CentraSite reports are designed using the BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools), an open source, Eclipse-based reporting system that comprises an Eclipse-based report designer and a runtime component, i.e. a viewer. Report template are deployed as BIRT report design files (.rptdesign).To create a custom report template, you must perform the following high-level steps:
Create a new rptdesign template file using the
BIRT Report Designer.
During this step, you create a new rptdesign
template file, wherein you specify the query for generating a report and,
select the fields and layout by which you would like to expose the report. For
procedures, see Creating a New RPTDESIGN
Template File.
Create a new Report Template in CentraSite Control
During this step, you specify the details of the template and upload
the rptdesign file with which you would like to generate
the report. For procedures, see Creating a New Report
Template.
With the BIRT Report Designer, create a rptdesign file. This rptdesign file is referred to as the "Template File" in CentraSite Control.
Also, if the rptdesign file contains a parameter named "ROKEY", then CentraSite automatically adds the item to the context menu of each instance of the linked object type(s). This ROKEY parameter retrieves the object-specific metadata from the CentraSite data store.
Documentation describing how to create BIRT reports is contained in the Eclipse online help that is delivered with the plug-ins.
For a more thorough introduction to BIRT, see:
The BIRT Project Page on the Eclipse web site, including free download.
The BIRT FAQ in the Eclipse Wiki.
You can add a report template to CentraSite Control, making it available to create new reports based on the template. Perform these steps to create a new report template and save it to CentraSite.
To create a report template
In CentraSite Control, go to > .
Click .
In the Add Report Template dialog box, specify the following fields:
| In this field... | Do this... |
|---|---|
| Template File |
Click to select and upload the rptdesign template file using which you want to generate the report. For details on creating the rptdesign template file, see Creating a New RPTDESIGN Template File. |
| Name |
Enter a name for the new report template. A report template name can contain any character (including spaces). Note: |
| Description |
Optional. Enter a description for the new report template. This description appears when the user displays a list of report templates in CentraSite Control. |
Click . Now the name of the report template is visible in the list of report templates.
Display the detail page of the report template. You can do this by choosing from the report templates's context menu in the list of report templates.
Specify the object types that are allowed to use the template for report generation. To do this, choose the Applicable to Object Types tab and select the check boxes of the required object types. For information about associating object types to a template, see Associating a Report Template with an Object Type.
To enable other users to view, modify and/or delete the report template that you have created, you must modify the template's permission settings. You do this by selecting the tab Permissions and making the appropriate entries there. For information about allowing other users to access a template, see Setting Permissions on a Report Template.
Define one or more custom properties for this report template. To do this, choose the Object-Specific Properties tab and perform the following steps:
Click the button.
In the Add Object-Specific Properties dialog box, enter a property name and a value. You can add multiple values for a single property. You can optionally specify a namespace to fully identify the property.
The property name can contain any character (excluding spaces).
Click .
Click to save the new template.
