Get Started with Interactive Reports

View an Interactive Report Sample

This section highlights some popular Interactive Report capabilities that are available, using the sample report called Vendor Sales Report, located in the Getting Started widget.

1. In the Getting Started widget on the Home perspective, click the Samples tab.

2. Click to select Vendor Sales from the scrolling panel on the right.
3. Click Explore in the Samples pane. A new window opens showing the Vendor Sales sample report.

   

    

Tour the Interactive Panels

By going to the Browse Files perspective in the User Console, you can also view an editable version of the Vendor Sales report. Switch to the Browse Files perspective in the User Console, then follow these steps.

1. In the Folders pane, click to expand the Public folder, then click to highlight the Steel Wheels folder.
2. In the Files pane, click on Vendor Sales, and then click Edit in File Actions. The Opened perspective appears with the Interactive report and toolbars active.

   

   Item	Name	Function
   	Opened view	Displays quick access buttons across the top to create and save new Analysis reports, Interactive reports, and Dashboards. Opened reports and files show as a series of tabs across the page.
   	Data, Formatting, and General panels	Use the Data panel to drag information into a column or a row on the report. Your report display changes as you drag items onto the Report Canvas. Delete a level or measure from your report by dragging it from the Layout panel to the trash can that appears in the lower right corner of the Report Panel. The Formatting panel allows you to change the font size and type on the opened report. The General panel allows you to set preferences, select a paper size for printing, and select from a variety of templates for your report.
   	Report Canvas	Shows a dynamic view of your Interactive report as you work to build it. The look of your report changes constantly as you work with Data, Formatting, and General panels to refine it.
   	Interactive Toolbar and Filters	Use the Toolbar functions to undo or redo actions, hide lists of fields, add or hide filters, disable the auto-refresh function, adjust settings, and change the view of your report. Use the Filters panel to display a list of filters applied to the active report, or edit or delete filters.

Create Your First Interactive Report

The instructions below guide you through the creation of your first Interactive report using the Steel Wheels sample data.

1. From the Home perspective, click Create New, then choose Interactive Report.

   

2. Choose the Inventory data source from the Select Data Source dialog box. Click OK.

   

3. Click Get Started on the dialog box that appears. A blank Interactive report canvas appears.
4. Click and drag the Product Code element onto the report canvas until a highlighted vertical line appears. Drop it onto the Report Canvas.

   

5. Continue dragging and dropping these fields onto the canvas: Product Name, Product Vendor, Quantity in Stock,  MSRP, and Buy Price.

   

   The data from the chosen fields appears on the report canvas and populates with the information from the server.

   You can change the order of the columns by clicking the column heads and dragging the columns left or right until they are in the order you want. If you want to delete a column, just drag and drop the column title into the trash can.

6. Rename your report by double-clicking on Untitled in the Report Canvas, and typing a name in the field that appears. In Stock Report is used in this example.

   

7. After you have arranged your columns in order, apply a filter to the data by clicking on the Filter icon in the toolbar. After the filter pane expands, drag the Product Code field onto the filter workspace.

   

8. In the Filter on... dialog box, click Select from a list.

   

9. Choose items from the Filter list by using one of these methods.

   Click on the arrows to move your selected filters on to or off of the Filter list.

   • To choose more than one item from the Filter list, hold down the Ctrl key and click the items that you want to filter by, then click the top arrow to move the items to the right panel.
   • Alternatively, you can choose a series from the list by holding down the Shift key and clicking on the first item you want to use, then clicking on the last item that you want to use.
   • Choose individual items by clicking to highlight them, and then clicking on the top arrow to move it to the right panel.

10. Click OK, then click the Save As button in the toolbar.

    1. When the Save As dialog box appears, save your report using the title that you used (in Step 6) for your report. In Stock Report is used in this example.

    2. Choose your user folder as the location. Be sure to remember this folder location and report title, as the report will be used in a later tutorial. Click Save.

11. If you want to export the report, click the Export icon on the toolbar and chose a format from the dropdown list for the export.

    

    The report exports in the selected format and a paper copy can be printed from the export.

    

    You have successfully created a simple Interactive report from scratch. Use Pentaho Interactive Reporting shows you how to work with more complex Interactive reports.