THE CREATIVE USE OF SPACERelying on Breaks Instead of Sections

To Build WebI Reports

Deborah L. Lennington

AGENDA1. Format requirements for a key management

report2. Defining the formatting issues3. Understanding breaks - in and out of the box 4. One-table reporting – the breakthrough

solution5. Conclusion6. Q&A

FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR A KEY MANAGEMENT REPORT

When the look of the report just couldn’t change - No matter what!

THE TASK AT HAND - REBUILD A KEY MANAGEMENT REPORT

MOST IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS FORMATTING REQUIREMENTSCentered table titles

Indented section titles

Table headers to show once only on page

Project grant numbers & descriptions to show once only for break titles

All columns must print on one page

Grand totals shown with double accounting lines

DEFINING THE FORMATTING ISSUES

Where I will need to trick Web Intelligence into doing what I want !

GETTING OFF TO WHAT SEEMS A GOOD START

ESTABLISHING THE MAIN SECTION AND MORE

Concatenated Formula will allow removal of duplicate values when set as break.

Project Grant kept here to allow custom sort

A LITTLE BIT ON CONCATENATIONA Web Intelligence break is limited to one

field at timeBut, can concatenate variables to create that

one field!

Custom sorting not possible on concatenated fieldBut, can custom sort on individual “original”

fields!

Can “pretty-up” concatenation for use as title, or not

Can “hide” from view any unwanted fields

PICTURE THIS: CONCATENATIONNote Custom Sort

Fields to “hide”

Concatenated Formula for Titles

HIDING “STUFF” IN PLAIN SIGHTWhite format a column’s cell font

White format a column’s background color

Remove all column borders

Reduce column width to 4 pixels

PDF-saved version – no column!

Excel-saved version – column there, but keeps Web Intelligence formatting. Go ahead and delete!

BACK TO REPORTING WOESLooking (unhappily) at column widths…

BACK TO REPORTING WOESLook what happened with Save as Excel…

Colored Cells automatically “merged” when saved

MY PERSONAL “ISSUES”Can’t seem to automatically center report titles, or

“step-in” break headingsAutofitted column widths are varying between

sectionsGrand total row positioning can’t shift when column

widths doSince break values must be included on report rows,

how is a report to be printed on one page across when using multiple breaks?

Additional time requirements (whenever report runs) to reformat Excel-saved versions

…and where are those double accounting lines?

NERVOUS BREAKDOWN TIME

UNDERSTANDING BREAKS – IN AND OUT OF THE BOX

Long story short…It’s all about space!

WHAT BREAKS USUALLY LOOK LIKEBreak values shown on the first line of its

break – (assuming values not duplicated)

Break headers disabled for any break levels column headings not wanted for

Break footers enabled only when subtotals required

WHAT A BREAK-BASED REPORT CAN ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE

MORE ON WHAT CAN BE

AN EXISTENTIALIST VIEW OF BREAKSMost simply, breaks are a means of manipulating space

and formula contexts

Break values can be made visible anywhere within an overall area defined as a header or footer

Break-based reports can look like “master/detail” ones – while providing enhanced abilities for:FormattingProviding Sub and Grand TotalsSaving into Excel

Breaks are very cool!

ONE-TABLE REPORTING – THE BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTION

And now you too can learn the magic!

BUT FIRST – A FEW WORDS ON MERGESYou can merge left or right!

You can merge up or down!

You can stagger merges between lines and columns!

You can even set “dummy” columns or rows to extend your merging options!

MERGES IN ACTIONHorizontal Merge

Vertical Merge

A COLOR-CODED PICTURE OF WHAT I DID FOR MY REPORT

WHAT I DID – THE DETAILSProperties tab:

Headers Enabled Whole table First two of the three breaks

Footers Enabled Whole table All three breaks

Page Layout set to Ledger/Tabloid, Landscape (Provides additional workable space) (Can and will print to letter though)

Fonts throughout table sections reset between 6 through 10 pixels, and row heights reduced as well

(Which is effective size that “Print to Page” resulted in anyway)

WHAT I DID – MORE DETAILSInserted two lines above column title line in Table Header“Cleared Cell Contents” for all cells in break headersMerged:

All cells across in each of the Table Header’s two inserted lines Centered text

First four cells of first break headerSecond and third cell of second break header

Copied break variables into merged cells in appropriate break headers

Formatted cells holding first and second break variablesWhite fontNarrow Width

YET ANOTHER COLOR-CODED PICTURE

ABOUT THOSE DOUBLE LINESFormat borders with lines for the applicable

cells on the totals row

Insert row – beneath the totals row (this new row will have copied the format and borders of the row it was inserted beneath)

Reduce the row height of the inserted row

LIFE IS GOOD!

Back to Sections for a MomentCan be useful when both charts and graphs

wanted together.Can set a section without being “obvious”

about it: Establish section by dragging field over.Delete section cell, but not the section.Hide section header in PropertiesIf desired, include section value in a

table/break title.

Fitting Report Width to One Page: The WebI Report Piece1. Set Page Layout (use icon) to see actual

page.2. Set fonts in headers, footers, and body to 6

or 7 points. (If you think about it, that was the effective size anyway when Page Setup was set to Fit to Print- 1 page wide in Business Objects).

3. In Page Properties, set Page Size to Legal or Ledger ,and set Paper Orientation to Landscape.

Fitting Report Width to One Page: WEBI Printing Piece

1. Request printing in WebI (use icon)2. On Make Printable Version popup -

establish Page size as Legal or Ledger, and set Orientation to Landscape.

Fitting Report Width to One Page: Adobe Printing Piece

1. Request printing in Adobe (use icon or File-Print)

2. On Print Popup – Page Handling, set Page Scaling to Reduce to Printer Margins.

3. Still on Print Popup – enable Properties

Fitting Report Width to One Page: Adobe Printing Piece

1. In Print Properties, on the Paper Quality Tab, Paper Options – set size as Letter.

2. On Finishing Tab – set Orientation to Landscape.

3. Go ahead and print already!

Questions/Comments?Your turn to talk!