HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Chapter 4 USING THE REPORT CATALOG
Once a report has been defined and produced, you may want to save the
report definition for later use. To provide a vehicle for storing
reports, INFORM/V includes a report catalog. You can look at the names
and descriptions of all reports that have been saved, save reports by
adding them to the catalog, recall saved reports for later production,
and delete report definitions when they are no longer of value.
Note that it is the report definition that is saved in the catalog, not
the data in the report. Thus, when you produce the report again at a
later date, if the data in the files or database has changed, your report
will contain up-to-date data.
The Current Report
INFORM/V can store many reports in the catalog, and any one can be called
up and made available for production or modification. The report that is
available for use is called the current report.
If you have just defined a report, that one is current even after you
return to the Main Menu. You can also make a report current by recalling
it from the catalog. It is important to understand that you can only
have one report current at a time. If you should call a report up from
the catalog before you save a newly defined report, then the new report
will be lost.
INFORM/V keeps a report current until you do one of the following:
* Define a new current report (Main Menu option 1).
* Select a saved report definition from the catalog (Main Menu option 2
or 3).
* Exit from INFORM/V (Main Menu option 10).
You can also modify the current report to have a different definition.
If you have not saved the current report before doing the modifications,
then you have in effect destroyed the current report. If you have saved
the current report before modifying it, then you can recall the saved
version at any time.
Adding the Report Definition to the Catalog
After you have defined a report and produced it, you may want to save the
definition for later use. To perform this function, you must return to
the Main Menu. To do so, type N in response to the prompt
RETURN TO CURRENT DATA NAMES MENU(Y/N)?>
on the bottom of the Data Names Menu. INFORM/V then displays the Main
Menu and prompts with
TYPE AN OPTION NUMBER>
To add a report definition to the catalog, type 6 in response.
_______________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986|
| |
| INFORM OPTIONS: |
| |
| 1: DEFINE A REPORT |
| 2: DISPLAY REPORT CATALOG |
| 3: SELECT A REPORT DEFINITION |
| 4: PREVIEW REPORT LAYOUT |
| 5: PRODUCE THE REPORT |
| 6: ADD REPORT DEFINITION TO CATALOG |
| 7: DELETE A REPORT DEFINITION FROM CATALOG |
| 8: SET OPTIONS |
| 9: MODIFY THE REPORT |
| 10: EXIT FROM INFORM/V |
| |
| TYPE AN OPTION NUMBER> 6 |
| |
| TYPE A REPORT NAME(6)> CREDIT |
| |
| TYPE REPORT DESCRIPTION(50)> CREDIT INFORMATION |
_______________________________________________________________
Figure 4-1. Choosing to Save a Report Definition
Figure 4-1 shows an example of the interaction to save a report in the
INFORM/V catalog.
After you respond to the OPTION prompt by typing 6, INFORM/V then prompts
with
TYPE A REPORT NAME(6)>
Type the name as you want it to appear in the catalog. The name may be
up to six characters long, and it may be qualified by a group name and an
account name. For example:
CREDIT
or
CREDIT.ACCTING.FINAN
If you do not specify a group and account name, INFORM/V uses your logon
group and account.
If you type an existing report name, INFORM/V responds with:
REPORT FILE ALREADY EXISTS,
PURGE OLD FILE(N/Y)?>
Type Y to purge the saved report definition and replace it with the new.
If you type N or RETURN, INFORM/V prompts you again for a report name.
The next prompt you see is:
TYPE REPORT DESCRIPTION(50)>
You may type up to 50 characters to describe the report. You do not have
to type a description, but it is a good way to explain exactly what the
report contains.
As soon as you enter the description, INFORM/V saves the report
definition in the catalog, then redisplays the Main Menu.
When you display the report catalog (see next discussion in this
section), both the report name and the description are shown for all
saved reports.
If you choose option 6 on the Main Menu, to save a report in the catalog,
and no current report exists, INFORM/V responds with:
CURRENT REPORT HAS NOT BEEN SPECIFIED
TYPE 'RETURN' KEY TO CONTINUE>
When you press RETURN, INFORM/V redisplays the Main Menu so that you can
choose another option.
Displaying the Report Catalog
To display the report catalog, which lists the report names and
descriptions, choose option 2 on the Main Menu. Assuming no security
restrictions, you have access to all the reports defined by all users in
your logon group. There may be many users in a single account or logon
group.
An example of the interaction used to display the INFORM/V catalog is
shown in Figure 4-2.
_______________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986|
| |
| INFORM OPTIONS: |
| |
| 1: DEFINE A REPORT |
| 2: DISPLAY REPORT CATALOG |
| 3: SELECT A REPORT DEFINITION |
| 4: PREVIEW REPORT LAYOUT |
| 5: PRODUCE THE REPORT |
| 6: ADD REPORT DEFINITION TO CATALOG |
| 7: DELETE A REPORT DEFINITION FROM CATALOG |
| 8: SET OPTIONS |
| 9: MODIFY THE REPORT |
| 10: EXIT FROM INFORM/V |
| |
| TYPE AN OPTION NUMBER> 2 |
| |
| TYPE COMPUTER GROUP NAME> |
_______________________________________________________________
Figure 4-2. Choosing to Display the Report Catalog
After you type 2, the following prompt appears:
TYPE COMPUTER GROUP NAME>
Simply type RETURN if you want to see the catalog for your logon group
and account. If you want to look at the catalog for another group, enter
that group name. If the catalog that you want to view is for a group in
an account other than your own, you must also enter the account name.
You may be asked to supply a password if you try to access another group
or account, depending on what security protection has been established.
If you do not have access, you will receive an error message.
Next, you are asked to respond to the following prompt:
DISPLAY OR PRINT(D/P)?>
Press P to send the catalog to the printer.
Press RETURN or D to display the catalog on your terminal.
The catalog listing will look similar to the one shown in Figure 4-3.
NAME is the report name that the user who created the report entered when
adding the report to the catalog. The CREATOR is the user name of the
person who saved the report. If the person requesting this listing is
the same person who created the report definition, the creator is shown
as USER. The DATE is given in the format year/month/day. The DESCRIPTION
is that supplied by the creator when the report was cataloged.
_____________________________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986 |
| |
| NAME: CREATOR: DATE: DESCRIPTION: |
| CREDIT MGR 850622 CREDIT INFORMATION |
| CUSTOM USER 850701 CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCTS |
| PROFIT USER 850706 PROFIT MARGIN BY CUSTOMER BY PRODUCT|
| SALES HENRY 810622 TOTAL SALES |
| |
| *****END OF LIST***** |
| |
| TYPE A REPORT NAME(6)> |
_____________________________________________________________________________
Figure 4-3. The INFORM/V Report Catalog
After displaying the catalog, INFORM/V prompts with:
TYPE A REPORT NAME(6)>
The report that you name becomes the current report. INFORM/V assumes
that you want to produce the report, and prompts with
PRODUCE THE REPORT(Y/N)?>
If you try to produce a report that was defined by another user who has
access to data elements to which you do not have access, you will be
prevented from producing that report. INFORM/V will respond with the
error message
YOUR PASSWORD DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO RUN THIS REPORT
You will then be prompted to select another report name from the catalog.
Section 3 describes the steps to produce a report.
Selecting a Report Definition
If you know the name of the report that you want to produce, you can
bypass the display of the report catalog and go right to the Report
Process Menu by selecting option 3 on the Main Menu (see Figure 4-4).
_______________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986|
| |
| INFORM OPTIONS: |
| |
| 1: DEFINE A REPORT |
| 2: DISPLAY REPORT CATALOG |
| 3: SELECT A REPORT DEFINITION |
| 4: PREVIEW REPORT LAYOUT |
| 5: PRODUCE THE REPORT |
| 6: ADD REPORT DEFINITION TO CATALOG |
| 7: DELETE A REPORT DEFINITION FROM CATALOG |
| 8: SET OPTIONS |
| 9: MODIFY THE REPORT |
| 10: EXIT FROM INFORM/V |
| |
| TYPE AN OPTION NUMBER> 3 |
| |
| TYPE A REPORT NAME(6)> |
| |
| PRODUCE THE REPORT(Y/N)?> |
_______________________________________________________________
Figure 4-4. Selecting a Report Definition from the Main Menu
When you type the option number 3, INFORM/V responds with the following
prompt:
TYPE A REPORT NAME(6)>
Type the name of the report. If you are not sure of the exact name of
the report, return to the Main Menu and select option 2 to display the
report catalog.
When you type a valid name, the following prompt appears:
PRODUCE THE REPORT(Y/N)?>
If you want to produce the report, answer Y. The interaction then becomes
identical to that described in Section 3.
If you do not want to produce the report, press N. The following prompt
then appears:
TYPE 'RETURN' KEY TO CONTINUE>
When you press RETURN, the Main Menu is displayed.
Deleting a Report Definition from the Catalog
To delete a report definition from the catalog, choose option 7 on the
Main Menu (see Figure 4-5). INFORM/V responds with the prompt
TYPE REPORT NAME TO BE DELETED>
Type the name under which you added the report definition to the catalog.
If you type a name not listed in the catalog, INFORM/V responds with:
NO SUCH REPORT NAME
To check for the name, press RETURN to go back to the Main Menu, then
type 2 to display the report catalog.
If you type a valid name, INFORM/V responds with the following prompt:
DELETE REPORT reportname(N/Y)?>
This prompt gives you a chance to change your mind if you like.
_______________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986|
| |
| INFORM OPTIONS: |
| |
| 1: DEFINE A REPORT |
| 2: DISPLAY REPORT CATALOG |
| 3: SELECT A REPORT DEFINITION |
| 4: PREVIEW REPORT LAYOUT |
| 5: PRODUCE THE REPORT |
| 6: ADD REPORT DEFINITION TO CATALOG |
| 7: DELETE A REPORT DEFINITION FROM CATALOG |
| 8: SET OPTIONS |
| 9: MODIFY THE REPORT |
| 10: EXIT FROM INFORM/V |
| |
| TYPE AN OPTION NUMBER> 7 |
| |
| TYPE REPORT NAME TO BE DELETED> |
_______________________________________________________________
Figure 4-5. Deleting a Report from the Catalog
If you confirm that you want the report deleted, INFORM/V deletes the
report and prints
REPORT DELETED
then returns to the Main Menu.
If you do not confirm the deletion, that is, if you answer N to the
DELETE prompt, INFORM/V displays the following message:
DELETE NOT CONFIRMED - REPORT UNCHANGED
The Main Menu is then redisplayed and you are prompted to enter an option
number.
Changes to Underlying Data Sets or Files
The INFORM/V catalog interacts with the data dictionary only when a user
activates the catalog to recall a saved report definition and produce the
report. Therefore, if any modifications are made to the structure of
underlying databases or files, INFORM/V is not aware of them until it
attempts to create a report.
Missing Data Names. If you see any of the following messages when you
try to call up a report from the catalog, it means that structural
changes have been made to the databases or files so that data needed for
the report no longer exists or cannot be identified under its previously
specified name.
GROUP DOES NOT EXIST IN DICTIONARY
BASE DOES NOT EXIST IN DICTIONARY
DATA SET DOES NOT EXIST IN DICTIONARY
*ERROR data-name DOES NOT BELONG TO THIS GROUP OR DATA SET
INFORM/V follows any of these messages with
TYPE 'RETURN' KEY TO CONTINUE>
When you enter RETURN, INFORM/V returns you to the Main Menu.
Renumbered Data Names. If an element (data name) in a Group, data set,
or file has been deleted from the data dictionary after the report
definition was saved and if that element is not used in generating the
report, INFORM/V will renumber the Data Names Menu and the items selected
in the report to reflect the changes. The report itself will not be
affected. For example, compare Figure 4-6 and Figure 4-7. If LOCATION
is deleted from the Group INVENTORY, the next time the Data Names Menu
appears, LOCATION will not appear, and the data names following it will
be renumbered.
__________________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986 |
| |
| DATA NAMES IN INVENTORY |
| |
| 1: PART 3: COST 5: PRODUCT LINE|
| 2: LOCATION 4: PRICE 6: QTY ON HAND |
| |
| TYPE NUMBER(S) FOR DATA NAME(S): |
| |
| TO INCLUDE IN REPORT> 1,4,3,6 |
| TO SORT BY> 1,4,3 |
| TO SUBDIVIDE BY> 1,3 |
| TO SUMMARIZE FOR: PART> ! |
| |
| REPORT TITLE> PARTS ON HAND REPORT |
__________________________________________________________________
Figure 4-6. The Original Report Definition
____________________________________________________________________
| |
| INFORM/V HP32246v.uu.ff - (C) Hewlett-Packard Co. 1986 |
| |
| DATA NAMES IN INVENTORY |
| |
| 1: PART 3: PRICE 5: QTY ON HAND|
| 2: COST 4: PRODUCT LINE |
| |
| TYPE NUMBER(S) FOR DATA NAME(S): |
| |
| TO INCLUDE IN REPORT(OLD): 1,3,2,5 |
| TO INCLUDE IN REPORT(NEW)> |
| |
| |
| |
____________________________________________________________________
Figure 4-7. After a Data Item Has Been Removed from the Dictonary