Sharing Documents with WebIntelligence Users ................................................. 223 Sending Documents .................................................................................................. 224 Retrieving Documents .............................................................................................. 227 Mailing Documents ................................................................................................... 228 Chapter 9 Submitting Documents for Scheduled Processing 229
Overview .................................................................................................................... 230 Submitting a Document ............................................................................................ 232 What to Consider When You Submit a Document .............................................. 242 Retrieving Processed Documents ........................................................................... 246 Chapter 10 Sharing Data with Other Applications 247
Overview .................................................................................................................... 248 Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications .............................................. 249 Using BusinessObjects Data in Other Applications ............................................. 254 Appendix A Glossary Index
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Preface
.................................................................................
In this preface
u About this Guide viii
Audience viii How this Guide is Organized viii Conventions Used in this Guide x
u Online Help xi
Using the Help Index xi Finding Information Via the Welcome Screen xi Finding Information About the BusinessObjects Interface xii
u Related BusinessObjects References xiii u Your Comments are Welcome xv
BusinessObjects Users Guide vii
Preface
About this Guide

This guide is about the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. It explains the basic tasks that allow BUSINESSOBJECTS users to create reports and analyze data in these. It also contains information on how to exchange reports with other users. This guide presents the tasks that are most commonly carried out by end users. BUSINESSOBJECTS includes more advanced features, which are described in the online help. Refer to the paragraph entitled Online Help, below, for more information on the structure of the help.
Audience
This guide is intended for the end user who is responsible for creating and/or working on reports. The user need not come from a technical background, nor have knowledge of the structure of the database at his or her site. BUSINESSOBJECTS shields users from these issues, thanks to a semantic layer that presents data in everyday business terms.
How this Guide is Organized

This guide is made up of 10 chapters. There is a general table of contents at the beginning of the guide, and a table of contents at the beginning of each chapter. There is also a full index.
Chapter contents
Chapter 1 introduces the User module; it sets forth basic BUSINESSOBJECTS
concepts, describes the BUSINESSOBJECTS semantic layer and introduces the demo database, universe and reports that are included with the software.
Chapter 2 provides information on reports, how to create them by using the New Report Wizard, and how to retrieve data from a database or data file. It also explains how to save documents. Chapter 3 explains how to work on the structure of reports, how to display data
in tables, charts and crosstabs, and how to move and remove data.
Chapter 4 covers methods for controlling data in reports, by breaking up tables and crosstabs, controlling the order in which data appears, filtering and ranking data, and making calculations. Chapter 5 explains how to analyze data in slice and dice mode and in drill mode, using the EXPLORER and ANALYZER components of the User module. Chapter 6 illustrates how to format reports, to get the perfect look you want.
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Chapter 7 explains how to publish your documents on the web, and how to print
them.
Chapter 8 describes how to send and retrieve documents to and from other users. Chapter 9 explains how to submit documents for scheduled processing, using DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. Scheduled processing enables you to print, refresh and send documents at set times. Chapter 10 covers ways of sharing data between applications such as Microsoft Excel and BUSINESSOBJECTS.
The guide also contains an appendix on the use of BUSINESSOBJECTS variables (BOUSER and BOPASS). Finally, there is a glossary which provides definitions of key BUSINESSOBJECTS concepts.
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Preface
Conventions Used in this Guide

The conventions used in this guide are described in the table below:
Convention
...........................................................
The names of all BUSINESSOBJECTS product modules: DESIGNER, SUPERVISOR, BUSINESSOBJECTS User module, etc. The names of BUSINESSOBJECTS classes, objects and conditions. For example, Customer, Sales, Revenue, Service, etc. SQL syntax or @ function syntax. For example: @Select(Country\Country Id) References to advanced topics in the online help. These advanced topics are covered only in the help, not in this guide. References to topics in this guide.
How Used
Small capitals
The AvantGarde font The Courier font
Note: The illustrations and procedures that appear in this guide are based on
Windows 95.
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Preface
Online Help
The BUSINESSOBJECTS User module features extensive online help which consists of step-by-step procedures, and reference information for all commands, toolbar buttons, and options. In the online help, all the basic tasks you can perform with BUSINESSOBJECTS are described in Using BUSINESSOBJECTS. More advanced tasks for more advanced users are described in Going Further with BUSINESSOBJECTS. The ways in which you can find information in the online help are described in the following paragraphs.
Using the Help Index

The Help index enables you to find information by typing a keyword. For example, if you want to find out about crosstabs, type crosstabs. The index then locates the keyword and all the information related to it. To use the help index: 1. Select the Search for Help on command from the Help menu. The Help Topics: BusinessObjects 4.1 dialog box appears. The Index tab is active. 2. Type the keyword corresponding to the topic you want to find out about. The keyword is highlighted. 3. Press the Enter key on your keyboard. All the topics related to the keyword appear in the Topics Found dialog box. 4. Click the topic you want, then click Display. The topic you selected appears.
Finding Information Via the Welcome Screen

The Welcome screen is the cover page of the online help. From this screen you can move to any help topic concerning the user module. To go to the Help Welcome screen, select the BUSINESSOBJECTS Help command from the Help menu. In the Help Topics dialog box, select the Welcome to BUSINESSOBJECTS Help topic then click Display.
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Finding Information About the BusinessObjects Interface

You can find information about a dialog box or any other element of the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface. There are three ways of doing this: Click the Help button on the toolbar, or hold down the Shift key and press the F1 key. A question mark appears next to the cursor. Click the menu command, toolbar or other interface element you want to find out about. The corresponding help information appears. Click the Help button in a dialog box. The information on the active interface element appears. Press the F1 key. The information on the active interface element appears.
Help
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Related BusinessObjects References

The following guides are related BUSINESSOBJECTS references: Getting Started with Reports (Part No. 302-10-410-01). This tutorial presents a step-by-step introduction to working with the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. It describes how to create, structure and format a report, as well as how to perform analysis. BusinessObjects Developers Guide (Part No. 344-10-410-01). This guide provides information on the Application Development Environment features of BUSINESSOBJECTS. It explains how to use the ReportScript Editor and Dialog Editor for creating scripts in the BUSINESSOBJECTS USER module. In addition, this guide describes the use of OLE Automation for creating BUSINESSOBJECTS scripts. ReportScript Basic Language Guide (Part No. 345-10-410-01). This guide contains reference information on the ReportScript Basic language. It describes the language syntax, the statements and functions provided with ReportScript Basic, and includes numerous programming examples. BusinessObjects Object Model Diagram (Part No. 254-10-410-01). This foldout diagram contains reference information on the classes, properties and methods available with the Application Development Environment. Supervisors Guide (Part No. 311-10-410-01). This guide presents the information that BusinessObjects supervisors need to define users and user groups, to create the BusinessObjects repository, and to assign resources to users. Designers Guide (Part No. 307-10-410-01) provides detailed instructions on creating simple to complex universes, the semantic layer that represents database structure in everyday business terms. It also contains information on managing and distributing universes as well as workgroup issues. Document Agent Server Administrators Guide (Part No. 312-10-410-01) is about DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, a module that offers scheduled or batch processing of documents. BusinessObjects V4.1 Installation Guide (Part No. 313-10-410-01) gives complete instructions on installing the BUSINESSOBJECTS product at your site.
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Preface
BusinessQuery for Excel Users Guide (Part No. 305-10-410-01) explains how to return data from relational databases to Excel using the BUSINESSOBJECTS query technique. It also contains information on managing and updating workbooks containing query data. BusinessMiner Users Guide (Part No. 343-10-410-01) describes data mining using BUSINESSMINER. Data mining is the analysis of data and the use of software techniques for extracting hidden, comprehensible, and useful information from databases. References also include one guide for each RDBMS supported by BUSINESSOBJECTS V4.1: IBM DB2 Database Guide (Part No. 325-10-410-01) Informix Database Guide (Part No. 322-10-410-01) Generic ODBC and Demo Database Guide (Part No. 334-10-410-01) Microsoft Database Guide (Part No. 341-10-410-01) Oracle Database Guide (Part No. 320-10-410-01) Sybase Database Guide (Part No. 321-10-410-01) ODBC Family Guide (Part No. 342-10-410-01) Teradata Database Guide (Part No. 324 -10-400-01) Red Brick Database Guide (Part No. 333-10-400-01). For an updated list of currently supported RDBMS, please contact your Business Objects sales representative.
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Your Comments are Welcome

At the back of this guide is a Readers Comment Form which we encourage you to send to us with any suggestions, ideas or comments that you may have regarding this guide. Your opinions are the most important input we receive as we revise BUSINESSOBJECTS documentation. If you would like to contact us directly, you can access the Documentation Team on the Business Objects World Wide Web site at: http://www.businessobjects.com This site also provides information on contacting our technical support services.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Welcome to the BusinessObjects User Module 2
BusinessObjects Makes it Easy to Access Data 2 The Demonstration Database, Universe and Reports 4
u The BusinessObjects Product Line 7
BusinessObjects Users Guide 1
Chapter 1 Introduction
Welcome to the BusinessObjects User Module

BUSINESSOBJECTS is the solution you have chosen to answer your decision support needs. It is the first fully integrated query, reporting and data analysis tool. The BUSINESSOBJECTS User module enables you to create reports that display accurate, up-to-date data from your corporate and/or personal databases. You analyze the data in a report to find answers to questions on a business situation. The diagram below shows part of a BUSINESSOBJECTS report:
Part of a report, where data is displayed in a table and in a chart.
BusinessObjects Makes it Easy to Access Data

BUSINESSOBJECTS makes it easy to access data, because you work with data in business terms that are familiar to you. Whats more, you do not need any knowledge of the database structure, or of database technology, to be able to create powerful reports with data that is relevant to your work.
Universes
Universes provide the business-intelligent, semantic layer that isolates you from the technical issues of the database. A universe maps to data in the database, in everyday terms that describe your business situation. Universes are made up of classes and objects. For example, the objects in a human resources universe would be Names, Addresses, Salaries, etc. Classes are logical groupings of objects. Each class has a meaningful name, such as Vacation (for objects pertaining to employees vacations). Each object maps to data in the database, and enables you to retrieve data for your reports. In your company or organization, universes are created by a universe designer, using the BUSINESSOBJECTS DESIGNER module. The designer then makes universes available to you and other users at your site, so that you can access the data you want from the database.
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A demo universe that maps to a demo database, as well as some sample reports, are delivered with BUSINESSOBJECTS. A full description of these is provided in The Demonstration Database, Universe and Reports below.
Queries
Queries enable you to retrieve data in a database, via a universe. You build a query to bring data to a report, either when you create the report or when you want to view new data. When you build a query, you select objects from a universe, then run the query. BUSINESSOBJECTS connects to the database, and retrieves the data mapped by the objects you selected.
Other ways of accessing data

Building a query on a universe is the most common way of accessing data in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can also: Use stored procedures (on certain databases only). Open or write your own Structured Query Language (SQL) scripts. This technique is referred to as free-hand SQL in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Access data in personal data files, namely Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, ASCII and dBASE files. Access Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) servers.
The Demonstration Database, Universe and Reports

A demonstration database, universe and demonstration reports are included in the BUSINESSOBJECTS package. They are installed with BUSINESSOBJECTS, and used in the examples in this guide and in the online help. The database runs on Microsoft Access. The universe, which accesses the data in the database, is called Island Resorts Marketing. It is designed for an imaginary tour operator that runs beach clubs in different resorts around the world. You use it to retrieve data on sales and reservations for resorts and customers, over time. A description of the universe is provided in The demonstration universe, below. The BUSINESSOBJECTS package also includes reports, which display data from the demo database. They are Tutorial.rep and Annual.rep. Tutorial.rep accompanies the Getting Started with Reports guide for novice users. The demo reports are located in the UserDocs folder, under the BusinessObjects folder on your hard disk.
The demonstration universe

The following sections describe the universe that is delivered with BUSINESSOBJECTS, entitled Island Resorts Marketing. The illustration on page 6 shows the universes classes and objects as they appear in the application interface. Because universes provide a business-intelligent semantic layer between you and the database, the names of the classes and objects in the demonstration universe are self-explanatory. For example, the Resort class contains objects that map to data on resorts: The Resort object retrieves the names of the companys resorts. The Service object retrieves data for the types of services in each resort: accommodation, food and drinks, and recreation. The Service Line object retrieves data for the types of service in each resort, e.g., family suite (for accommodation), restaurant (for food and drinks), etc. For more information on classes and the different types of objects you find in BUSINESSOBJECTS, refer to Classes and subclasses and Dimension objects, measure objects and detail objects below.
Classes and subclasses
The demonstration universe contains five classes: Region, Customer, Sales, Reservations and Measures. The purpose of classes is to provide logical groupings of objects. For example, the Customer class contains objects that you map to data on customers in the database. The Customer class contains a subclass, which is entitled Sponsor. A subclass is to a class what a subfolder is to a folder.
Dimension objects, measure objects and detail objects
When creating universes, universe designers define and qualify objects. The qualification of an object reveals how it can be used in analysis in reports. An object can be qualified as a dimension, a detail, or a measure. Each type of object serves a different purpose: Dimension objects retrieve the data that will provide the basis for analysis in a report. Dimension objects typically retrieve character-type data (customer names, resort names, etc.), or dates (years, quarters, reservation dates, etc.) A detail object is always associated to one dimension object, on which it provides additional information. For example, Address is a detail object that is associated to Customer. Address provides additional information on customers, i.e., their addresses. Measure objects retrieve numeric data that is the result of calculations on data in the database. In the demo universe, Revenue is the calculation of number of items sold multiplied by item price. Measure objects are usually located in the Measures class. Measure objects are semantically dynamic: the values they return depend on the objects they are used with. For example, if you include Resort and Revenue in a query, revenue per resort is calculated. If you include Customer and Revenue, revenue per customer is calculated, and so on.
Dimension object
Detail object
Measure object
A folder represents a class. Each icon within a class represents an object.
The demonstration universe, Island Resorts Marketing
The BusinessObjects Product Line
The BusinessObjects Product Line

The BUSINESSOBJECTS product line is the industry-leading enterprise decision support solution, providing integrated query, reporting and analysis. The product line is made up of an end-user toolset and an Information Systems (IS) toolset. The end-user toolset consists of the following: The BUSINESSOBJECTS User module, the main tool for querying, analysis, and reporting. It can include two optional modules for multidimensional analysis: EXPLORER and ANALYZER. BUSINESSQUERY, which integrates BUSINESSOBJECTS data access technology with Microsoft Excel. WEBINTELLIGENCE, the first enterprise query, reporting, and analysis tool for the World Wide Web. WEBINTELLIGENCE enables you to build BUSINESSOBJECTS reports by querying databases from a web browser. BUSINESSMINER, which enables end users to discover and work with hidden relationships in data. BUSINESSMINER is available as a stand-alone product, or as an option for the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. OLAP ACCESS PACKS, which enable you to create BUSINESSOBJECTS reports by querying OLAP servers. The IS toolset consists of the following: DESIGNER, which is used to create universes and distribute them to users. SUPERVISOR, which is used to create the repository, administer users and security, and manage resources. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, which enables administrators to monitor and control the batch or scheduled processing of documents.
Chapter 2
Creating Reports
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Overview 10
Reports 10 Documents 12
u Launching BusinessObjects 13 u Using the New Report Wizard to Create a Report 14
Specifying Report Layout and a Universe to Use 15 Building a Basic Query 17 Building a More Powerful Query 20
u Saving the Report Inside Its Document 29
Enterprise Mode and Workgroup Mode 30 Changing a Documents Name, Folder or File Format 30 Setting Options for Saving Documents and Other Files 33
u Creating a Blank Report 34 u Copying a Report Inside a Document 35 u Sample Reports 36
Chapter 2 Creating Reports
Overview
Creating reports is the cornerstone of your work with the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. It is the task that enables you to understand a business situation, by obtaining and displaying data from a database. BUSINESSOBJECTS includes a wizard, the New Report Wizard, that makes it easy to create reports.
Reports
Reports present data that describes the activity of your company or organization. The data for reports can come from your corporate database or from personal data files, or from a combination of these. In the same report, you can display this data in a number of different ways.
Templates provide report layout and formats

When you create a report, you can use a template to give the report its layout and formats. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides templates that you can select when you create reports. Advanced users can also create their own templates, which they can share with other users. When you create a report using the New Report Wizard, you select the template that provides the layout you want the report to have. BUSINESSOBJECTS also provides an option which applies standard layout and formats to the report. You can then modify the layout and formats to suit your needs. The template you select applies the following elements to the report: A general structure. For example, several of the templates delivered with BUSINESSOBJECTS have a master/detail structure. You can find an illustration of a master/detail report on page 36. A structure for the blocks of data in the report. Blocks can be tables, which consist of columns, crosstabs, which consist of columns and rows, or charts. Illustrations of each type of block are provided on page 36. Colors, line styles and patterns. Number, date and text formats. A title (optional). Graphics such as your companys logo (optional). A sum to be applied to numeric data (optional).
Overview
Data providers, such as queries, bring data to the report

When you create a report, you specify the data that you want to display. To do this, you build a query or other type of data provider. A data provider is the mechanism that brings data from its source (a database, or a personal data file) to your report. You build a data provider by specifying the data that you want to retrieve from the database or data file. The data that the data provider retrieves is stored in the report, in a structure referred to as a microcube. BUSINESSOBJECTS works with five types of data providers, which are described in the following table:
Data providers Queries Description
You use a query to retrieve data from a relational databases, via a universe. A universe consists of classes and objects that represent parts of the database that contain the data you need, in everyday language that is meaningful to you. You build a query by selecting objects from a universe. You can only use stored procedures if your supervisor or IS department has provided them, and if the RDBMS at your site supports them. A stored procedure is a SQL (Structured Query Language) script, saved and executable on your database. You can use free-hand SQL if you are familiar with SQL, which is the computer language used to interact with relational databases. In free-hand SQL, you create a data provider by opening or writing a SQL script. You can retrieve data from Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE and ASCII files. You can view the contents of an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) server, and select the data you want to display in your report. OLAP servers are multidimensional databases that store summarized data, ready for business analysis.
Stored procedures
Free-hand SQL
Personal data files
OLAP servers
Documents
When you create a new report using the New Report Wizard, you also create a new document. You save the document as a file that you can send to other BUSINESSOBJECTS users. BUSINESSOBJECTS documents can contain one or many reports. The data displayed in the reports in one document can come from different sources. For example, you can display data from your corporate database and data from a personal Excel file in the same report. You can display this and other data in all the reports in the same document, but you cannot transfer data between documents.
How data is stored in a document

The structure that stores the data in the document is known as the microcube. You can use the data in the microcube in any report you create inside the same document. One of the powerful features of the microcube is that it enables you to display only the data you want to see in a report. Any non-displayed data is still present in the microcube, which means that you can use it whenever you like, in any report inside the same document. This feature is particularly useful when you want to analyze data: you display only the data that is pertinent for your analysis. Analyzing data is described in Chapter 5.
Launching BusinessObjects
Launching BusinessObjects
As soon as you have launched BUSINESSOBJECTS, you are ready to create reports: 1. Click the BUSINESSOBJECTS program from the BusinessObjects command of the Programs menu. The User Identification dialog box appears:
2. Enter the user name and password that your BUSINESSOBJECTS Supervisor provided. Then, click OK. The User Identification dialog box closes. The BUSINESSOBJECTS window opens, and the Welcome dialog box of the New Report Wizard appears:
Using the New Report Wizard to Create a Report

By default, the New Report Wizard appears when you launch BUSINESSOBJECTS (as described on page 13). You can also invoke the New Report Wizard by clicking New Report Wizard on the toolbar. The New Report Wizard enables you to create a new report in three steps: First, you specify the layout that you want the report to have. You can generate a standard report, or select a template. A standard report contains predefined styles, e.g., colors, and displays the report data in a table. A template applies predefined styles and a structure to the report. Second, you specify the type of data provider you want to use. The data provider is the mechanism that retrieves data from the database or file. The types of data providers that you can use are queries on universes, stored procedures, free-hand SQL scripts, personal data files and OLAP servers. You can find more information on data providers on page 11. Finally, you build the query (or other type of data provider). When you create a report by using the New Report Wizard, you also create a new document. Documents can contain one or many reports, which means that you can insert new reports in existing documents. The new reports you insert can be blank (refer to page 34) or can be copies of existing reports (refer to page 35).
New Report Wizard
Specifying Report Layout and a Universe to Use

1. Invoke the New Report Wizard. By default, Generate a standard report is selected in the wizards first dialog box. If you want to use a template for the new report, click Select a template. 2. Click Begin. If you chose to generate a standard report, the Data Access dialog box appears. This dialog box is illustrated on page 15. If you chose to select a template, the Select a Template dialog box appears. 3. In the Available Templates list, click the template you wish to use, then click Next. The Data Access dialog box appears. In this dialog box, you specify the way that you access the data for the report you are creating. Here we describe how to access data via a universe. 4. Click Universe then click Next. The Select a Universe dialog box appears:
If the universe designer entered a help text on the universe, it appears here.
5. Click the universe you wish to use, then click Finish. The Query Panel appears. This is the interface you use to build a query. For information on the Query Panel and how you use it, refer to Building a Basic Query on page 17.
Setting a default template and universe

You set a default template and/or a default universe if you always want to use the same template and/or universe when you create reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides a default template, but you can use one of your own templates as the default. To set a default template and universe: 1. Select the Options command on the Tools menu. In the Options dialog box that appears, click the New Document tab. 2. Click Invoke the New Report Wizard with the following settings:
3. Click the template and/or the universe you want to use by default, then click OK. Once you have set a default universe, you can create reports based on the default template and universe, without using the New Report Wizard. When you click the New button or select the New command from the File menu, the Query Panel appears. The Classes and Objects list presents the classes and objects of the default universe. When you build the query, the data appears in the layout provided by the default template you set.
New
Building a Basic Query

The third step in creating a report is to build the query on the universe you selected in the New Report Wizard. You complete this task in the Query Panel, a graphical interface that enables you to build a query by dragging and dropping objects from the universe. The Query Panel is illustrated on page 18.
Viewing the objects that you can include in the query

In the Query Panel, the Classes and Objects box presents the classes, sub-classes and objects of the universe that you are using. Objects represent the data that you can retrieve via the universe. Classes are logical groupings of objects. Classes can also contain sub-classes, as folders can contain sub-folders. When the Query Panel appears, only the universes classes are visible. Click the + plus to the left of a class icon to view the classs objects and sub-classes.
Including objects in a query

When you include an object in the query, you instruct BUSINESSOBJECTS to retrieve the data for that object from the database. For example, to display revenue by resort in your report, you include the Revenue and Resort objects in the query. You include an object in a query by placing it in the Result Objects box. There are three ways of doing this. You can: Click an icon in the Classes and Objects list, and drag it to the Result Objects box. Double-click an object in the Classes and Objects list. Click a class folder and drag it to the Result Objects box. All the objects in the class appear in the Result Objects box. Once you have placed objects in the Result Objects box, you have built a basic query. You can click Run to have the query retrieve the data from the database.
The Query Panel
g a b
h c d
e i f j
a. Classes are represented by folders. b. Objects are represented by cubes, spheres or pyramids (here, by a cube). For information on the different types of objects in a universe, refer to Dimension objects, measure objects and detail objects on page 5. c. This button displays the universes predefined conditions. d. This button, selected by default, displays the universes classes and objects. e. Information on the selected class or object appears here. f. This button enables you to set options before running the query, for example to specify a maximum number of rows.
g. The Result Objects box displays the objects that are included in the query. h. The Conditions box displays conditions on the query. i. j. When you click View, the raw data retrieved by the query appears in the Data Manager. From the Data Manager, you can edit, accept or cancel the query. When you click Run, the query connects to the database and the data appears in the report.
Removing objects from a query

If you decide you want to remove an object from the query you are building, click its icon in the Result Objects box. You can now remove the object by: Dragging the icon to the Classes and Objects list. Pressing the Delete key. Clicking your right-mouse button, then selecting the Delete command on the pop-up menu that appears. Repeat to remove other objects from the query.
Changing the order of the objects in a query

The order in which the objects appear in the Result Objects box determines the order in which the data will appear in the report. To move an object, click its icon. You can now: Drag the icon to the left or the right, then release the mouse button. Swap the icon with another object icon in the Result Objects box, by holding down the Shift key, dragging it until it is above the object you want to swap, then releasing your mouse button.
Building a More Powerful Query

The most simple query contains objects only. However, the tasks described in the following sections enable you to control the data that your queries retrieve. You can: Define scope of analysis, which means that you retrieve data that you will later use for analysis in the report. Limit the query results to data that satisfies conditions. Sort data, for example alphabetically. Retrieve a specified number of rows of data. Eliminate duplicate rows of data from the query result. All the above tasks are easy to perform for non-technical end users. In the online help, you can find information on more powerful query tasks that are designed for advanced users. For example, advanced users can create their own objects inside a universe. The following table presents the advanced topics and indicates the keywords to use in the help index. For information on using the help index, refer to Using the Help Index on page xi.
Topic/Keyword Provides information on
user objects complex conditions sorts
Creating your own objects in existing universes. Creating conditions by dragging an object to the Conditions box, then entering your own parameters. Using the Sorts dialog box to apply more than one sort on a query, define sort priority, and apply sorts on objects that are not result objects. Editing, customizing and purging objects lists of values. Applying more than one condition on the same query. Working with the SQL a query generates. Obtaining specific results by combining two or more queries in the Query Panel at the same time.
lists of values groups of conditions SQL scripts combined queries
Defining scope of analysis

Analysis means looking at data from different viewpoints and on different levels of detail. In reports, you can slice and dice data, which means restructuring a report to analyze the data from a new slant. You can also work in drill mode, which enables you to display data in progressively greater detail. Scope of analysis means a subset of data, returned by a query, that you will use for analysis in your report. The data for your scope of analysis does not appear in the report until you decide that you want to use it in analysis. The scope of analysis you can define depends on hierarchies in the universe. A hierarchy, which the designer sets up when creating the universe, consists of dimension objects ranked from less detailed to more detailed. The objects that belong to hierarchies are the ones you can use to define scope of analysis. To view the hierarchies in the universe you are working with, click the Scope of Analysis button on the Query Panel toolbar. The Scope of Analysis dialog box appears:
Scope of Analysis
Click the + sign to the left of the hierarchys folder to view the objects it contains. A check appears next to the objects that are included in the scope of analysis.
HIerarchies are represented by folders.
Note: If a universe contains no hierarchies, its classes are used as hierarchies by
default.
To define default scope of analysis
Once you include one object that belongs to a hierarchy in a query, you can define a default scope of analysis that includes other objects from the same hierarchy. For example, the Resort object belongs to the Resort hierarchy. Once you include Resort in a query, you can automatically include Service Line and Service objects in your scope of analysis, as these objects also belong to the Resort hierarchy. To use this feature, first insert an object from a hierarchy in the Result Objects box. Then, click the arrow on the Scope of Analysis list box on the Query Panel toolbar:
This list enables you to include one, two or three objects from the hierarchy in your scope of analysis. For example, if you insert Resort in the Result Objects box, then click One Level Down, your scope of analysis contains the object below Resort (i.e., Service Line) in the Resort hierarchy. Click the option that corresponds to the number of objects you want to include in your scope of analysis. This option is now active in the Scope of Analysis list box. When you run the query, the report displays the data for the objects that you included in the Result Objects box of the Query Panel. The data for the objects in your scope of analysis is not displayed, but it is available for use in analysis.
To define scope of analysis manually
Instead of using the default method described in the previous section, you can manually select the dimension objects you want. To do this: 1. Click the Scope of Analysis button in the Query Panel toolbar. The Scope of Analysis dialog box appears.
Scope of Analysis
2. Click inside the checkbox of each object you want to include in your scope of analysis. 3. Click OK to return to the Query Panel. In the Scope of Analysis list box on the Query Panel toolbar, Custom Level is shown, which indicates that you manually defined your scope of analysis.
Tip: You can select all the objects in a hierarchy by clicking the hierarchys check
box in the Scope of Analysis dialog box.
Applying conditions on queries

A condition is a way of limiting the data that a query returns. For example, the Resort object retrieves five values: Australian Reef, Bahamas Beach, French Riviera, Hawaiian Club and Royal Caribbean. You can apply a condition on the Resort object to stipulate that you want to retrieve the data for only one, two, three or four of the resorts. In this guide, you learn how to apply two kinds of conditions, which are: Predefined conditions that universe designers create when they build universes. Your own simple conditions, which you create by selecting the values that you want an object to retrieve. In the online help, you can find information on other ways of working with conditions:
complex conditions lists of values groups of conditions
Creating conditions by dragging an object to the Conditions box, then entering your own parameters. Editing, customizing and purging the lists of values you can use in conditions. Applying more than one condition on the same query.
To apply a predefined condition
When the universe designer builds a universe, he or she can create conditions for you to use. These predefined conditions belong to a class in the same way that an object does. You can apply one or more of these conditions when you build a query. However, you can neither delete predefined conditions from a universe, nor can you edit their definition. To apply a predefined condition: 1. Click the Predefined Conditions radio button, which is located below the Classes and Objects box in the Query Panel. The Predefined Conditions box replaces the Classes and Objects box. The predefined conditions in the demo universe are illustrated here:
Predefined Conditions
2. Double-click the predefined condition you want to apply. The condition appears in the Conditions box.
To remove a predefined condition
Click the conditions icon in the Conditions box, then press the Delete key.
To apply your own simple condition
Simple Condition
Before you can apply a simple condition on an object, you must include the object in the query. Then, you click the objects icon in the Result Objects box and click the Simple Condition button on the toolbar. When you click the Simple Condition button, the list of values for the object is retrieved from the database, and appears in the List of Values dialog box:
Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard, click the values you want the object to retrieve, then click OK. When you run the query, only the data corresponding to the values you selected will appear in the report.
To select different values for a simple condition
Once you have applied a simple condition on an object in a query, you can modify it by selecting different values for the object to return. To do this: 1. In the Conditions box of the Query Panel, click the value(s) that appear(s) on the right-hand side of the condition. The Classes and Objects box becomes the Operands box. 2. Double-click the "Show list of values" operand. The object's list of values appears in the List of Values dialog box. 3. If you want to select more values for the condition, hold down the Ctrl key and then, in the List of Values dialog box, click each value that you want the object to retrieve. 4. Click any selected values that you do not want the object to retrieve, and click OK.
To delete a simple condition
Click the condition in the Conditions box, then press the Delete key.
Applying sorts on objects

Sorts control the order in which data appears: ascending or descending. For example, you can apply a sort on a measure object so that its data appears in ascending order, i.e., from lowest to highest values. The following table summarizes the order in which data appears:
Text Ascending order Numbers Dates
A-Z Z-A
lowest to highest highest to lowest
past to present present to past
Descending order
To apply a sort on an object
1. Click an object in the Result Objects box.

Sort
2. Click the Sort button on the toolbar. A sort icon appears below the object icon in the Result Objects box.
To remove a sort
There are two ways of doing this: Click the sort icon and press the Delete key. Drag the sort icon from the object in the Result Objects box, to the Classes and Objects list, where you release your mouse button. In both cases, the sort icon disappears from the object in the Result Objects box.
To invert a sort
Double-click the sort icon below the object. The arrow in the sort icon appears the other way up, to indicate that you have inverted the sort.
To define sort priority and apply transparent sorts
When you apply more than one sort on a query, you may want to define sort priority. Also, you can apply transparent sorts, i.e., on objects that are not result objects, provided that the database at your site supports this feature. To define sort priority or apply transparent sorts, click the Manage Sorts button on the Query Panel toolbar. The Sorts dialog box appears.
Manage Sorts
To find out more about these tasks, click the Help button in the Sorts dialog box.
Setting options and running a query

Before running a query, you can set options that enable you to: Specify the number of rows of data that you want the query to return. The Default Value option corresponds to the maximum number of rows that the universe designer specified for queries on the current universe, in the DESIGNER module. Eliminate duplicate rows of data. This feature is useful if you think that the query will return many rows containing the same data. Retrieve no data when you run the query. In this case, the querys SQL is generated, but no connection to the database is made. The names of the objects included in the query appear as column headings in the report. This option is useful if you want to save the query you have built, but refresh it at an off-peak time. To set options, then run a query: 1. Click Options in the Query Panel. The Query Options dialog box appears. 2. Click No Duplicate Rows if you want to eliminate duplicate rows of data from the query result. 3. To obtain a partial result, you can: Click 10 rows or 20 rows. Enter a number of rows in the Other field. You can use the arrows to raise or lower the value. 4. Click Do Not Retrieve Data if you do not want the query to connect to the database when you run it. When you refresh the query, this option will be automatically switched off, meaning that the query will connect to the database and the data will appear in the report. For information on refreshing queries, refer to Refreshing a Query on page 88 and Chapter 9, Submitting Documents for Scheduled Processing. 5. Click OK to return to the Query Panel. Once you are satisfied with the query you have built, click Run. The query connects to the database, and retrieves the data you specified. The report that appears displays the data for the objects that you placed in the Result Objects box in the Query Panel.
Saving the Report Inside Its Document

When you create a new report using the New Report Wizard, you also create a new document. This section describes how to: Save the document, Ensure that the document is available for other users, and Save the document in a different format (e.g., as a template) and/or folder. BUSINESSOBJECTS also provides powerful features for publishing your reports on the worldwide web. This process requires that you save documents in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format. For information on web publishing, refer to Chapter 7. To save a document 1. Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar, or select the Save command on the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears. By default, the UserDocs folder is active and the file name is Documentn. 2. If you wish, type a different name in the File Name box. 3. Click Save. The Save As dialog box closes. The name you gave the document now appears in the title bar of the application window. The default file extension for BUSINESSOBJECTS documents is .rep.
Save
Enterprise Mode and Workgroup Mode

BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you save documents in either enterprise or workgroup mode: Enterprise mode means that you are working connected to a repository. Workgroup mode means that you are working without a repository. The mode in which you save your documents determines whether other users are able to access them, as indicated in the following table:
Users working in... Can access documents saved in...
Workgroup mode Enterprise mode
workgroup mode only. workgroup mode and enterprise mode.
By default, a document is saved in the mode in which you are already working. For example, if you launched a session in enterprise mode, any document you save is automatically in that mode. However, if you want to make a document accessible to another user working without a repository, then check the Save for all users option in the Save as dialog box (Save As command, File menu).
Changing a Documents Name, Folder or File Format

By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS documents are saved with the .rep file extension in the UserDocs folder. However, you can change a documents name, folder and file format. The following sections describe how to save a document: As a template that you can use in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can apply the structure and the styles of a template to new reports and to existing reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides templates, but to meet your individual needs, you may need to create your own. As a text file that you can work with in text editors, or as a rich text format (.rtf) document that you can work with in word processing applications. With a different name and/or in a different folder. As a BUSINESSQUERY file that you can work with in BUSINESSQUERY for Excel.
Reminder: Saving a document in HTML format is described in Chapter 7, which
is devoted to the subject of web publishing.
To save a document as a template

You can apply templates to new reports and to existing reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides templates, but to meet your individual needs, you may need to create your own. To do so: 1. Open a document, then click the tab of the report that you want to use as the template. 2. Select the Save As command on the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears. 3. Click the Save as type box, then click BusinessObjects Templates (*.ret). The Template folder is now active. 4. If necessary, type a different name, then click Save. If not, simply click Save. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes a copy of the document and saves it as a template. The original document remains on your screen.
To save a document in text or rich text format

1. Open the document, then select the Save As command on the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. In the Save as type box, click: Text file (*.txt), or Rich text format (*.rtf). 3. Click Save. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes a copy of the document and saves it in the specified format. The original document remains on your screen.
To change a documents name and/or folder

1. Open the document, then select the Save As command on the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. Type a new name in the File name box. 3. Select the folder in which you want to save the document, then click Save. The newly named and/or located document appears on your screen.
To save a document as a BusinessQuery file

BUSINESSQUERY for Excel users build queries on universes in Microsoft Excel. By saving a document as a BUSINESSQUERY file, you can transfer data obtained in BUSINESSOBJECTS to BUSINESSQUERY. Then, you can work with the query using the functionality of both BUSINESSQUERY and Microsoft Excel. Saving a document as a BUSINESSQUERY file is only possible if all the following conditions are satisfied: The current document contains only one data provider. The data provider is a query on a universe. The query returns only one microcube. To save a document as a BUSINESSQUERY file: 1. Select the Save As command on the File menu. 2. Move to the folder in which you want to save the document. Note that the default folder for BUSINESSQUERY files is C:\BusinessObjects\UserBQY\UniverseName, where UniverseName corresponds to the universe on which the query was built. 3. Select BusinessQuery files (*.bqy) in the Save as type box. 4. If you wish, type a different name in the File name box, then click OK. Otherwise, simply click OK. For information on working with the query in BUSINESSQUERY, refer to the BusinessQuery Users Guide.
Setting Options for Saving Documents and Other Files

You can set options for saving, refreshing and sharing documents. Using these options, you can: Always enter information on the document when you save it. Automatically save open documents at set intervals, for example every hour. Specify a folder (directory) where you save your documents. By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS saves documents in the UserDocs folder. To set these options, select the Options command from the Tools menu. When the Options dialog box appears, click the Save tab:
a b
a. Click here to display a dialog box when you save documents. In the dialog box, you enter information on the document. b. Click here to save documents automatically. Enter a value in the Minutes box.
If you want to specify a folder where you save your documents, select the File Locations tab. Select User Documents in the File Types list, then click Change. In the dialog box that appears, select the folder you want to use by default, then click OK. You can follow the same procedure to select default folders for saving the other types of BUSINESSOBJECTS files (templates, scripts, etc.) Note that you must always save universes in the Universe folder.
Creating a Blank Report

Creating a blank report enables you to design special features before you display any data in it. For example, you can work on the reports title or apply a page background first, then build a query or other data provider to display data in the report. You can: Create a blank report inside an existing document. To do this, open a document, then select the Report command from the Insert menu. A new, blank report appears inside the document. Systematically create a blank report inside a new document, when you select the New command from the File menu, or click the New button. To do this, select the Options command from the Tools menu. When the Options dialog box appears, click the New Document tab. Click Systematically Create Blank Document. The next time you click the New button or select the New command from the File menu, a blank report inside a new document appears. For information on displaying data in a blank report, refer to Inserting a Table, Crosstab or a Chart in a Report on page 53.
New
Copying a Report Inside a Document
Copying a Report Inside a Document

BUSINESSOBJECTS documents can contain one or many reports, which means that you can add reports to existing documents. To make a copy of an existing report inside the document: 1. Open the document that contains the report you want to copy. 2. With your right-mouse button, click the tab of the report you want to copy. 3. Select the Duplicate Report command on the pop-up menu that appears. A copy of the active report appears in a new tab inside the document. The name that appears in the tab is <<Report Namen +(1)>>. For example, if the report you copied is named Sales, the new report is named Sales (1). Note that the Duplicate Report command is also available on the Edit menu.
Sample Reports
This section presents some sample reports which illustrate the different types of layouts you can work with in BUSINESSOBJECTS. A reports layout dictates the way the data in the report is displayed. A report can consist of one or more large blocks of data. However, most reports consist of sections, inside which smaller blocks of data are shown. Blocks can be tables, crosstabs or charts. Reports that consist of sections are referred to as master/ detail reports. The following illustrations introduce you to some basic report types, namely: A report where all the data is displayed in one table. A master/detail report which displays data in more than one table. A master/detail report which displays data in crosstabs. A master/detail report which displays data in charts.
This report shows revenue per financial year. All the data is displayed in one table. You can apply a master/detail structure to the report, as illustrated in the next sample report.
Sample Reports
This report has a master/detail layout. Master/detail reports make it easy to view data over time, or by location, for example. In this report, revenue per financial year is clearly shown. The data for financial years (FY93, FY94, FY95) is the master, and is displayed in master cells. The data in the tables corresponds to the master. The combination of a master cell and a table makes up a section. For information on how to structure an existing report as a master/detail report, refer to Chapter 3.
This master/detail report shows revenue per quarter per financial year. The revenue per quarter is displayed in crosstabs. Crosstabs present numeric data such as revenue at the intersection of columns and rows. In this example, a column lists Accommodation, Food & Drinks and Recreation. The row that runs along the top of the crosstab displays Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. For information on how to build crosstabs from tables, refer to Chapter 3.
Sample Reports
This master/detail report shows revenue per quarter per financial year. The revenue per quarter is displayed in pie charts. BUSINESSOBJECTS includes five types of charts for you to work with: pie charts, column charts, area charts, line charts and scatter charts. You can display data in tables and in charts inside the same report. For information on turning tables into charts, adding charts to reports and working with different chart types, refer to Chapter 3.
The BUSINESSOBJECTS User module includes sample reports that you can work with. These reports, located in the UserDocs folder, are briefly described here: Annual.rep is a master/detail report that shows yearly revenue per resort. The report displays data in a combination of column charts and tables. Tutorial.rep displays data in one table. It accompanies the Getting Started with Reports guide, designed to familiarize you with creating and editing reports. Both reports display data from the demonstration database.
Chapter 3
Building on Existing Reports
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Overview 43 u Opening Documents 44
0pening BusinessObjects 4.x Documents 44 Working with Reports and Charts from Version 3.1 44 Opening BusinessQuery and WebIntelligence Files 45
u Displaying, Renaming and Deleting Reports 46 u Working with Master/Detail Reports 47
Structuring an Existing Report As a Master/Detail Report 49 Building a Master/Master/Detail Report 50 Re-Organizing a Master/Detail Report 51 Undoing a Master/Detail Report 52
u Inserting a Table, Crosstab or a Chart in a Report 53
Inserting a Table 54 Inserting a Crosstab 55 Inserting a Chart 57
Chapter 3 Building on Existing Reports
u Transforming Tables, Crosstabs and Charts 58
Turning a Table or Crosstab into a Chart 58 Turning a Chart into a Table or Crosstab 58 Switching Between Chart Types 58
u Pivoting Data in Tables, Crosstabs and Charts 60
Accessing the Dialog Box You Use to Pivot Data 60 Removing or Hiding Data 62 Displaying Data 63 Moving Data 64 Building and Reducing Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts 65 Restructuring Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts 68
u Deleting Sections, Tables, Crosstabs and Charts 70 u Manipulating Cells, Columns and Rows 72
Selecting, Clearing and Deleting Cells, Columns and Rows 72 Inserting Cells, Columns and Rows 74 Displaying Data in Columns and Rows 75 Moving Cells, Columns and Rows 76
Overview
Overview
Once you have created or opened a report, you can build on it. You can change its structure, display its data in different ways, add data and remove data. This chapter describes how to: Open existing documents (including reports and charts from BUSINESSOBJECTS 3.1, plus BUSINESSQUERY and WEBINTELLIGENCE files). Display, rename and delete reports inside documents. Work with master/detail reports. Add tables, crosstabs and charts to existing reports. Turn tables into crosstabs, crosstabs into charts, charts into tables, etc. Pivot data in tables, crosstabs and charts, which enables you to display previously undisplayed data, to move data and to remove it. Pivoting also enables you to build crosstabs and 3-D matrix charts from tables and 2-D charts, respectively. Delete sections, tables, crosstabs and charts. Manipulate columns, rows and cells. For example, you can click inside a column, then move it, copy it or display different data in it.
Opening Documents
BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 is fully compatible with All documents created in BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.x Reports and charts from BUSINESSOBJECTS 3.1, and BUSINESSQUERY and WEBINTELLIGENCE files. This section describes how to open these files.
Opening BusinessObjects 4.x Documents

Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar.
Open
The Open dialog box appears, where you select the document(s) that you want to open, then click OK.
Working with Reports and Charts from Version 3.1

Reports and charts from BUSINESSOBJECTS version 3.1.x are fully compatible with the current version. You simply have to open the .req file that corresponds to the query on which the reports and charts were created. Here is the procedure: 1. Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar or select the Open command from the File menu. The Open dialog box appears. 2. Move to the folder where your .req files (3.1 query result files) are located, then select BusinessObjects 3.1 (*.req) in the Files of type list box. 3. Double-click the .req file you want. BUSINESSOBJECTS creates a new document containing a report for each report and chart associated to the 3.1 query.
Open
Opening Documents
Opening BusinessQuery and WebIntelligence Files

BUSINESSQUERY for Excel users build queries on universes in Microsoft Excel. WEBINTELLIGENCE users create BUSINESSOBJECTS reports by building queries from a web browser. You can work with data from queries created in BUSINESSQUERY or WEBINTELLIGENCE in the current version of BUSINESSOBJECTS. Here is the procedure: 1. Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar or select the Open command from the File menu. The Open dialog box appears. 2. Move to the directory containing the query file you want to open. 3. In the Files of type box, click the file type you want: BusinessQuery files (*.bqy), or WebIntelligence files (*.wqy). 4. Double-click the file. The data retrieved by the query appears in a new report.
Open
Displaying, Renaming and Deleting Reports

One document can contain many reports. Each report has a tab, which appears at the bottom of the document window:
You can: Switch from one report to another. To do this, click the tab of the report you want to display. Rename a report. To do this, click its tab with your right-mouse button. Select the Rename Report command. In the dialog box that appears, type the name you want to give the report, then click OK. The name you typed appears in the reports tab. Note that the Rename Report command is also available on the Format menu. Delete reports from the document, as long as the document contains more than one report. In other words, you cannot delete the last report in a document. To delete a report, click its tab with your right-mouse button. To delete more than one report, hold down your Shift key and click the tab of each report, then click your right-mouse button. Select the Delete Report command. A confirmation dialog box appears, where you confirm or cancel the deletion. Note that the Delete Report command is also available on the Edit menu.
Note: You cannot undo the deletion of a report.
Insert a blank report inside a document. For information on how to do this, refer to Creating a Blank Report on page 34. Make a copy of a report inside a document. For information on how to do this, refer to Copying a Report Inside a Document on page 35.
Working with Master/Detail Reports

Master/detail reports enable you to split large blocks of data into sections. Each section contains at least one block, and at least one master cell, as illustrated on the next page. Working with master/detail reports involves: Structuring an existing report as a master/detail report. For example, if a report displays all its data in one table, you can turn the report into a master/detail report by using a variable from the table as the master. You can perform this task by using drag-and-drop. Building a master/master/detail report. This type of report contains sections within sections. Moving the master to a table or a crosstab. Removing the master. Clearing the master but leaving the master cell. If you want to split up columns or rows of data in order to insert calculations, you can work with breaks. For more information on breaks, refer to Breaking up Tables and Crosstabs on page 93.
a b c
a. For each value of the master, Quarter, a section is created. One master value appears in a cell inside each section. In this section, the master value is Q1. b. The detail can be a table, crosstab or chart. It displays data that relates to the master. In this report, the detail is a table that shows revenue per resort. c. You can clearly see the sections in a master/detail report by activating the Section Delimiters command on the View menu.
Structuring an existing report as a master/detail report
Structuring an Existing Report As a Master/Detail Report

You can turn a report that displays its data in one table or crosstab into a master/ detail report, as illustrated above. Here is the procedure: 1. Open a report, and click inside the column or row that contains the data you want to use as master. 2. Click inside the data again, hold down the mouse button, and drag the data away from the table or crosstab. 3. Release the mouse button in a blank space in the report. The column or row of data you clicked is removed from the table or crosstab. For each of its values, a section is created. Each section contains: A master cell which displays one value, and A table or crosstab.
Note: The only way you can perform this task on data in a chart is in slice-and-
dice mode.
Building a Master/Master/Detail Report

Each section of a master/master/detail report contains a first master, then a second master. This structure enables you to view data on two levels of detail. The illustration below shows one section of a master/master/detail report. For FY93, the report displays revenue for each resort per quarter:
For information on how to build a master/master/detail report, refer to the steps on page 49.
Re-Organizing a Master/Detail Report

You can re-organize a master/detail report by using a different master. For example, if the master is Quarter, you can replace it by Year, provided that both these variables are available in the report. To use a different master: 1. Click inside the section whose master you want to change, then select the Section command from the Format menu, or the Format Section command from the pop-up menu. The Section Format dialog box appears:
2. Click Change. The Variables dialog box appears. 3. Click the variable you want to use as master, then click OK. Click Apply or OK in the Section Format dialog box, to recalculate the report with the new master.
Undoing a Master/Detail Report

You can undo a master/detail report in the following ways: By placing the master in the table or crosstab. By removing the master from the report. By clearing the master cell, (i.e., remove data from it), but leaving it in the report.
Placing the master in a table or a crosstab

1. Click the master cell. 2. Click the master cell again and hold down the mouse button. 3. Drag the cell to the table or crosstab, then release the mouse button.
Removing the master from the report

1. Click the master cell then select the Delete command from the Edit menu. 2. In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click Yes to remove the data, the master cell and the section from the report. No to remove the data and the master cell but to leave the section in the report.
Clearing the master cell

1. Click the master cell. 2. Select the Clear command from the Edit menu. The data from the master cell disappears, but the master cell remains.
Inserting a Table, Crosstab or a Chart in a Report

You can insert a new table, crosstab and/or chart in a report. In the table, crosstab or chart, you can display existing data from the document, or you can bring new data to the document by building a new query or other data provider. As the data in the new table, crosstab or chart may come from the existing document, it may be already displayed in the report you are working on. This means that you can display the same data in different formats. In the illustration below, some of the data from the table is displayed in the pie chart:
A table that displays revenue and number of guests per service line. The pie chart displays a summarized version - revenue by service line only. An explanation and an illustration of a crosstab are provided on page 55. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides a wizard that makes it easy to insert a table, crosstab or chart in an existing report. You can activate the wizard by clicking the appropriate button on the Report toolbar:
a. Insert a table. b. Insert a crosstab.
a b c
c. Insert a chart.
To display the Report toolbar, click the Standard toolbar (displayed by default) with your right-mouse button. Activate Report on the pop-up menu that appears. The following sections describe how to insert a table, crosstab or chart in which existing data from the document is displayed. The online help provides information on bringing new data to a document. To find the information: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. Type data in the Index tab, then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Scroll down to How do you access data from different sources?, then press Enter.
Inserting a Table
The procedure to insert a table in a report, using existing data from the document, is as follows: 1. Click inside a blank space in the report. 2. Click the Insert Table button on the Report toolbar, or select the Table command from the Insert menu. The cursor changes to a crosshair. 3. Click in a blank part of the report and hold down your mouse button. Drag the mouse to draw the area where the new table will appear. A fine gray border appears around the rectangle you have drawn, and, when you release your mouse button, the New Table Wizard appears. 4. Click the first option, Use existing data from the document, then click Begin. The next step is to specify the data that you want to display in the new table:
Insert Table
5. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the variables whose data you want to display in the new table, then click Finish. The wizard closes, and the new table appears in the area you drew.
Inserting a Crosstab
In a crosstab, data is displayed in columns and in rows. Corresponding data appears at the intersection of the columns and rows, which is also known as the body. The crosstab illustrated below displays revenue per service per quarter. The services appear in a column, the quarters in a row. Revenue appears in the body:
A row
The body
A column
The procedure to insert a crosstab in a report, using existing data from the document, is as follows: 1. Click inside a blank space in the report. 2. Click the Insert Crosstab button on the Report toolbar, or select the Crosstab command from the Insert menu. The cursor changes to a crosshair. 3. Click in a blank part of the report and hold down your mouse button. Drag the mouse to draw the area where the new crosstab will appear. A fine gray border appears around the rectangle you have drawn, and, when you release your mouse button, the New Crosstab wizard appears. 4. Click the first option, Use existing data from the document, then click Begin. The next step is to specify the data that you want to display in the crosstab.
Insert Crosstab
5. Hold down the Ctrl key and select the variables whose data you want to display, then click Next. In the next screen that appears, the variables you selected in the previous screen appear as icons in folders. There is one folder for columns, one for rows and a third folder for the body:
6. You can move variables from one folder to another. To do this, click an icon in one folder, hold down your mouse button and drag the icon to the folder of your choice. Repeat for any other variables that you want to move, then click Finish. The crosstab appears in the area you drew.
Inserting a Chart
The procedure to insert a chart in a report, using existing data from the document, is as follows: 1. Click inside a blank space in the report. 2. Click the Insert Chart button on the Report toolbar, or select the Chart command from the Insert menu. The cursor changes to a crosshair. 3. Click in a blank part of the report and hold down your mouse button. Drag the mouse to draw the area where the new chart will appear. A fine gray border appears around the rectangle you have drawn, and, when you release your mouse button, the New Chart wizard appears. 4. Click the first option, Use existing data from the document, then click Begin. The next step is to specify the data that you want to display in the new chart. 5. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the variables that you want to display. 6. You must now specify the chart format you want. You can: Generate a default chart, which displays the selected variables in the most logical chart format. To do this, check Generate a default chart, then click Finish. Select a chart type and style. To do this, click Next. Select a chart type, then a style, then click Finish.
Insert Chart
Transforming Tables, Crosstabs and Charts

This section describes how to transform tables and crosstabs into charts, and vice versa. It also describes how to switch between chart types, for example how to turn a pie chart into a column chart. For information on how to turn tables and crosstabs into charts and vice versa in slice-and-dice mode, refer to Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode on page 137.
Turning a Table or Crosstab into a Chart

Click inside a table or crosstab, then select the Turn to Chart command from the Format menu. BUSINESSOBJECTS displays all the data from the table or crosstab in a column chart. If you want to change the chart to another chart type refer to Switching Between Chart Types below.
Turning a Chart into a Table or Crosstab

Click inside a chart, then select the Turn to Table or Turn to Crosstab command from the Format menu. Note that the Turn to Crosstab command is only available if the chart displays data for at least three variables. BUSINESSOBJECTS displays all the data from the chart in a table or crosstab.
Transforming Tables, Crosstabs and Charts
Switching Between Chart Types

In BUSINESSOBJECTS, you can work with the following types of chart: 3-D area, 3D column, 3-D line, 3-D pie, area, column, line, pie and scatter. It is very easy to switch from one type of chart to another, for example to turn a column chart into a pie chart. All the data from the original chart is displayed in the new chart type. For each of type of chart, there are several predefined styles. Each style provides a variation on the basic chart type. For example, there are five styles for 3-D area charts, as illustrated in the graphic below. To change chart type and/or style: 1. Display the chart, click anywhere inside it, then select the AutoFormat command from the Format menu or from the pop-up menu. The Chart AutoFormat dialog box appears:
2. Select the chart type you want, then select a style. 3. Click Finish to display the chart.
Pivoting Data in Tables, Crosstabs and Charts

You can pivot data in tables, crosstabs and charts by: Displaying, removing or hiding data. Moving data from one place to another. Building crosstabs from tables, and 3-D matrix charts from 2-D charts. Reducing crosstabs to tables, and 3-D matrix charts to 2-D charts. Restructuring crosstabs and 3-D matrix charts. In this chapter, you learn how to pivot data using standard features from the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. You can also pivot data by working in sliceand-dice mode. Working in slice-and-dice mode is described in Chapter 5.
Accessing the Dialog Box You Use to Pivot Data

This section describes how to access the dialog box that you use to pivot data in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Each of the sections that follow describes how to pivot data in different ways, and refers back to this section. To access the dialog box you use to pivot data: 1. Display the report. 2. Click inside the table, crosstab or chart you want to pivot. 3. Select the corresponding command on the Format menu: Table, Crosstab or Chart. 4. Click the Pivot tab in the dialog box that appears. The Pivot tab provides a representation of the data in the table, crosstab or chart: On the left, the Available Variables box lists the variables you can display in the table, crosstab or chart. On the right, the Used Variables box contains three folders. The folders show the variables that are already displayed. If you are working in a table or a crosstab, the folders are Columns, Rows and Body. If you are working in a chart, the folders are X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. On page 61 there is one illustration of the Pivot tab for tables and crosstabs, and another for charts.
In tables, all the variables are shown in the Body folder. In crosstabs, there is at least one variable in all three folders (Columns, Rows and Body).
The Pivot tab for tables and crosstabs
In 2-D charts, the variables are shown in the X-axis and Y-axis folders. Numeric data is always shown in the Yaxis folder. In matrix charts, there is at least one variable in each of the three folders.
The Pivot tab for charts
Removing or Hiding Data

BUSINESSOBJECTS enables you to remove data or to hide report data. To do so: 1. Click inside the table, crosstab or chart, then display the Pivot tab, as described on page 60. 2. In a folder in the Used Variables box, click the variable you want to remove or hide, then click Remove or Hide. You can remove more than one variable at the same time. To do so, hold down the Ctrl key, click the variables you want, then click Remove. 3. Click Apply or OK.
Note: Hidden variables are grayed in the Used Variables box.
Displaying Data
A report does not necessarily display all the data that you retrieved when you created it. This is the case when: You have removed or hidden data, as described in the previous sections. You retrieved data in preparation for analysis. This task is described in Defining scope of analysis on page 21. The document that your report belongs to contains more than one query or other data provider. To display data in a table, crosstab or chart in an existing report: 1. Click inside the table, crosstab or chart, then display the Pivot tab, as described on page 60. 2. Click the folder in which you want the data to appear. For example: If you are working with a table, click Body. If you are working with a crosstab, and you want the data to appear in a row, click Rows. If you are working with a chart and you want to display numeric data, click Y-axis. 3. To add a variable from the Available Variables list, click it, then click Add. The variable appears in the folder you selected. 4. To display a previously hidden variable, click it in the Used Variables list, then click Show. 5. Click Apply or OK.
Moving Data
Pivoting data includes moving data from one place to another inside a table, crosstab or chart. You can: Change the order in which the columns of data in tables and crosstabs appear, from left to right. Change the order in which the rows of data in crosstabs appear, from top to bottom. Change the order in which data appears on chart axes. To move data inside a table, crosstab or chart: 1. Click inside the table, crosstab or chart, then display the Pivot tab, as described on page 60. 2. In a folder in the Used Variables box, click the variable you want to move, then click Move Up or Move Down. 3. Click Apply or OK.
Building and Reducing Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts

You can turn tables into crosstabs, and 2-D charts into 3-D matrix charts. You can also do the opposite, i.e., reduce crosstabs and 3-D matrix charts to tables and 2D charts respectively. You can find an illustration of a crosstab on page 55. 2-D and 3-D matrix charts are the graphic equivalent of tables and crosstabs, respectively. In a 2-D chart, the data is displayed on the X-axis and Y-axis only, whereas in a 3-D matrix chart, the data is displayed on three axes: X, Y and Z. The column charts below plot the same data: number of guests, resort and year. In the 2-D chart, the data for both year and resort is plotted on the X-axis:
From the 2-D chart above, you can build the following 3-D matrix chart, which plots the number of guests per year on the Z-axis:
Z-axis
Note: The term 3-D is also used to refer to charts that have a 3-D view. For example, a 3-D pie chart displays data for two variables, but has a 3-D elevation. Charts that plot data on three axes are always referred to as 3-D matrix charts.
The following sections describe how to build crosstabs and 3-D matrix charts, then how to reduce these to tables and 2-D charts.
To build a crosstab from a table

You build a crosstab from a table by dragging-and-dropping a column of data. Here is the procedure: 1. Open a report that contains a table. 2. Click inside a column of data. 3. Click and hold down the mouse button in the same column. 4. Drag the mouse to the top right corner of the table. 5. When a cross appears above the pointer, release the mouse button.
Tip: To build the crosstab by using data that is not already displayed in the table, you can use the Pivot tab (refer to page 60) or the Slice and Dice Panel (refer to page 66).
To build a 3-D matrix chart from a 2-D chart

The data that you use to build the 3-D matrix chart can already be displayed in the report, or it can be available but not yet displayed. Here is the procedure to build the 3-D matrix chart: 1. Open a report that contains a chart. 2. Click inside the chart, then display the Pivot tab, as described on page 60. In the Used Variables box, the variables already displayed in the chart appear in the X-axis folder and the Y-axis folder. Numeric data, such as Revenue, is plotted on the Y-axis. 3. To build the 3-D matrix chart, you must place at least one variable in each folder in the Used Variables box. You can: Drag a variable from the X-axis folder to the Z-axis folder. Drag a variable from the Available Variables list to the Z-axis folder. 4. When you have placed at least one variable in each of the folders in the Used Variable list, click Apply or OK to display the 3-D matrix chart.
To reduce a crosstab to a table

You reduce a crosstab to a table by dragging-and-dropping rows of data. Here is the procedure. 1. Open a report that contains a crosstab. 2. Click inside a row of data. 3. Click and hold down the mouse button in the same row. 4. Drag the mouse to the left border of the crosstab. 5. When a horizontal line appears above the pointer, release the mouse button. 6. Repeat if necessary.
To reduce a 3-D matrix chart to a 2-D chart

You reduce a 3-D matrix chart to a 2-D chart by removing the data from the 3-D matrix charts Z-axis. You can either remove this data from the report, or place it in the 2-D chart. Here is the procedure. 1. Open a report that contains a 3-D matrix chart. 2. Click inside the 3-D matrix chart, then display the Pivot tab, as described on page 60. 3. To reduce the chart, you must remove all the variables from the Z-axis folder in the Used Variables box. You can: Drag a variable from the Z-axis to the X-axis folder. The data for the variables you drag to the X-axis folder will appear in the 2-D chart. Select the variable(s) in the Z-axis folder, then click Remove. The data for these variables will not be displayed in the 2-D chart. 4. Click OK or Apply to display the 2-D chart.
Restructuring Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts

You can restructure crosstabs by moving data between columns and rows, and 3D matrix charts by moving data between the X- and Z-axes. The following paragraphs and illustrations explain these tasks. The crosstab illustrated here shows revenue per quarter per service. The data for quarters appears in a row:
By swapping the data for quarter with the data for accommodation, you obtain the following result:
By definition, 3-D matrix charts display data on three axes: X, Y and Z. The following illustrations shows the data from the crosstabs above as 3-D matrix charts:
The 3-D matrix chart, where the quarters are plotted on the X-axis.
The 3-D matrix chart, where the quarters are plotted on the Z-axis. To move data between columns and rows in crosstabs, or between the X-axis and the Z-axis in 3-D matrix charts: 1. Click inside the crosstab or chart, then display the Pivot tab, as described on page 60. 2. In the Used Variables box, open the folder that contains the data that you want to move. 3. Click the variable whose data you want to move, then drag it to the folder where you want it to appear. For example, if you want to move data from the X-axis to the Z-axis in a chart, drag a variable from the X-axis folder to the Z-axis folder. 4. Repeat the above steps for other data you want to move, then click Apply or OK to display the data in its new position.
Deleting Sections, Tables, Crosstabs and Charts

The main body of data in reports is displayed in tables, crosstabs or charts. A section contains at least one table, crosstab or chart, or a combination of these.
This is a section. This is a table inside the section.
Note: The generic term for tables, crosstabs and charts is block. You may occasionally find this term in this guide, in the online help and in the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface.
This section describes how to delete sections and blocks. BUSINESSOBJECTS keeps the deleted data available for use in the document. You can, for example, use the same data in a new table, or in a new report inside the document.
Deleting a Section
1. Click the sections master cell (containing Q1 in the illustration above). 2. Select the Delete command on the Edit menu. 3. Click No in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
Note: You can delete the sections master cell but not the section itself by clicking
Yes in the confirmation dialog box. This feature can be useful in reports containing many sections.
Deleting Sections, Tables, Crosstabs and Charts
Deleting Tables, Crosstabs and Charts

Before you can delete tables, crosstabs and charts, you must first select them. This paragraphs below describe how to select A single block, and Two or more blocks. Once you have selected the block or blocks you want to delete, simply select the Delete command on the Edit menu.
To select a block
1. If part of the block is selected, click a blank space outside it. 2. Hold down your Alt key and click once inside the block. A hatched gray border appears around the block:
Hatched gray border that appears when the block is selected.
To select two or more blocks

1. Click a blank space in the report. 2. Drag the mouse until you have covered part of each block you want to select. 3. Release the mouse button. A hatched gray border appears around each.
Manipulating Cells, Columns and Rows

You can build on an existing report by manipulating its cells, columns and rows. Once you have selected any of these report elements, you can perform the following tasks: Clear them, or delete them. Use the Copy, Cut and Paste commands on the Edit menu. Insert new cells, columns or rows, then display data in these. Replace the data in existing columns, rows or cells. Move them using the drag-and-drop technique or the Cut and Paste commands.
Selecting, Clearing and Deleting Cells, Columns and Rows

Selecting cells, columns and rows is a simple task that you must perform before you can replace data in them, move them, delete them, and so on.
Selecting cells, columns and rows

To select a cell, click inside it. The cell background is blackened, to indicate that it has been selected:
To select more than one cell, hold down your Ctrl key, then click inside each one. To select one column or one row, place the cursor at the top of the column or at the left-hand side of the row. When the cursor changes to a black arrow, pointing downwards for a column or to the right for a row, click once. The result is as shown:
The column or row is highlighted, to show that it is selected.
You can also select a column or a row simply by clicking inside it. This method does not select the column or row header, which is the cell that contains the name of the variable whose data is displayed (Region, in the illustration above). To select several adjacent columns, or several adjacent rows, select one column or row. When you click, hold down the mouse button and drag the mouse over the adjacent column(s) or row(s). To select columns or rows that are not adjacent, select the first column or row. Hold down the Ctrl key, then click the other column(s) or row(s) you want to select.
Note: You can select one or more columns at a time, or one or more rows at a time,
but you cannot select a combination of columns and rows.
Clearing and deleting cells, columns and rows

Once you have selected columns or rows, you can remove data from them in the following ways: Clear the columns or rows. The columns or rows remain, but are empty. To do this, select the Clear command from the Edit menu. Delete the columns or rows and the data that they contain. To do this, select the Delete command from the Edit menu.
Inserting Cells, Columns and Rows

You can add cells, columns and rows to existing tables or crosstabs. You can also insert free-form cells. By definition, free-form cells are not attached to any other cell, table or crosstab. For example, you can insert a free-form cell in a section, then display a calculation on the data in the section in it.
Adding a cell, column or row to a table or crosstab

First you must select a column, row or cell in the report. Then, depending on the selection, you can insert a new cell, column or row. Selecting rows and columns is described in Selecting cells, columns and rows on page 73. Once you have selected a cell, row or column, you can use buttons on the Report toolbar to insert new cells, rows or columns. If you have selected a cell, you can click a toolbar button to insert a new cell, if you have selected a column, you can insert a new column, and so on. The buttons you can use are illustrated here:
a. Inserts a cell or row above the selection. b. Inserts a cell or row below the selection.
a b c d
c. Inserts a cell or a column to the left of the selection. d. Inserts a cell or a column to the right of the selection.
Inserting a free-form cell

Free-form cells are not attached to any other report element. They can contain text, results of calculations, or graphics. To insert a free-form cell: 1. Click inside a blank space in the section where you want the cell to appear. 2. Select the Cell command from the Insert menu. The cursor becomes a crosshair. 3. Click inside the section, hold down your mouse button and drag the mouse to the left or right, and up or down. Release the mouse button. A cell appears in the area you have drawn. You can also insert a free-form cell by copying an existing cell from the report. To do this, click inside a cell (such as a page header, or the title cell of a column of data), hold down the mouse button, hold down the Ctrl key and drag the mouse. When you release the mouse button, a copy of the cell appears.
Displaying Data in Columns and Rows

You can display data in columns and rows that already exist in a report. You can either insert a new column or row, then display data in it, or replace the data that is already displayed in a column or row. To display data in a column or row: 1. Click inside the column or row where you want to display the data. 2. Select the Variables command from the Format menu, or from the pop-up menu. The Variables dialog box appears:
3. Click the variable whose data you want to display in the column or row, then click Insert. Note that Insert becomes Replace if the column or row already contains data. 4. Click Close. The data appears in the column or row.
Moving Cells, Columns and Rows

In a report, you can move cells, such as title cells, as well as columns and rows that display data. Before you move any of these, you must select them. For information on how to do so, refer to Selecting, Clearing and Deleting Cells, Columns and Rows on page 73. Once you have made your selection, you can move it: By using the Copy, Cut and Paste buttons on the Standard toolbar, or their equivalent commands from the Edit menu. By using the drag-and-drop technique. You can also move columns and rows of data in slice-and-dice mode. For information on how to do so, refer to Positioning Data Horizontally in Sliceand-Dice Mode on page 129 and Working with Master/Detail Reports in Slice-and-Dice Mode on page 119.
Using commands and buttons to move cells, columns and rows

You can use menu commands and toolbar buttons to move cells, columns or rows. First, you select the cell(s), column(s) or row(s) that you want to move, then you cut or copy the selection. Next, you click the cell, column or row where you would like the selection to appear. Finally, you paste the cell(s), column(s) or row(s) you cut or copied in the selected location. The following illustration presents the toolbar buttons you use to move cells, columns and rows.
a. Cuts the selection and copies it to the clipboard. b. Copies the selection to the clipboard.
a b c
c. Inserts the contents of the clipboard.
Using drag-and-drop to move cells, columns and rows

The drag-and-drop technique enables you to move report elements by using your mouse. You first select the cell(s), column(s) or row(s) you want to move. Then, you click inside the selection and hold down your mouse button. You now move the selection to its new location by dragging your mouse. To display the selection in its new location, you release the mouse button. You can use the drag-and-drop technique simply to move the selection. You can: Select and drag an individual cell. For example, if a report includes a title cell, you can select it and drag it to a different position. Select a cell inside a block, drag it out of the block and drop it in a blank space in the report. You must keep the cell in its section, however. You can use a grid to automatically align the selection as you drag it. To do so, select the Snap to Grid command from the Format menu. To view the grid, select the Grid command from the View menu. You can also swap it the selection with a corresponding element, or to copy it. For example, you can use drag-and-drop to swap two columns of data. The following table describes how to perform these different drag-and-drop tasks. In each case, the cursor changes to give you feedback on what you are doing:
Description Move Cursor
Moves the cell(s), column(s) or row(s). Once you have selected the cell(s), column(s) or row(s), drag the selection to its new location, then release the mouse button. Swaps two cell(s), columns or two rows. Once you have selected one of the cells, columns or rows you want to swap, you hold down the Shift key, then drag the selection. You drop it above the column or row you want to swap. Moves the cell(s), column(s) or row(s), and leaves a copy of the selection in its original place. Once you have selected the cell(s), column(s) or row(s), hold down the Ctrl key, drag the selection, then drop it at its new location.
Swap
Copy
You can drop the cell(s), column(s) or row(s) you select in the following locations: On top of other cell(s), column(s) or row(s). To do this, drag the selection until it is on top of an equivalent target (e.g., drag a column until it is on top of another column). When a gray border appears around the target, release the mouse button. If you hold down the Alt key, the formats of the target cell(s), column(s) or row(s) are kept. If you do not hold down the Alt key, the formats of the cell(s) column(s) or row(s) you dragged are applied to the target. Between two cells, two columns or two rows. To do this, drag the selection until is at the border between two cells, columns or rows. When a thick gray line appears at the border, release the mouse button.
Chapter 4
Controlling Report Data
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Overview 83 u Working on Universes and Queries 84
Refreshing a Universe 85 Other Ways of Working with Universes 85 Viewing the Results of a Query 86 Running a Query on a Different Universe 87 Refreshing a Query 88 Purging a Query 89 Editing a Query 90 Deleting a Query 92
u Breaking up Tables and Crosstabs 93
Applying a Break 95 Removing a Break 95 Managing Breaks 95

u Using Filters 98
Applying a Filter 99 Managing Filters 100
Chapter 4 Controlling Report Data
u Using Sorts to Control the Order of Report Data 103
Applying a Sort on Report Data 104 Inverting and Removing Sorts in Reports 104 Managing Sorts in Reports 104
u Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values 105
Applying a Ranking on Report Data 106 Managing Ranking 107 Managing Ranking with Filters and Sorts 108
u Making Calculations on Report Data 109
Displaying a Calculation in a Table or a Crosstab 110 Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts 112
u Double-Clicking a Cell and Changing Its Contents 113 u Folding and Unfolding Sections and Blocks 114
Overview
Overview
This chapter describes how to control the data that appears in your reports. For example, you can control report data by making sure you are working with the latest data from the database, or by making calculations on the data displayed. More precisely, this chapter covers the following topics: Working on the universes you can use to create reports, and on the queries you have built to create your existing reports. For example, you can refresh a universe, to make sure that you are working with the latest version of it. You can add objects to a query, to retrieve new data that you want to display in existing reports. Applying breaks in tables and crosstabs. Defining filters, which limit the data that is displayed in the report. For example, you can view the data for one rather than for all resorts, by defining a filter on the Resort variable in the report. Using sorts to control the order in which data appears. You can make dates, text and numbers appear in ascending or descending order. Using ranking to view the top and bottom values in a range of data. Making calculations on report data, either inside a table or a crosstab, or inside an individual cell in a section. Replacing data or text in cells, simply by double-clicking the cell and typing a different formula or text. The online help also provides information on spotting trends and exceptions in report data by creating alerters. Alerters highlight values that fit conditions you set. For example, you can define an alerter that applies red to all values over $10,000. To find out more about alerters: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab, type alerters, then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Select a topic that interests you, then press Enter.
Working on Universes and Queries

Working on queries and universes is a way to control the data that appears in reports. For example, you can open a report and add an object to the query that you built when you created the report initially. When you run the edited query, the data for the additional object is available for use in the report. This section covers the following topics: Refreshing a universe, to make sure that you are working with the latest version. Viewing the results of a query. Running a query on a different universe. Refreshing a query. When you do this, the query retrieves an up-to-date set of data from the database. Purge a query, i.e., delete the data from the query but keep the query definition. Edit a query by adding objects to it, removing objects from it, and working on its conditions and sorts. Deleting a query.
Refreshing a Universe
Refreshing a universe is useful if your universe designer has modified the universe in any way, for example by adding objects to it. To refresh a universe: 1. Select the Universes command from the Tools menu. The Universes dialog box appears. It lists the universes you can use:
If the universe designer provided a description of the universe when creating it, the description appears here.
2. Click the universe you want to refresh, then click Import. The latest version of the universe is now available. You can now update the reports that you built using the previous version of the universe. You do this by refreshing the reports queries. For information on refreshing queries, refer to Refreshing a Query on page 88.
Other Ways of Working with Universes

The online help contains information on other ways of working with universes. The following table presents the topics and indicates the keywords to use in the help index. For information on using the help index, refer to Using the Help Index on page xi.
user objects complex conditions
Creating your own objects in existing universes. Creating conditions by dragging an object to the Conditions box, then entering your own parameters.
Viewing the Results of a Query

Viewing the results of a query, or of another type of data provider, enables you to consult the raw, unformatted data that the query retrieved. To do this, first open a report. Then, click View Data on the Standard toolbar, or select the View command from the Data menu. The Data Manager appears:
View Data
The raw results of the selected data provider are shown here.
Running a Query on a Different Universe

You can use the Data Manager to run a query on a different universe. This feature enables you to continue to work, for example, with a universe that the designer has renamed, or with a universe which maps to a different data source. To run a query on a different universe: 1. Open the report containing the query. 2. Click the Edit Data Provider button on the Standard toolbar.
Edit Data Provider
3. If: The List of Data Providers dialog box appears, click the query you want to run, then click OK. The Query Panel appears, go to the next step. 4. In the Query Panel, click View. The Data Manager appears. 5. In the Data Providers box on the left of the Data Manager, click the querys icon, then click the Definition tab. 6. Click the button to the right of the Universe field. The Change Universe dialog box appears. 7. Click the universe you want to use, then click OK. 8. Click OK in the Data Manager. The query connects to the database, and the new data appears in the report.
Refreshing a Query
You can use the Data Manager to refresh a query or other type of data provider. Refreshing a query ensures that the data you are working with is kept up-to-date with the changes in the database. Before refreshing a query, you can set options that allow you to specify the following: How many rows to retrieve. Whether or not to include duplicate rows in the results. To refresh a query: 1. Display the Data Manager by clicking the View Data button on the Standard toolbar, or by selecting the View command from the Data menu. 2. In the Data Manager, click the querys icon in the Data Providers box. 3. If you want to set options before refreshing the query, click Options. The Options dialog box appears. This dialog box is illustrated and described on page 28. 4. Select the options you require, then click OK. The Options dialog box closes, and you return to the Data Manager. 5. Click Refresh. The query is rerun, and the updated results are displayed in the Results tab. You can also refresh a query or other data provider by: Clicking the Refresh button on the Standard toolbar. If the report contains data from more than one data provider, these are all refreshed when you click Refresh. Selecting an option in the Options dialog box. To do this, select the Options command on the Tools menu, then, in the Save tab of the Options dialog box that appears, click Refresh Document when Opening. From now on, the document will be automatically refreshed when you open it. Setting times at which the query will be automatically refreshed, either once or repeatedly. You do this by using the Automatic Refresh option in the Definition tab of the Data Manager. For more information, click the Help button in the Data Manager.
View Data
Refresh
Purging a Query
When you purge the results of a query or other data provider, you keep its components (e.g., objects, conditions, sorts) but you delete its results. You can refresh the data provider at any time, to retrieve the results once more. You can use this feature if, for example, you want to send a report to another user. By purging the results of the reports query(ies) first, you facilitate exchange because the report is much lighter. To purge the results of a data provider: 1. Display the Data Manager by clicking the View Data button on the Standard toolbar, or by selecting the View command from the Data menu. 2. In the Data Manager, click the querys icon in the Data Providers box. 3. Click Purge, the click Yes. The querys results disappear from the Results tab.
View Data
Editing a Query
The purpose of editing a query is to retrieve different data for a report that you have already created. For example, if you forgot to include an object in the query that you built when you created the report, you can simply edit the query by adding the object in question to it. Then, you can display the data for the object in the report. This section describes how to add objects to and remove objects from a query. The following table indicates other ways of editing queries, and shows where you can find more information:
For more information on... Refer to...
Conditions Sorts on queries Scope of analysis
Applying conditions on queries on page 23. Applying sorts on objects on page 27. Defining scope of analysis on page 21.
To edit a query
1. Open the report that contains the data the query retrieved. 2. Click the Edit Data Provider button on the toolbar. The Data Manager appears. 3. In the Data Providers box on the left of the Data Manager, click the icon of the query you want to edit, then click Edit.
Edit Data Provider
Adding objects to a query

You can bring new data into a report by adding objects to its query. To do this, you call the Query Panel and add objects to the Result Objects box. For information on how to add objects to a query, refer to Including objects in a query on page 17. When you rerun the query, the data for the object(s) you have added is retrieved. The new data may or may not automatically appear in the current report, depending on the reports complexity. The following table explains how BUSINESSOBJECTS handles new columns of data:
When... Then BusinessObjects...
The data from the query appears in a single table, and The report does not display data in multiple blocks The data from the query appears in a chart or a crosstab, or The report displays data in multiple blocks, or The query is linked to another data provider, or returns multiple microcubes
Automatically inserts new columns.
Displays the Modified Data Provider dialog box, in which you click an option: Leave the current report as it is The report remains unchanged but the new data is available in the document. Display the new data in a new report Displays a standard table in a new report inside the document.
Removing objects from a query

If you no longer want to work with data for an object that you included in a query, you simply have to remove the object in question, then rerun the query. To do so, call the Query Panel and in the Result Objects box, select an object you want to remove. Press the Delete key or drag the selected object to the Classes and Objects list. The object disappears from the Result Objects box. Repeat the procedure for other objects you want to remove, then run the query. The data corresponding to the object(s) you removed no longer appears in the report.
Deleting a Query
To delete a query or other data provider: 1. Display the Data Manager by clicking the View Data button on the Standard toolbar, or by selecting the View command from the Data menu. 2. In the Data Manager, click the querys icon in the Data Providers box. 3. Click Delete, then click Yes. The data provider is definitively no longer available in the document.
View Data
Breaking up Tables and Crosstabs

Tables and crosstabs of report data by default display values returned by variables. For example, a table containing the Resort, Quarter and Revenue variables simply displays revenue per resort per quarter. But what if you want the table to display more detailed information, percentage of revenue per resort, for example? You need to isolate the values of Region, and to do that, you can apply a break. As the illustration on the next page shows, when you apply a break: BUSINESSOBJECTS inserts a blank row or column after each value of the variable concerned. So, if Region returns North, South, East and West, a blank row or column appears after each of these values. Thus, you can insert calculations on the nested values, such as percentage of revenue per region. The table or crosstab containing the break remains as one block. You can isolate values in a report by dragging a variable out of its block. By doing this, you create a master/detail report. For more information on master/detail reports, refer to Working with Master/Detail Reports on page 47.
Note: You cannot apply breaks on data in charts.
A break on Resort inserts a blank row after each value (Bahamas Beach, French Riviera and Hawaiian Club). In the blank row, you could now display a calculation such as percentage of revenue per resort. For information on how to display calculations, refer toDisplaying a Calculation in a Table or a Crosstab on page 110.
Applying a Break
To apply a break: 1. Click inside a column or row of data. 2. Click the Apply Break button on the Report toolbar, or select the Break command from the Insert menu.
Apply Break
Removing a Break
To remove a break: 1. Click inside the column or row on which the break was applied. 2. Click the Apply Break button on the Report toolbar.
Apply Break
Managing Breaks
BUSINESSOBJECTS provides the Breaks dialog box, which enables you to edit and remove existing breaks, and to apply new breaks.You can also use this dialog box to apply value-based breaks, i.e., breaks that act on some rather than all the values of a variable. To display the Breaks dialog box, click inside any table or crosstab, then select the Breaks command from the Format menu. The Breaks dialog box is illustrated and described on page 96.
e f
b c
a. The breaks applied on columns appear in the Horizontal tab. The breaks applied on rows, in crosstabs only, appear in the Vertical tab. The Global break appears in both tabs. You cannot delete the Global break. b. You apply a new break by clicking Add. A dialog box appears, where you click the variable on which you want to apply the break. c. You remove a break by clicking it, then by clicking Remove. d. You can edit a break by clicking it, then by clicking different attributes in the Break Definition box. These attributes are described in Defining break attributes on page 97. e. By default, a break is applied on all values of the selected variable. However, by clicking Values, you can select the values you want to include in the break. To activate the Values button, you must first activate Value-Based Break. f. You can change the way a break manages page breaks by clicking it, then by clicking attributes in the Break and Pages box. These attributes are described Managing breaks over multiple pages on page 97.
g. By clicking Edit, you display a dialog box which enables you to apply the selected break on a different variable, or on more than one variable. You can also change the break level, provided that the report contains at least two breaks on different levels.
Defining break attributes

The attributes in the Break Definition box (Breaks dialog box) are described in the following table:
Attribute Result
Break Header
Inserts a header at the top of each table or crosstab that is created by the break. This attribute is checked by default when you apply a break on data in a table. Inserts a footer at the bottom of each table or crosstab that is created by the break. This attribute is checked by default. Removes all duplicate values from the data on which you apply the break, so that each value is only shown once. This attribute is checked by default. Folds the table or crosstab, showing only its header and footer. Activates the Values button, which enables you to select values to include in a value-based break.
Break Footer
Remove Duplicates
Fold Value-Based Break
Managing breaks over multiple pages

The attributes in the Break and Pages box (Breaks dialog box) are described in the following table:
Attribute Result
Start a New Page Repeat the Header on the New Page Repeat the Duplicate on the New Page Avoid Page Breaks
Displays each table or crosstab on a separate page. If a table or crosstab extends over more than one page, repeats the header on each new page. Repeats the current value on the new page. Where possible, keeps the table or crosstab on one page.
Using Filters
You may decide that you do not want to view all the data in a report. You may want to focus on a selection of it only, which is difficult to do if there is a lot of data on the screen. A filter enables you to view only the data you need, while also enabling you to view all the data again whenever you like. The following illustrations show how a filter can work.
You can apply a filter on Resort by selecting two of its values: Bahamas Beach and Hawaiian Club.
Only the data for these values is now displayed.
A filter can also affect calculations. For example, the total number of guests for all resorts will change when you apply a filter on the Resort variable.
Using Filters
Applying a Filter
Before applying a filter, decide which variable you want to work on. For example, if you want to view revenue for accommodation, you will filter the Service Line variable. A dialog box appears, where you select the data for the variable you want to filter. To apply a filter: 1. Click the data for the variable you want to filter. For example, if you want to filter the data for service lines, click the column, row or chart element where this data appears. 2. Click the Apply Filter button on the Report toolbar, or select the Filter command on the Insert menu. The Apply a Filter On dialog box appears. It displays the values you can select for the filter:
The title of this dialog box depends on the data you select in the report. Here, data for Service Line was clicked, so the title is Apply a Filter on Service Line.
Apply Filter
3. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the values you want to include in the report, then click OK. The dialog box closes, and the report includes only the values you selected. The Apply Filter button on the toolbar appears pushed.
Tip: To remove the filter, click inside the filtered data, then click the Apply Filter
button.
Managing Filters
By clicking inside a section or a block and selecting the Filters command on the Format menu, you display the Filters dialog box. In this dialog box, you can manage filters in the following ways: Select different values for existing filters. Add new filters. Apply filters on variables that are not displayed in the report. Specify whether a filter be applied on the whole report or on a specific block. Remove filters. The following sections describe these tasks.
Selecting different values for existing filters

Once you have defined a filter by specifying the values you want to display, you can edit it by selecting different values. For example, if you have applied a filter that enables you to view revenue for the Accommodation and Food & Drinks service lines only, you can edit the filter by selecting Recreation instead. The result in the report will be the revenue for that service line only. To select different values for an existing filter: 1. Click inside the block or master cell where the filtered data appears. 2. Select the Filters command from the Format menu. The Filters dialog box appears. 3. In the Filters On list, click the variable whose filter you want to edit. In the Values box, the values that are currently displayed in the report are highlighted (Accommodation and Food & Drinks, in the illustration above.) 4. To select different values, you can: Click values that are already selected. The highlighting disappears, which shows that the values will not appear in the report. Select previously unselected values. Before you do this, check Show All Values to display all the values for the variable. Click Select All Values. Doing this enables you to keep the filter, yet view all the data for the selected variable. 5. When you are done, click OK or Apply.
Using Filters
Adding filters
The Filters dialog box enables you to add filters to the report. To add one or more filters: 1. Click inside the report, then select the Filters command on the Format menu. 2. In the Filters dialog box that appears, double-click a folder in the Filters On box: Filters in the Global folder affect the whole report. Filters in the BlockName folder are block-specific. 3. Click Add. The Variable(s) to Filter dialog box appears. It lists all the variables in the document, whether or not they are displayed in the current report:
4. Click the variable you want to filter, then click OK. You return to the Filters dialog box. The variable(s) you clicked in the Variable(s) to Filter dialog box appear(s) in the Filters on box. 5. In the Values box, hold down the Ctrl key and click the values to display. 6. If you selected more than one variable to filter in the Variable(s) to Filter dialog box, repeat step 5, then click OK or Apply.
Tip: You can drag-and-drop a filter between folders. This enables you to change
the way a filter is applied. For example, if you drag a filter from a Block Name folder to the Global folder, then click Apply or OK, you apply the filter on the whole report rather than on one block.
Removing a filter
When you remove a filter, all the data for the variable on which you applied the filter appears in the report. For example, if you applied a filter that displays revenue for the Accommodation and Food & Drinks service lines, then you remove that filter, the data for all service lines is displayed. To remove a filter, first click inside the data on which you applied the filter. Then, you can: Click the Apply Filter button on the Report toolbar, or Select the Filters command from the Format menu. Make sure the filtered variable is highlighted in the Filters On box, then click Remove. Click OK or Apply.
Apply Filter
Using Sorts to Control the Order of Report Data
Using Sorts to Control the Order of Report Data

You use sorts to control the order in which report data appears. You can apply a sort on text, dates or numbers. For example, you can click inside a column of city names in a report, and make the cities appear in alphabetical order. Sorts control whether data appears in ascending order, or in descending order. The following table summarizes the meaning of ascending and descending for each type of data:
Text Ascending order Numbers Dates
A-Z Z-A
lowest to highest highest to lowest
past to present present to past
Descending order
Note: The default order of appearance of all types of data is ascending.
You can also customize sorts by placing values in the order you want. This is especially useful for sorting months of the year and days of the week which appear in alphabetical order, rather than in chronological order. To find out how to do this: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. Type sorts in the Index tab, then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Scroll down to Customize a sort on report data, then press Enter.
Applying a Sort on Report Data

To apply a sort, you can use the sort buttons on the Report toolbar. These buttons are illustrated below. To make the Report toolbar appear, select the Toolbars command from the Insert menu. Select the Report checkbox, then click OK.
a. Ascending sort b. Descending sort
a b
Once you have displayed the Report toolbar, click the cell, column, row or chart element where the data you want to sort is displayed. Then, click the toolbar button for the sort you want to apply. The data appears in order, and the button you clicked remains pushed, to show that the data has been sorted.
Inverting and Removing Sorts in Reports

Once you have applied a sort, you can: Invert it. To do this, click the data you have already sorted, then click one of the sort buttons on the toolbar. For example, if you want to invert an ascending sort, you must click the Descending Sort button. Remove the sort. To do this, click the data you have already sorted, then click the button you used to apply the sort.
Managing Sorts in Reports

If you apply more than one sort in a report, you must define sort priority. You can do this, as well as invert or remove sorts, and add new sorts, by using the Sorts dialog box. To display the Sorts dialog box, select the Sorts command on the Format menu. Click the Help button to find out about using the dialog box.
Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values

You may decide that you want to filter the data in a report, but you are interested only in the extreme ranges of the data. For example, you may want to determine the top ten customers. Ranking enables you to look at the largest numbers and the smallest numbers in a report. Like filtering, it hides the data you do not want. The hidden data is not deleted from the report - you can view it again whenever you like by removing the ranking. Ranking also sorts the data in descending order. Thus, the largest value of the ranking is always at the top of the ranked column and the smallest value at the bottom. The following illustrations show how ranking can work:
You can apply a ranking on Customer for the top 3 values and bottom 3 values.
Only the data for these values is now displayed.
Applying a Ranking on Report Data

To apply a ranking: 1. Click to select the data you want to rank. For example, if you want to rank the data for customers, click the column where this data appears. 2. Click the Apply Ranking button on the Report toolbar, or select the Ranking command on the Insert menu. The Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box appears. It displays the options you can select for the ranking:
The title of this dialog box depends on the data you select in the report. Here, data for Customer was clicked, so the title is Select Top/Bottom Customer.
Apply Ranking
The options you can select are: Top Click this check box and type or select from the list for the largest n values. When you click the check box, a default value of 3 is selected. Bottom Click this check box and type or select from the list for the smallest n values. When you click the check box, a default value of 3 is selected. Based On Click to select the measure on which your ranking is to be based. This list includes all measures that you can select from the report. You must select a measure before the ranking can be applied. In percentage of total number of values Click this check box if you want to interpret the numbers for Top and Bottom as percentages. When this option is selected a percent sign (%) appears at the Top and Bottom values. These numbers are truncated if necessary to fall in the percentage range of 1 to 100. Be sure to check the Top and Bottom values if you click percentage after selecting Top and Bottom values.
3. Click the ranking values you want to display in your report, then click OK (or Apply). The report displays only ranked data for the values you selected. The Apply Ranking button on the toolbar appears pushed.
Tip: To remove the ranking, click inside the ranked data, then click the Apply
Ranking button.
Managing Ranking
By clicking inside a section or a block and selecting the Ranking command on the Format menu, you display the Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box. In addition to initiating ranking, in this dialog box you can: Alter any of the values for an existing ranking in the active section or block. Remove ranking. The following sections describe these tasks.
Altering values for an existing ranking

Once you have defined a ranking by specifying the ranking values you want to display, you can edit it by selecting different ranking values. For example, if you have applied a ranking that enables you to view the top and bottom 3 ranking of revenue for customers, you can edit the ranking by selecting the top 10 instead. The result in the report will be the revenue for the top 10 customers. To select different values for an existing ranking: 1. Click inside the data where the ranking was applied. 2. Select the Ranking command on the Format menu. The Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box appears, with the current ranking options selected. You can then modify the options as desired: Click to deselect the checked rankings that you no longer want to apply. Click the previously unchecked rankings that you now want to apply. Change Top/Bottom values that are to be changed. Click to select or deselect percentage. 3. Alter the ranking settings as desired, then click OK (or Apply). When you exit from the Dialog box, the values with the new ranking criteria are displayed.
Removing a ranking
When you remove a ranking, all the data on which you applied the ranking that may have been suppressed by the ranking criteria re-appears in the report. For example, if you applied a ranking that displays the top 10 customers by revenue, then you remove that ranking, the data for all customers is displayed. To remove a ranking, first click inside the data on which you applied the ranking. Then, you can: Click the depressed Apply Ranking button on the Report toolbar. Select the Ranking command from the Format menu. Remove Top and Bottom check marks. Then click OK or Apply.
Apply/remove ranking
Managing Ranking with Filters and Sorts

To apply a ranking in a report, you must remove any existing sorts or filters. If any sorts or filters exist when you initiate ranking, an Overwrite? message is displayed verifying that you wish to remove the sort or filter. Click Yes to remove the existing sort or filter and continue to initiate ranking. Clicking No stops the ranking dialog and returns with no change.
Making Calculations on Report Data

BUSINESSOBJECTS includes standard functions (sum, count, average, minimum, maximum and percentage) that enable you to make quick calculations on the data in reports. For example, in a report that displays revenue per resort per country, you can calculate and display the total revenue for all resorts per country. This section describes how to: Display a calculation on data in a table or a crosstab, or in a chart. Drag-and-drop a calculation from a table or crosstab to another location in the report. Delete calculations from tables and crosstabs. The online help provides information on calculations you can make by writing your own formulas and creating variables. To find out more: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab, type formulas, then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Select a topic that interests you, then press Enter.
Displaying a Calculation in a Table or a Crosstab

When you make a standard calculation on data that appears in a crosstab or a table, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically inserts a cell in the crosstab or table, and displays the result of the calculation in the new cell. The standard calculations that you can make are sum, count, average, minimum, maximum and percentage. You apply a calculation by using a dialog box that appears when you click the Insert Calculation button on the Report toolbar. To make this toolbar appear, click any toolbar with your right-mouse button, then activate the Report command on the pop-up menu that appears. To display a calculation on data in a table or a crosstab: 1. Click the data on which you want to make the calculation. 2. Click the Insert Calculation button on the Report toolbar. The Calculations dialog box appears:
Insert Calculation
3. Click the calculation(s) you want to apply, then click OK. The result of each calculation appears in a new cell in the table or crosstab.
Dragging-and-dropping a calculation from a table or crosstab

You can drag-and-drop a calculation from a table or a crosstab to a different location in the report. To do this: 1. Click inside the cell containing the calculation. 2. Click inside the cell again and hold down your mouse button. 3. Drag the cell to the desired location, then release the mouse button.
Note: The result of the calculation depends on the section in which the cell is
located.
Deleting calculations from a table or a crosstab

Once you have displayed standard calculations in a table or crosstab, using the procedure described above, you can delete them like this: 1. Click the data on which you have displayed the calculation(s). 2. Click the Insert Calculation button on the Report toolbar. In the Calculations dialog box that appears, the calculations that you have already displayed are checked. 3. Click the check for each calculation that you want to remove, then click OK.
Insert Calculation
Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts

In the report illustrated below, the share of revenue per resort in FY95 is shown in a pie chart. The calculation on the data in the chart, total revenue for the year, is shown in a cell above the chart:
The calculation on the chart data appears here.
You can display a calculation on data in a chart in the following way: 1. Click inside a blank space in the section where you want the calculation to appear. 2. Select the Cell command from the Insert menu. 3. Click inside the section, hold down your mouse button and drag the mouse to the left or right, and up or down. Release the mouse button. The cell appears in the area you have drawn. 4. Type an equal to sign (=). 5. If you are using a variable to make the calculation, type: a less than sign (<) the name of the variable a greater than sign (>). For example, to display the Revenue variable in the cell, type =<Revenue>. 6. If you are using a formula to make the calculation, type it after the = sign. 7. Press the Enter key to view the result of the calculation.
Tip: You can also drag a calculation from a table or a crosstab and drop it in the
section where the chart appears, as described inDragging-and-dropping a calculation from a table or crosstab on page 111.
Double-Clicking a Cell and Changing Its Contents
Double-Clicking a Cell and Changing Its Contents

BUSINESSOBJECTS enables you to double-click a cell and change what is displayed in it. This powerful feature means that you can change the contents of your report without calling dialog boxes or editors. You type the content you want directly in the cell. You can: Edit text. For example, if your report has a title, you can double-click the cell in which the title appears, and type a different title. To edit text in a cell, or to write text in an empty cell, double-click the cell. Type the new text, then press the Enter key. Replace a variable. For example, you can replace Year with Quarter. To replace a variable, double-click a cell, column or row in which the data for the variable is displayed, e.g., FY 93. The variables definition appears in the cell, column or row. The syntax is =<VariableName>, for example =<Year>. You can now type the name of a different variable that is available in the report. For example, to replace Year with Quarter, double-click the cell, column or row where the data for Year appears, then type =<Quarter>. Finally, press the Enter key. Replace the title of a column or row of data. For example, you can change Number of Guests to No. of Guests. To do this, double-click the cell that contains the title of the column or row. The definition of the variables name appears. Its syntax is =NameOf(<VariableName>), e.g. =NameOf(<Number of Guests>). To replace the name, type the name of your choice, e.g., No.of Guests. Finally, press the Enter key.
Folding and Unfolding Sections and Blocks

When you are working on large, complex reports, you can fold and unfold parts of the report in order to focus on the data that interests you. You can fold and unfold sections and blocks, including blocks on which you have applied breaks. To fold and unfold sections and blocks, first activate the Outline command on the View menu. Equivalently, click any toolbar with your right-mouse button and activate the command on the pop-up menu that appears. An outline appears down the left-hand side of the report. If the report contains crosstabs, an outline also appears along the top of the report. You can fold sections and blocks by clicking the arrows in the outlines.
Chapter 5
Analyzing Data
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Overview 116 u Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode 117
Working with Master/Detail Reports in Slice-and-Dice Mode 119 Positioning Data Horizontally in Slice-and-Dice Mode 129 Working with Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts in Slice-and-Dice Mode 130 Displaying and Removing Data in Slice-and-Dice Mode 136 Deleting, Renaming and Resetting Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode 137 Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode 137 Applying Further Modifications in Slice-and-Dice Mode 138
u Working in Drill Mode 141
Hierarchies and Dimensions 141 Measures 142 Preparing for Drill Mode 143 Switching to Drill Mode 144 Drilling Down 145 Drilling Up 149 Drilling Across 150 Changing the Data in a Block As You Drill 151 Making Copies of Reports While You Work 152 Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode 153
Chapter 5 Analyzing Data
Overview
With BUSINESSOBJECTS, you analyze data by looking at it on different levels of detail and from different viewpoints. Through your analysis, you gain new information and thereby answer questions. You need go no further than the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface to address all your multidimensional analysis needs: EXPLORER, an optional component in the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module, enables you to carry out multidimensional analysis. EXPLORER offers two complementary working modes: drill mode, and slice-and-dice mode. You switch to these modes using commands which appear in BUSINESSOBJECTS. BUSINESSMINER, another optional component, provides the ability to analyze data using data mining technology. Once you install BUSINESSMINER, you can access it via the User module interface. For more information on BUSINESSMINER, refer to the BusinessMiner Users Guide. If you work with an OLAP server, you can view and select the data you want when creating a report. OLAP servers are databases that store summarized data, ready for business analysis. For more information on OLAP servers, refer to the OLAP Access Pack documentation for the server at your site.
Working in Slice-and-Dice Mode

Slice-and-dice mode enables you to switch the position of data in a report. You can, for example, move data from columns to rows. The result would be a crosstab, where numeric data such as revenue appears at the intersection of rows and columns. You can also use slice-and-dice mode to: Work with master/detail reports Display and remove data Rename, reset and delete blocks Turn tables and crosstabs into charts, and vice versa Apply, edit and delete breaks, filters, sorts, rankings and calculations. Slice-and-dice mode is enabled by the Slice and Dice Panel, a pop-up window that provides a graphical representation of the report you are working on. You carry out tasks by dragging and dropping icons that represent the data you can use. To display the Slice and Dice Panel, select the Slice and Dice command on the Analysis menu, or click Slice and Dice on the Standard toolbar. A detailed illustration of the Slice and Dice Panel is provided on page 118.
Slice and Dice
a b
f g
d e
The Slice and Dice Panel

a. Show or hide the different boxes of the Slice and Dice Panel. b. Apply breaks, filters, sorts, rankings and calculations. c. Lists the variables that you can display in the report. d. Let you view all variables, dimensions only, measures only, or all variables by data provider. e. Provides information on the tasks you perform. f. Let you accept or to cancel the operations you have performed. Click Apply to accept, Reset to accept and recalculate the report, and Undo to cancel. Note that clicking the Reset button removes all formatting you have applied throughout the report. See also (i.)
g. Shows the master(s) in master/detail reports. h. Shows the variables in the active table, chart or crosstab. i. Shows the name and type (table, chart or crosstab) of each block in the report. You can rename, transform, reset or delete a block by clicking its tab with the right mouse button, then clicking a command on the pop-up menu that appears.
Working with Master/Detail Reports in Slice-and-Dice Mode

Master/detail reports display data in sections. Each section contains a master piece of data, for example a resort, or a year. The rest of the data in the section relates to the master. The following illustration shows a master/detail report, and its corresponding representation in the Slice and Dice Panel:
The Available Variables box presents the variables and formulas you can display in the report.
The Section box shows the master, which in this report is Quarter.
The Block Structure box shows the data that appears in the table.
A master/detail report, and its representation in the Slice and Dice Panel
The Slice and Dice Panel makes it easy to work with master/detail reports. You can: Build a master/detail report. Re-organize a master/detail report by replacing the master or by building a master/master detail report. Undo a master/detail report by removing the master. Deactivate sections of master/detail reports. The following sections describe how to perform these tasks.
To structure an existing report as a master/detail report

To structure an existing report as a master/detail report in slice-and-dice mode, you drop the icon of the master in the Section box. You can: Use data that is already displayed in the report. To do this, drag an icon from the Block Structure box, drop it in the Section box, then click Apply. Use data that is not yet displayed in the report. To do this, drag an icon from the Available Variables box, drop it in the Section box, then click Apply. You can perform this task in drill mode. To do so, switch to drill mode and select the data you want to use as master. Click your right-mouse button and from the pop-up menu that appears, select the Set as Master command.
Reorganizing a master/detail report

You can re-organize a master/detail report by: Using a different master. For example, if the master is Year, you can replace it with Resort. Building a master/master/detail report. This structure enables you to view data on two levels of detail. The illustration below shows one section of a master/master/detail report. For FY93, the report displays revenue for each resort per quarter:
One section of a master/master/detail report
To use a different master
You can replace the master with data that is already displayed in the report, or with data that is not yet displayed. Here is the procedure: 1. Open a master/detail report. 2. Select the icon of the master in the Section box, then press the Delete key. The icon disappears from the Section box. 3. To use data that is already displayed in the report, drag an icon from the Block Structure box, and drop it in the Section box. 4. To use data that is not yet displayed, drag an icon from the Available Variables box, and drop it in the Section box. 5. Click Apply to display the report with its new master.
You can swap the master with data that is displayed in the report. To do so, hold down your Shift key, then drag the master until it is located above the icon with which you want to swap it, in the Block Structure box. Release your mouse button, then click Apply.
To build a master/master detail report
A master/master detail report contains two masters, as its name suggests. This means that in the Slice and Dice Panel, there must be two icons in the Section box. You are most likely to build a master/master/detail report from an existing master/detail report. Here is the procedure: 1. Open a master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Drag an icon to the Section box. You can drag an icon from the Available Variables box, or from the Block Structure box. 3. Drop the icon until it is located just below the existing master, then release your mouse button.
4. Click Apply to display the master/master detail report.
To undo a master/detail report

Undoing a master/detail report means removing the master. In the Slice and Dice Panel, this means that you remove the master from the Section box. You can: Place the master in a block in the report. In this case, the data that was displayed as master is still displayed in the report. To do this, drag the master from the Section box to the Block Structure box. Remove the master from the report. To do this, select the master in the Section box, then press the Delete key. Now, click Apply.
Deactivating sections of master/detail reports

Deactivating sections of a master/detail report enables you to recalculate the report without removing data from it. This feature is particularly useful in reports which contain multiple blocks, as the following example describes. The section of the report illustrated below displays revenue and number of guests per quarter for FY93. Revenue per quarter is shown in the chart on the left, while the table on the right shows number of guests per quarter:
You want to obtain the number of guests per quarter for all resorts, rather than the number of guests per resort, as shown in this illustration:
You obtain this result by deactivating the Resort section for the table. The Slice and Dice Panel enables you to perform this task with simple mouse clicks. BUSINESSOBJECTS dynamically recalculates the number of guests for all resorts, while the data in the charts remains unchanged.
To deactivate a section of a master/detail report
1. Open a master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Click the tab of the block (table, chart or crosstab) that you want to recalculate. 3. In the Section box, with your right-mouse button click the master of the section that you want to deactivate. A pop-up menu appears. 4. Click Deactivate this section:
5. Click Apply. The block appears in the section above the section that you deactivated.
To reactivate a section of a master/detail report
Once you have deactivated a section of a master/detail report, you can reactivate it in the following way: 1. Open the master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Click the tab of the block (table, chart or crosstab) that you want to recalculate. 3. In the Section box, with your right-mouse button click the master that you now want to activate 4. On the pop-up menu that appears, click Activate this section. 5. Click Apply. You can also perform this task by selecting and dragging the block back to its original section. To do this, hold down your Alt key and click inside the block. Position the cursor on the blocks border. When the cursor changes to a cross, as shown in the margin, click the border. Hold down your mouse and drag the block to its original section. When you release the mouse button, BUSINESSOBJECTS dynamically recalculates the data in the block.
To deactivate or activate two or more sections at the same time
In master/master/detail reports, which by definition contain two or more sections, you can deactivate two or more sections at the same time: 1. Open the master/detail report, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Click the tab of the block (table, chart or crosstab) that you want to recalculate. 3. In the Section box, with your right-mouse button click the master of the uppermost section that you want to deactivate. 4. On the pop-up menu, click Deactivate this section and all sections below it. 5. Click Apply. The report is recalculated. To reactivate the sections: 6. Click the master of the lowest section with your right-mouse button (Quarter, in the example above). 7. Click Activate this section and all sections above it, then click Apply.
Positioning Data Horizontally in Slice-and-Dice Mode

All reports display data horizontally. In tables and crosstabs, data appears in columns, and in charts, data is plotted on the X-axis that runs from left to right. In the Slice and Dice Panel, the data that appears horizontally in a table, crosstab or chart is shown in the Block Structure box. It is represented by the icons that appear in a horizontal line, as illustrated here:
You can use the Slice and Dice Panel to move variables horizontally, using dragand-drop. You can also swap two variables.
To drag a variable horizontally to a new position

Select an icon, hold down your mouse button and drag the icon horizontally, left or right, to its new position. As you move the mouse, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button to drop the icon at its new position. Click Apply to display the data in its new position in the report.
To swap two variables horizontally

To swap two variables horizontally, hold down the Shift key and select one of the icons you want to swap. The cursor changes to show that you are carrying out a swap operation, as shown in the margin. Drag the icon horizontally until it is above the other icon you want to swap, then release your mouse button. Click Apply to display the swapped data in the report.
Working with Crosstabs and 3-D Matrix Charts in Slice-and-Dice Mode

Working with crosstabs and 3-D matrix charts is made simple by the Slice and Dice Panel. The structure of a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart is clearly shown in the Block Structure box:
c a d
a. The icon here represents the data that appears in columns in crosstabs, or on the X-axis of charts. b. The symbol for a crosstab in the Slice and Dice Panel. There is a different symbol for charts. c. The icon here represents the data that appears in rows in a crosstab or on the Z-axis in 3-D matrix charts. d. The icon here represents the numeric data that appears at the intersection of rows and columns in crosstabs (i.e., in the body), and data that is plotted on the Y-axis of 3-D matrix charts.
The following illustrations show the crosstab and the 3-D chart. The following illustrations show the crosstab and the 3-D matrix chart that correspond to the representation in the Block Structure box, above.
The crosstab
The 3-D matrix chart In slice-and-dice mode you can perform the following tasks with crosstabs and 3D matrix charts: Build a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart from a table or 2-D chart, respectively. Reduce a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart to a table or 2-D chart, respectively. Reposition data that appears in rows or on the Z-axis. Move data between rows and columns (in crosstabs), and between the Z-axis to the X-axis (in 3-D matrix charts.) Turn crosstabs into 3-D matrix charts and vice versa. The following sections describe how to perform these tasks, with the exception of turning crosstabs into 3-D matrix charts and vice versa. This task is described in Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode on page 137.
To build a crosstab or a 3-D matrix chart from a table or 2-D chart

You can: Use data that is already displayed in the report. To do this, you take an icon from the Block Structure box or the Section box. Use data that is not yet displayed. In this case, you take an icon from the Available Variables box. Here is the procedure: 1. Click inside a table or 2-D chart, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Select the icon of the data that you want to use to build the crosstab or matrix chart. 3. Drag the icon until it is positioned above the icon that is furthest to the right in the Block Structure box, then release your mouse button. The icon appears above and to the right of the other icons in the Block Structure box, as illustrated on page 130. 4. Click Apply to make the crosstab or matrix chart appear.
To reduce a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart to a table or 2-D chart

When you reduce a crosstab or a 3-D matrix chart into a table or 2-D chart, you take data out of the crosstab or matrix chart. You can: Remove data from the report. Display the data in the 2-D chart or table. Here is the procedure: 1. Click inside a crosstab or 3-D matrix chart, then open the Slice and Dice Panel. 2. Select the icon of the variable whose data appears in rows (if you are working with a crosstab), or on the Z-axis (if you are working with a chart.) This icon is located in the upper right-hand corner of the Block Structure box. 3. If you want to remove the data from the report, press the Delete key. If you want to display the data in the table or 2-D chart, drag it down and to the left, until it is at the same level as the other icons. Then, release your mouse button. 4. Click Apply to make the table or 2-D chart appear.
To reposition data vertically

You can place more than one variable in rows in crosstabs and on the Z-axis of 3D matrix charts. You can reposition these variables, as illustrated here:
In this example, the data for Quarter and Year would appear in rows in a crosstab, or on the Z-axis of a 3-D matrix chart. You can move Year up, or Quarter, down.
To move a variable up or down
Select an icon, hold down your mouse button and drag the icon vertically, up or down, to its new position. As you move the mouse, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button to drop the icon at its new position, then click Apply.
To swap two variables vertically
To swap two variables vertically, hold down the Shift key and select one of the icons you want to swap. The cursor changes to show that you are carrying out a swap operation, as shown in the margin. Drag the icon vertically until it is abov the other icon you want to swap, then release your mouse button. Click Apply.
To move data between columns and rows in crosstabs

Crosstabs display data in columns and in rows. This means you can change crosstabs by swapping data between columns and rows. You can do this in the Slice and Dice Panel, by moving icons from and to the upper right-hand corner of the Block Structure box:
In this example, the data for Quarter and Year appears in rows in the crosstab. You can move either variable to a column in the crosstab, by dragging Quarter or Year next to Resort.
To move data from rows to columns
Select an icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Block Structure box, hold down your mouse button and drag it to the bottom left-hand corner of the box. As you move the mouse, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button and click Apply.
To swap two variables between columns and rows
Hold down the Shift key and select one of the icons you want to swap. Drag the icon until it is above the other icon you want to swap. The cursor changes to show that you are carrying out a swap operation, as shown in the margin. Release your mouse button and click Apply.
To move data between the X- and Z-axis in 3-D matrix charts

This task is equivalent to moving data between columns and rows in crosstabs. Follow the procedures described in the preceding paragraphs. For column read X-axis and for row read Z-axis.
Displaying and Removing Data in Slice-and-Dice Mode

The Slice and Dice Panel shows the data that is displayed in a report. It also shows any unused data that you can display. More precisely: The icons that you can see in the Section box, and in the Block Structure box, show the data that is already displayed in the report. The icons in the Available Variables box show all the data you can use, whether or not it is already displayed. Using the drag-and-drop technique, you can display unused data in the report, and you can remove data that is already displayed. Once removed, the data remains available for later use.
To display data in the report

1. In the Available Variables box, drag an icon to the Section box to display it as a master, or double-click it to display it in the block. 2. Click Apply to display the data in the report.
To remove data from the report

1. Select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box. 2. Drag the icon to the Available Variables box, and release the mouse button. Alternatively, press the Delete key. 3. Click Apply to remove the data from the report.
Deleting, Renaming and Resetting Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode

You can delete, rename and reset blocks in slice-and-dice mode. To do so: 1. Click the tab of the block you want to work on. To select multiple blocks, hold down the Ctrl key then click each one. 2. Click your right-mouse button. A pop-up menu appears. 3. Click the command that corresponds to the task you want to perform. If you select the Rename command, you must type the new name in the dialog box that appears, then click OK. The Rename command is not available for multiple tabs. 4. Click Apply.
Tip: You can reset one or more blocks using the procedure described above. To
reset the whole report, click the Reset button on the Slice and Dice Panel toolbar. Resetting a block or a report removes any formatting you have applied.
Transforming Blocks in Slice-and-Dice Mode

In slice-and-dice mode, you can turn tables and crosstabs into charts, and vice versa. To do so: 1. Open the Slice and Dice Panel, then click the tab of the block you want to transform. 2. Click your right-mouse button, then select a command:
Command Action
Turn to Chart Turn to Table Turn to Crosstab 3. Click Apply.
Turns the selected table or crosstab to a chart. Turns the selected chart to a table. Turns the selected matrix chart to a crosstab.
Applying Further Modifications in Slice-and-Dice Mode

You can use the Slice and Dice Panel to apply the following features on data that is displayed in a report: Sorts, which control the order in which the data appears. Ranking, which enable you to view top and bottom values of selected data. Calculations. Breaks, which break up blocks of data. Filters, which enable you to view only the data that you need. There is a button for each feature in the Slice and Dice Panel toolbar:
a. Sorts b. Ranking
a b c d e
c. Calculations d. Breaks e. Filters
None of the above are specific to slice-and-dice mode, as they are all core features of the User module. However, the Slice and Dice Panels graphical interface provides a user-friendly way to apply them. Moreover, it is useful to be able to perform slice-and-dice operations, then apply one or more of the features to the report. For example, if you build a master/detail report that displays revenue by resort, you can quickly calculate the total revenue per resort. In the sections that follow, you learn how to use the Slice and Dice Panel to apply sorts, ranking, calculations, breaks and filters on report data. References to more information on the features are provided in their respective sections.
Using sorts to control data order

To apply a sort on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box, then click Apply Sort. A sort icon appears next to or below the icon you selected. Click Apply to display the data in order in the report. You can also: Invert the sort, i.e., from ascending order to descending order, or vice versa. To do this, double-click its icon. Remove the sort. To do this, select its icon then press the Delete key. For further information on sorts and how to apply them on report data, refer to Using Sorts to Control the Order of Report Data on page 103.
Apply Sort
Using ranking to view only top and bottom values of data

To apply ranking on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box. Then, click Apply Ranking. A ranking icon appears next to or below the icon you selected. Double-click the ranking icon. The Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box appears, where you define the ranking you wish to apply. Click OK, then, in the Slice and Dice Panel, click Apply. The report appears with the ranking you applied. You can also: Redefine the ranking by double-clicking its icon in the Slice and Dice Panel, then modify its attributes in the Select Top/Bottom Variable Name dialog box. Remove the ranking. To do this, select its icon then press the Delete key. For further information on ranking and how to apply them, refer to Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values on page 105.
Apply Ranking
Making calculations on data

To make a calculation on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box, then click Insert Calculation. A calculation icon appears next to or below the icon you selected. To select the calculation you want to make, double-click the calculation icon. The Calculation on dialog box appears.
Insert Calculation
Select the function(s) you wish to apply, then click OK. Click Apply to make the calculation(s) appear in the report. For information on how to apply calculations without using slice-and-dice mode, refer to Displaying a Calculation in a Table or a Crosstab on page 110.
Applying breaks
You can apply a break on data that is displayed in tables or crosstabs. You cannot apply a break on a master, or on data that is displayed in a chart. To apply a break, select an icon in the Block Structure box, then click Apply Break. A break icon appears next to or below the icon you selected. click Apply. The report appears with the break you applied. You can also: Redefine a break by double-clicking its icon. In the dialog box that appears, you can select different attributes for the break. Remove a break. To do this, select its icon, then press the Delete key. For further information on breaks and how to apply them, refer to Breaking up Tables and Crosstabs on page 93.
Apply Break
Using filters to view only the data you need

To apply a filter on data in the report, select an icon in the Section box or the Block Structure box. Then, click Apply Filter. A filter icon appears next to or below the icon you selected. Double-click the filter icon. The Filter On dialog box appears, where you define the filter you wish to apply. Click OK, then, in the Slice and Dice Panel, click Apply. The report appears with the filter you applied. You can also: Redefine the filter by double-clicking its icon in the Slice and Dice Panel, then modify its attributes in the Filter on dialog box. Remove the filter. To do this, select its icon then press the Delete key. For further information on filters and how to apply them, refer to Using Filters on page 98.
Apply Filter
Working in Drill Mode

In drill mode, you analyze data on different levels of detail. When you spot an unusually low or high value, drill mode enables you to analyze it by displaying data on a more detailed level, within the report you are working on. For example, suppose your report contains a table which displays revenue per resort. You see that revenue in a resort are particularly low. Right away, you can switch to drill mode, then make the data for the resorts service lines (accommodation, food and drinks, etc.) appear. If this data does not answer your question (Why is revenue low in this resort?), you can drill down again, to display data for the services in the service lines. When working in drill mode, you are guided through the necessary steps by dynamic graphical features that appear as you work.
Hierarchies and Dimensions

Hierarchies enable you to drill from one level of data to the next. They consist of dimensions that are ranked in order, from less detailed to more detailed. Hierarchies are created in the DESIGNER module, when your designer builds a universe. The classic themes on which a designer or advanced user creates hierarchies are geography, time and product. In the demo universe, Island Resorts Marketing, there are four hierarchies: Resort (Country, Resort, Service, Service Line). Sales (Year, Quarter, Month, Week, Invoice Date). Customer (Country of Origin, Region, City, Customer). Reservations (Reservation Year, Reservation Quarter, Reservation Month, Reservation Week, Reservation Date). In the query that you build when you create a report, you can include dimension objects from hierarchies in preparation for working in drill mode later on. For information on how to do this, refer to Defining scope of analysis on page 21. Once your report contains dimensions that belong to hierarchies, you can: Drill down from one dimension to the next, e.g., from Resort to Service Line. Drill across from a dimension in one hierarchy to a dimension in another hierarchy, for example from Resort (in the Resort hierarchy) to Year (in the Sales hierarchy). Drill up from one dimension to the next, as long as you have first drilled down.
Measures
Measures show the results of calculations. For example, the Revenue per Guest measure would be the result of the following calculation: (Revenue / Number of Guests). Measures can be retrieved by queries or other data providers. However, you can analyze measures if you have created them locally, based on data in the document that you are working on. Once you have created and displayed a measure in a report, you can expand it, to display the data for its component parts. You can then collapse the measure, to display the calculated data once more. You can find more information on creating, expanding and collapsing measures in the online help: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab, type formulas or drill mode, then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. The next step depends on the information you are looking for:
For information on... Scroll down to... Then...
Creating measures Expanding or collapsing measures
Why use formulas and local variables? What does expanding and collapsing measures do?
Press Enter. Press Enter.
Preparing for Drill Mode

Before you drill down in BUSINESSOBJECTS, your report must contain data for dimensions that belong to hierarchies. For example, if you want to drill down from Year to Quarter, the data for these dimensions must be available in the report, and the dimensions themselves must belong to a hierarchy. You can retrieve data for dimensions when you create a report. For information on how to do this, refer to Defining scope of analysis on page 21. If the report you are working on does not contain data for dimensions, you can: Retrieve the data you need by expanding your scope of analysis. For example, to find out why sales are low in a particular resort, you may want to analyze data by service line. If the service line data is not available, you can quickly retrieve it, then carry out your analysis. Create new hierarchies with existing dimensions from the report.
Tip: You can view the hierarchies in your report by selecting the Hierarchies
command on the Analysis menu.
You can find information on these tasks in the online help: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab:
Type... For information on... Then in the Topics Found dialog box, select...
scope of analysis hierarchies 3. Press Enter.
Expanding scope of analysis Creating a hierarchy
Expand scope of analysis as you drill Create a custom hierarchy
Switching to Drill Mode

Once you have opened or created a report that contains dimensions that belong to hierarchies, you must switch to drill mode. To do this, select the Drill command from the Analysis menu, or click Drill on the Standard toolbar. A check appears beside the Drill command, and the Drill button appears pushed, to show that you are working in drill mode. When you switch to drill mode, the following changes take place in the report: The cursor takes the form of a magnifying glass. If no part of any table, chart or crosstab was selected before you switched to drill mode, a question mark appears next to the cursor:
Cursor that appears if you do not select a block before switching to drill mode.
Drill
In this case, you must now click inside the table, chart or crosstab whose data you want to analyze. By default, a copy of the report is created inside the document. This copy now becomes the active report, in which you will perform drill down. The section of the report that contains the table, chart or crosstab that you selected appears in the new report. You can set an option to control whether or not a copy of the active report is created when you switch to drill mode. Refer to Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode on page 153, for information on this feature. If the report you are working on is a master/detail report, only the first section of the report is displayed when you switch to drill mode. The master cell inside the section is now also a list box, as illustrated in the margin. You can select a different value from the list to display a different section of the report.
Master Cell
Tip: To view section delimiters, activate the Section Delimiters command on the
View menu.
You are now ready to drill on the data in the report.
Drilling Down
Drilling down means displaying progressively more detailed data, in order to find out why a value is particularly high or particularly low. You can: Drill down from one dimension to the next. For example, if the Year dimension is displayed in the report, you can drill down to the next dimension, Quarter, in order to view revenue by quarter. Drill down on all the dimensions in a table, chart or crosstab. For example, if the block displays Year, Resort and Revenue, you can drill down to Quarter and Service simultaneously. The following sections describe how to perform these tasks. To illustrate the tasks, examples from the demo reports (included in your BUSINESSOBJECTS package) are used.
To drill down from one dimension to the next

1. Rest the cursor over data from a dimension (Resort, in the illustration below). A tooltip shows you the next dimension in the hierarchy:
The tooltip over Resort shows Service Line, which is the next dimension in the hierarchy. This means that by double-clicking a Region value, you drill down to values for Service Line.
2. Double-click a value that you want to find out more about. For example, in the table above, the revenue for Hawaiian Club is higher than the revenue for the other resorts. To find out more about the success of this resort, double-click the cell that contains Hawaiian Club. The value of the cell you double-clicked is displayed in a new master cell. The data for the next dimension appears in the table. In the illustration below, Hawaiian Club appears in a master cell and the data for the next dimension, Service Line, appears in the table:
The values for Revenue are automatically calculated so that they correspond to Service Line.
3. You can now: Display the data for a different resort. To do this, click the arrow on the right of master cell, then click a different value from the drop-down list that appears. The data corresponding to the value you click appears in the table. Remove the master cell and the data it contains. To do so, click the arrow in the master cell, then click (Remove) from the list that appears. The master cell disappears, and the data for Resort is no longer displayed. The data for Service Line in all resorts is displayed in the table. Continue to drill down, by double-clicking a value from Service Line. When you do this, the data for the next dimension, Service, appears in the table. The Service Line value you double-clicked appears in a master cell. Drill back up to Resort. For the procedure that describes how to drill up, refer to To drill up from one dimension to the next on page 149.
Tip: You can undo up to ten drill actions by selecting the Undo command on the
Edit menu.
To drill down on all dimensions in a block simultaneously

You can simultaneously drill down from one dimension to the next in all the dimensions in a block. This feature is only available if the block contains only dimensions and measures, and that all its dimensions belong to hierarchies. To drill down on all dimensions in a block simultaneously: 1. Create or open a report that contains only dimensions and measures. Remember that the dimensions must all belong to hierarchies. In the table illustrated below, Resort and Year belong to different hierarchies (Resort and Sales, respectively):
2. Rest the cursor over the measure. A tooltip indicates the dimensions you can drill down to:
3. Double-click a cell that contains a measure value. For example, double-click the cell that contains $519,530 (for Hawaiian Club, FY94). This is the highest revenue value in the table, and therefore one that you may want to analyze. The data for Resort and Year appear in master cells. The values in the master cells are Hawaiian Club and FY94, respectively. The data for the dimensions below Resort and Year, i.e., Service Line and Quarter, appear in the table, as shown in this illustration:
Drilling Up
Drilling up, as the term suggests, is the opposite of drilling down. In other words, when you drill up, you display data on a less detailed level, rather than on a more detailed level. You can drill up as long as you have first drilled down. More precisely, you can: Drill up from one dimension to the next. For example, if you have drilled down from Resort to Service Line, you can drill up from Service Line to Resort. Drill up on all dimensions in a block simultaneously. For example, if the block displays the data for Revenue by Quarter and by Service Line, you can drill up to Year and Resort simultaneously. The following sections describe how to perform these tasks.
To drill up from one dimension to the next

1. Drill down in a hierarchy by following the procedure described in To drill down from one dimension to the next on page 145. 2. Click inside data that has appeared as a result of the drill down. Alternatively, click the data for a measure, (e.g., for Revenue). 3. Select the Drill Up command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button, or from the Analysis menu. The data for the dimension above the dimension you clicked appears in the report.
To drill up all dimensions in a block simultaneously

You can simultaneously drill up from one dimension to the next in all the dimensions in a block. Before you can do this, you must first have drilled down on all dimensions in the block, which is described in To drill down on all dimensions in a block simultaneously on page 147. To drill up on all dimensions in a block simultaneously, click the data for the measure in the block (e.g., the data for Revenue). Then, click your right-mouse button and select the Drill Up command from the pop-up menu that appears. Each dimension in the block is replaced by the dimension above it. For example, if you drilled up on the table that is illustrated in (3) on page 148, the result would be a table that displayed revenue per resort and per financial year, as Resort and Year are the dimensions above Service Line and Quarter, in their respective hierarchies.
Drilling Across
Drilling across enables you to go further with your analysis. If you cannot find the answer to a question by analyzing data over time, you can drill across to analyze data in a different way, for example by customer or service. In concrete terms, when you drill across, you display data for a dimension that does not belong to the active hierarchy. Suppose your report displays data for Resort, which belongs to the Resort hierarchy. The report also contains Year, which belongs to the Sales hierarchy, but the data for Year is not currently displayed. You can drill across from Resort to Year. Once the data for Year appears, you can drill down on it, i.e., to Quarter, which is the next dimension in the Sales hierarchy. You can also drill across to other hierarchies, or drill back to the hierarchy you were originally working in. Thus, drilling across opens up paths that you can follow when analyzing data. Before you can drill across, your report must contain dimensions from more than one hierarchy. If this is not the case, you can: Retrieve data for dimensions from more than one hierarchy by expanding your scope of analysis, or Create new hierarchies inside the report. For information on how to perform these tasks, refer to Preparing for Drill Mode on page 143.
To drill across
Once you are ready to drill across, switch to drill mode and follow this procedure: 1. Click the data for a dimension, then click your right-mouse button. 2. In the pop-up menu, select Explore by and drag your mouse to the right. The list of dimensions that you can drill to appears on a sub-menu:
The first dimension in the list is the next dimension in the active hierarchy. If the dimension you selected in the report is the last one in the active hierarchy, the first menu item is a dimension in another hierarchy. Each dimension below the first menu item is the first dimension in other hierarchies in the report.
3. Click a dimension that belongs to another hierarchy. The data for the dimension appears.
Changing the Data in a Block As You Drill

In addition to drilling down, up and across, you can change the data displayed in tables, crosstabs or charts as you drill. More precisely, you can: Insert a variable in the block. Replace a variable. Remove a variable from the block. For example, if you are working on a table that displays the data for Year and Revenue, you can insert Resort. Then, you can drill down on Year to view the revenue per resort and per quarter. To find out more about changing the data in a block as you drill: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab, type drill mode then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Scroll down to Insert, select the topic that interests you then press Enter.
Making Copies of Reports While You Work

When you work in drill mode, you display data on different levels of detail. You may therefore need to keep track of the various stages of your analysis. To enable you to do this, BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you make a copy of the report at any time during your analysis. Each copy you make of the report appears in a new tab inside the document. To make a copy of a report, click the Take Snapshot button on the Standard toolbar, or select the Snapshot command from the Analysis menu. A copy of the report appears in a new tab inside your document. The name that appears in the tab is Report Name(n+1). For example, if the report you copied is named Sales, the new report is named Sales (1).
Take Snapshot
Setting Options for Working in Drill Mode

BUSINESSOBJECTS provides options that enable you to manage your work in drill mode. You can: Control the number of items that appear on the pop-up menu that you use to display data in drill mode. View the number of values for each dimension that appears on the pop-up menu. Systematically create a new report when you switch to drill mode, or be prompted to choose whether or not to create a new report. Control the cursor and the tooltip that appear in drill mode. Automatically display the totals or percentages of numeric data (measures). To set options for drill mode, select the Options command from the Tools menu. In the dialog box that appears, click the Drill tab:
Click inside the checkbox(es) of the option(s) you want to set, then click OK.
Chapter 6
Formatting Reports
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In this chapter
u Overview 157
Predefined Object Formats 157 Applying Your Own Formats 157

u Resizing Report Elements 158
Resizing Tables and Crosstabs 158 Resizing Charts 158 Resizing Columns, Rows and Cells 160
u Positioning Report Elements on the Page 161
Positioning Blocks and Cells 161 Managing Sections and Blocks Over Multiple Pages 165
u Formatting Sections and Blocks 166 u Formatting Cells and Their Contents 169
Formatting Text 171 Formatting Numbers and Dates 173 Aligning Cell Contents 176 Formatting Cell Borders 177 Formatting Cell Backgrounds 179
Chapter 6 Formatting Reports
u Formatting Chart Elements 180
Working Methods for Formatting Chart Elements 180 The Elements of a Chart, and What You Can Do to Format Them 181 Formatting the Plot Area of a Chart 184 Formatting the Wall of a Chart 185 Formatting the Data Series of a Chart 186 Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels 187 Displaying and Formatting a Title and Other Chart Elements 190
u Using Pictures in Reports 199
Inserting a Picture in a Cell 199 Working with Page Backgrounds 200

u Formatting Headers, Footers and Margins 202
Inserting a Cell in a Header or Footer 202 Applying Shading to a Header or Footer 203 Resizing Headers, Footers and Margins 203
u Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates in Reports 204
Overview
Overview
Making your reports look perfect is an important part of working with BUSINESSOBJECTS. Whether you want to add a personal touch, or whether you have to respect corporate norms, you are sure to want your reports to look just right. Giving reports the look you want involves formatting.
Predefined Object Formats

Universe designers can now apply formats to objects when creating universes. The formats apply to the data values displayed in report cells. Format options include settings for numbers, alignment, font, border, and shading. Thus, the data that appears when you create reports may already be formatted.
Applying Your Own Formats

This chapter describes the following ways you can format the different parts of your reports: Resizing and positioning blocks and cells. Applying shading and borders to sections, blocks and cells. Formatting the cells or chart elements, such as the slices of a pie chart, that display report data. Formatting the data itself - changing its color, for example. Using page headers, footers and margins. Displaying page numbers, dates and times. In the online help, you can find topics that describe other ways of formatting reports. The following table presents the topics and indicates the keywords to use in the help index. For information on using the help index, refer to Using the Help Index on page xi.
alerters templates
Automatically formatting data that fits conditions you set. Applying templates to new and existing reports.
Resizing Report Elements

You can resize blocks, cells, columns and rows by adjusting their height and width. In some cases, you can resize an element by dragging its borders. You can also specify fixed width and height values for cells. The following paragraphs provide detailed instructions.
Resizing Tables and Crosstabs

Tables are made up of columns; crosstabs are made up of columns and rows. When you resize tables and crosstabs, therefore, you resize their columns and/or rows. Refer to Resizing Columns, Rows and Cells on page 160 for more information.
Resizing Charts
To help you resize charts, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays handles that you can drag with the mouse. These are shown in the following illustration:
A handle appears on each border and corner of a selected chart.
To resize a chart: 1. Hold down the Alt key then click inside the chart. Handles appear around the chart. 2. Rest the mouse pointer over a handle. When the pointer changes to a doubleheaded arrow, click the handle and hold down your mouse button. 3. Drag the handle until the charts height or width reaches the required size. Note that if you drag a handle on a corner of the chart, you can adjust the height and width simultaneously. 4. Release the mouse button, then repeat the previous steps, if necessary, to make further adjustments.
Resizing Report Elements
Keeping the plot area proportionate to the charts size

When you reduce a chart in size, BUSINESSOBJECTS reduces the charts plot area proportionately. However, this does not automatically occur when you enlarge a chart. You can keep the plot area proportionate to the charts size in the following way: 1. Enlarge the chart. 2. Click inside the chart, then select the Edit Chart command on the Format menu. The Chart Editor appears. 3. In the Chart tab, click Adjust Plot Area to Chart Size, then click OK. BUSINESSOBJECTS resizes the plot area in proportion to the size of the chart.
Resizing Columns, Rows and Cells

You can resize cells (e.g., headers, footers, master cells), and groups of cells (i.e., rows and columns). You must first select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that you wish to resize. To select a cell, click inside it. For information on how to select columns and rows, refer to Selecting cells, columns and rows on page 73. Once you have selected cells, columns, or rows, you can resize them by using the mouse, or by using the Cell Height and Width command from the Format menu. These resizing features are described in the following section.
To resize columns, rows and cells by using the mouse

Click the right border of the selection and hold down the mouse button. Then, drag the border until the selection reaches the width you want. To change the height of the selection, select its top or bottom border. Hold down the mouse button and drag the border until it reaches the height you want.
To resize columns, rows and cells using a menu command

Select the cells, columns or rows you want to resize, then select the Cell Height and Width command from the Format menu. The Cell Height and Width dialog box appears:
Type an exact value, or use the arrows to increase or decrease the width that is shown. Click AutoFit to adjust the width of the selected cells automatically to the width of their contents.
Set the width you want, then click the Height tab. Set the height you want, then click OK. The dialog box closes and the selection is resized, according to the settings you entered.
Positioning Report Elements on the Page

You can work on the structure of a report by positioning its blocks (i.e., tables, crosstabs and charts) and cells. This section describes how to: Position blocks (tables, crosstabs and charts) and cells relative to one another, to align these with page margins, and to move them by using the drag-and-drop technique. Manage sections and blocks over multiple pages.
Positioning Blocks and Cells

You can position blocks and cells inside a section in the following ways: By setting a horizontal and/or a vertical gap between them. For example, you can position the master cell one centimeter above and to the left of a table. By aligning them horizontally or vertically with each other or with page margins. By using the drag-and-drop technique. By using the Cut and Paste commands on the Edit menu. Before you can work in any of these ways, you must first select the cell(s) or block(s) you want to move. To select a block, click outside it, hold down your Alt key then click inside it. A hatched border with handles appears around the block. To select more than one block, hold down your Ctrl key and your Alt key, then click inside each one. To select a cell, click inside it. The cell background is highlighted, to indicate that it has been selected. To select more than one cell, hold down your Ctrl key then click inside each one.
Setting a gap between cells and blocks

1. Select the block(s) or cell(s). 2. Select the Cell command or the Table command on the Format menu. Note that the Table command is dynamic: it depends on the type of block you select. If you select a crosstab or chart, you select the Crosstab command or the Chart command, respectively. 3. Click the Appearance tab:
A sample of the positions you select appears here.
4. In the Horizontal Position Relative To box, select the report element that you want to use to position the cell horizontally. 5. Enter a value (positive or negative) in the Left field. For example, if you want there to be a horizontal gap of 1 inch between the cell and the report element you selected in the Horizontal Position Relative To box, enter 16. 6. In the Vertical Position Relative To box, select the report element that you want to use to position the cell vertically. 7. Enter a value (positive or negative) in the Top field. For example, if you want to there to be a vertical gap of 1/2 inch between the cell and the report element you selected in the Vertical Position Relative To box, enter 8. 8. Click Apply or OK to display the cells or blocks in their new position.
Aligning blocks and cells

You can align cells and blocks with each other both horizontally and vertically. You can also align them with page margins, for example to the left.
To align blocks or cells with each other
1. Select the element with which you want to align a second element. For example, if you want to align a cell with a table, you must first select the table. 2. Hold down the Ctrl key and select the element you want to align with the first element you selected. 3. Select the Alignment command from the Format menu. The Alignment dialog box appears:
4. Click the option you want, then click OK. The report elements you selected are aligned in the section.
To align blocks or cells with page margins
1. Select the block(s) or cell(s) you want to align. 2. If you selected a cell, select the Cell command on the Format menu. If you selected a block, select the Table command on the Format menu. Note that the Table command is dynamic: it depends on the type of block you select. If you select a crosstab or chart, you select the Crosstab command or the Chart command, respectively. 3. Click the Appearance tab in the dialog box that appears. 4. To align the selection horizontally, select an option in the Horizontal Position Relative To list box. 5. To align the selection vertically, select an option in the Vertical Position Relative To list box, then click OK or Apply.
Dragging blocks or cells to a new location

Before you can drag blocks or cells, you must first select them. Selecting a block is illustrated on page 71. Selecting cells is illustrated on page 73. You can use a grid to automatically align the selection as you drag it. To do so, select the Snap to Grid command from the Format menu. To view the grid, select the Grid command from the View menu Once you have selected the block(s) or cell(s) you want to drag: Position the cursor on the hatched border of a block. When the cursor changes to a cross, as shown in the margin, click the border, hold down your mouse and drag. Click inside a cell, hold down your mouse and drag. As you drag the selection, the cursor changes, as shown in the margin. Release the mouse at the point where you want the selection to appear. For more information on moving cells, refer to Moving Cells, Columns and Rows on page 77.
Note: In master/detail reports, you can drag a block between sections. When you do this, the data in the block is recalculated. You can also move blocks between sections in slice-and-dice mode. For more information, refer to Deactivating sections of master/detail reports on page 125.
Managing Sections and Blocks Over Multiple Pages

You can manage the position of sections and blocks (tables, crosstabs and charts) that span multiple pages, in the following ways: Make each section and/or each block appear on a new page. Prevent sections and/or blocks from being split by a page break. Before you can manage the position of sections and blocks, you must first select them. For information on how to select a block, refer to page 71. To select a section, click any blank space inside it. If you selected a section, you now select the Section command from the Format menu, or the Format Section command from the pop-up menu. If you selected a table, the commands you can use are Table and Format Table, and so on. In the dialog box that appears, click the General tab:
a b c d
a. The Horizontal Behavior box controls sections or blocks from top to bottom. The Vertical Behavior box controls crosstabs from left to right. b. Places every block or section on a new page. c. Where possible, starts a new page for blocks and sections that would otherwise be split by a page break. d. Repeats the block on every page of the report. e. Places blocks in multiple columns on the page.
Click the options you want to apply, then click OK.
Formatting Sections and Blocks

The main body of data in reports is displayed in blocks, which can be tables, crosstabs or charts. A section contains one or more blocks of data.
This is a section. This is a table inside the section.
You can format blocks and sections by applying borders and shading to them. You can also control the position of sections and blocks in the report. For information on how to do so, refer to Positioning Blocks and Cells on page 161. Before you can format blocks or sections, you must first select them. Selecting sections and blocks is described and illustrated on page 71. You access border and shading options for sections and blocks via commands on the Format menu. The command you use depends on the block, blocks or section you have selected:
Selection Format menu command
Table Crosstab Chart Multiple blocks Section
Table Crosstab Chart Blocks Section
Formatting Sections and Blocks
Here is the procedure to apply borders and shading to a section, a block or blocks: 1. Select a section, a block or blocks (refer to page 71 if you are not sure how to do so). Then select the appropriate command from the Format menu or the pop-up menu. 2. In the dialog box that appears, click the Border tab:
3. Click a line style in the Style box. 4. To change the border color, click the box next to Custom, then select a color in the dialog box that appears. Click OK to close the dialog box. 5. Select the border(s) you want to format. You can: Click one or more borders in the Borders box, or Click Box to format outside borders only. 6. Click Apply or OK. The settings you selected in the Border tab are applied to the report.
7. Select the Shading tab, and select the settings you want, as described in the illustration below:
Click None if you do not want to apply shading or a nondefault color to the block or section. Select the pattern or shade you want. Note that Clear applies the Background color, whereas Solid applies the Foreground color. The other settings mix the two colors.
Click here to select a color you want to the foreground of the block or section. Click here to select the color you want to apply to the background of the block or section.
Click OK to close the dialog box. The shading attributes you set appear in the report.
Formatting Cells and Their Contents

Formatting means editing the presentation of reports to get the exact look that you want. In this section, you learn how to format cells and their contents. Cells appear in tables and crosstabs. Cells can also be individual: a header or footer is a cell, as is the master cell of a section. You can format the following elements of cells: Contents, i.e. text, numbers or dates. Background, i.e. shading and color. Borders, i.e. line style and line color. The illustration below shows what you can do to format cells and their contents:
Apply color and shading to cell backgrounds. Change the color and line style of cell borders. Apply formats to numbers and dates. Apply color and font attributes to text. Align cell contents: text to the left and numbers to the right.
Selecting cells, columns and rows

Before you can format cells, you must first select them. The different ways to select cells, a column or a row, several columns or several rows are described on page 73.
Selecting the body

The body is made up of the cells where data is displayed in a table or a crosstab. The body does not include the title cells that appear at the top of columns and to the left of rows. By selecting the body, you can format all the cells it contains at the same time, for example by applying border styles or backgrounds.
To select the body in a table
Place the cursor on the tables left-hand border, but not at the top of the table where the title cells appear. When the cursor turns into a black arrow pointing towards the table, click once. A hatched gray border appears around the table, and the body is highlighted to show that it is selected:
A table, with the body selected

To select the body in a crosstab
Click once inside the crosstabs body. If the body contains two or more variables, hold down your Shift key and click each one. A hatched gray border appears around the crosstab, and the body is highlighted to show that it is selected:
A crosstab, with the body selected
Using toolbar buttons to format cells and their contents

To carry out many of the formatting tasks that are described in the following sections, you can click buttons on the Formatting toolbar and on the Borders toolbar. Using toolbar buttons is the quickest and easiest way to apply formats. To display the Formatting and Borders toolbars, select the Toolbars command from the View menu. In the Toolbars dialog box that appears, click the Formatting and Border toolbar checkboxes, then click OK. The toolbars appear below the Standard toolbar in the application window. The buttons you can use to format cells are illustrated in the sections that follow.
Repeating cell formats

When you have applied formatting to a cell or cells, you can repeat the formats in other cells. To do this, select the cells you want to format, then select the Repeat command on the Edit menu.
Formatting Text
You can format text in cells in the following ways: Change the font and font size. Apply color. Apply bold, italics and underline. You can apply some of these text formatting features using buttons on the Formatting toolbar:
a. Font b. Font size c. Bold d. Italics e. Underline f. Text color
To use the toolbar buttons, select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that contain the text you want to format. Then, select the features you want to apply.
You can also use the Cell Format dialog box to format text. Here is the procedure: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that contain the text that you want to format. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu, or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Font tab to display the text formatting features:
Click here to pick a color from a palette that appears.
4. Select the text formats you want, then click Apply or OK. The formats are applied to the selection.
Formatting Numbers and Dates

This section describes how to apply formats supplied by BUSINESSOBJECTS to numbers and dates, and how to create your own formats.
To apply formats to number and dates

1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that contain the numbers or dates that you want to format. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Number tab:
4. Click a category in the Category list to display its corresponding formats: All All formats. Custom Formats that you have created yourself. Number Formats for decimal values. Currency Formats for currency values. Date/Time Date and time formats. Scientific Formats to display values to the nth power. Percentage Percentage formats. Condition Mr., Mrs., Miss. Boolean True, False. Image Bitmap. 5. Click a format in the Format list. An example of the effect the format has on numbers is shown below the Positive field. Examples also appear below the other fields (Negative, Equal to Zero and Undefined) if the format has been defined for negative numbers, zero and empty cells, respectively. 6. Click Apply or OK. The new formats are applied to the selection.
To create your own number and date formats

You can create your own number and date formats, based on standard formats. To illustrate the procedure that you must follow to create your own format, the steps described in this section are based on an example: how to create a number format with three decimal places. The format can be applied to positive and negative values, as well as to zero values and empty cells: 1. In the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, click the Number category from the Category list. The corresponding number formats appear in the Format list. 2. Click the number format with two decimal points (0.00). The effect that this format has on positive values appears below the Positive field. 3. Click inside the Positive field, then add a zero in third decimal place. You have now created a format that will display positive values with three decimal places. If you do not wish to enter formats in the remaining fields (Negative, Equal to Zero and Undefined), go to step 6 4. Click inside the Negative field, then enter the format (0.000). Negative values will now be displayed with three decimal points.
5. Enter 0.000 in the Equal to Zero and Undefined fields. These fields correspond to null values (zero) and empty cells, respectively. In cells that contain null values, 0.000 will be displayed. The format is also applied to empty cells. 6. Click Add. The new format appears in the Format list, under the Number category and the Custom category.
The four properties for the new format appear in the Format list.
An example of the format appears below each field.
7. Click Apply or OK. The new number format is available for use.
Tip: You can apply a color to number formats that you create. For example, if you want negative values to appear in red, type [Red] after the number format in the Negative field.
To delete number and date formats that you have created

You can delete number and date formats that you or other users have created. To do so, in the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, click the Custom category from the Category list. Select the format(s) that you wish to delete. Click Remove, then click OK.
Aligning Cell Contents

Aligning contents means positioning the data in a cell relative to the borders of the cell. For example, you can align data against the left border of its cell. You can use buttons on the Formatting toolbar to align cell contents to the right or left, or to center them:
a. Left align b. Center
a b c d
c. Right align d. Justify
To use the toolbar buttons, select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) whose contents you want to align. Then, click one of the alignment buttons. You can also use the alignment features in the Cell Format dialog box. To do so: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) whose contents you want to align. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu, or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Alignment tab to display the alignment features:
This option aligns text to the right and numbers to the left.
To modify the vertical alignment of cell contents, click a button in the Vertical box.
Click this option to display long contents on multiple lines.
4. Select the features that you wish to apply to the selection, then click OK.
Formatting Cell Borders

You can format cell borders by applying line styles and colors. The buttons on the Borders toolbar make it easy to format cell borders:
a. Enables you to select the line style to apply. b. Applies the style to the upper border. c. Applies the style to the lower border. d. Applies the style to the left border. e. Applies the style to the right border. f. Applies the style to the inner borders.
g. Applies the style to the outer borders. h. Removes the style from all borders. i. Enables you to select the color to apply.
Borders Toolbar
To display the Borders toolbar, click any other toolbar with your right-mouse button. Activate Borders on the pop-up menu that appears. If the Formatting toolbar is already displayed, click the Borders Toolbar button. The Borders toolbar appears below the Formatting toolbar. Once you have displayed the toolbar, you select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) whose borders you want to format. Then, select a line style (a, in the illustration above) and a color to apply (i). Finally, click the buttons (b to h) that correspond to the borders you want to format. You can also use the Cell Format dialog box to apply lines and colors to cell borders. To do so: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that you want to format. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu, or the Format Cell command from the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears.
3. Click the Border tab to display the border formatting features:
Select the line style. Clear the style from all borders. Apply the style to outer borders.
Select the borders you want to format. Select a color from a palette that appears.
4. Click the style you want to apply, and, if you wish, click Custom Color to select a non-default color from the palette that appears. 5. Select the border(s) you want to format. You can select them individually, or, to select the outer borders, click Box. 6. Click Apply or OK. The border line styles and color are applied to the borders you selected.
Formatting Cell Backgrounds

You can format the background of cells in the following ways: Change the color. Apply a pattern. Combine a color and a pattern. To format cell backgrounds: 1. Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) that you want to format. 2. Select the Cell command from the Format menu, or the Format Cell command the pop-up menu that appears when you click your right-mouse button. The Cell Format dialog box appears. 3. Click the Shading tab:
Click None if you do not want to apply shading or a nondefault color to the selected cells. Select the pattern or shade you want. Note that Clear applies the Background color, whereas Solid applies the Foreground color. The other settings show both colors and the pattern or shade you select.
Click here to select a color you want to the foreground of the selected cells. Click here to select the color you want to apply to the background of the selected cells.
4. Select the settings you want, then click Apply or OK. The shading and color attributes you set are applied.
Formatting Chart Elements

Formatting means working on the presentation, or look, of reports. In this section, you learn how to format charts in WYSIWYG mode (What You See Is What You Get). You carry out WYSIWYG formatting directly on the chart, by using your mouse and selecting features in a dialog box.
Working Methods for Formatting Chart Elements

BUSINESSOBJECTS charts are made up of several elements. For example, two of the elements of a column chart are its axes, and columns that represent data. All the elements of a chart are fully illustrated in the following section, The Elements of a Chart, and What You Can Do to Format Them. To apply formats to charts, you can: Double-click the chart element that you want to format. With your mouse, click a chart element, such as the slice of a pie chart, then select the first command on the Format menu. The command is dynamic: it refers to the chart element that you selected. For example, if you select the chart axis, the command is Axis Label. Whether you double-click a chart element or select the menu command, a dialog box appears. The dialog box, like the command, is dynamic: its name and tabs depend on the chart element that you first selected.
The Elements of a Chart, and What You Can Do to Format Them

Charts contain many elements, such as their axes, the columns, lines or points that display data, and so on. There are elements common to all types of chart, as well as elements that appear in certain types of chart only.
2-D charts
The illustration below shows the elements of a 2-D chart, and what you can do to format them.
a b g
d h e f
a. Change the color, border and shade of the plot area. b. Change the scale and style of the Y-axis, where numeric data is plotted. c. Apply text, number and date formats to the Y-axis labels. d. Change the color, border and shade of the data series. e. Change the style of the X-axis. f. Apply text and date formats to the X-axis labels.
g. Change the color, border and shade of the wall. h. Display/hide tick marks on the X-axis; change their style and color.
3-D charts
Many chart elements are specific to 3-D charts. The following illustration of a 3D column chart shows the elements that you learn how to format in this guide:
c d
a. Change the color, border and shade of the side wall. b. Change the color, border and shade of the back wall. c. Display the Z-axis, and format its axis labels. d. Change the color, border and shade of the floor.
The online help contains information on other ways of formatting 3-D charts. To find the information: 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab, type 3-D charts then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Select a topic that interests you, then press Enter.
Other chart elements you can display

The following table lists other chart elements that you can display, and indicates where you can find more information on each one.
Element Description For more information...
Title Legend
A cell containing text that describes the chart A box showing the colors and names of the data series in the chart Information such as percentages that appears next to the data series A second Y-axis for plotting numeric data. Lines drawn across the charts wall(s) that help show values more clearly Squares, points or cones that help show values more clearly Lines going from the highest to the lowest value for numeric data. Lines extending from a value in the chart down to the Xaxis. Bars that extend from the highest value of one data series to the lowest value of another data series.
Refer to Displaying and Formatting a Title and Other Chart Elements on page 190.
Data labels
Secondary axes Gridlines
Data markers
Refer to Formatting the Data Series of a Chart on page 186. Type high-low lines in the Help index, then press Enter. Type drop lines in the Help index, then press Enter. Type up-down bars in the Help index, then press Enter.
High-low lines
Drop lines
Up-down bars
Formatting the Plot Area of a Chart

You can think of the plot area as the global background of a chart. It covers the wall (i.e., the area where the data appears) and the axes, as illustrated:
You can apply color and shade to the plot area, as well as put a border around it. To do so, click inside the plot area without clicking any other chart element. Then, select the Plot Area command from the Format menu, or from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, double-click inside the plot area, being careful not to click any other chart element. The Plot Area Format dialog box appears. It contains the Pattern tab only:
Deselect Fill if you do not want to apply shading or color.
Deselect Border if you do not want to apply borders.
Select the border style to apply.
Select the pattern or shade you want. Note that Clear applies the Background color, whereas Solid applies the Foreground color. The other settings show both colors and the pattern or shade you select.
Select the border color to apply. Click here to select a color to apply to the shade.
Select the formats that you want to apply, then click Apply or OK. The formats you selected appear in the plot area.
Formatting the Wall of a Chart

The wall is the area where the data appears in the chart. Its perimeter is defined by the chart axes, as this illustration shows:
The shaded area is the wall.
In some 3-D charts, there are three walls: the back wall, side wall and floor. These elements are illustrated on page 182.
Note: Pie charts do not have walls.
You can format the color, pattern and the border of walls. To do so, click inside the wall without clicking any other chart element. Then, select the Wall command from the Format menu or the pop-up menu. Alternatively, double-click inside the wall, being careful not to click any other chart element. The Wall Format dialog box appears. It contains the Pattern tab only. For information on how to apply formats using this dialog box, refer to page 184.
Formatting the Data Series of a Chart

Data series map the data in a chart. In a pie chart, a data series is a slice of the pie. In a line chart, it is a line, in a column chart, a column, and so on. To format the data series, click it, then select the Data Series command from the Format menu, or from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, double-click inside the data series. The Data Series Format dialog box appears. For all types of chart, except 2-D line charts and scatter charts, this dialog box enables you to change the border, color and shade of the data series. It is the same as the dialog box you use to format the charts plot area and wall. Information on how to use the dialog box is given on page 184. For 2-D line charts and scatter charts, the dialog box enables you to change the line style and marker style:
Deselect Marker if you want to display no markers, but only lines.
Deselect Line if you want to display no lines, but only markers. Select the line style to apply.
Select the marker style to apply.
Select the line color to apply.
Select the formats that you want to apply, then click Apply or OK. The formats appear in the data series.
Formatting Chart Axes and Axis Labels

The horizontal and vertical axes of a chart are called the X-axis and the Y-axis respectively. The following illustration shows what they consist of:
Y-axis
Axis labels
X-axis
Tick mark
3-D matrix charts contain a third axis, the Z-axis, which is illustrated on page 182. You can work on chart axes and axis labels in the following ways: Format the text, numbers or dates of the axis labels. Change the orientation of the axis labels (horizontally, vertically, etc.). Apply different axis styles and colors. Display tick marks, and change their style. Change the scale of the Y-axis. To format the axes, click either the X-, Y- or Z-axis. The illustration below shows a chart with the Y-axis selected:
Now, select the Axis Label command from the Format menu or the pop-up menu. Alternatively, double-click an axis. The Axis Format dialog box appears.
If you selected the Y-axis, the dialog box contains five tabs, as shown below. If you selected the X-axis or the Z-axis, the dialog box does not contain the Scale tab, as this tab is used to change the scale of the Y-axis only.
In the Number tab, you can apply number and date formats to the axis labels. This tab is described on page 173. See also To create your own number and date formats on page 174. In the Alignment tab, you can change the orientation of the axis labels:
This is the default orientation.
Select an orientation, then click Apply.
In the Font tab, you can apply different text formats to the axis labels. This tab is described on page 172. In the Scale tab, you can change the scale of the Y-axis. For information on how to do so, click the Help button in the Scale tab. In the Pattern tab, you can display and edit tick marks. You can also change the axes line style and color:
Deselect Tick Mark if you want to display no tick marks. Position the tick marks by clicking a button.
Deselect Line if you want to hide the axis lines. Select the line style to apply to the chart axes.
Click here to select a color to apply.
Displaying and Formatting a Title and Other Chart Elements

The following sections describe how to display and format the following chart elements: A title. A legend. Data labels. Gridlines. A chart with a title, a legend and gridlines is illustrated below. A chart with data labels is illustrated on page 195.
Title
Gridlines
Legend
To display a chart title

A chart title is a cell in which text is displayed. You can edit and format the text, as well as move the title and format the cell. To display a chart title, click anywhere inside the chart then click your right-mouse button. Select the Insert Title command on the pop-up menu that appears.
To move and format the chart title
You move the chart title by clicking inside it and dragging it with your mouse. Because the title is made up of text that appears inside a cell, you can format it by working on the text (font, font size, style, etc.), and by working on the cell (border line styles, background color, etc.). To format the chart title, click inside it with your right-mouse button, then select the Format Title command on the pop-up menu. The Title Format dialog box appears, enabling you to perform the tasks introduced in this table:
Task For more information, refer to
Apply number and date formats in the Number tab Align the cell contents to the left, right etc., in the Alignment tab Apply text formats to the title, in the Font tab Format the title cells borders and background, in the Pattern tab
page 173. page 176. page 171. page 184.
To resize the chart title
If the text in the chart title does not fit in the title cell, you can resize the title as described below. You can also use this procedure to resize a chart legend: 1. Click the title. Handles appear around it. 2. Position the pointer over a handle. 3. When the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, press and hold down the left mouse button, click and hold down the mouse button. 4. Drag the mouse until the title reaches the size you require, then release the mouse button. Note that if you drag the title cells border beyond a chart boundary, BUSINESSOBJECTS automatically enlarges the chart accordingly.
To delete the chart title
Click the title with your right-mouse button, then select the Delete command on the pop-up menu. This command is also available on the Edit menu.
To display a chart legend

The chart legend shows you the formats of the data that is displayed in the chart. It is a rectangular box, containing the names of the variables (the legend text) and their corresponding color, shade and border (the legend key):
Legend key Legend text
To display a chart legend, click the chart with your right-mouse button, then select the Insert Legend command on the pop-up menu.
To format and move the legend
You can format the legend by changing its border, color and shade. At the same time, you can move the legend to a different place in the chart. To do so:
1. Select the border of the legend, then select the Legend command from the Format menu. The Legend Format dialog box appears:
2. In the Placement tab, click a radio button to reposition the legend in the chart. 3. In the Pattern tab, select the border style and color, and the pattern and color you want. For information on how to do so, refer to page 184. 4. Change the alignment and font of the legend text in the Alignment and Font tabs. 5. Click OK or Apply. The legend appears in its new position, with its new formats.
Tip: You can also move the chart legend by clicking it and dragging it.
To format the legend key
You can change the border, shade and color of the legend key. The formats that you apply are immediately visible in the charts data series. For example, if you change the color of a square in the legend from yellow to red, the corresponding data in the chart becomes red also. To format the legend key, click the legend key, then select the Legend Key command from the Format menu or from the pop-up menu. The Legend Key Format dialog box appears. It contains the Pattern tab only. For information on how to use this tab, refer to page 184.
To format the legend text
You can format the legend text by changing its font attributes (e.g., font, font size), and by realigning it. The formats that you apply only appear in the legend text, not in the text of the charts axis labels. To format the legend text: 1. Click the legend text, then select the Legend Text command from the Format menu or from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, double-click inside the legend text. The Legend Text Format dialog box appears. 2. In the Alignment tab, select a radio button to realign the text. An illustration of this tab is provided on page 176. 3. In the Font tab, select the font attributes that you require. An illustration of this tab is provided on page 172. 4. Click Apply or OK. The new formats appear in the legend text.
To resize the legend
Refer to "To resize the chart title" on page 192.

To delete the legend
Click the legends border with your right-mouse button, then select the Delete command on the pop-up menu. This command is also available on the Edit menu.
To display data labels

Data labels appear next to a charts data series, for example next to each slice of a pie chart. They indicate the exact values or percentages of the data series. In the pie chart illustrated below, the data labels show revenue share per resort:
To display data labels, click the data series (e.g., a slice of a pie chart) with your right-mouse button, then select the Display Data Labels command on the pop-up menu. The Data Labels dialog box appears:
a b c d
a. Displays the exact value, e.g. $10,235. b. Displays the percentage of each data series. c. Displays the name of the data series, e.g. Revenue. d. Displays the name and the percentage of each data series.
Select the data label type you want, then click Apply or OK.
To format, change and remove data labels
You can apply specific number and text formats to data labels, as well as realign them. You can also change data labels, or remove them. To format data labels, click one then select the Data Labels command on the Format menu. The Data Labels Format dialog box appears. It contains three tabs: Number (described on page 173), Alignment (described on page 176) and Font (described on page 171).
To change or remove data labels, click one with your right-mouse button, then select the Display Data Labels command on the pop-up menu. The Display Data Labels dialog box appears. To remove the data labels, click None. Otherwise, click the type of data label that you want to display, then click Apply or OK.
To display gridlines
Gridlines enable you to see a charts values more easily. They begin at the charts axes and extend across its wall(s). An illustration of a chart with gridlines is provided on page 190. To display gridlines, click anywhere in the chart with your right-mouse button, then select the Display Axes/Gridlines command on the pop-up menu. The Axes and Gridlines dialog box appears. It enables you not only to display gridlines, but also to hide the charts axes:
a b c
d e f g
a. These options are checked by default. Click a check box to hide an axis. b. Only available if you have created a group and associated a secondary axis to it. For information on groups, type groups in the Help index. c. This option is checked by default in 3-D matrix charts (illustrated on page 182). Click the check box to hide the Z-axis. d. Displays gridlines that extend vertically from the X-axis. e. Displays gridlines that extend horizontally from the Y-axis. f. Refer to (b), above.
g. Only available in 3-D matrix charts, this option displays gridlines that extend horizontally from the Z-axis, across the charts floor.
Click the options that you want, then click Open. The picture appears in the cell.
Note: You cannot display axes and gridlines in pie charts.
To format gridlines
You can format gridlines by changing their color and line style. To do this, click an axis or a gridline, then select the Axis Labels command on the Format menu.
In the Axis Label Format dialog box that appears, click the Pattern tab. For information on how to use this tab, refer to page 189. You can only format one axis and its associated gridlines at a time. For example, if you click an X-axis gridline, the formats you select in the Axis Label Format dialog box are applied to the X-axis and its gridlines only.
Using Pictures in Reports

You can display pictures in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. You can display a picture in a cell, or use a picture as a page background on every page of the report. The pictures that you use can be static files, or they can be objects enabled by OLE 2 (Object Linking and Embedding). Chapter 10 provides information on OLE 2 objects and how to work with them in BUSINESSOBJECTS.
Inserting a Picture in a Cell

This section describes how to insert static pictures in report cells. Examples of inserting static pictures in cells include using a logo in a title cell at the top of a report, or a picture of a product that features in a report. To insert a static picture in a cell: 1. If you want to insert the picture in a new cell, click in a blank part of the report. Select the Picture command on the Insert menu, then click in a blank part of the report once again. Hold down your mouse button, then drag the mouse to draw the cell in which the picture will appear. If you want to insert the picture in an existing cell, click inside it, then select the Picture command on the Insert menu. The Open dialog box appears. 2. Select the pictures file, then click Open. The picture appears in the cell. You can also insert a picture by double-clicking inside a cell and typing the pictures path and file name (e.g., c:\pictures\picture.bmp). Then, click inside the cell and select the Cell command on the Format menu. In the Number tab of the Cell Format dialog box, select the Image category and the Bitmap format. When you click OK or Apply, the picture appears in the cell.
Working with Page Backgrounds

You can enhance a report by inserting a page background, which is a picture displayed behind the reports data and other pictures.
To insert a page background

You can insert an existing picture as a page background, or call a graphics application to create a new picture: 1. Open a document, and activate the Page Layout command on the View menu. 2. Click the tab of the report in which you want to insert the page background. 3. Select the Page Background command on the Format menu. The Page Background dialog box appears:
4. Click New. The Insert Object dialog box appears.

For information on how to... Refer to...
Create a new page background Insert an existing picture as a page background
To create a new object to insert on page 250 To insert an existing object on page 251
5. Click a Display option in the Page Background dialog box, then click OK. Center displays the background in the center of the page. Tile displays the background as multiple tiles.
Tip: You can also copy a picture to the clipboard (Copy command, Edit menu),
then click Paste in the Page Background dialog box.
To edit the current page background

1. Activate the Page Layout command on the View menu. 2. Select the report whose page background you want to edit. 3. Select the Page Background command on the Format menu. The Page Background dialog box appears. 4. Click Edit. The current page background appears in its native graphics application, i.e., the application in which it was created. 5. Make the required changes to the page background, then quit the graphics application. 6. In the Page Background dialog box, change the Display option if you wish: Center displays the background in the center of the page. Tile displays the background as multiple tiles. 7. Click OK. The edited page background appears in the report.
To remove the current page background

1. Activate the Page Layout command on the View menu. 2. Select the report whose page background you want to remove. 3. Select the Page Background command on the Format menu. The Page Background dialog box appears. 4. Click Remove, then click OK. The Page Background dialog box closes, and the page background no longer appears in the report.
Formatting Headers, Footers and Margins

You can format your reports headers, footers and margins in the following ways: Inserting a cell in a header or footer. You can format the cell with borders, backgrounds etc., and display text, a picture or a variable in the cell. Applying shading to headers or footers. Resizing headers, footers and margins.
Inserting a Cell in a Header or Footer

If you want to display information (text, pictures, variables) in a header or footer, you must first insert a cell. Here is how to do it: 1. Ensure that the Page Layout command on the View menu is switched on. 2. Click inside the header or footer, then select the Cell command on the Insert menu. 3. Use the mouse to draw the area in which you want the cell to appear, then release the mouse button. You can now perform the tasks presented in the following table:
Tasks For more information, refer to...
Insert a picture Display text Apply formats Display a calculation Display a page number, the time or the date
Inserting a Picture in a Cell on page 199. Double-Clicking a Cell and Changing Its Contents on page 113. Formatting Cells and Their Contents on page 169. Displaying a Calculation on Data in Charts on page 112. Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates in Reports on page 204.
Formatting Headers, Footers and Margins
Applying Shading to a Header or Footer

You can apply different color shades and patterns to a header or footer. Here is how to do it: 1. Ensure that the Page Layout command on the View menu is switched on. 2. Click inside the header or footer, then select the Page Header or Page Footer command on the Format menu. The Page Header Format dialog box or the Page Footer dialog box appears. Each dialog box contains the Shading tab only. 3. Select the fill, foreground color and background color you want, then click OK or Apply.
Resizing Headers, Footers and Margins

BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you reduce or increase the height of headers and footers, and the width of margins, simply by dragging the mouse: 1. Ensure that the Page Layout command on the View menu is switched on. 2. Position the pointer over the element you want to resize. 3. When the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, press and hold down the left mouse button. 4. Drag the mouse until the header, footer or margin reaches the size you require, then release the mouse button.
Tip: By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS displays a line along the header, footer and margin in Page Layout view. You can hide these lines by switching off the Page Margins command on the View menu.
Using Page Numbers, Times and Dates in Reports

By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS inserts the page number in the footer of all reports. To view page numbers, switch to Page Layout view (Page Layout command, View menu), then scroll down to the footer. BUSINESSOBJECTS provides functions, e.g., to show the total number of pages. You display page numbers, dates etc. by inserting a function in a cell. Heres how: 1. Click inside the cell in which you want the information to appear, or insert a new cell (Cell command, Insert menu). 2. Select the Variables command on the Format menu. 3. In the Variables dialog box that appears, click Add. The Variables Editor appears. 4. In the Functions box, open the Document functions folder. 5. Double-click the function you want to use. The functions syntax appears in the Formula box:
6. Click OK to return to the Variables dialog box. In the Formulas list, select the function you double-clicked, then click Insert (or Replace).
Tip: Click Function Help in the Variable Editor to get help on all functions.
Chapter 7
Web Publishing and Printing
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Overview 206
What is Web Publishing? 206 Why Publish Documents on the Web? 206 The Web Publishing Process 207 Frequently Asked Questions 208 HTML Objects 209 A Published Document 210
u Writing HTML in Reports 211
Why Write HTML in Reports? 211 To Write HTML in a Report 212

u Saving Documents in HTML Format 213
To Save a Document in HTML Format 213 Files and Folders Created with HTML Documents 215 Ensuring Published Data Is Kept Up-To-Date 216
u Web Publishing with Document Agent Server 217
Advantages of Web Publishing with Document Agent Server 217 To Publish a Document with Document Agent Server 218
u Printing Reports 219
Using Page Setup 219 Using Print Preview 219 Printing 220
Chapter 7 Web Publishing and Printing
Overview
In this chapter, you find out about publishing your reports on the worldwide web. The Overview describes the key concepts.
What is Web Publishing?

Web publishing is the communication of information by making the documents containing that information available on the worldwide web. This involves: Converting documents to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the format that is recognized by web browsers, and Placing documents on a web server, so that people browsing the web can access them.
Reminder: The term documents refers to BUSINESSOBJECTS .rep files. A document can contain one or many reports. Each report has its own tab inside the document.
Why Publish Documents on the Web?

The web is quite simply the best way to tell the world about your business. It enables any online user to view and download up-to-the-minute information. You can publish documents both externally, on the Internet, or internally, on your intranet. The following examples show how useful each can be:
Example
Publishing on the Internet
...........................................................
On your corporate web site, you want to illustrate your exponential growth over the last financial year. You create a BUSINESSOBJECTS report which displays the growth curve in a column chart. You save the report in HTML format, then include it in your web site.
........................................................... ...........................................................
Example
Publishing on an intranet
You use BUSINESSOBJECTS internally to report on weekly sales performance. By publishing your documents on your intranet, the sales force can get the information they need via their web browser.
...........................................................
Overview
The Web Publishing Process

This section describes the steps involved in the BUSINESSOBJECTS web publishing process. It also contains an illustration of a published document, which highlights features such as navigation, graphics conversion and frame support.
Step 1: saving a document in HTML format

The first step in web publishing is to save a document in HTML format. There are two ways of doing this in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can: Save the document by using the Save As command on the File menu, or Send the document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER is the BUSINESSOBJECTS module responsible for scheduled processing. It is described in full in Chapter 9.
Tip: You can write your own HTML in reports. For example, you can include a
jump to a web page. BUSINESSOBJECTS saves the code as HTML and the jump is available when you publish the document. For more information, refer to Writing HTML in Reports on page 211.
Step 2: placing the HTML document on a web server

The second step in web publishing is to place the document on a web server. The following table shows how the way you do this depends on the way you completed the previous step:
If you... Then You...
Used the Save As command
Must place the document on the server by moving it through the file system. Can have DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER automatically place the document on a server you specify.
Sent the document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER
Frequently Asked Questions

The following table provides answers to some frequently asked questions about web publishing with BUSINESSOBJECTS.
Questions Answers
Documents with many reports If my document contains several reports, can I specify the ones I want in the .htm document? Downloading documents Can I let other users download the document to BUSINESSOBJECTS? Graphics resolution How do graphics come out? Frames Are frames supported? Formats What about formatting (fonts, borders, background colors, etc.)? Report layout Does report layout stay the same? Automatic reload Can I automatically load the published .htm file at regular intervals? Navigation Is there a way of including jumps to report sections?
You can include all, some or only one report in the .htm document. Each report you do include has a corresponding tab in the browser. Yes, but you can also choose not to let other users download the document. BUSINESSOBJECTS converts all charts and pictures to .gif format. Yes. Formats appear in the .htm document as they do in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Font sizes, however, are approximate. Yes. Yes. You can specify the interval at which you want the document to be reloaded. Any changes in the document in BUSINESSOBJECTS will be mapped to the published file. Yes. BUSINESSOBJECTS can publish a report in one HTML page, or on a one-page-per section basis.
Overview
HTML Objects
Web publishing with BUSINESSOBJECTS involves not only the User module but also the DESIGNER module. This section briefly describes how the universe designer can create HTML objects in BUSINESSOBJECTS universes. An HTML object maps to columns in a relational database, just like any other object. Its added feature is an HTML wrapper that enables users to drill down in published documents. Here is an example:
Example
Definition of an HTML object
...........................................................
The universe designer creates an object named City. When included in a query, City returns a list of city names. When the user publishes the document containing data returned by City, anyone viewing the published document can click on a city name and drill to a map showing the citys exact location. The object definition contains the SQL required to retrieve the data from the database, plus HTML that provides a dynamic link to the image files:
<a href=web/&City.city_name.gif>City.city_name</a>
...........................................................
Data retrieved by HTML objects is underlined in published documents, which indicates that you can click a value to drill down.
A Published Document
The following illustration shows a published document and points out some key features.
a. BUSINESSOBJECTS can publish reports section by section. The user viewing the report clicks a section name in the frame, and the section appears in the browser. The user can also click View full report to display the report in one page. b. Pictures are converted to .gif files. c. The layout of blocks, cells and pictures is respected in the published document. d. In a BUSINESSOBJECTS document, each report is identified by a tab. This is also the case in published documents. The user clicks a tab to switch to a different report. e. The Download option enables users to download the document, then continue to work on it with BUSINESSOBJECTS on their desktop.
Writing HTML in Reports
Writing HTML in Reports

This section explains how you can write HTML in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. It concerns you if you know HTML and want to use your knowledge to customize your BUSINESSOBJECTS reports before publishing them on the web. If you just want to find out about saving documents in HTML format, refer to Saving Documents in HTML Format on page 213.
Why Write HTML in Reports?

Before saving a document in HTML format, you can customize it by adding your own HTML coding. When you publish the document on the web, the HTML you added is embedded inside it. Here is an example:
Example
Providing a link to another web site from a published document
...........................................................
Your company works in partnership with other companies. Your corporate web site contains BUSINESSOBJECTS documents that show the combined performance of your organization and that of your partners. In each document, you provide a link to the partners web site by inserting the required HTML in a report cell, i.e., <A HREF="http://www.partnersite.com">Click here to go to our partners web site!</a>
...........................................................
You can also code in jumps within a report, or between reports in the same document.
To Write HTML in a Report

This section takes you through the steps required to write HTML in a report. 1. Click inside a part of the report where you want to insert HTML. 2. Select the Cell command on the Insert menu. 3. Click inside the report again, hold down the mouse button and drag the mouse to the left or right, up or down. Release the mouse button. A cell appears in the area you drew. 4. Click inside the cell, then write your HTML. 5. Click inside the cell, then select the Cell command on the Format menu. 6. In the Number tab, check Read As HTML, then click OK. You must now: Save the report in HTML format, or Send the report to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. For more information, refer to: Saving Documents in HTML Format on page 213. Web Publishing with Document Agent Server on page 217.
Saving Documents in HTML Format

BUSINESSOBJECTS lets you save your documents in HTML format, so that you can then publish them on the web. All you have to do is use the Save As command on the File menu. This section describes how to: Save a document in HTML format, Set up navigation to provide links to report sections, and Allow other users to download the published document.
To Save a Document in HTML Format

This section takes you through the steps required to save a document in HTML format. The document must first be open in BUSINESSOBJECTS. 1. Select the Save As command on the File menu. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. Click the Save as type box, then click HTML format (*.htm), then click Save. The Save Options dialog box appears. 3. Select the options you want, then click OK. BUSINESSOBJECTS makes a copy of the document and saves it in HTML format. The original document remains on your screen.
Tip: For information on the options available, click the Help button in the Save
Options dialog box.
Setting up navigation
BUSINESSOBJECTS provides navigation options that make it easy for users to find the information they want when viewing published documents on the web. You set up navigation by selecting an option in the Generate HTML group box at the bottom of the Save Options dialog box. The following table describes the options and points out their advantages:
This option... Publishes each report... And Makes it Possible To...
All in One Page Section Per Section
As one HTML page. With a browser which contains a link to each report section. Each section generates one HTML file. Displays the browser as with the Section Per Section option, but also lets users view the report in one page.
Print or search whole reports. Jump from section to section, especially useful in large reports.
Both
Switch between the onepage view and the persection view.
Allowing other users to download published documents

When you save a document in HTML format, you allow other users to download the document by activating the BusinessObjects Document option in the Save Options dialog box. The advantages of this option are twofold: Quick and easy distribution, especially on an intranet. You publish a document once, and all your users can download it. BUSINESSOBJECTS downloads all the data in the document, which means that users can continue to work on the document on their own computer. For example, they can perform analysis to view the results they want. Users can also refresh the data, provided they have the right to use the connections required. Users download the document by clicking the Download option that appears in the bottom right corner of their web browser.
Files and Folders Created with HTML Documents

When you save a document in HTML format, BUSINESSOBJECTS creates a number of files and folders. These files and folders manage graphics, navigation, downloading, frames and multiple reports in the same document. They are all located under the UserDocs folder, and are described in the following table.
Note: The table lists all the files that can be created. This is the case when you select the Both option in the Save Options dialog box. For information on this and the other options available, refer to Setting up navigation on page 214.
Folders Name Name
Files Provides
Same as the document you saved.
Doclinks.htm
Navigation frame on the left of the published document. Link to download the document. BUSINESSOBJECTS document to download. One per chart and picture in the report. One per section. Link for users to view the report as one page. Link to view one page per section.
Download.htm *.rep
Same as the report(s) in the document.
*.gif
n.htm
reportname.htm seclinks.htm
Ensuring Published Data Is Kept Up-To-Date

BUSINESSOBJECTS enables you to automatically refresh published documents so that the data displayed is always kept up-to-date. Heres how it works:
a b c
a. You set automatic refresh parameters in the Data Manager (View command, Data menu). The query connects to the database at the specified frequency, and the refreshed data appears in the document. b. You set the Automatic Reload Every n Minutes parameter when you save the document in HTML format (Save As command, File menu). c. The published document is reloaded at the frequency you specified in Automatic Reload Every n Minutes.
To ensure published data is kept up-to-date: 1. Open the document you want to publish, then click the View Data button on the toolbar. The Data Manager appears. 2. Click the Definition tab, then click Automatic Refresh. 3. Click Every, then enter the frequency and starting date and time. 4. Click OK in the Data Manager, then save the document in HTML format, as described on page 213. 5. In the Save Options dialog box, specify the frequency at which you want the document to be reloaded in the Autoload Every n Minutes box, then click OK.
View Data
Web Publishing with Document Agent Server
Web Publishing with Document Agent Server

DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER is the BUSINESSOBJECTS product that provides scheduled (or batch) processing of documents. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER can refresh, print and distribute documents at specified times or intervals. It can also save documents in HTML format and publish them on a web server. This section describes how you, the end user, can have DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER publish your reports on a web server. More information on DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER is also available:
Information on... Is available in...
How the DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER administrator sets up and manages the server How DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER works Having DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER perform other tasks (printing, refreshing etc.)
The DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER Administrators Guide Document Agent Server Capabilities on page 230. Submitting a Document on page 232.
Advantages of Web Publishing with Document Agent Server

DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER provides powerful and reliable web publishing. It can: Save documents in HTML format, Publish these on a web server you specify, and Refresh the documents at set intervals, so that the data published on the web is always up-to-date.
To Publish a Document with Document Agent Server

This section takes you through the steps required to publish a document with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. Note that you can only perform this task if: Your supervisor has granted you access to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, and You are working online, and The document you want to publish is open in BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can submit only one document at a time, so if several documents are open, only the active document is sent. Here are the steps: 1. Click the Send to Document Agent Server button on the toolbar.
Send to Document Agent Server
2. In the Distribution tab, check Distribute via Web Server. The field below the checkbox indicates the path to the folder that will receive the published document. By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS uses a variable, $BO_FOLDER_ON_SERVER\UserDocs, which automatically sends documents to the folder in which BUSINESSOBJECTS is installed on the server You can specify a different folder on a different computer by clicking Browse, or by typing a path, e.g., \\HostName\FolderName. 3. Click the Actions tab and specify the actions you want DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to perform. 4. Click the Scheduling tab and specify the time or intervals at which you want DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to process the document. 5. Click OK, then select the options you want in the Send to Web Server dialog box.
Tip: For information on the options available, click the Help button in the Actions
tab, the Scheduling tab or the Send to Web Server dialog box.
Printing Reports
Printing Reports
The BUSINESSOBJECTS User module provides all the standard Windows printing features. These are described in the paragraphs that follow.
Using Page Setup

The Page Setup command provides options relating to paper size and source, the orientation of the printed page, and the page margins.
Using Print Preview

Print Preview enables you to see how your report will look when you print it out. In the Print Preview window, you can zoom in on your report, move easily between the pages of the report, as well as access the Print dialog box. To preview a report before printing it, select the Print Preview command from the File menu, or click the Print Preview button in the toolbar. If you want to find out more about the features of the Print Preview window, call the contextual help on the user module by clicking the Help button on the toolbar, then move to the feature that interests you.
Print Preview
Help
Printing
You can make the Print dialog box appear by selecting the Print command in the File menu, or by clicking the Print button on the toolbar.
Print
The options in this dialog box relate to the default printer at your site, the range of pages to be printed, and the number of copies to be printed. For more information on the standard print features, refer to your Windows documentation.
Chapter 8
Exchanging Documents
.................................................................................
In this chapter
u Overview 222 u Sharing Documents with WebIntelligence Users 223
Why Share Documents with WebIntelligence Users? 223 How Do You Share Documents with WebIntelligence Users? 223
u Sending Documents 224
Sending Documents to Individual Users 225 Sending Documents to Groups of Users 226
u Retrieving Documents 227 u Mailing Documents 228
Chapter 8 Exchanging Documents
Overview
Exchanging documents means sending them to and receiving them from other users. You can exchange documents from within BUSINESSOBJECTS, thanks to a system which is set up by your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor. The supervisor creates a repository on the server. Part of this repository, called the document domain, deals with document exchange. The document domain is a database that stores the documents you send to other users. It also stores information about the documents, for example the names of the users who sent them, and who can retrieve them. The following diagram illustrates document exchange:
repository end users end users
documents You, the end user, send and retrieve documents via the repository.
You can also send documents by electronic mail thanks to an interface between the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module and any Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) compliant messaging system such as Microsoft Exchange. In order to benefit from this feature, you must have a mail service for Windows 95 or Windows NT installed on your computer. This mail service must be compliant with MAPI.
Sharing Documents with WebIntelligence Users
Sharing Documents with WebIntelligence Users

WEBINTELLIGENCE is the BUSINESSOBJECTS query, reporting and analysis solution for the web. From a web browser, WEBINTELLIGENCE users create reports by querying BUSINESSOBJECTS universes, then analyze the data using slice and dice, and drill.
Why Share Documents with WebIntelligence Users?

A BUSINESSOBJECTS setup can include some users installed with BUSINESSOBJECTS and others with WEBINTELLIGENCE. The business information you gain from your BUSINESSOBJECTS reports can be important to WEBINTELLIGENCE users. A regular BUSINESSOBJECTS document (extension .rep) is incompatible with web browsers. However, BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.1 can save the document in a read-only format that WEBINTELLIGENCE can recognize. Thus, BUSINESSOBJECTS ensures 100% compatibility between different types of documents.
Tip: WEBINTELLIGENCE users can also share their files with you. For more information, refer to Opening BusinessQuery and WebIntelligence Files on page 45.
How Do You Share Documents with WebIntelligence Users?

When sending documents to the repository or to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, you can select an option that enables WEBINTELLIGENCE users to view them. The file format remains .rep (with embedded HTML), and the documents are read-only.
For more information on sharing documents with WEBINTELLIGENCE users via... Refer to...
The repository
Sending Documents to Individual Users on page 225, or Sending Documents to Groups of Users on page 226. Submitting a Document on page 232.
DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER
Sending Documents
You can send one or more documents to one or more users or groups of users. There are two ways of doing this: Using the Send To>Users command. In this case, the documents you send remain in the repository until all the users you sent them to have retrieved them. You can send documents to individual users only when you use this command. Using the Send To>Repository command. In this case, the documents you send remain in the repository until they are deleted by the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor. You can send documents to groups of users only when you use this command. The following sections describe how to send documents to individual users and to groups of users.
Sending Documents
Sending Documents to Individual Users

1. Select the Send To>User command from the File menu. The Send dialog box appears:
The repository domain for sending documents is set up by your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor. If more than one domain is available and if you do not know which one to select, contact your supervisor. By default, one domain, called Document, is available.
Check this option to share your documents with WEBINTELLIGENCE users.
2. Click To, and in the Select Users dialog box that appears, select the users you want to send documents to. Hold down the Ctrl key to select more than one user, then click OK. You return to the Send dialog box. The icons of the users you have selected appear in the Send to box. 3. Click Add. The list of open documents appears in the Add Documents dialog box. 4. Select the document(s) you want to send, then click OK. You return to the Send dialog box. 5. If the Add Documents dialog box did not list the documents you want to send, click Browse. 6. Select the documents you want to send in the dialog box that appears, then click OK. 7. Click Send in the Send dialog box. The documents you selected are sent.
Sending Documents to Groups of Users

The procedure to send documents to groups of users differs in one way from the procedure to send documents to individual users. Instead of using the Send To>Users command, you use the Send To>Repository command. The Send dialog box appears. When you click To, the dialog box that appears lists the groups of users you can send documents to. Select the groups you want, then carry out the remaining steps, as described in Sending Documents to Individual Users above.
Retrieving Documents
Retrieving Documents
To be notified that you have documents to retrieve when you start BUSINESSOBJECTS, you must set an option as follows: 1. Select the Options command from the Tools menu. 2. In the General tab of the Options dialog box that appears, check Notify Document Reception, then click OK. From now on, when you start BUSINESSOBJECTS, a flash window will appear to notify you that you have documents to retrieve. The way you retrieve documents depends on the way they were sent to you: If the document was to you via the Send To>Users command, you retrieve it by selecting the Retrieve From>Users command. Documents that have been sent in this way are deleted from the repository when they have been retrieved by all the users they were sent to. If the document was sent to you via the Send To>Repository command, you retrieve it by selecting the Retrieve From>Repository command. Documents that have been sent in this way remain in the repository until they are deleted by the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor. The procedure for retrieving documents that have been sent via the Send To>Users command is described in the following section. If you have been sent documents via the Send To>Repository command, follow the procedure but, instead of using the Retrieve From>Users command, use the Retrieve From>Repository command. 1. Select the Retrieve From>Users command from the File menu. The Retrieve dialog box appears. 2. Select a document to receive. Hold down the Ctrl key to select more than one document. 3. Click the Save as button. The Save As dialog box appears. 4. Select the disk drive and folder where you want to save the document(s), then click OK. You return to the Retrieve dialog box, which you can close by clicking OK.
Mailing Documents
You can send documents by electronic mail thanks to an interface between the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module and any Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) compliant messaging system such as Microsoft Exchange. In order to benefit from this feature, you must have a mail service for Windows 95 or Windows NT installed on your computer. This mail service must be compliant with MAPI. To mail a document, open it then select the Send To>Mail command from the File menu.
Chapter 9
Submitting Documents for Scheduled Processing
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In this chapter
u Overview 230
Document Agent Server Capabilities 230 Document Agent Server Access 231
u Submitting a Document 232
Actions Tab Options 233 Scheduling Tab Options 238 Distribution Tab Options 240
u What to Consider When You Submit a Document 242
Cartesian Products 242 Contexts 242 Prompts 243 Variables 243 Conditions 244 User-Defined Error Message 245
u Retrieving Processed Documents 246
Receiving Notification of Processed Documents 246 Retrieving Processed Documents via the Repository 246
Chapter 9 Submitting Documents for Scheduled Processing
Overview
Scheduled processing, also referred to as batch processing, means carrying out tasks on your documents at specified times or intervals. For example you can use scheduled processing to print a report at the same time every evening. Scheduled processing enables you and your organization to work on documents while you are away from your computer, which saves you time. You can also use it to work at offpeak times, which reduces traffic on the network.
Document Agent Server Capabilities

DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER is the module responsible for scheduled processing. You submit a document for scheduled processing by sending it to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, which can perform the following tasks: Refresh the document. Print the reports in the document. Send the processed document to yourself, other users, groups of users and WEBINTELLIGENCE users via the BUSINESSOBJECTS repository or a file server. Send the document to a worldwide web server: DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER saves the document in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format, then posts it on your web server. You can attach custom scripts to have DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER perform additional tasks, for example: Select a printer. Process documents based on external events such as an environment variable or the existence of a file. Save a file as text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format in a different folder each day of the week. Once you have specified the tasks you want DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to perform, you can schedule them. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER can perform the tasks once at a specified time, or repeatedly at the same time every hour, day, week, or month. The Document Agent Server Administrators Guide provides information about setting up and managing the DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER module. For information on how to install the module, refer to the BUSINESSOBJECTS Installation Guide. This chapter describes how to submit documents to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER for scheduled processing.
Overview
Document Agent Server Access

The BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor determines which groups and users have access to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. The supervisor assigns a DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to a group of users by defining the server name and password. For example, if you belong to both the Sales group and the Marketing group, you can access the Sales server and the Marketing server. If you belong to only one group of users, you have access to only one server. The BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor also determines which DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER functions are available to you. The supervisor can make some functions unavailable. If, for example, the supervisor makes the Work with Web Server function unavailable, an error message appears if you select Distribute via Web Server when you want to distribute your document.
Submitting a Document
You can submit a document for scheduled processing if: The BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor grants you access to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. You are online. The document is active. You can submit only one document at a time, so if several documents are open, only the active document is sent. To submit a document for scheduled processing: 1. Activate the document, then select the Send To>Document Agent Server command from the File menu, Send to or Document Agent Server Click the Send to Document Agent Server button on the Standard toolbar. The Send <Document Name> to Document Agent Server dialog box appears with the Actions tab active. 2. In the Actions tab, select a DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, which can be online or offline. Select the actions you want DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to perform, the documents priority, and any conditions based on the data contained in the document. Refer to the section titled Actions Tab Options below. 3. In the Scheduling tab, specify the start and expiration date. Refer to the section titled Scheduling Tab Options below. 4. In the Distribution tab, select the way(s) you want DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to distribute the document. Refer to the section titled Distribution Tab Options below. 5. When you have completed your selections in all three tabs, click OK.
Actions Tab Options

You can specify High, Normal or Low priority for the document. In the Title box, you can type a short description. For example, you can provide a summary of the report(s) in the document.
If you belong to more than one group, you will see more than one Document Agent Server listed here.
Actions tab field
Description
Server
The DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER used to process the document you send. If more than one server is available, select one from the Server list box. The Server field is grey if DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER is offline. Low, Normal, or High. Select a value that corresponds to the urgency of the document. You can use the title space to type a short description of the document. Refresh: Refreshes the document. Print: Prints the document. Custom script: Opens a dialog box that allows you to select a custom script for DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to execute. Refer to the section titled Custom Scripts below. Displays the actions you selected.
Priority Title Available actions
Selected actions
Actions tab field
Description
Condition
Allows you to specify a formula to use as a condition that is evaluated each time the document is processed. Refer to the section titled Conditions below. Opens the Formula Editor box, which allows you to specify a formula to use as a condition.
Editor
Custom Scripts
When you send a document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, you can attach custom scripts to have DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER perform additional tasks. Example of a custom script that sends email to a user when Refresh does not work: Set OlkApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application") Set NewMail = OlkApp.CreateItem(olMailItem) On Error Resume Next Doc.Refresh If Err then With NewMail .To = <Administrators name> .Body = <Error while sending...> .Send = <Information concerning the error> End With Goto Exit_Main End If
Example of a custom script that allows an end user to send mail to a user via Microsoft Outlook: Set OlkApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application") Set NewMail = OlkApp.CreateItem(olMailItem) With NewMail .To = <User> .CC = <User> .Body = <Sent from Your Company> .Send End With To attach Custom Scripts to your document: 1. In the Send Document to Document Agent Server Actions tab, click Custom Scripts. 2. Select a script from the Script selection dialog box that appears. To import a script from the repository: 1. In the Send Document to Document Agent Server Actions tab, click Custom Scripts. 2. In the Script selection dialog box that appears, click Import Script. 3. In the Import script dialog box that appears, select the script you want, then click Close. The Script selection and Import script dialog boxes are illustrated on the next page.
Opens a dialog box that allows you to select a script to import. If the supervisor has denied you access, this button is gray.
Conditions
BUSINESSOBJECTS allows you to specify a condition that must be met before DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER processes a document. For example, if you send a report containing an object named Quantity and specify the condition Quantity < 100, DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER processes the report only if Inventory is less than 100 when the report is refreshed. The Editor button opens the Formula Editor dialog box, which allows you to create or specify a formula to use as a condition. BUSINESSOBJECTS evaluates conditions with respect to the entire report rather than for a selected part of the report. If a condition, for example, <Revenue>=500, is not met, the task fails. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVERdoes not continue running the task, and the error in the DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER log is "Condition not met." When you send a document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, a condition containing "inblock" or "inbody" is evaluated with respect to the entire report, that is, the condition is considered "inreport."
Tip: Before sending a document to Document Agent Server, you can test its
Boolean condition in a cell inserted in the general section of the report. Example of a condition not met: refresh Condition eval custom: action1 custom: action2 custom: action3 fails. custom: action4 Task processing stops as soon as the application encounters an error in the script, in this case at action3. Action4 is not performed because processing stopped at action3.
Scheduling Tab Options
Click here to change the current schedule.
Scheduling tab field
Description
Current schedule Change button
Displays the current document processing schedule. Allows you to change the time that is programmed by default. Opens the Change Schedule dialog box, which allows you to set the date, time and frequency for processing the tasks. Specify the date and time you want DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER to start processing the document. Specify the date and time you want processing to stop. Displays the first date and time DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER will process the document.
Give the date at which the task should start Give the date at which the task should expire For your information, the first occurrence scheduled is
To change the current schedule: 1. Click Change. 2. In the Change schedule dialog box that appears, click an option in the Run column. 3. Define the frequency in the Start At column. Click OK.
Distribution Tab Options
Check this option to share the document with WEBINTELLIGENCE users.
This option overwrites the previous version of the document in the repository with the newly processed version. If this option is inactive, a new document, which occupies disk space, is created in the repository each time a document is processed.
Distribution tab field
Description
Distribute via the Repository
To: Opens the Select Users dialog box, in which you can select the user(s) or groups of users to whom you want to send the document(s). You can also select users by typing their names in the text box next to the To button. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER sends the processed document to you. Every time DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER distributes a document via the repository, the newly-processed version overwrites the previous version. Deselect this option if you want to keep a copy of each version of the processed document. Makes a read-only copy of the document available to WEBINTELLIGENCE users who have access to the repository.
Add my name to the list Overwrite Mode
WEBINTELLIGENCE users can read this document
Distribution tab field
Description
Distribute via the server file system
Allows you to send the document using your companys file system. The field below this option indicates the path to the folder that will receive the published document. By default, BUSINESSOBJECTS uses a variable, $BO_FOLDER_ON_SERVER\UserDocs, which automatically sends documents to the folder in which BUSINESSOBJECTS is installed on the server. You can specify a different folder on a different computer by clicking Browse, or by typing a path, e.g., \\HostName\FolderName. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER saves the document in HTML format and sends it to your web server. Click Configuration to set options for the HTML document. Refer to the description of Distribute via the server file system, above, for information on specifying your web server. Refer to Files and Folders Created with HTML Documents on page 215 for information on how DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER manages the HTML file.
Distribute via Web Server
What to Consider When You Submit a Document

When you submit a document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, consider the following: Cartesian products Contexts Prompts Variables Conditions User-defined error messages
Cartesian Products
If you send a document that contains a Cartesian product to the DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, document processing may fail if the Designer has prevented you from executing queries that result in Cartesian products. The Designer may have granted you the right to create a document with a Cartesian products then later removed this right.
Solution
Either change the condition in the document to avoid a Cartesian product or ask the Designer to change the universe parameters to allow Cartesian products. For more information about Cartesian products, refer to the BUSINESSOBJECTS Designer documentation.
Contexts
DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER successfully processes documents as long as the universe is not modified. When the universe is modified, the SQL is regenerated and you, as the end user, cannot modify the context. Therefore all the documents containing contexts will not be refreshed successfully.
Solution
After a universe is modified, refresh a document that contains a context, then resend it to the DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. For more information about contexts, refer to the BUSINESSOBJECTS Designer documentation.
Prompts
Prompts are always asked at the time you submit a document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER for processing. If you add a new prompt in the universe, all documents containing prompts will fail systematically.
Solution
After you add or change a prompt, refresh the document containing the new prompt and resubmit it to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. For more information about prompts, refer to documentation elsewhere in the BUSINESSOBJECTS Reporter module.
Variables
If you start BUSINESSOBJECTS Reporter with a command line such as busobj.exe -vars myvar.txt and submit a document containing variables, for example, @variable('MYVAR'), this document is refreshed locally on the client machine. Therefore, if you submit a document to a DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER located on another machine, the variables are not defined on the server machine, thus all the tasks (documents) needing a variable definition will fail.
Solutions
Share the file containing the variables definitions or copy it onto the server machine. or Start DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER with the following command line: docagsvr.exe -vars myfile.txt where myfile is the file that contains the variables definition. The file specified contains the variable definitions, and will be used by all the tasks that need them. For more information about prompts, refer to documentation elsewhere in the Reporter module.
Conditions
BUSINESSOBJECTS evaluates conditions with respect to the entire report rather than for a selected part of the report. If a condition, for example, <Revenue>=500, is not met, the task fails. DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER does not continue running the task, and the error in the DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER log is "Condition not met." When you send a document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, a condition containing "inblock" or "inbody" is evaluated with respect to the entire report, that is, the condition is considered "inreport."
Tip: Before sending a document to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, you can test its
Boolean condition in a cell inserted in the general section of the report.
Example of a condition not met: refresh Condition eval custom: action1 custom: action2 custom: action3 fails. Task processing stops as soon as an error in the script is encountered. custom: action4 not done because processing stopped.
User-Defined Error Message

You can create your own error messages using a custom script.BUSINESSOBJECTS error messages return numbersuser defined errors start at 3000. However, you can create a text file containing the string that indicates the reason for failure. Error message examples: if (Condition is not met) then error 3100 endif dim doc as BODocument set doc = application.Documents.Item(1) doc.refresh if (refresh failed) error 3200 endif doc.print if (Print failed) error 3300 endif For more information about custom scripts, refer to documentation elsewhere in the BUSINESSOBJECTS Reporter module and the ReportScript documentation.
Retrieving Processed Documents

If documents are distributed via the repository, DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER sends the processed documents to the users who were specified when the document was submitted. You may be unable to retrieve documents (the Retrieve from Document Agent command is gray) if You are offline in the Reporter module. The supervisor has denied you access.
Receiving Notification of Processed Documents

You can set an option in BUSINESSOBJECTS to notify you that you have received documents from DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER. The notification appears when you log onto your computer. To set the notification option: 1. From the Tools menu, select Options. 2. In the General tab of the Options dialog box that appears, check Notify Document Reception, then click OK.
Retrieving Processed Documents via the Repository

To retrieve a processed document: 1. On the File menu, select Retrieve From>Document Agent Server, or Click the Retrieve from Document Agent Server button on the toolbar. Retrieve from Document Agent Server The Retrieve dialog box appears. 2. Click the document(s) you want to retrieve, then click OK.
Chapter 10
Sharing Data with Other Applications
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In this chapter
u Overview 248 u Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications 249
Inserting Data and Pictures from Other Applications 249 Editing Inserted OLE 2 Objects 252
u Using BusinessObjects Data in Other Applications 254
Chapter 10 Sharing Data with Other Applications
Overview
BUSINESSOBJECTS is open to working with data from and in other applications. This means that you can bring in data and pictures from other Windows applications, and display these in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. You can also transfer data from BUSINESSOBJECTS reports to other applications, such as Microsoft Excel. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports Microsoft Object Linking and Embedding version 2 (OLE 2). This feature creates objects from files that come from other applications that also support OLE 2. An OLE 2 object can be a word processing file, a spreadsheet, a picture, and so on. You can embed an OLE 2 object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report, which means that the object physically resides in the report. You can also link OLE 2 objects, which means that the data or picture remains in its native application and is displayed in BUSINESSOBJECTS thanks to a dynamic link. Finally, you can link or embed BUSINESSOBJECTS reports in other applications that support OLE 2. BUSINESSOBJECTS also supports the Microsoft Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) feature. This feature enables you to use data from BUSINESSOBJECTS reports in other applications. DDE ensures that the data in the remote application is dynamically updated when the data in the host application, i.e., BUSINESSOBJECTS, changes. You can also exchange data from BUSINESSOBJECTS with other applications by exporting data to different file formats. For example, you can export the results of a query to dBASE or Microsoft Excel format. To find out about exporting data to different file formats, 1. Select the Search for Help on command on the Help menu. 2. In the Index tab, type export of data, then press Enter. The Topics Found dialog box appears. 3. Select a topic that interests you, then press Enter.
Using Data and Pictures from Other Applications

You can use data and pictures from other applications in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The data and pictures you can use are objects that you or other users created in remote applications. For example, a Microsoft Word document is an object that you can insert in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report.
Inserting Data and Pictures from Other Applications

Object Linking and Embedding (OLE 2), developed by Microsoft Corporation, enables you to share data and pictures between Windows applications. BUSINESSOBJECTS supports OLE 2, which means that you can insert OLE 2 objects inside BUSINESSOBJECTS reports, and use BUSINESSOBJECTS reports as OLE 2 objects in other applications. When you link or embed an object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report, you display an object from a remote application. The differences between linking and embedding are as follows: When you create a link, the object does not physically reside in the BUSINESSOBJECTS report. It is represented there, but, thanks to the link, it remains in its native application. The link between the objects native application and BUSINESSOBJECTS updates the objects representation in the BUSINESSOBJECTS report. For example, if you insert a picture with a link, then modify the picture in its native application, you also modify the picture in BUSINESSOBJECTS. When you embed an object, it physically resides in BUSINESSOBJECTS. To insert an object in a report, you must first select a cell. If you do not select a cell, BUSINESSOBJECTS prompts you to insert a cell in the active section and displays the object in the cell. You insert objects in reports by using the Object command on the Insert menu. When you select this command, the Insert Object dialog box appears. This dialog box enables you to: Select the file that corresponds to the object that you want to insert. Invoke a remote application, for example Microsoft Word, in which you can create an object to insert. The following sections describe these ways of inserting objects.
To create a new object to insert

1. Click the cell where you want the object to appear, then select the Object command from the Insert menu. 2. In the Insert Object dialog box that appears, click the Create New radio button. 3. Click the type of object you want to create from the Object type list, as shown:
Click Display Icon to display the object as an icon in the report. You open the object by double-clicking its icon. Information on the object type you select appears here.
4. Click OK. Depending on the type of object you want to create, one of two things now occurs: If the application you use to create the object supports OLE 2, the application now appears in the cell you selected. The applications name replaces BUSINESSOBJECTS in the title bar, and the applications menus appear. If the application does not support OLE 2, it opens on top of the BUSINESSOBJECTS window. 5. Create the object in the remote application. 6. To return to BUSINESSOBJECTS: If the remote application supports OLE 2, you simply have to click outside it. If the application does not support OLE 2, select the Exit command. The object appears in the cell you selected.
To insert an existing object

1. Select the cell where you want the object to appear, then select the Object command from the Insert menu. 2. In the Insert Object dialog box that appears, click the Create from File radio button.
3. To locate the file (object) you want to insert, type a path in the File text box, or click Browse to select the file. 4. Click Link if you want to link the object. If you do not click Link, you embed the object in the report. 5. Click OK to close the dialog box. The object appears in the cell you selected.
Note: If you do not select a cell before selecting the Object command on the Insert
menu, BUSINESSOBJECTS invites you to create a new cell in which the object will appear.
Editing Inserted OLE 2 Objects

Once you have inserted an object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report, you can edit the object. You can: Edit the object itself by calling the application in which it was created. You can then work on the objects file, then save it. The new version of the object is displayed in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Edit the link between BUSINESSOBJECTS and the objects source file. This is the case for objects that you insert with a link, rather than objects that you embed. You must edit the link if, for example, the objects file is moved to a different location. If you do not, the link is lost and the object is no longer displayed in the report. These two ways of editing objects are described in the following section.
Editing an inserted object

OLE 2 enables you to edit an object in place. This means that you can edit the object without leaving BUSINESSOBJECTS. This feature is only available if the application in which the object was created supports OLE 2. If in-place editing is not available, you can open the object in its native application. You can then edit the object, save its file, and return to BUSINESSOBJECTS, where the edited object is displayed.
To edit an object in place
When you edit an object in place, the commands and toolbars you need to edit the object appear in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The application name in the title bar changes from BUSINESSOBJECTS to the name of the remote application. To edit an object in place, you can: Double-click the object in the report. Click the object, then select the Object>Edit command from the Edit menu or the Edit Object command from the popup menu. A hatched border appears around the object. When you have finished editing the object, click anywhere outside the objects borders to return to the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface, and save the active document.
To edit an object in its native application
If the objects application does not support in-place editing, you must open the application when you want to edit the object. To do so: Double-click the object. Click the object, then select the Object>Open command from the Edit menu, or the Open Object command from the popup menu. The object appears in its native application. To return to BUSINESSOBJECTS when you have finished editing the object, save the file and exit the application. The edited object appears in the report.
Using BusinessObjects Data in Other Applications

You can use data from BUSINESSOBJECTS documents in other applications. For example, you can display BUSINESSOBJECTS data in a Microsoft Excel workbook. Using BUSINESSOBJECTS data in other applications is enabled by DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange). DDE ensures that the data in the target application, such as Excel, is automatically updated if it changes in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The target application must also support DDE. DDE works by letting you copy data in BUSINESSOBJECTS, then pasting it in the target application. The data you can use in other applications corresponds to the results of queries or other data providers. You cannot use smaller sets of data, such as blocks, columns etc. To use BUSINESSOBJECTS data in other applications via DDE: 1. Open the document containing the data you want to use. 2. Click the View Data button on the Standard toolbar, or select the View command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 3. Select the View command on the Data menu. The Data Manager appears. 4. In the Data Providers box, click the data provider whose results you want to export. Note that if your document contains only one data provider, this is already selected in the Data Providers box. 5. Click Export. The Export to External Format dialog box appears.
View Data
Using BusinessObjects Data in Other Applications
6. Click Copy to DDE, as illustrated here:
7. Click OK. The dialog box closes. The results of the reports query or other data provider are copied. You can now paste them in the target application. Refer to the target applications documentation for information on how to do this.
Appendix A Launching BUSINESSOBJECTS with the Run Command

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In this appendix
u Overview 258 u Using the Run Command 258
Run Command Options 259 Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables 260
Appendix A
Overview
This appendix explains how to run the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module by using the Run command on Windows. You can use the Run command as an alternative way of double-clicking the BUSINESSOBJECTS icon. Also in the Run command you can include your user name, password and other options.
Using the Run Command

The following procedure describes how to launch the User module by using the Run command. The options you can include in the Run command are listed and explained in Run Command Options below. 1. Click the Start button, then click the Run command. The Run dialog box appears. 2. In the Open text box, enter the path to the BUSINESSOBJECTS executable file (Busobj.exe). By default, this file is located in the BusinessObjects folder. You can click Browse to specify the path, rather than type it. 3. Click OK. The User Identification dialog box appears. 4. Enter the user name and password that your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor provided, then click OK. The BUSINESSOBJECTS User module is now launched.
Appendix A
Run Command Options

You can use Run command options to log in to BUSINESSOBJECTS with your user name and password. The table below describes the options that you can use.
Option Description
-user [user name] -pass [password]
The user name assigned to you by your supervisor. User names that include spaces must be written in double quotes, e.g., user name. The password assigned to you by your supervisor. This option is mandatory if you enter the -user option. Passwords that include spaces must be written in double quotes, e.g., my password. By default, the last connection mode of the specified user, or online the first time you launch BUSINESSOBJECTS. Offline mode disconnects you from the repository and therefore disables remote connections during your work session. The name of the document that you wish to work with on launching BUSINESSOBJECTS. You must include the path to this file, for example: c:\BusinessObjects\userdocs\sales.rep Used in combination with the -script option, -blind launches BUSINESSOBJECTS and runs the specified script without showing the application window. Must be written before the -script option. The name of a script you want to run on launching BUSINESSOBJECTS. Used in combination with the -blind option, -once enables you to send a new script to a BUSINESSOBJECTS work session that is already running. Runs BUSINESSOBJECTS without showing the logo screen.
-online or -offline
repname.rep
-blind
-script [script name] -once
-nologo
Appendix A
Option
Description
-vars myfile.txt
Name of a text file in which variables are specified. You can specify BOUSER and BOPASS, which manage your access to BUSINESSOBJECTS. You can also declare your own variables in the file. For more information on these variables, refer to Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables below.
Tip: In the file you declare after the -vars option, you can also specify the variables
such as DBUSER, DBPASSWORD and DBDSN. (The names of such variables depend on the database at your site). These variables can be used to define a restriction on an object, for example. For further information on these variables, refer to BUSINESSOBJECTS Variables in the Database Guide included in your BUSINESSOBJECTS package.
Specifying BOUSER, BOPASS and Other Variables

You can use the BOUSER and BOPASS variables to manage your access to the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. You can specify the values of these variables in the Run command, or in a file that you call from the Run command. Other variables can be declared in this file.
BOUSER and BOPASS

When the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor creates users, he or she assigns each one a user name and password. The users name and password are stored on the repository. When you log in to the User module in online mode, which is the default working mode, BUSINESSOBJECTS connects to the repository and reads your security information. Your user name and password are then written to either the objects.lsi file or the objects.ssi file, located in either the ShData folder or the LocData folder. Once you have launched BUSINESSOBJECTS in online mode, you can use the BOUSER and BOPASS variables in the Run command. You can: Declare the value of the variables after -user and -pass. For example, if your supervisor assigned you the user name JOHN and the password SMITH, you can write the following command: c:\BusinessObjects\Busobj.exe -user JOHN -pass SMITH
Appendix A
Reminder: User names and passwords that contain spaces must be written in
double quotes, e.g., user name.
Appendix A
Declare the variables and their values in a text file in the BusinessObjects folder. Then, in the Run command, you specify the file name after the -vars option. For example, if your supervisor assigned you the user name JOHN and the password SMITH, you create a .txt file (myfile.txt) in which you specify: BOUSER=JOHN BOPASS=SMITH You can now use the following Run command: c:\BusinessObjects\Busobj.exe -vars myfile.txt
Note: You must use upper-case characters when specifying the variables that
manage security, as in the example above.
Other variables you can specify in a file

In the .txt file that you declare after the -vars option, you can specify other variables that you work with in BUSINESSOBJECTS. For example, if you have created a variable that displays a prompt when a query is run, you can specify this variables value in the .txt file. The syntax is as follows: VARIABLENAME=VALUE
Glossary
2-D chart
Chart that has a 2-dimensional look; displays the data for two variables, one on the X-axis and the other on the Y-axis. Chart that displays the data for three variables on only two axes (X and Y). Chart type that has a 3-dimensional look. Chart that has a 3-D look, and that displays data on three axes (X, Y and Z). Operation that makes a calculation on data, using a function such as "sum", "average", "maximum", etc. Report feature that applies specified formats or contents to cells. The formats or contents are applied if the data in the cells falls within a given range of values, or satisfies conditions you set. Optional component in the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module that enables you to work in slice-and-dice mode, i.e., in the Slice and Dice Panel. Chart type that shows the relative importance of values over a period of time. Sort order that displays data text from A to Z, numbers from the smallest negative number to the largest positive number, and dates and times from the earliest to the latest. Chart element that appears either horizontally at the bottom of the charts wall, or vertically at the side of the charts wall. Used to trace the values of the data plotted in the chart. Chart element that appears next to or below an axis, that provides information on the data displayed on the axis. In a report, a table, crosstab or chart.
2-D matrix chart
3-D chart 3-D matrix chart
aggregate
alerter
ANALYZER
area chart
ascending sort
axis
axis label
block
Glossary
block context
Subset of data from a microcube that can be displayed in one block in a report. 1. The area covered by the columns in a table, not including the column headers. 2. The area covered by the intersection of rows and columns in a crosstab.
body
break
Report feature that you apply on a dimension-type variable in a table or crosstab. Splits up the values by inserting a blank cell after each one. Enables you to display calculations on the isolated values, e.g., percentage of revenue per customer. A result of a query in which two or more tables are not linked by a join. For two unlinked tables with n and m rows respectively, the result will contain n*m rows containing all the possible combinations of data from the two tables. Report element that can be a header, a footer, a master cell, or a free-form cell, and which also makes up the rows and columns of tables and crosstabs. Type of block in which data is represented graphically. A logical grouping of objects inside a universe. Vertical list of data in a report, part of a table or crosstab. Chart type that shows data in columns. Illustrates variation over a period of time, or comparison between values. Query consisting of two or more query definitions, each of which appears in a separate tab in the Query Panel. The tabs are linked by an operator (UNION, INTERSECT, or MINUS) which specifies the query result. UNION combines the results, INTERSECT returns data common to the results of each query, and MINUS excludes the result of one of the queries from the global result. Technique that enables you to link information (e.g., text) via an operator. Way of forcing a query to retrieve data that meets a set of criteria.
cartesian product
cell
chart class column column chart
combined query
concatenation
condition
Glossary
connection
Set of parameters that provide access to an RDBMS. These parameters include system information such as the data account, user identification and the path to the database. In the User module, there are two types of connections: shared and personal. Query feature that enables you to select a path required to retrieve data, when there is more than one possible path. Block type that displays data in columns, rows and at the intersection of the columns and rows. Chart element that appears in the chart itself, to show the values of data that is displayed. Chart element that shows the exact position of a value. Analysis technique that enables you to discover the hidden relationships in data, for business advantage. Available with BUSINESSMINER, an option to the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module. Mechanism that retrieves data for reports. The following types of data providers are available: queries on universes, stored procedures, free-hand SQL scripts, personal data files and OLAP servers. Chart element that displays values for variables, for example a line in a line chart. Person who manages access rights to relational databases and who generally controls the database setup at a site. Also referred to as DBA. See database administrator. See Dynamic Data Exchange. Variable that you create in a report, whose values are derived from those of an existing dimension-type variable. You select values returned by the existing variable and group them as new values of the derived variable.
context
crosstab
data label
data marker data mining
data provider
data series
database administrator
DBA DDE derived variable
Glossary
descending sort
Sort that displays text from Z to A, numbers from the largest positive number to the smallest negative number, and dates and times from the latest to the earliest. See universe designer. Qualification for an object in a universe, a user object, local variable or a column of data, that provides supplementary information on a dimension. Always associated to a dimension. Qualification for an object in a universe, a user object, a local variable or a column of numeric data; enables you to build hierarchies and therefore to perform analysis in drill mode. BUSINESSOBJECTS file (extension .rep) that acts as container for reports. Part of the repository; stores documents that have either been submitted for scheduled processing with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER, or that have been sent using the Send To command. A BUSINESSOBJECTS module that offers scheduled or batch processing of documents. At specified times or intervals, DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER can perform the following tasks: refresh and print documents, publish them on a web server, send them to other users and execute custom scripts. BUSINESSOBJECTS feature that enables you to send and receive documents to and from other users. Area of the repository. Technique for moving cells and their contents. Consists of selecting cells, positioning the mouse pointer on the selection, pressing and holding the mouse button, moving the mouse, and releasing the mouse button. Thus the cell is "dropped" at a new location. In drill mode, task that displays data on the same level of detail but for a different dimension. For example, you can drill across from revenue per year to revenue per country. Technique for analyzing data on different levels of detail.
designer detail
dimension
document
document domain
DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER
document exchange
domain drag-and-drop
drill across
drill down/drill up
Glossary
drill mode
Working mode that you use to analyze data on different levels of detail. Enabled by the optional Explorer component of the User module. Chart element; a line that extends from a value in the chart to the X-axis. Only available for 2-D line charts and scatter charts. Rows of data that appear more than once in the result of a query. A Windows feature that enables you to export data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to another application, such as MicroSoft Excel. The data in the target application can be automatically refreshed when the data in the host application changes. A working environment in which you have access to a repository. The mode in which a document is saved determines whether other users are able to access it. By default, a document is saved in the mode in which you are working. Variable used to customize BUSINESSOBJECTS security. Optional component of the BUSINESSOBJECTS User module that enables drill mode. Also includes the Slice and Dice Panel that you use to restructure reports. Function developed in C++, using files delivered with the User module. Report feature that enables you to display a limited set of data. Windows 95 term, synonym for directory. In a report, combination of functions, operators, variables and/or local variables, displayed in a cell, that calculates a new value based on existing values. Interface element that appears below the toolbars in the User module, where you can enter, view, modify and delete formulas that appear in cells in the report. Cell in a report that is not associated to any other report element. For example, the cell that contains a report's title is a free-form cell.
drop lines
duplicate rows
Dynamic Data Exchange
enterprise mode
environment variable EXPLORER
external functions
filter folder formula
formula bar
free-form cell
Glossary
free-hand SQL
Type of data provider that you define by writing your own SQL scripts, or by using existing SQL scripts. Predefined formula delivered with BUSINESSOBJECTS that performs an operation on report values, then returns resulting values. Can be used alone or in more complex formulas that you create. Horizontal and vertical dotted lines that you can display in a report. Gridlines make it easy to move and align blocks and cells inside the report. Two or more query conditions that are combined by the same operator (AND or OR). Feature of multidimensional analysis that ranks dimensions from "less detailed" to "more detailed"; enables analysis on different levels of detail in drill mode. Chart element; a line going from the highest to the lowest value for numeric data. Only available for 2-D line charts and scatter charts. In a universe, objects are incompatible if they belong to different contexts. The universe designer creates contexts when a universe maps to a database containing two or more paths between tables. Queries containing incompatible objects generate multiple SELECT statements and thereby retrieve multiple microcubes. An SQL operator that combines two queries into a single query; specifies that the combined query return only the data that is retrieved by both the first and the second query. Chart element containing text and symbols that show the formats of the data series in the chart. Chart element (inside the chart legend) that presents the patterns, colors and borders of the data series in the chart. Chart type that plots data in lines. Emphasizes trends in data over time.
function
gridlines
group of conditions
hierarchy
high-low lines
incompatible object
INTERSECT
legend
legend key
line chart
Glossary
list of values
Values, returned by a query, that you can select when defining simple query conditions, or conditions that include either the "Equal to" operator or the "In list" operator. Typically contains the values returned by a query containing one object. Formula that is given a name and which is included in the list of variables that are available in a document. In a relational schema, situation in which different paths can be used to link two database tables. Variable in a master/detail report that appears in the master cell of the report's sections. The rest of the data in each section corresponds to the master. In master/detail reports, the cell inside a section to which the other data in the section corresponds. Type of report that displays data in sections. In each section, an individual cell displays one value returned by a master variable, plus one or more corresponding blocks of data. Report structure that displays data in sections, which contain two master cells and one or more corresponding blocks of data. Report structure that displays data in sections, which contain at least one master cell and two or more corresponding blocks of data. See crosstab. 2-D or 3-D chart that displays data on three axes (X, Y and Z). Qualification for an object in a universe, a user object, a local variable or a column of data; measures return numeric data that is the result of a calculation including an aggregate function.
local variable
loop
master
master cell
master/detail
master/master/detail report
master/multi-detail report
matrix matrix chart measure
Glossary
microcube
Structure in which the data retrieved by a data provider is stored in a document on the client computer; houses the data that you can display in the report(s) inside the document. Most data providers return a single microcube. However, queries containing incompatible objects return two or more microcubes. Such queries generate multiple SELECT statements. An SQL operator that combines two queries into a single query; specifies that the combined query return the result of the first query less the result of the second query. A technique for looking at data from different viewpoints and on different levels of detail. Multidimensional analysis involves drill and slice and dice. Universe element that represents a set of data from a relational database in terms that pertain to your business situation. Included in a query to retrieve data from the database. A Windows feature that enables you to use data, text and pictures in different applications. OLE 2 objects are created from files (text, ASCII, spreadsheet, bitmap) and are linked or embedded inside files in other applications. For example, OLE 2 enables you to embed a bitmap image in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report. Type of BUSINESSOBJECTS data provider that retrieves data from a multidimensional or relational Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) database. A mode that disconnects you from the repository, and which disables commands or options that require a connection. See Object Linking and Embedding version 2. Query condition element that is compared to the object in the condition. 1. Query condition element that specifies the relationship between object and operand. 2. Element that specifies the relationship between other elements of a formula in a report (equal to, for example).
MINUS
multidimensional analysis
object
Object Linking and Embedding version 2
OLAP server
offline mode
OLE 2 operand
operator
Glossary
page background
Picture that is displayed in the background of every page of a report. Cell that appears at the bottom of every page of a report. Cell that appears at the top of every page of a report. A type of connection that is specific to one user and stored on the user's computer. Personal connections are static, i.e., they cannot be modified and are specific to the document the user is working on. Type of data provider that enables you to retrieve data from files (spreadsheet, dBASE etc.) that contain personal, as opposed to corporate, data. Chart type that displays data as slices of a circular pie. Shows the relationships of parts to a whole. Technique that enables you to switch the position of data in a report, in order to view the data from different standpoints. Programming Language/SQL. Extension of SQL developed by ORACLE. In BUSINESSOBJECTS, PL/SQL is used in freehand SQL. Chart element that covers all the data plotted in the chart, the charts axes and their labels. A condition defined by the designer in the DESIGNER module that you apply on queries in the Query Panel. Sentence or question in a query condition that incites you to select or enter values for the condition. Action that deletes the data returned by a list of values, or by a query or other type of data provider, but does not delete the definition of the list of values or query. Status of an object, a user object, a local variable or a column of data (dimension, measure). Type of data provider, built in the Query Panel and run on a universe.
page footer page header personal connection
personal data file
pie chart
pivoting
PL/SQL
plot area
predefined condition
prompt
purge
qualification
query
Glossary
query file
A file with the .bqy file extension; corresponds to a query definition and stores the data retrieved by a query in BUSINESSQUERY? Interface in BUSINESSOBJECTS that you use to build, edit and run queries. The data returned by a query, also referred to as a documents microcube. Report feature that enables you to display only the top and/or bottom values returned by a variable. Relational Database Management System, enables the creation, management and deployment of relational databases. Action that updates the data returned by a query or other type of data provider. Focal point of your work with BUSINESSOBJECTS, where you view, analyze and format data. The data in reports can come from one or many sources. You can also display text and graphics in reports. Reports are located inside documents. Programming language used to create scripts. Centralized storage and distribution mechanism that manages universes, user information and document exchange. Object that is included in a query. Part of a crosstab that displays data horizontally. Chart element that shows the values of data on an axis, the intervals between these values and the point where values coincide between two axes. Chart type that shows the relationship between numeric values in several data series, or that plots groups of numbers as one set of x-y coordinates.
Query Panel
query result
ranking
RDBMS
refresh
report
ReportScript repository
result object row scale
scatter chart
Glossary
scheduled processing
Feature that enables tasks (printing, refreshing documents, sending documents to users or to a web server) to be carried out at specified times and/or intervals. Also referred to as batch processing. The DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER module is responsible for scheduled processing. Subset of data returned by a query or other type of data provider, used to perform analysis on the data displayed in a report. Series of commands written in ReportScript and stored in a file; used to automate tasks in the User module. Part of a master/detail report. A section contains a master cell in which a single value of a variable is displayed, e.g., Japan, and one or more blocks in which variables corresponding to the master cell value are displayed, e.g., Customer and Revenue. A section is created for each value returned by the variable in the master cell. A type of connection that can be used by more than one user, and can be stored on a file server. Shared connections can be edited. Query condition that you apply on a result object, then by selecting values from the object's list of values. Working mode that you use to restructure a report in order to analyze its data from different viewpoints. The Slice and Dice Panel, enabled by the Explorer or the Analyzer component of the User module, is the interface in which you work in sliceand-dice mode. Interface that provides a representation of the data in a report; enables you to restructure the report and thus to analyze its data. Only available with the Analyzer component. Feature that you can apply on objects in queries and on data in reports; forces data to appear in ascending or descending order. Ranking of sorts in a query or in a report.
scope of analysis
script
section
shared connection
simple condition
slice and dice mode
slice and dice panel
sort
sort priority
Glossary
SQL
Structured Query Language, the language used to interact with relational databases, used in BUSINESSOBJECTS. Command that carries out an action in SQL. Chart type that shows data series as parts of a whole. Combination of SQL statements that are translated, optimized and stored in executable form on certain SQL servers. Type of data provider in BUSINESSOBJECTS. See SQL. Class in a universe that appears inside another class. Query that is nested in a main query, required by a condition that includes the "Create a subquery" operand. The result of the subquery is compared with that of the main query. User of the SUPERVISOR module, responsible for user administration information such as user names and passwords. The supervisor creates user rights and profiles. The person who manages BUSINESSOBJECTS system resources, such as the repository, is referred to as "general supervisor". Block type that displays data in columns. Document that provides report layout and formats that you can apply to existing reports and that you can use when creating new reports. SQL dialect developed by SYBASE. With BUSINESSOBJECTS, Transact SQL is used in free-hand SQL. Sort on an object that is not included in the query result. An SQL operator that combines two queries into a single query; returns the result of both queries as a single result. Usually the universe name (the long name). If there is no long name, the short name (the filename with .unv extension) is used. If there are several universes with the same name in a list, then the following is added to distinguish them: - for a local universe, the filename between ( ) - for an exported universe, the domain name between [ ].
SQL statement stacked chart stored procedure
Structured Query Language subclass subquery
supervisor
table template
Transact SQL
transparent sort UNION
unique universe name
Glossary
universe
Semantic layer between you and a database, consisting of classes and objects. The objects in the universe map to data in the database, and enable you to build queries on the universe when creating or working on reports. A user of the DESIGNER module. Creates and maintains universes for a particular group of users. The universe designer distributes universes to users by exporting them to the repository or by moving them as files through the file system. The area of the repository that holds exported universes. The universe domain makes it possible to store, distribute, and administrate universes. There may be multiple universe domains in a repository. Chart element that extends from the minimum to the maximum value in the first two data series in a group. Updown bars are useful for comparing relationships between two data series and are only available for line charts and scatter charts. A type of object in a BUSINESSOBJECTS universe. Created in BUSINESSOBJECTS, by an end user, to meet specific needs, e.g., to concatenate two existing objects from the universe. Break that you apply on some rather than all the values of a variable. Report element that presents a named category of data. Corresponds to columns of data returned by queries or other data providers. Chart element that forms a rectangle, bound by the charts axes. 3-D charts can also have a side wall and a floor. WEBINTELLIGENCE is a BUSINESSOBJECTS product that allows you to use a web browser to create reports based on BUSINESSOBJECTS universes. A WEBINTELLIGENCE file contains a query, the data returned by the query, a report format, and a header showing who sent and saved the query, and the size of the file. A WEBINTELLIGENCE file has the extension .wqy.
universe designer
universe domain
up-down bar
user object
value-based break
variable
wall/floor
WebIntelligence file
Glossary
workgroup mode
A working environment in which you do not have access to a repository. The mode in which a document is saved determines whether other users are able to access it. By default, a document is saved in the mode in which you are working. What You See Is What You Get, means that what you see on the screen is what you will get when you print the report. Chart element that extends from left to right horizontally along the base of the chart, along which data is plotted. See scatter chart. Chart element that extends vertically on the left of the chart, where numeric data is plotted. Optional chart element for 3-D matrix charts only, along which data is plotted. Extends vertically and to the right from the right end of the X-axis.
WYSIWYG
X-axis
XY chart Y-axis
Z-axis
Index
.htm file extension 213 .rep file extension 29, 30 .req file extension 44 .ret file extension 31 .rtf file extension 31 .txt file extension 31 2-D charts building 3-D matrix charts from 66, 132 reducing 3-D matrix charts to 67 2-D line charts, formatting data series 186 3-D charts 3-D view 65 walls and floor 185 3-D matrix charts building from 2-D charts 66, 132 building/reducing 65 moving data between X-, Zaxis 68, 135 reducing to 2-D charts 67 working with in slice-and-dice mode 130135 Z-axis 187 dimension objects 21 dimensions 141 drilling across 150 drilling down 145148 drilling up 149 hierarchies 21, 141 in drill mode 141153 in slice-and-dice mode 117 140 measures 142 OLAP server 116 preparing for drill mode 143 Slice and Dice Panel, illustrated 118 switching to drill mode 144 switching to slice-and-dice mode 117 applying breaks 95, 96 filters 99 predefined conditions 24 ranking 106 simple query conditions 25 sorts in reports 104 sorts on query objects 27 value-based breaks 97 ascending sorts in reports 103 on query objects 27 attributes for breaks 97 AutoFormats, for charts 59 axes formatting 187189 hiding 197 axis labels applying line styles 189 applying number and date formats 188 applying text formats 189 applying tick marks 189 defining scale 189 formatting 187189 illustrated 187
B
batch processing see DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER blank reports 34 creating inside existing document 34 creating inside new document 34 blocks aligning 163 defined 70 deleting 70, 137 folding, unfolding 114 formatting 166168 formatting borders 167 illustrated 70 inserting 5357 moving 164 moving between sections 164 positioning 162 renaming 137 resetting 137 resizing 158 body 169 in crosstabs 55 selecting crosstab body 170 selecting table body 170 borders Borders toolbar 177 formatting block borders 167 formatting cell borders 177 formatting section borders 167 breaks 9397 adding 95 applying 95, 96 applying in slice-and-dice mode 140 applying on different variable 96 applying on more than one variable 96 Breaks dialog box, described 95
A
adding breaks 95 cells to tables, crosstabs 75 columns to tables, crosstabs 75 filters 101 rows to crosstabs 75 aligning axis labels 188 blocks 163 cell contents 176 cells 163 Alt key, with drag-and-drop 79 analyzing data BUSINESSMINER 116 defining scope of analysis 21
Index
Breaks dialog box, illustrated 96 changing break level 96 defining attributes 97 editing 95, 96 managing over multiple pages 97 removing 95, 96 value-based breaks 96, 97 value-based breaks, defined 95 building queries 1728 building/reducing 3-D matrix charts, crosstabs 65, 132 3-D matrix charts from 2-D charts 66 3-D matrix charts to 2-D charts 67 crosstabs from tables 66 crosstabs to tables 67 BUSINESSMINER 7, 116 BUSINESSOBJECTS and Microsoft Exchange 222, 228 demo database, universe, reports 4 end-user toolset 7 introduction to User module 2 IS toolset 7 launching 13 online help xi opening queries from version 3.1 44 product line 7 BUSINESSQUERY 7 opening .bqy files in BUSINESSOBJECTS 45 saving documents in BUSINESSQUERY FORMAT 32
C
calculations and filters 98 calculations on report data 109 applying in slice-and-dice mode 139 deleting from tables, crosstabs 111 dragging-and-dropping 111 in charts 112 in tables or crosstabs 110
Cartesian products in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 242 cells adding to tables, crosstabs 75 aligning 163 aligning contents 176 clearing 74 deleting 74 editing contents 113 formatting 169179 formatting backgrounds 179 formatting borders 177 inserting 75 inserting free-form cells 75 inserting pictures 199 moving 7779, 164 positioning 162 resizing 160 selecting 73 changing data labels 195 charts 3-D view 65 AutoFormats 59 axis labels 187 changing data labels 195 data series 186 deleting 70 deleting legend 194 deleting title 192 dialog box for pivoting data 61 displaying as tables, crosstabs 58 displaying data labels 195 displaying gridlines 197 displaying legend 192 displaying tables, crosstabs as 58, 137 displaying tick marks 189 displaying title 191 floor 185 formatting 180198 formatting axes 187189 formatting axis labels 187189 formatting axis styles 189 formatting data labels 195 formatting gridlines 197 formatting legend 192 formatting legend key 194 formatting legend text 194 hiding axes 197 inserting 57
making calculations 112 moving legend 192 moving title 191 plot area 184 removing data labels 195 resizing 158 resizing legends 192 resizing titles 192 selecting axes 187 switching between chart types 59 tick marks 187 turning to tables, crosstabs 58, 137 walls 185 X-axis 187 Y-axis 187 Z-axis 187 classes defined 2 introduction 5 opening in Query Panel 17 sub-classes 17 clearing cells 74 columns 74 master cells in master/detail reports 52 rows 74 colors applying to blocks 167 applying to cell backgrounds 179 applying to cell borders 177 applying to chart walls, floor 185 applying to plot area 184 applying to sections 167 columns adding to tables, crosstabs 75 clearing 74 deleting 74 displaying data in 76 inserting 75 moving 7779 renaming 113 resizing 160 selecting 73 conditions on queries 2326 applying predefined conditions 24
Index
applying simple conditions 25 defined 23 deleting 26 selecting different values for simple conditions 26 using lists of values 25 conditions, evaluating in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 244 contexts, using in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 242 copying cells, columns, rows using drag-and-drop 78 cells, columns, rows using toolbar buttons 77 query results to DDE 254255 reports 35 creating blank reports 34 inside existing document 34 inside new document 34 creating number and date formats 174 creating reports 1428 building queries 1728 specifying layout 15 specifying universe to use 15 crosstabs adding cells, columns, rows to 75 body, illustrated 55 building from tables 66, 132 deleting 70 deleting calculations from 111 dialog box for pivoting data 61 displaying charts as 58, 137 folding, unfolding 114 illustrated 55 inserting 55 making calculations 110 moving data between columns, rows 68, 134 reducing to tables 67 resizing 158 turning to charts 58, 137 working with in slice-and-dice mode 130135
D
data DDE see dynamic data exchange displaying in columns 76 displaying in rows 76 making calculations in reports 109 pivoting 6069 data labels changing 195 displaying 195 formatting 195 removing 195 data providers building queries 1728 defined 11 free-hand SQL, defined 11 OLAP server, defined 11 personal data files, defined 11 purging 89 queries, defined 11 refreshing when opening document 88 refreshing with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 233 stored procedures, defined 11 viewing results of 86 data series 186 dates applying date formats to axis labels 188 applying formats to cell contents 173 creating formats 174 deleting formats 175 formatting 173175 DDE see dynamic data exchange default file extension for documents 29, 30 folder for documents 30 folder for saving documents 33 folder for saving templates 33 folder for scripts 33 folder for templates 31 folder for universes 33 scope of analysis 22 template 16
universe 16 defining sort priority in queries 27 deleting blocks 70, 137 calculations from tables, crosstabs 111 cells 74 chart legend 194 chart title 192 columns 74 number and date formats 175 queries 92 query conditions 26 reports 46 rows 74 sections 70 demo database, universe, reports 4 descending sorts in reports 103 on query objects 27 DESIGNER 2 detail objects 5 dimension objects 5, 21 dimensions in reports 141 displaying chart legend 192 chart title 191 data in blocks 63 data in columns 76 data in reports using slice-anddice mode 136 data in rows 76 data labels 195 gridlines on charts 197 page numbers in reports 204 reports inside documents 46 toolbars 49 DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 230246 access to server 231 Cartesian products 242 changing the schedule 239 conditions 244 contexts 242 error messages 245 exchanging documents with WEBINTELLIGENCE users 240 overview 230 Overwrite mode 240 printing reports 233 prompts, adding 243 refreshing data providers 233
Index
retrieving documents 246 sending documents to file server 241 sending documents to users 240 sending documents to web server 241 submitting documents to 232 using custom scripts 233 variables 243 web publishing 217 document domain 222 documents 12 .htm file extension 213 .rep file extension 29, 30 .ret file extension 31 .rtf file extension 31 .txt file extension 31 changing name, folder or file format 30 copying report in 35 default folder 30 mailing 228 microcube 12 opening 44 processing with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 230246 publishing on the web 206 218 retrieving from DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 246 retrieving from repository 227 retrieving from users 227 saving 2933 saving as BUSINESSQUERY FILES 32 saving as templates 31 saving as text files 31 saving at set intervals 33 saving in rich text format 31 sending to groups of users 226 sending to repository 224 sending to users 224 setting save options 33 sharing with WEBINTELLIGENCE users 223, 225, 240 specifying default folder 33 submitting to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 232 drag-and-drop
changes to cursor 78 copying cells, columns, rows 78 dropping between cells, columns, rows 79 dropping on cells, columns, rows 79 moving blocks 164 moving cells 164 moving cells, columns, rows 78 swapping cells, columns, rows 78 with Alt key 79 with Shift key 78 drill mode dimensions 141 Drill button 144 drilling across 150 drilling down 145148 drilling up 149 hierarchies 141 preparing for 143 setting options for 153 switching to 144 taking snapshots of reports 152 Undo command 146 working in 141153 Duplicate Report command 35 dynamic data exchange 248, 254 255
F
file extensions .htm 213 .rep 29, 30 .req 44 .ret 31 .rtf 31 .txt 31 filters 98102 adding 101 applying 99 applying in slice-and-dice mode 140 illustrated 98 managing 100102 managing filters and ranking 108 removing 102 selecting different values for 100 folder for saving documents 30, 33 for saving templates 31, 33 folding blocks, sections 114 footers applying shading to 203 inserting a cell in 202 resizing 203 formatting axis labels 187189 block borders 167 blocks 166168 cell backgrounds 179 cells and their contents 169 179 cells borders 177 chart axes 187189 chart floor 185 chart legend 192 chart legend key 194 chart legend text 194 chart plot area 184 chart walls 185 charts 180198 creating number and date formats 174 data labels 195 data series 186 data series in 2-D line charts 186
E
editing breaks 95, 96 cell contents 113 filters 100 OLE 2 objects 252 page backgrounds 201 queries 90 ranking 107 eliminating duplicate rows returned by query 28 enterprise mode 30 error messages in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 245 exchanging documents with WEBINTELLIGENCE users 223, 225
Index
data series in scatter charts 186 footers 202 gridlines 197 headers 202 numbers and dates 173175 predefined object formats 157 repeating cell formats 170 section borders 167 sections 166168 text 171 free-form cells 75 inserting 75 free-hand SQL, defined 11 functions see Report Functions in online help
I
inserting blocks 5357 calculations in tables or crosstabs 110 calculations on data in charts 112 cells 75 charts 57 columns 75 crosstabs 55 free-form cells 75 page backgrounds 200 pictures in cells 199 rows 75 tables 54 inverting sorts in reports 104 sorts on query objects 27
G
getting help on BUSINESSOBJECTS see online help grid 78, 164 gridlines displaying 197 formatting 197 groups of users, sending documents to 226
L
launching BUSINESSOBJECTS 13 limiting number of rows returned by query 28 line styles applying to cell borders 177 applying to chart axes 189 lists of values, using in simple query conditions 25
H
headers applying shading to 203 inserting a cell in 202 resizing 203 help see online help hiding chart axes 197 gridlines 197 hiding data in reports 62 hierarchies 21, 141 in demo universe 141 viewing 143 HTML example in report 211 files and folders created 215 objects 209 Read As HTML option 212 writing in reports 211 Hypertext Markup Language, see HTML
moving blocks between sections 164 placing master in table or crosstab 52 removing master 52 re-organizing 51, 121 structuring existing reports as 49, 120 undoing 52 undoing master/detail reports 124 working with in slice-and-dice mode 119128 measure objects 5 measures, analyzing 142 microcube 11, 12 Microsoft Exchange 222, 228 moving blocks 164 cells, columns, rows 7779 cells, columns, rows using drag-and-drop 78 cells, columns, rows using toolbar buttons 77 cells, using drag-and-drop 164 chart legend 192 chart title 191 data inside blocks 64
N
New Report Wizard 1315 notifying documents to retrieve 227, 246 numbers applying formats to cell contents 173 applying number formats to axis labels 188 creating formats 174 deleting formats 175 formatting 173175
M
mailing documents 228 managing 95 breaks 95 filters 100102 ranking 107108 sorts in reports 104 MAPI 228 margins aligning blocks and cells with 163 Page Margins command 203 resizing 203 master/detail reports 4752 building master/master/detail reports 50, 123 clearing master cell 52 deactivating sections 125128 illustrated 48
O
object linking and embedding 249 253 creating new objects to insert 250 editing objects 252 inserting existing objects 251
Index
objects applying sorts on 27 changing order in query 19 defined 2 detail objects 5 dimension objects 5 HTML 209 including in query 17 measures 5 predefined object formats 157 qualification 5 removing from query 19 viewing in Query Panel 17 OLAP server 116 defined 11 OLAP ACCESS PACKS 7 OLE 2 see object linking and embedding online help xi using BUSINESSOBJECTS command xi using F1 key xii using the help index xi opening documents 44 queries from BUSINESSOBJECTS 3.1 44 opening classes in Query Panel 17 options for creating reports 16 for drill mode 153 for notifying documents to retrieve 227, 246 for running queries 28 for saving documents 33 overview of Users Guide viii Overwrite mode, DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 240
P
page backgrounds 200 editing 201 inserting 200 pasting 200 removing 201 page footers see footers page headers see headers Page Layout view 202203 page margins see margins
page numbers in reports 204 see also Report Functions in online help 204 Page Setup 219 passwords for launching BUSINESSOBJECTS 13 pasting page backgrounds 200 personal data files, defined 11 pictures Bitmap format (Cell Format dialog box) 199 editing page backgrounds 201 inserting in cells 199 inserting page backgrounds 200 page backgrounds 200 pasting page backgrounds 200 removing page backgrounds 201 using in reports 199201 pivoting data 6069 accessing dialog box 60 building 3-D matrix charts from 2-D charts 66 building crosstabs from tables 66 building/reducing crosstabs, 3-D matrix charts 65 dialog box for charts 61 dialog box for tables, crosstabs 61 displaying data in blocks 63 hiding data 62 horizontally, in slice-and-dice mode 129 moving data inside blocks 64 reducing 3-D matrix charts to 2-D charts 67 reducing crosstabs to tables 67 removing data from blocks 62 vertically, in slice-and-dice mode 133 plot area formatting 184 illustrated 184 resizing 159 positioning blocks 162 cells 162
predefined conditions applying 24 defined 24 in demo universe 24 removing 24 preparing for drill mode 143 Print Preview 219 printing reports 219220 using Page Setup 219 using Print Preview 219 with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 233 processing documents see DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER prompts, adding in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 243 purging data providers 89
Q
qualification of objects 5 queries applying conditions 2326 applying predefined conditions 24 applying simple conditions 25 applying sorts 27 building 1728 changing order of objects 19 copying results to DDE 254 255 defined 11 defining scope of analysis 21 deleting 92 deleting conditions 26 editing 90 including objects 17 introduction 3 inverting sorts 27 opening queries from BUSINESSOBJECTS 3.1 44 opening queries from BUSINESSQUERY 45 opening queries from WEBINTELLIGENCE 45 removing objects 19 removing predefined conditions 24 removing sorts 27 running 28 running a query on a different universe 87
Index
selecting different values for simple conditions 26 using lists of values 25 viewing results of 86 see also data providers query options 28 eliminating duplicate rows 28 limiting number of rows returned 28 Query Options dialog box 28 running a query without retrieving data 28 Query Panel illustrated 17 View button 18 viewing objects in 17
R
ranking 105108 altering values for 107 applying 106 applying in slice-and-dice mode 139 illustrated 105 managing 107108 removing 108 refreshing data providers 233 data providers when opening document 88 queries 88 universes 85 web published documents 216 removing breaks 95, 96 data from blocks 62 data in slice-and-dice mode 136 data labels 195 filters 102 master from master/detail reports 52 page backgrounds 201 predefined conditions 24 ranking 108 sorts in reports 104 sorts on query objects 27 renaming blocks 137 columns and rows 113 reports 46
re-organizing master/detail reports 51, 121 using different master 122 repeating cell formats 170 replacing cell contents 113 variables 113 reports copying 35 creating 1428 creating blank reports 34 creating via universes 15 defined 10 deleting 46 demo reports 4 displaying inside document 46 displaying page numbers 204 inserting blocks 5357 inserting charts 57 inserting crosstabs 55 inserting tables 54 introduction 2 master/detail 4752 master/master/detail 50 New Report Wizard 1315 page backgrounds 200 printing 219220 printing with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 233 renaming 46 samples 3639 selecting template for 15 setting default template and universe 16 specifying layout 15 structuring as master/detail 49 taking snapshots of 152 using Page Setup 219 using pictures in 199201 using Print Preview 219 repository 222 document domain 222 retrieving documents from 227 sending documents to 224 resetting blocks 137 resizing blocks 158 cells 160
chart legends 192 chart titles 192 columns 160 footers 203 headers 203 margins 203 plot area 159 rows 160 retrieving documents from DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 246 from repository 227 from users 227 notifying documents to retrieve 227, 246 rich text format, saving documents in 31 rows adding to crosstabs 75 clearing 74 deleting 74 displaying data in 76 inserting 75 moving 7779 renaming 113 resizing 160 selecting 73 Run command see Appendix A running a query on a different universe 87 running queries 28
S
sample reports 3639 saving documents 2933 as BUSINESSQUERY FILES 32 as templates 31 as text files 31 enterprise mode 30 in rich text format 31 Save for all users option 30 setting options 33 specifying default folder 33 workgroup mode 30 scatter charts 186 formatting data series 186 scheduled processing see DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER
Index
scope of analysis default 22 defining in query 21 dialog box 21 hierarchies 21 manual 22 scripting see Automating Tasks with ReportScript in online help scripts, custom in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 233 sections deactivating 125128 defined 70 deleting 70 folding, unfolding 114 formatting 166168 formatting borders 167 illustrated 70 moving blocks between sections 164 selecting cells 73 chart axes 187 columns 73 different values for filters 100 different values for ranking 107 different values for simple query conditions 26 rows 73 template for report 15 two or more blocks 71 sending documents to groups of users 226 to repository 224 to users 224 setting intervals for saving documents 33 shading applying to blocks 167 applying to cell backgrounds 179 applying to chart walls, floor 185 applying to plot area 184 applying to sections 167 headers and footers 203 Shift key, with drag-and-drop 78 simple query conditions applying 25
selecting different values for 26 using lists of values 25 Slice and Dice Panel Reset button 137 slice-and-dice mode Apply button 118 applying breaks 140 applying calculations 139 applying filters 140 applying ranking 139 applying sorts 139 building master/master/detail reports 123 building/reducing 3-D matrix charts, crosstabs 132 deactivating sections of master/detail reports 125 128 displaying data in reports 136 moving data between columns, rows 134 moving data between X-, Zaxis in 3-D matrix charts 135 positioning data horizontally 129 positioning data vertically 133 removing data from reports 136 Reset button 118 Slice and Dice button 117 Slice and Dice Panel, illustrated 118 swapping variables horizontally 129 working in 117140 working with 3-D matrix charts 130135 working with crosstabs 130 135 working with master/detail reports 119128 Snap to Grid command 78, 164 sorts in reports 103104 applying 104 applying in slice-and-dice mode 139 ascending\descending order 103 customizing inverting 104
managing 104 managing sorts and ranking 108 removing 104 sorts on query objects applying 27 ascending\descending order 27 defining priority 27 inverting 27 removing 27 transparent sorts 27 stored procedures, defined 11 subclasses 5, 17 submitting documents to DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 232 swapping cells, columns, rows using drag-and-drop 78
T
tables adding cells, columns to 75 building crosstabs from 66, 132 deleting 70 deleting calculations from 111 dialog box for pivoting data 61 displaying charts as 58, 137 folding, unfolding 114 inserting 54 making calculations 110 reducing crosstabs to 67 resizing 158 turning to charts 58, 137 taking snapshots of reports 152 templates default 10 default folder 31 defined 10 file extension 31 saving documents as 31 selecting template for report 15 setting default for creating reports 16 specifying default folder 33 text applying text formats to axis labels 189 editing 113 formatting 171
Index
tick marks displaying on chart axes 189 illustrated 187 titles deleting chart legend 194 deleting chart title 192 displaying chart title 191 moving chart title 191 toolbars Borders toolbar, displaying 177 Borders toolbar, illustrated 177 displaying 49 Formatting toolbar, illustrated 171, 176 transparent sorts on query objects 27
V
value-based breaks 96, 97 defined 95 variables replacing 113 using in DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 243 viewing query results 86
Z
Z-axis formatting 187 hiding 197 illustrated 187
W
web publishing 206218 defined 206 enabling users to download documents 214 examples 206 files and folders created 215 frequently asked questions 208 HTML objects 209 illustration of published document 210 keeping data up-to-date 216 process 207 setting up navigation 214 with DOCUMENT AGENT SERVER 217 writing HTML in reports 211 WEBINTELLIGENCE 7 opening .wqy files in BUSINESSOBJECTS 45 sharing documents with WEBINTELLIGENCE users 223, 225, 240 workgroup mode 30 worldwide web processing documents for 241
U
Undo command 146 undoing master/detail reports 52, 124 clearing master cell 52 placing master in block 124 placing master in table or crosstab 52 removing master 52, 124 unfolding blocks, sections 114 universes classes 2 default folder 33 demo universe 4 hierarchies 21, 141 introduction 2 objects 2 predefined object formats 157 refreshing 85 running a query on a different universe 87 selecting 15 setting default for creating reports 16 subclasses 17 user identification 13 UserDocs folder 30
X
X-axis formatting 187 hiding 197 illustrated 187 XY charts see scatter charts
Y
Y-axis formatting 187 hiding 197 illustrated 187
Index
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BusinessObjects Users Guide
Revision 4 Part Number: 310-10-410-01 Your companys name: __________________________________________________ Company address: ______________________________________________________ Telephone/fax number: __________________ E-mail address: ________________ What is your job position? _______________________________________________ How long have you been using BusinessObjects? ___________________________ Business Objects welcomes your comments and suggestions on the quality and usefulness of this publication. Your input is an important part of the information used for revision. If you find any errors or have any suggestions, please indicate the topic, chapter and page number below: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Please send your comments to: For US customers Business Objects, Inc. 2870 Zanker Road San Jose, CA 95134 For customers outside the US Business Objects SA 1, Square Chaptal 92300 Levallois-Perret France

Businessobjects User'S Guide: Windows

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BusinessObjects Users Guide

Version 4.1 Windows

BusinessObjects TM Version 4.1 BusinessObjects Users Guide

Copyright Business Objects 1997 All rights reserved. Printed in France.

BusinessObjects Users Guide iii

Controlling Report Data

iv BusinessObjects Users Guide

Web Publishing and Printing

BusinessObjects Users Guide v

vi BusinessObjects Users Guide

BusinessObjects Users Guide vii

About this Guide

How this Guide is Organized

viii BusinessObjects Users Guide

BusinessObjects Users Guide ix

Conventions Used in this Guide

The AvantGarde font The Courier font

x BusinessObjects Users Guide

Using the Help Index

Finding Information Via the Welcome Screen

BusinessObjects Users Guide xi

Finding Information About the BusinessObjects Interface

xii BusinessObjects Users Guide

Related BusinessObjects References

BusinessObjects Users Guide xiii

xiv BusinessObjects Users Guide

Your Comments are Welcome

BusinessObjects Users Guide xv

xvi BusinessObjects Users Guide

BusinessObjects Users Guide 1

Welcome to the BusinessObjects User Module

Part of a report, where data is displayed in a table and in a chart.

BusinessObjects Makes it Easy to Access Data

2 BusinessObjects Users Guide

Welcome to the BusinessObjects User Module

Other ways of accessing data

BusinessObjects Users Guide 3

The Demonstration Database, Universe and Reports

The demonstration universe

4 BusinessObjects Users Guide

Welcome to the BusinessObjects User Module

Classes and subclasses

BusinessObjects Users Guide 5

A folder represents a class. Each icon within a class represents an object.

The demonstration universe, Island Resorts Marketing

6 BusinessObjects Users Guide

The BusinessObjects Product Line

The BusinessObjects Product Line

BusinessObjects Users Guide 7

8 BusinessObjects Users Guide

BusinessObjects Users Guide 9

Chapter 2 Creating Reports

Templates provide report layout and formats

Data providers, such as queries, bring data to the report

Personal data files

BusinessObjects Users Guide 11

Chapter 2 Creating Reports

How data is stored in a document

12 BusinessObjects Users Guide

BusinessObjects Users Guide 13

Chapter 2 Creating Reports

Using the New Report Wizard to Create a Report