REPORTS Fundamental Exam Answers
NOTE:
The answers go with their sequences. If a question was not answer, that means
that it a repeating question and the answer was given by the previous questions
or it is not in the scope of this subject.
“Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not
realizing that life is made up of little things.”
--Frank A. Clark
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Q: What is an Object Navigator in the Report Builder tool?
A: The Object
Navigator
window
will be used in the Report Builder tool, to view report components and navigate
through the report objects. It
gives us a hierarchical listing of all the modules open in our current session.
We use this listing to navigate to, and work on, those objects.
It gives us access to all database objects we own or have grant to, as
well as a list of all the built-in functions and procedures we can use in Oracle
Form Builder.
Q: What does the Object Navigator contain?
A: The Object Navigator
contains the following items:
-
Reports
-
Templates
-
External SQL Queries
-
PL/SQL Libraries
-
Debug Actions
-
Stack
-
Built-in Packages
-
Database Objects
.
Q: List all-important objects that are handy in the
Reports object.
A: The following are a
list of important objects in the Reports
object.
These objects are very handy to create, delete, and modify a report.
-
Live Pre-viewer
-
Data
Model
-
Layout Model
-
Parameter Form
-
Report Triggers
-
Program Units
-
Attached Libraries
Q: What is a Pre-viewer in the Report Builder?
A: The Live Pre-viewer
object
is a tool that provides developer to view what the report will look like when it
is executed.
Q: What is a Data Model in the Report Builder?
A: The “Data
Model
” in the Report Builder is a tool that will provide
developer to display the data content and layout appearance of the report.
Q: What is a Layout Model in the Report Builder?
A:
The Layout Model
object
is a utility in the Report Builder that shows users how their reports will
appear. When you run your report,
Report Builder fills in the objects in the Layout Model with actual data.
The Layout Model will show you several types of layout objects and the
relationships that exist between them. The
Layout Model uses symbols and graphical representations to show these
relationships. You can add, modify or delete part of your layout from here.
Q: What is a Parameter Form in the Report Builder?
A: The Parameter Form
in the
Report Builder is a utility that provides developers how to define, remove, and
modify their report parameters. They will use the “Parameter Form Builder
” tool to design their runtime parameter form.
Q: What are the types of parameters in the Report Builder?
Describe them.
A: There are two types
of parameters: user parameters and system parameters. The
“User parameters
” will be used to manage the behavior and output of
your reports. The
“System parameters
” will be used to manage the report runtime
behavior of your reports such as defining your output destination. Remember that
when you run your report, the Runtime Parameter Form
will be
appeared.
Q: What are the report triggers?
A: The Report Triggers
are a
small unit of a program that developers write. They will be used to define
PL/SQL to fire at various points during the execution of your report. You will
have:
Q: Describe program units and attached libraries in
the report builder.
A: The “Program units” section will be used by
developers to write their PL/SQL programs. The developers use the “PL/SQL
libraries” to store their stored procedures and “Attached libraries” to
access to those created stored procedures. You will use Program Units
and
Attached Libraries
as the
same way we use them in the Forms Builder tool.
Q: Describe property palette in the report builder.
A: The Property Palette
in the Report Builder contains object properties.
The contents of the Property Palette are referred to as the “Property
sheet” for the object. We use the
Property Palette to modify object properties.
To open the Property Palette of an object, we can go to the object and
right click on the mouse then select Property Palette.
Q: What is the property sheet for an object?
A: The contents of the
Property Palette are referred to as the “Property sheet” for the object.
Q:
What is the "Query" box in the "Data
Model
" window?
A: It refers to a SQL
statement.
Q:
What is the "Group" box in the "Data
Model
" window?
A: It refers to a
control break or grouping rows. A SQL statement can have one single group
referring to its entire table or more than one by using the GROUP BY statement.
Q: What is a Tabular report?
A: A Tabular
report
shows data in a table format. It is
similar in concept to the idea of an Oracle table.
Oracle, by default, returns output from your select statement in tabular
format.
Q: What is a Group-Left report?
A: The Group–left
report suppresses redundant printings of the same value in the leftmost column
of the report. It is like making a
control break in your report. You
can use the “Group-left” report on a master-detail relationship as well.
Q: Describe a Mailing Label report.
A:
A Mailing Label
report
is a list of addresses designed to be generated on mailing labels.
The addresses can be printed across the page, and then down or vice
versa.
Q: What are the handlers in the layout model?
A: The handlers are
small square boxes that have been attached to a selected object. You can use
those handlers to change the size of an object by dragging the handlers.
Q: What is a Matrix Report?
A: A matrix
report
is a chart with two axes (rows and columns) that display for sets of data.
On the rows, the report displays one set of data, while on the columns
the report displays another set. Within
the two axes, report displays a cross-product of results.
Q: How do you set a table relationship in the report
builder?
A: In the Report Editor
, click on the ‘Data
Link’
icon on the vertical toolbar. Notice that the cursor is changed to a cross. Move
the cross cursor to the one item (the item that needs a link) then click and
drag it to another item (the item that needs a link) of the other group. Now,
you establish and set a table relationship between these two tables.
Q: What does the Select Parent Frame icon?
A: The "Select
Parent Frame" icon selects the parent frame of the selected object. The
position of the selected object (handlers) will change if the object has a
parent.
Q: What is a conditional formatting in the report builder?
A: In the Live
Pre-viewer
, if you right click on the cells, and open the
"Conditional Formatting" option, you can change the display output of
the object. In the Conditional Formatting window, you can define exceptions to
highlight data for specified conditions with different formatting such as color.
Q: What is a Form Letter report?
A: The Form letter
report will complement the mailing label report.
You can pull several database columns plus your mailing message to
produce form mailings.
Q: What is the boilerplate in the Layout Editor?
A: The boilerplate
utility in the Layout Editor will be used by developers to change the text fond
or color and draw graphic on a report.
Q: Describe a GROUP-ABOVE report in the report builder.
A: A Group-Above
report
is a style you use to demonstrate a master/detail relationship in your database.
You should define a master group, and for each master record, the report
obtains the related values from the detail groups.
Q: How do you use a Master-Detail report in the Data
Model?
A:
You use a
Master-Detail report in the Data Model to generate a control break report.
Q: How do you create multiple SQL queries in the Data
Model?
A: In the Data Model,
you can create as many SQL queries as you need. To create a SQL query, just
click on the SQL icon on the vertical toolbar, drag the ‘+’ sign in to the
Data Model and click any where that you wish to have your object. Then in the
‘SQL Query Statement’ box, write your SQL statement.
Q: How do you create a data link in the Data Model?
A: In the Report Editor
, click on the ‘Data
Link’
icon on the vertical toolbar. Notice that the cursor is changed to a cross. Move
the cross cursor to the one item (the item that needs a link) then click and
drag it to another item (the item that needs a link) of the other group. Now,
you establish and set a table relationship between these two tables.
Q: What is the formula column and how do you create it?
A: The Formula Column is
an object that a developer defines to establish his/her own formula. To create
it, click on the "Formula Column
" icon in the Data Model, drag the cross to the
Group object and click on it again. Then right click on it, open its property
palette, and change its name. In the Property Palette
, double click on the PL/SQL Formula box. In the
PL/SQL window, write a PL/SQL block to calculate your formula.
Q: What is the summary column and how do you create it?
A: The summary column is
an object that a developer defines to establish the SUM, AVG, MIN, etc functions
on a table. To create it, go to the Data
Model
window,
select the Summary Column
icon,
move the cross cursor to the "group customer id" and click on the box.
Then right click on it, and open its property palette. In the property palette
window, change its name, change its "source," and change the
"Reset At" options."
Q: What are the templates in the report module?
A: The Templates
are
generic objects that allow you to force a set of standard features and
attributes onto your reports. They
help you impose uniformity on your.
Q: How do you select an object or objects in the layout
editor?
A: To select an object,
click on the object and you will see the handlers (small boxes) attached to the
object. To select multiple objects, move the cursor outside of all the objects
that needs to be selected and click and drag the cursor to put all the objects
in a box, and then release the cursor. Now, all the objects should have handlers
attached to them.
Q: How do you move an object or objects in the layout
editor?
A: Take the cursor on
the selected object(s)--in side of its handlers--and then drag the object(s).
Q: How do you delete an object or objects form the layout
editor?
A: Select an object and
click on the delete key.
Q: When do you use the Edit Margin icon?
A: In the ‘Report
Editor
–
Layout Model
’, click on the "Edit Margin" icon on the
horizontal toolbar. The report heading margin will be appeared. Now, we can
change anything on that margin.
Q: How do you create and use a binding variable?
A: A colon next to an
item means that the item is a binding variable. For example to define a binding
variable, see the following SQL statement.
SELECT
ALL first_name, last_name FROM customers, portfolio
WHERE id = :id; (:id is a
binding variable)
Q: Describe a drill-down report.
A: A drill-down
report lets you get more detailed information at a different level of data
aggregation. The most common
methods of drilling-down use the mouse or a button to call another report,
graph, or form.
Q: Describe a List of Values in the report module.
A: A “List of
Values”, can be used as a validation mechanism for values defined in user
parameters. Your LOV or “List of Values” can consist either of static values
or items queried from the database using select statements.
Q: How do you create a user parameter item?
A: A colon next to an
item means that the item is a user parameter. For example to define a user
parameter, see the following SQL statement.
SELECT
ALL first_name, last_name FROM customers, portfolio
WHERE id = :id; (:id is a
binding variable)
Q: How do you define a system parameter item?
A: In the ‘Report Editor
–
Layout Model
’ window, click on the "Parameter Form
" icon which is on the horizontal toolbar. The
Report Editor
–
Parameter Form
window
will be opened. In the Parameter Form window click on the "Parameter Form
Builder
" icon which is on the horizontal toolbar. The
Parameter Form
Builder
window will be displayed. In the ‘Parameter Form Builder
’ window, change the Title item if you wish and
then click on the DESTYPE (Destination Type) parameter, etc to select system
parameters.
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