Working with reports

Generally, in all but the simplest reports, you can change the view of the data which you see, by selecting different elements. For example, if a report shows total sales of all products through all sales outlets in 2009, you might instead choose to see sales of a specific product through a specific sales outlet. You do this by selecting different elements from the dimensions and lists in a report. How you select elements depends on how the report was designed: you might have to select an element from a combo box, from the Select Element dialog from a pick list or from a Point of View.

The Select Element dialog displays a hierarchical structure of elements from which you can select. If the list of elements is large, the dialog has a search field in which you can enter an exact or partial match for the element you are looking for.

Pick lists allow you to select elements from one or more lists used within a report, depending on how the report designer configures the pick list. Pick lists also have a search function to help you select elements from large lists.

Point of Views (POVs). POVs are a way of standardizing the appearance of several reports. A POV can contain up to 10 POV objects. These are combo boxes which are displayed in all the reports in a folder.

Another feature which report designers can use is drag and drop. For example, a report may allow you to exchange the row and column axes by drag and drop.