Hi,
Here is the text of a recent message on the OOOForum Base board. It is
not a unique posting, but a simple question:
I have created a simple database to keep track of expenses for
taxation. I have set up a report with the following fields -
ID
Data
Description
Amount
Item
Comment
Within the report I am grouping the entries by Item (eg; car,
insurance, phone). I want to know how to create a total of Amounts for
each group of Items.
I have been searching on the forum but can find anthing .... help please.
Craig
Simple enough question - not a simple answer, or at least no simple
answer that I know how to give. I know there are some ways to create
this using Writer and adding a table to the document, but this does not
render a dynamic report by any stretch of the imagination...well,
perhaps if your record count will never ever change, but come on why
have a database then?
OK - so my questions are two:
First - anyone have a good response for a question like the one above? A
response that uses the report writer ... errr... wizard? Sure, the
answer is to create a view under 2.0.3 ( changes with 2.0.4 and QiQ to a
separate query ) and in this view create the aggregate value. Then in
another query join this view's results set to the table we want to
report on, so that we repeat the aggregate value in every record. Now
group on this aggregate field - great. We must then realize that we need
to go back and create a more elaborate repeating column - with all the
information we want in our group header - think about it, you'll see it.
Oh, and if we would prefer to have this in a footer for our
group...well, sorry.
Second - is anything happening with the report wizard, or an actual
report writer for Base? Last summer there was a project as part of the
summer of code exercise that dealt with reports - did anything ever come
of that persons work?
During this last year it seems that a lot of good things have happened
with the Base module - the QiQ feature and the update to how native
queries are handled is a big plus. The way embedded forms work is
showing lots of improvement, for sure. The module, IMO, seems to be much
more stable overall - yet there seems to have been very little done with
regards to reporting.
I know I made Frank laugh when I mentioned he put on a marketing hat -
so I won't do that again - but someone needs to. There is a Base product
manager, right? A desktop database manager has to have a strong report
writer - I mean; that should not even be a question IMO! If you want to
compete with MSA, not VB programs that use a Jet data source, but MSA on
desktops then the report writer is the 'Big Kahoona' - well, that and
linking tables from other data sources, but even this is really just to
feed into the report writer usually.. :-)
So, is there anything in the works?
Thanks
Drew
P.S. I have been looking at jooreports 2.0, but I can't really see how
this package is an answer for most users. Any other 3rd party solutions
out there to look at?
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