HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Business Report Writer (HP BRW/XL) Enhanced
by Peter Lucey--Commercial Systems Boeblingen
The latest versions of HP BRW/XL (A.00.10) and HP BRW/V (A.01.30) are now
available and include the following enhancements.
NEW OUTPUT FILE SCREEN AND TYPES
The Output File screen has been redesigned. There is now a new field
called Select/Sequence. Type an X in this field if you want to send an
item to the output file. This is to clarify whether or not an item will
be written to an output file.
There are now two new output file types; Quoted BASIC (QB) and Data
Interchange Format (DIF). These file types are used mainly by PC
applications, such as Lotus 1-2-3, RBASE 5000, Charting Gallery, etc.
If you want to create output files in QB or DIF format, specify QB or DIF
on the File Type field of the (redesigned) Output File screen. You can
select the order in which the items are written to QB or DIF file by
typing a number in the Select/Sequence field.
QB and DIF files are not described in the data dictionary and cannot be
used as HP BRW source tables.
NEW HP BUSINESS BASIC FLOATING-POINT DECIMAL TYPE
HP BRW now supports HP Business BASIC floating-point Decimal type. Item
Type D in the data dictionary will be converted to fixed-point Numeric in
HP BRW. Note that the largest possible value of a fixed-point Numeric
item in HP BRW is 9999999999999.999999, and floating point Decimal
numbers can be larger.
DOUBLE-QUOTES IN STRINGS WITH STRING CALCULATIONS
You can now use double-quotes (") in strings by using string
calculations. For example, if you wanted the string ABC"D, define it by
defining a string calculated item ABCD, with formula:
"ABC""D"
Then specify item ABCD when you want to use ABC"D. Using two
double-quotes in a string calculation will print one set of
double-quotes.
INTEGRATION WITH HP INFORMATION ACCESS
HP BRW and HP Information Access can now share intermediate report files.
That is, IRF files generated with HP BRW/XL A.00.10 or later,
respectively HP BRW/V A.01.30 or later can be read by HP Information
Access. IRF files generated by HP Information Access can be used as HP
BRW source tables.
USE HP INFORMATION ACCESS DATA DICTIONARY
HP BRW can now use HP Information Access data dictionaries. To prepare
an BRWDIC file with an HP Information Access dictionary, run the program:
BRWACCSD.PUB.SYS
You will be prompted whether or not to include parent elements, and then
BRWACCSD will create the BRWDIC file. If you are working with HP BRW/V,
use the program RACCSDIC.PUB.SYS.
SUPPORT OF USER-DEFINED DATA DICTIONARY
You can now generate an BRWDIC file from an ASCII file of data
definitions. To create the BRWDIC file, run the program:
BRWGEND.PUB.SYS
You will be prompted whether or not to include parent elements, and then
BRWGEND will create the BRWDIC file. If you are working with HP BRW/V,
use the program RGENDIC.PUB.SYS.
SET ITEM LEVEL SECURITY
You can now use HP BRW to read specific items from a dataset. HP BRW
normally reads datasets with "@" TurboIMAGE access, so the password on
the Define Tables screen for the dataset must provide read access to all
data items in the set.
If your application has data item level security, type an X in the (new)
Use Item Level Security field on the Tune Access screen, and HP BRW will
read only the items it needs from the dataset.
NOTE The password you supply on the Password field on the Define Tables
screen for that dataset must provide read access to only the needed
items.