Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Now we have built a single report that integrates all the details of three reports. Addition-
ally, with common parameters, different organizations can request reports for different months.
Summary
In this chapter, we wanted to develop a better understanding of the hierarchical relationship that
is built into IBM Cognos BI 10. Objects can be nested inside other objects. The properties are
inherited from higher levels until they are overridden in child objects. This concept can simplify
the report-creation process and make maintaining reports easier.
The first example shows that you can create customized components using layout compo-
nent references. We used the term layout library to mean a report that contains one or more layout
components that could be used in multiple reports. In the references, you can use either layout
calculations or report parameters since there is no query associated with the items. If you need to
customize items in the layout library, you can create named items and override them in the target
report.
With the layout library created, three additional reports were built with a number of hierar-
chical features.
With different reports built, the human resources department asked that these reports be inte-
grated into a quarterly report. By copying and pasting queries and then pages, we accomplished this
task. Using consistent parameters and layout component references, the reports were integrated eas-
ily. We used the table of contents functionality to create a very complex organization to the report.
Some techniques that you may want to integrate into other reports include the following:
Using layout libraries to create a set of standard report layout pieces
Creating templates to remove many of the formatting tasks from report creation
Integrating layout calculations and parameters into libraries for powerful references
Leveraging and overriding classes to simplify formatting report objects
Copying and pasting queries and report pages from one report to another
 
 
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