Report Painter Report
Use
Using the graphical interface of the
Report Painter, you can create planning layouts, drilldown reports, and Report Painter reports that meet your specific reporting requirements. The Report Painter reports can be accessed either from the original databases or as an
extract from an extract file.If you call the reports from the original databases, the data records stored there must first be selected according to the specified criteria and then prepared. This selection can, depending on the volume of data, be very time-consuming.
For your reports, particularly when analyzing large amounts of data, such as area reports, create temporary or periodic extracts that can be accessed when the report is called. You can, for example, create area reports on a daily or weekly basis, which you can save as an extract under a name that you choose.
If, when you call the report, extracts already exist that match your selection criteria, the existing extracts are displayed for selection. When you exit the report generated by the database using your selections, a query appears asking you whether you want to save the report as an extract.
You can analyze the reports saved as extracts at any time without having an undue effect on system performance.
When you upgrade your system release (for example, from Release 4.0 to 4.6), the existing extracts are deleted. However, after a change in the correction release (for example, from Release 4.6A to 4.6B) the extracts saved are still available.
In Customizing for the Special Purpose Ledger, you can define user settings for individual users or for all users, so that only the most current extract for reports is displayed when a report is called. In addition, for each component you can define for individual users for all users, which selection parameters are to be used when calling reports. If, when calling the report, extracts exist that match the selection parameters stored and it has been defined that the most current extract is always automatically displayed, you no longer need to fill the selection screen before you call a report.
For performance reasons or if there is little system capacity, large reports should be generated in the background.
Features
In the Report Painter report definition you have to define the rows, columns and the general selection criteria that apply to the whole report.
For more information, see:
Defining Rows
Defining Columns
Defining Report Headers
Expanding Rows
Defining Sections
Defining Horizontal Pages
Defining Cells
Formatting Rows and Columns
Defining Row and Column Models
General Data Selection
Report Texts
A procedure for creating a Report Painter report:
Creating a Report Painter Report A detailed example for creating a Report Painter report:
Creating an Actual/Plan Comparison Report with the Report PainterConverting a Report Painter report to a Report Writer report
Although the Report Painter does not currently support all the functions of the Report Writer, you can convert a Report Painter report into a Report Writer report in order to use the complete spectrum of functions provided by the Report Writer. To do this, follow the procedure for creating a new Report Writer report using the Report Painter report as a reference. The Report Painter report is copied and now available as a Report Writer report. The system automatically generates the necessary sets, so that you do not have to enter the prefixes for the set names.
You can not, however, edit the sets generated in this way using the set maintenance function. You cannot use these sets in other reports or functions.