Report Design form

Operations Reports Report Designs Report Designs view Report Design form

The Report Design form enables you to add and edit reporting formats used as a basis of the report definitions that you create in the Report Definition form (on page 1).

N4 provides a standard set of report designs that are created using XML files. You can use any open source XML editor to modify existing report designs and to create new report designs.

The standard set of report designs that are provided in N4 are based on a tool called JasperReports (http://jasperreports.sourceforge.net/). The structure of the report design XML files must follow the XSD format provided by JasperReports. Navis recommends using a tool called iReport (http://ireport.sourceforge.net/) to create and edit the report design XML files. For more information on N4 and JasperReports compatibility, see the N4 and JasperReports Compatibility Matrix (on page 1). If you are using iReport, ensure that you set the default language to Java. To change the default language, right-click a report in the iReport interface, select Properties in the Report Structure tab, and change the default language to Java.

To add or edit a report design:

1. Create or edit a report design XML file using any open source XML editor and save the file using an .xml file extension.

You can use report design parameters (on page 1) and reporting entity tags to create the report design XML file.

2. In the Report Design Name field, enter a name that uniquely identifies the report design in N4.

If you are editing a standard report design, you should change the name of the edited report design so that N4 does not overwrite it with a standard report design when you update the standard set of report designs using the Set-up Database view (on page 1).

3. From the Report Type drop-down list, select the type as:

• Reportable Entity: To add a report design based on the existing N4 reporting entities or custom reporting entities.

• SQL Query: To add a report design based on a SQL Query.

If you are upgrading from a version prior to N4 2.4, N4 assumes that all the existing report designs are of the type, Reportable Entity, and uses an upgrade action to set the Report Type for all the existing report designs as Reportable Entity.

4. From the Reporting Entity drop-down list, select the business entity type for which you want to add the report design.

The business entity type selected in this step determines the valid fields for you to use in the report design XML file.

5. Optionally, in the Description field, enter a description of the purpose of the report design.

6. From the Visible Scope drop-down list, select the scope level, such as Operator, Facility, or Yard, at which the report design is visible in N4.

A report design is visible at the scope level that you select in this step and at all lower scope levels.

For example, if you select Complex in this step, the report design is visible at the Complex, Facility, and Yard scope levels.

7. From the Broadest Reportable Scope drop-down list, select the highest scope level at which a user may log in and be able to use the report design.

The reportable scope is the scope level at which a report design can be used to create a report definition.

The Broadest Reportable Scope must be equal to or lower than the Visible Scope selected in step 6 above.

8. From the Narrowest Reportable Scope drop-down list, select the lowest scope level at which a user may log in and be able to use the report design.

This must be equal to or lower than the Broadest Reportable Scope selected in step 7 above.

9. In the XML Design field, click Import File to import the saved report design XML file.

For the SQL Query report type, when you import a .jrxml for the report design, N4 parses the embedded SQL and searches for the database table for a reporting entity. If it cannot find the database table name, N4 displays an error message and informs the user that a table name is expected and without that, the report data cannot be scoped.

10. Optionally, in the Filter Criteria area, create a filter to restrict the data included in a report based on this report design. For example, you can create a filter that includes only export units when creating an "Export Units" report.

Use the report design filter to ensure that the data used for reporting is accurate and valid.

If you selected the Report Type as SQL Query in step 3, N4 disables the Filter Criteria area.

11. Click Save.

The report design file defines the format and content of a report. You must edit the design file to implement any customization to a report, such as adding flex fields.

To modify an existing report design XML file:

1. In the Report Designs view (on page 1), select the report design you want to modify and click .

2. Click Export File to export the report design XML file.

In the Export XML Configuration, save the report design XML file with a name and .xml file extension.

3. Edit the report design XML file using any open source XML editor.

One reason we recommend the iReport tool is that it verifies that the XML file meets the XSD standard.

4. In the Report Design form, click Import File to import the modified report design XML file.

5. Make any other required changes to the report design.

6. Click Save.

Use the modified report design XML file to create a new report design or overwrite an existing report design.

To remove a loaded file report design XML file, click Clear.