Modifying/Customizing reports

Modifying or customizing reports, in many cases, is much the same as modifying or customizing any other form. It depends, however, on what type of report you want to modify/customize and whether you want to modify the report object or the report criteria form.

Modifying the report object

As discussed in other, related topics, the type of report object you might need to modify depends on what type of report you are working with:

  • The report object for a report based on a Report (template) type form is the report-template form itself. Making modifications to this type of report is as straightforward as modifying any other Factory Track form. All you need to do is open the form in Design Mode, make the changes you want, and save the form.

    When modifying this type of report object, we recommend that you make a copy of the original report-template form and modify that.

  • The report object for a DataView report is a predefined DataView. Making modifications to this type of report is the same as modifying any other predefined DataView.
  • The report object for an SSRS report is the report definition file.T This is by far the most challenging type of report to modify, as the report definition file involves so many parts and pieces. This might involve having to modify the stored procedure, an IDO or a method used by the IDO, or the background task used by the report.

Customizing a report criteria form

Generally, a report criteria form is the easiest part of a report to customize. This is because it typically involves just adding new criteria by which to filter the report output or to removew existing criteria.