Print and export overview

Creating application components

Reporting applications are delivered as components. But an application component consists of more than reports - it contains other components which are external to Application Studio. These include an OLAP database, Application Engine processes to manipulate the database, dashboards, and permissions. Therefore, an application component consists of components exported from Application Studio and other applications such as OLAP Server.

Reporting applications can be developed by Infor or its partners, or be developed by customers in-house. And different reporting applications can be customized by users to different extents. For these reasons, each component export must be carefully designed to ensure, for example, that users cannot change core functionality and that users' own developments and customizations are not overwritten.

You use the Application Component Wizard to export Application Studio components.

See Exporting customized reports for a BI Services application.

Components are combined, in Application Composer, for delivery and import.

Sharing reports

To support sharing, Application Studio includes various print and export methods and formats. Those methods and formats vary according to:

• Whether the report(s) have parameters and, if they do, whether you want to print/export more than one view of the report(s)
• Whether you are printing/exporting a single report, a report book or the entire report catalog
• Whether a report book is enabled for dynamic delivery
• What report mode you have selected and, for exports, what export format you require
• Whether you are a member of the Report Designer role

Report parameters

Typically, reports contain list objects such as combo boxes. By selecting different elements from the combo boxes, users can display different views of the data. For example, in a report with two combo boxes which contain four years and four products respectively, there are 16 possible combinations of elements - 16 views of the report.

If you use the Print Wizard or Export Wizard, you can choose from these options:

• Automatic: Only the current view of the data is printed/exported.
• All Elements: A separate report is printed/exported for each combination of parameters. This can result in a large number of reports being printed/exported.
• Selection: Separate reports are printed/exported for combinations of parameters which you select.

If you do not use the Print Wizard or Export Wizard, only the current view of the data is printed/exported. This is equivalent to selecting Automatic in the Print Wizard or Export Wizard.

Printing/exporting only the current view

There are three ways to print only the current view of a report:

• Right-click the report in the Report Catalog and select Print
• Select File > Print
• Use the Print Wizard and select Automatic in the Print Ranges dialog.

There are four ways to export only the current view of the data:

• Right-click the report in the Report Catalog and select Export/Import > [required export format].
• Select File > Export/Import > [required export format].
• Use the Export Wizard and select Automatic in the Export Ranges dialog.
• Use an Export Report action in a report

  See actions

Single and multiple reports

To print multiple reports:

• Use the Print Wizard
• The reports must be in a report book

  See Report books

You can also print a report book with a Print Report Book action. .

To export multiple reports, either:

• Use the Export Wizard and export a report book
• Right-click a folder and select Export/Import > Export Reports (.reports). All the reports in the folder are exported to a report file.

You can also export report books, scheduled tasks and custom hierarchies.

Report modes and export formats

You can export reports to these formats:

• PDF
• MS Excel
• MS Excel Value: Export Wizard only
• MS PowerPoint
• HTML
• Images

See Export formats.

The File > Print option is available only in View Mode.