You can configure and run customized reports using parameters you define on the administration site.
With custom reports, you design the report document and write a SQL script that pulls data from a selected database that is presented in the report.
When you create a new custom report, you use the Edit Settings screen, which contains two tabs;
Configuration and Parameters. On the Configuration tab, you define and configure the elements for the report document. The Properties box displays detailed information about the selected part of the report document. You can edit any properties that are not grayed out. To edit a property, enter a new value in the grid. On this screen you can define document dimensions, margins, and HTML properties. On the Parameters tab, you write a SQL script that pulls data from the selected database that is presented in the report.
Design a custom report
1. On the Patron Edge Online administration site, at the top of the screen, click Reports.
2. On the navigation bar, select Custom Reports, All Reports. The Custom reports – All Reports screen appears.
3. On the custom reports toolbar, click the Add New button. The Edit settings screen appears. On the Configuration tab, you design the look of the report.
4. To set page dimensions, in the Properties box, in the General grid, enter the dimensions (in pixels) of the report in the Width and Height rows.
5. To set page margins, in the Margins grid, enter the depth of the margins (in pixels) in the Left, Top, Right, and Bottom rows.
6. If you use relative paths for element sources, such as images, in your report design, set the HTML Base URL. In the HTML options grid, in the Base row, enter the path. The Base URL serves as the basis for all relative URLs in the document. Any relative paths used in the document must begin from this location.
7. In the HTML options grid, in the Style row, enter the CSS settings to use in the report document.
Enter the absolute path of the CSS file or the contents of the <Style> tag.
8. In the HTML options grid, in the Encoding row, enter encoding supported by MSXML.
9. In the HTML options grid, in the Dir row, enter the direction attribute for the report document.
10. In the Data Options box, in the Source DB field, select the source database that retrieves data for the report.
11. To list the report on the navigation bar, in the Misc box, mark the Show in menu box.
12. To save your selections for the new report design, click Save. You get a message that the program has saved the document.
Note: The dashed lines within the document image represent the page margins.
Write a SQL script to retrieve custom report data
Once you define the look of the custom report, you need to write the SQL script that retrieves data from the selected database to be presented in the report.
1. From the Edit settings screen, click the Parameters tab. The top grid lists predefined parameters that you can use to write the script. The middle grid is where you can define your own
parameters. The text box at the bottom of the screen is where the script is composed.
2. To add a predefined parameter to your script, select the parameter from the top grid and click the down arrow button. The parameter is added to the middle grid. The parameter status is
“Pending”.
3. You can also use the middle grid to define your own parameter to use in the script.
a. In the Name field, enter the name of the new parameter.
Note: Parameters with “Pending” status are discarded when you save the report.
b. In the Type field, select the parameter’s data type. For example, integer, currency, or datetime.
c. In the Default field, enter the default value of the parameter.
d. In the Control field, select the type of interface element where information is entered or selected. For example, text box, calendar, combo box, check box, etc.
e. In the Source field, enter a SQL query that retrieves data from a specific table. This field is optional.
4. To generate the script with the parameters you selected or defined, click Add or the plus button to add the parameters to the text box at the bottom of the screen.
5. To check for syntax errors, click the SQL syntax button on the right side of the text box.
6. To save the SQL script, click Save. You get a message that the program has saved the document.
Configure general properties for a custom report
Once you have created your custom report, you can define its general properties, for example the name of the report.
1. On the Patron Edge Online administration site, at the top of the screen, click Reports.
Note: Writing SQL scripts is out of the scope of Blackbaud Support. For more information about consultant services, send an email request to [email protected] or visit our website at http://www.blackbaud.com/services/overview.aspx.
2. On the navigation bar, select Custom Reports, All Reports. The All Reports screen appears.
3. To open a report record, double-click the report listed on the All Reports table. The Edit Record screen appears.
4. For new reports the Name field displays “New Custom Report” as a place holder. Change the name to reflect the report you created.
5. The Data Source field lists the database from which data will be retrieved for the report. The database shown here is based on the selection you made on the Configuration tab of the Edit settings screen. For more information, see “Design a custom report” on page 69.
6. When Visible in menu is marked, the custom report is listed on the navigation bar. This box is marked if you marked the Show in menu box on the Configuration tab of the Edit Settings screen when you created the custom report. For more information, see “Design a custom report” on page 69.
7. To save your changes and return to the All Reports table, click OK.