The use of active dashboards adds to the existing capabilities of active reports and integrates them using the Document Composer Coordinated Compound Report functionality.
The following are characteristics of active dashboards:
You also have the ability to set an active report initial presentation style, which enables active reports to render as reports, pivot tables, or charts. With these types of visualizations packaged into the active report output, active reports can be integrated with Coordinated Compound Reports to present reports, pivot tables, and charts all within the same page.
When you create active dashboards using the Document Composer, active reports (regardless of the initial presentation style setting) are to be imported, referenced, or created using the Report object, not the Graph object.
Adding active form controls to an active dashboard locks you into the active dashboard mode. For more information, see Active Technologies Dashboard Mode.
Ensure that your active reports comply with the characteristics of active dashboards. You may modify an existing active report or create new ones that meet the criteria.
The first field must be a visible By field for active dashboards. All values found as the primary sort field will be listed in the active dashboard.
The first field must be the same name and format for active dashboards.
The Title dialog box appears.
The Format tab of the Report Options dialog box opens.
When the active report is integrated in the active dashboard, it can present reports, pivot tables, and charts all within the same page.
Tip: When you create active dashboards using the Document Composer, active reports (regardless of the initial presentation style setting) are to be imported, referenced, or created using the Report object, not the Graph object.
In the example below, there are three HTML Reports that show REGION as the first visible By field in the report. These active reports comply with the active dashboard characteristics.
The Add Procedure dialog box opens.
The Document Composer opens.
A coordinated compound layout coordinates all reports and graphs from the document with a common sort field. The coordinated report is burst into separate page layouts at run time, where each value for the first sort field displays on a separate page.
The following image shows the Properties window with these options selected.
The cursor changes into a crosshair.
or
The Get source file dialog box opens.
Repeat these steps to embed multiple active reports into the coordinated compound document that will create the active dashboard.
Note: Adding an active form control to a document with synchronized active reports will result in the Document Composer being switched into a limited active dashboard mode. For more information on the active dashboard mode, see Active Technologies Dashboard Mode.
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You can create multiple views of an active report by binding an active report object to another active report. Binding or synchronizing is the act of configuring an association between an active report and other active report objects in the Document Composer.
You may synchronize active report objects and show the synchronized report groups in the Document Composer. The synchronize options are available from the Positioning toolbar in the Document Composer.
You may only synchronize objects to one active report at a time. If you try to synchronize an object to a second active report, the first synchronization is removed.
When there are objects synchronized to an active report, those objects are updated any time the active report updates.
The synchronize buttons on the Positioning toolbar are activated.
The binding object (active report) is indicated by clear boxes around the edges. The synchronized object (active report object) is indicated by solid black boxes around the edges.
The active report object is synchronized and refreshed with data from the active report.
There is no separate procedure associated with these active report objects. If you right-click these items, there are no options to edit the procedure.
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To add an active form control, it is required that you insert a new control to the layout. Inserting a control type while the output is set to active reports creates an association between the control and an active report, thereby linking actions to directly affect bound active reports.
An active form control is only applicable if there are active reports embedded or referenced in the Document Composer.
Any input control from the Components toolbar can be configured as an active form control.
To add an input control:
Note: There must be at least one active report on the canvas for the input controls to be available.
The input control is added as an active form control. You may now configure the control by right-clicking the control and selecting Properties and settings.
The Properties and settings dialog box appears when you right-click an input control.
The following image is the Properties and settings dialog box.
The Properties and settings dialog box contains the following settings:
The selected report will be the report that the target reports are filtered on. The values in Columns will be populated by the columns of the source report. Only one source report can be selected.
Lists all columns from the source report. The target reports will be filtered on the selected column value. Only one column can be selected.
This option sets the condition for how to populate the target reports.
Adds the option to select ALL data source values for the control.
The selected report or reports that the source report will filter. You can select multiple reports by holding down the Ctrl key.
You may chain controls to one another by using the Add to current chain button on the Positioning toolbar. Chaining will populate controls based on the selected value from the prior control in the chain.
The chaining buttons on the Positioning toolbar are activated.
The selected controls are now chained. The controls will populate based on the selections from each prior control in the chain. To see the chaining relationship between controls, use the Show Chain order button on the Positioning toolbar.
You may remove controls from a chain by using the Remove from current chain button on the Positioning toolbar. To see the chaining relationship between controls, use the Show Chain order button on the Positioning toolbar.
The chaining buttons on the Positioning toolbar are activated.
The selected controls are now unchained.
Selecting an active report output type (active report, active Flash, active PDF) from the Output format drop-down list of the Compound document Properties window and inserting an active report will activate the input controls in the Insert menu and on the toolbar. Adding an active form control will switch the Document Composer into a limited active dashboard mode.
In the active dashboard mode, the Output format drop-down list will be populated by only active report, active Flash, and active PDF, as shown in the following image.
To access the other output types, you must remove any active form controls from the canvas. If there are any active form controls on the canvas, the only available output types will be for active reports.
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