Defining a simple report

This topic describes the basic steps you might follow to define a report in ReportWriter. Although you have some latitude as to the order in which you perform these steps, we recommend the order shown here.

Create a new report.

Select Operations > Create new report.
Enter a report a name at the prompt.

Select the files to read.

Decide which files contain the information you want to include in the report. If you are using more than one file, decide what order you want ReportWriter to read them in, and then select them in that order.

Select Design > Files to read.
Choose a file from the list.
To select additional files to read, select File functions > Add file.
See Choosing the Files to Read for more information.

Select the fields to print.

Decide what information (which fields) you want to print on the report, and whether you want to total the data for any of them.

Select Design > Fields to print.
Select the fields to include from the list. If the report reads multiple files, the available fields list displays fields from the first file in the report. Press Tab to access the fields for the other files.
If you want to total the data for a field, select the field and select Field functions > Total field.
See Designing Your Report for more information.

Create temporary fields.

Decide whether you need to include information, such as the result of a calculation, that doesn’t already exist in a field. If so, you can use a temporary field.

Select Design > Fields to create.
Choose the type of field you want to create from the list: calculation, question, text, environment, subtotal access.
Fill in data for the field definition.
Select the field to print, as described above.
See Using Temporary Fields for more information.

Define selection criteria.

Decide whether you want your report to include all records or just those that meet specific criteria.

Select Design > Selections to make.
Enter the criterion definition.
Repeat this step for additional selection criteria.
See Specifying Selection Criteria for more information.

Specify the fields to sort on and how you want the report to break.

Determine how you want your report organized. You can sort on any field, including temporary fields; the sort field does not have to be selected for printing. You can set the report to break to a new page when the value in the sort field changes, or to break without going to a new page.

Select Design > Fields to sort.
Select one or more fields from the list of available fields.
If you want the report to start a new page when the contents of a sort field change, highlight the field and select Sort functions > Change break status. The Flags column displays a ‘B’.
If you want the report to break without starting a new page, select Sort functions > Change break status twice. The Flags column displays a ‘b’.
See Sorting Your Report for more information.

Add a header/footer.

The default report header is simply the name of your report. You can display other information in the header, as well as create a footer.

Select Design > Header/footer layout.
Select Layout functions > Report header or Layout functions > Report footer.
Select Edit > Insert/overstrike mode so that you can enter text.
Enter text as you want it to appear in the header/footer.
Press Ctrl+F to return to command mode so you can access menu options.
See Designing Your Report for more information.

Define miscellaneous report settings.

Miscellaneous report settings include the number of lines per page, blank lines between records or sections, printing a detailed report vs. a summary, and including descriptions for total fields.

Select Design > Miscellaneous and enter data in the fields.
See Designing Your Report for more information.

View the report on screen.

Select Operations > Display report.
Press Enter to display the next page.
To exit the display, select General > Exit.
See Generating Reports for more information.