In the design view of Script Editor you can create custom report scripts. The basis for your report scripts are predefined script templates that you can customize using the graphical user interface of Script Editor without requiring any programming knowledge.
To create report scripts using report script templates, you need to be familiar with ARIS Method.
You use report scripts to define the content and layout of a report. A report script is divided into sections and subsections, headers and footers, and an optional cover page. Into these structural elements, you insert various items such as queries, data fields, data tables, text boxes, formatting tables, text, images, charts, or hyperlinks. Using formatting tables, you can place and arrange these items in the sections and lines.
Content and layout are displayed schematically in the report script, with individual placeholders being inserted for query components such as data fields, data tables, or charts. The corresponding data is inserted when running the report script and displayed in the finished report.
Example: Structure of a report script template
Structure
The Structure column shows the hierarchical structure of set queries, and the Content column contains inserted display and layout components.
You can hide the text displayed in the Structure column by clicking the button in the header and selecting Colors only.
Sections
Sections are the basic structural elements of a report script. In sections, queries determine the data to be evaluated. They are the data basis for further queries or are output when the report is run. You can also insert layout components such as headings or images.
Example: Section
A section can specify that only the EPCs of a selected group are queried. The data of these EPCs serves as the basis for additional queries such as a query that returns all functions of the EPCs or outputs the names of the EPCs.
Context
When you create a report script, you select the context, such as groups or models, of the report. The context defines the database items for which a report script can be run and hence restricts the number of database items that can be queried. For each selected context, a corresponding section is automatically created on the highest level of the report structure and can be used to hold queries. A report script can contain multiple sections with varying contexts where subordinate queries only evaluate the data elements specified by their respective context.
Example: Context
If a section on the highest level of the structure has Database as its context, the report can be run from selected databases. If a second section has Group as its context, the report can also be run directly from selected groups. If the report is run directly from a group, the queries for the database are not run.
Repetition area and static area
A section has a repetition area and two static areas, one above and one below the repetition area. If no data is defined for the repetition area of a section, only one static area is displayed here. You can insert any content of your choice in the individual areas. The contents of the static areas are only displayed once when the report script is run. The content of the repetition area of a section is output as often as a set query returns data elements, for example, for all EPCs of multiple groups.
Example: Query in the static area
In the static area, you can display the name of a database. The database name is displayed once in the report.
Example: Query in the repetition area
In the repetition area, you can query all functions of multiple EPCs and display their names individually. The names of all functions for the individual EPCs are listed in the report.
Subsections
Subsections can be used to supplement and nest queries.
Example: Nesting queries
The context of a section on the highest level of the report structure specifies that the query can be run for selected groups. In an inserted section, only the EPCs of the selected groups are queried. In another subsection, all functions of the EPCs of the selected groups are queried and the names of the functions are output using a data field. In the report, all names of the queried functions are listed for each EPC of a group.
Levels of the report structure
A report script can contain as many sections as you like. A section or subsection can contain as many subsections on the same level as you like. Up to a maximum of six levels can be set for the report structure. Within a section, subsections are displayed indented.
Headers and footers
On the individual pages of a report, content can be displayed in headers and footers. Sections can also have their own headers and footers, which then replace the header and footer of the report pages. No queries can be inserted in headers and footers. Headers and footers of a page are highlighted in gray in the report definition.
If you move the mouse pointer over an item in your report script, a tooltip with additional information is displayed.