Printing 

Use

Printing is a way to distribute BI objects (queries, query views, Web templates and reports). The BEx Broadcaster generates a spool request and sends it to the chosen output device to print.

Prerequisites

You selected Broadcast to Printer as the distribution type when you created the broadcast setting.

Features

You can choose between the following output formats:

●     Print Format (PS or PCL)

The document is generated in the appropriate format for the output device: PostScript (PS) or Printer Control Language (PCL)

●     Portable Document Format (PDF)

The BEx Broadcaster generates a PDF file.

Note that not all types of Web items for a BI object can be exported into the PDF output format  For more information, see Creation of Print Versions of BI Applications.

You make the settings for printing on the following tab pages:

Print Specifications

You can specify values for the following:

●     Printer: Choose the output device from which you want to print the document. Only devices that support the chosen output format (PS, PCL or PDF) are available for selection.

●     Authorization User: If you schedule the broadcast setting for background processing (for example, for a specific time), you can enter a BI user name manually or by choosing  with the quick info text Selection. The system generates the document with the settings (for example, date format) and authorizations of the specified user.

If you want to distribute the broadcast setting immediately, the system generates the document using the authorizations and settings for the current user who is logged on to the system and is defining the broadcast setting.

●     Language: If you schedule the broadcast setting for background processing (for example, for a specific time), you can select the language in which the document is to be generated. The system displays the languages that are installed on the BI system.

If you want to distribute the broadcast setting immediately, the system generates the document using the logon language for the current user who is logged on to the system and is defining the broadcast setting.

General Precalculation

You can make various settings (for example, for variable assignment or exceptions) on the General Precalculation tab page. For more information, see General Settings During Precalculation and the Creation of Links.

Layout

You make the required settings for the print layout on the Layout tab page. For more information about these setting options, see Creation of Print Versions of BI Applications.

Header/Footer

You can define the texts for the header and footer of the print version on the Header/Footer tab page. You can also use text variables in the text. For more information, see Creation of Print Versions of BI Applications.

Filter Navigation

On the Filter Navigation tab page you can specify characteristics or a control query so that the system precalculates several documents with different filter settings from the same query or Web application. For more information, see Filter Navigation.