Manipulating data components

You can manipulate data components, which refer to tables, crosstabs, charts and geographic maps, in Web Report Studio as shown below. Note that, most of the manipulations require selecting the component first. To select a component, click anywhere in the component, when the icon appears at its upper left corner, click the icon.

Manipulating a table

• Changing the table definition
  1. Select the table and do one of the following to display the Table Wizard. See the wizard.

     

     • Click Menu > Edit > Wizard.
     • Click the Table Wizard button on the Context toolbar.
     • Right-click the icon of the table and select Table Wizard from the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Table Title text field, edit the title of the table. You can click to customize the font, size, and style of the title.
  3. Click the Filter button to apply some filter conditions to narrow down data displayed in the table.
  4. In the Display tab, add or change the fields displayed in the table.
  5. In the Group tab, modify the grouping criteria of the table.
  6. Upon finishing, click OK to apply the modifications.

  For details about how to define a table, see Inserting a table.

• Switching table column fields
  In addition to the above method, another more convenient way to change the fields displayed in the detail columns or group columns of a table is by using the Switch command.
  • To change the field in a detail column:
    Right-click the detail column and select Table Column > Switch Column from the shortcut menu, or select the detail column, right-click it and select Switch Column from the shortcut menu. The fields available for the detail column are listed in the submenu with the current used field checked. Select the field you want to use to replace the current one in the column.
  • To change the field in a group column:
    Right-click the group field and select Switch Group from the shortcut menu. The fields available for the group column are listed in the submenu with the current used field checked. Select the field you want to use to replace the current one in the column.
• Adding or removing a table column or group by dragging
  To drag a field into a table to become a table column, drag it from the Resources panel and then move the cursor on the column header to the border of an existing table column until a highlighted vertical line appears, then release the cursor, and the new column will be placed where the highlighted line lies.

  To drag a group field into a table to become a group, drag it from the Resources panel and then move the cursor in the detail section or to the border of an existing table group until a highlighted horizontal line appears, then release the cursor, and the new group will be placed where the highlighted line lies.

  To remove a table column, first select it, next drag and drop it to the Resources panel, and then confirm the removal.

• Adjusting order of columns in a table
  The order of columns in a table can be easily adjusted. To do this, first select a column by right-clicking any cell within the column and selecting Select on the submenu of Table Column, then drag it to the left or right boundary of another column, when a highlighted line appears along the column boundary, release the mouse button, and you will see the order changes.
• Adjusting the width of table columns according to contents
  When the contents in cells of a table column need more space to completely display, you can adjust the width of the table column according to the contents. To do this, right-click the column and select Table Column > Autofit from the shortcut menu.
• Aggregating on a detail column
  You can summarize the data in a detail column. To do this:
  1. Right-click the detail field and select Aggregate On from the shortcut menu. Or you can first select the column by right-clicking any cell within the column and clicking Select on the submenu of Table Column, then on the Context toolbar, click the Aggregate On button .
  2. In the Aggregate On dialog, specify a function from the Function drop-down list to summarize the data.
  3. When done, click OK.
     • If the table has groups, you will find data in each group level and the whole table are summarized respectively in the column.
     • If the table has no groups, the summary will be based on the whole table.

  When you finish summarizing a detail column, you will find a dynamic aggregation is created at the same time which is given a default name Function_DetailFieldName in the Dynamic Resource > Aggregations list in the Resources panel and you can use it again in the current report if required.

• Adding/Removing groups in a table
  You can add more groups into a table or remove the groups that are not required from a table.
  • To add a group into a table:
    Select the table, then on the Context toolbar, click the Add/Remove Group button and you will get a drop-down list of fields in the business view that can be used as group by fields. From the list you can select the field you would like to add into the table as a group. If there is no existing group in the table, the added group will be placed at the left-above position. If the table already contains groups, the new group will be added as the highest level group and follow the same position pattern as the closest existing group.
  • To remove a group from a table:
    Right-click a field of the group and select Delete from the shortcut menu, then click Yes in the message dialog to confirm the removal. Or you can use the Add/Remove Group button on the Context toolbar of the table: unselect the group you want to remove from the drop-down list, then click Yes in the message dialog.
• Showing/Hiding detail columns

  To show/hide a detail column, select the table, then on the Context toolbar, click the Show/Hide Detail button . From the drop-down list, select/unselect the field name to show/hide its detail column.

  You can also hide a detail column by one of the following:

  • First select the column by right-clicking in the column and selecting Select on the submenu of Table Column, then do either of the following:
    • Click the Hide button on the Context toolbar.
    • Right-click the column and select Hide.
  • Right-click in the column and select Table Column > Hide from the shortcut menu.
• Showing/Hiding summaries

  To show/hide a summary from a table, first select the table and then do either of the following:

  • On the Context toolbar, click the Show/Hide Summary button . From the drop-down list, select/unselect the summary field name to show/hide it.
  • Right-click the icon of the table, then on the shortcut menu, select/unselect the summary field name from the Show > Table Column submenu to show/hide it.
• Customizing the field value data format
  To customize the data format of the values of a field in a table, right-click on any value of the field, then select a format from the Format submenu, or input a format in the text box at the bottom of the submenu and click Enter on the keyboard.

Manipulating a crosstab

• Changing the crosstab definition
  1. Select the crosstab and then do one of the following to display the Crosstab Wizard. See the wizard.

     

     • Click Menu > Edit > Wizard.
     • Click the Crosstab Wizard button on the Context toolbar.
     • Right-click the icon of the crosstab and select Crosstab Wizard from the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Crosstab Title text field, edit the title of the crosstab. You can click to customize the font, size, and style of the title.
  3. Click the Filter button to apply some filter conditions to narrow down data displayed in the crosstab.
  4. Change the fields and summaries used by the crosstab.
  5. Upon finishing, click OK to apply the modifications.

  For details about how to define a crosstab, see Inserting a crosstab.

• Switching crosstab fields
  In addition to the above method, another more convenient way to change the fields in a crosstab is by using the Switch command. To do this, right-click a row/column/summary and select Switch Row/Switch Column/Switch Summary from the shortcut menu. The fields available for the row/column/summary are listed in the submenu with the current used field checked. Select the field you want to use to replace the current one.
• Adding or removing a row/column header or an aggregation by dragging
  To drag a group field into a crosstab to become a column header, drag it from the Resources panel and then move the cursor to a border of a column header until a highlighted horizontal line appears, then release the cursor, and the new column header will be placed where the highlighted line lies.

  To drag a group field into a crosstab to become a row header, drag it from the Resources panel and then move the cursor to a border of the row header until a highlighted vertical line appears, then release the cursor, and the new row header will be placed where the highlighted line lies.

  To drag an aggregate field into a crosstab to become an aggregation, drag it from the Resources panel and drop to the aggregation section.

  To remove a row/column header or an aggregation from a crosstab, first select it, next drag and drop it to the Resources panel, and then confirm the removal.

• Converting a crosstab into a chart
  1. Select the crosstab and then do either of the following to display the To Chart dialog. See the dialog.

     

     • Click Menu > Edit > To Chart.
     • Right-click the icon of the crosstab and select To Chart from the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Title text field, input a title for the chart. You can click to customize the font, size, and style of the title.
  3. The Resources box lists all the view elements used in the selected crosstab including group and aggregation objects. The chart can only be defined based on the view elements listed. Select the required chart type from the chart type drop-down list. Add a group object from the Resources box to the Category box, and so to the Series box, and aggregation objects to the Show Values box respectively.

     If you select a bubble chart type, you need to specify the fields to be shown on the bubble X axis, Y axis and the value you want to show as the bubble radius in the Show Values box. Note that when you specify a value for the bubble X axis, this value will be displayed on the category axis instead of the one specified in the Category box. However, the value defined in the Category box will also be included in data calculation.

  4. Click the OK button to finish the conversion.

  For details about how to define a chart, see Inserting a chart.

• Rotating a crosstab
  Columns and rows in a crosstab can be exchanged. This operation is called rotating a crosstab.

  To rotate a crosstab, first select it, and then do one of the following:

  • Click Menu > Edit > Rotate Crosstab.
  • Click the Rotate Crosstab button on the Context toolbar.
  • Right-click the icon of the crosstab and select Rotate Crosstab from the shortcut menu.
• Adjusting the width of crosstab fields according to the contents
  When the contents in the field of a crosstab need more space to completely display, you can adjust the width of the field according to its contents. To achieve it, right-click the field and select Autofit from the shortcut menu.
• Customizing the field value data format
  To customize the data format of the values of a field in a crosstab, right-click on any value of the field, then select a format from the Format submenu, or input a format in the text box at the bottom of the submenu and click Enter on the keyboard.

Manipulating a chart

• Changing the chart definition
  1. Select the chart and then do one of the following to display the Chart Wizard. See the wizard.

     

     • Click Menu > Edit > Wizard.
     • Click the Chart Wizard button on the Context toolbar.
     • Right-click the icon of the chart, or right-click on the chart platform or paper, then select Chart Wizard from the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Chart Title text field, edit the title of the chart. You can click to customize the font, size, and style of the title.
  3. Click the Filter button to apply some filter conditions to narrow down data displayed in the chart.
  4. Change the values displayed on the chart.
  5. Upon finishing, click OK to apply the modifications.

  For details about how to define a chart, see Inserting a chart.

• Switching chart fields
  In addition to the above method, another more convenient way to change the fields displayed on a chart is by using the Switch command.
  • To change the field on the category/series axis:
    Select the chart, right-click the icon of the chart or right-click on the chart platform or paper, then select Switch Category/Switch Series from the shortcut menu. The fields available for the category/series axis are listed in the submenu with the current used field checked. Select the field you want to use to replace the current one on the axis.
  • To change the field on the value axis:
    Select the chart, right-click the icon of the chart or right-click on the chart platform or paper, then select Switch Value from the shortcut menu. The fields available for the value axis are listed in the submenu with the current used field checked. Click an unchecked field to add it to the value axis.

    If a chart has multiple fields on its value axis, you can also click the up or down arrow beside the current used fields to adjust their order, or click a checked field to remove it from the chart. When there is only one field on the value axis, it cannot be removed.

    For a combo chart, you can change the fields displayed on the chart one by one for each chart type.

• Formatting chart elements
  You can format the chart graph, platform, paper, legend, X and Y axes, wall, floor, gridlines, and rectangles and rectangle titles of heat maps using the corresponding format command on the shortcut menu of a chart. For details about the element properties, refer to the specific format dialog in Web Report Studio dialogs.
• Sorting category/series labels
  You can sort the labels on the category or series axes of a chart in either descending or ascending alphabetical order. To do this, select the chart, right-click the icon of the chart or right-click on the chart platform or paper, then on the shortcut menu, select the required order from the Sort Category or Sort Series submenu.
• Swapping chart groups
  You can switch data between the category and series axes, or between the category and value axes of a chart if no field on the series axes.

  To swap the chart groups, first select the chart, then do either of the following:

  • Click the Swap Chart Groups button on the Context toolbar.
  • Right-click the icon of the chart, or right-click on the chart platform or paper and select Swap Chart Groups from the shortcut menu.
• Converting a chart into a crosstab
  1. Select the chart and then do either of the following to display the To Crosstab dialog. See the dialog.

     

     • Click Menu > Edit > To Crosstab.
     • Right-click the icon of the chart, or right-click on the chart platform or paper and click To Crosstab on the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Title text field, input a title for the crosstab. You can click to customize the font, size, and style of the title.
  3. Select a group object in the Resources box and click or to add it as a group field to the Columns or Rows box; select an aggregation object or a detail object and click to add it as an aggregate field to the Summaries box. If a detail object is added, specify the aggregate function for it in the Aggregation column. Repeat this to add more group and aggregate fields.

     In the Label column, you can edit the label of a group field or aggregate field, and the Sort column allows you to specify a sorting manner on a group field.

     If you want to remove any group/aggregate field, select it and click .

     To adjust the order of group/aggregate fields, select a group/aggregate field and click or .

  4. Click OK to finish the conversion.
• Showing/Hiding the chart legend or legend label
  Select the chart, right-click the icon of the chart or right-click on the chart platform or paper, then select the corresponding Show or Hide command from the shortcut menu to show or hide the legend or legend label. However, the legend will always be displayed at the exporting or printing results.
• Changing chart type
  Select the chart, then on the Context toolbar, click the Chart Type button . From the drop-down menu, select the desired chart type and its subtype.
• Showing/Hiding labels on the X/Y axis
  Select the chart, then on the Context toolbar, click the Chart Options button . From the drop-down menu, go to the Label submenu, then select/unselect the desired labels to show/hide them.
• Showing/Hiding X/Y gridlines
  Select the chart, then on the Context toolbar, click the Chart Options button . From the drop-down menu, go to the Gridlines submenu, then select/unselect the desired gridlines to show/hide them.

  When gridlines are shown, it is better to also have the wall shown so as to make the background gridlines more intuitive. To show the wall, follow the steps above, then on the Gridlines submenu, select Wall.

• Changing the chart legend position
  Chart legend can be placed at the top, bottom, left or right position in a chart. To change the legend position, select the chart, then on the Context toolbar, click the Chart Options button . From the drop-down menu, go to the Legend submenu and select the desired position.
• Zooming in chart values
  For a bar, bench, line, area or stock chart, you can select the values you are interested in to have them zoomed in. To do this, drag the mouse from the start value to the end value you want to select, then release the mouse. The selected values will be zoomed in. If you want to return to the initial status, just click the return button on the upper right corner of the chart paper.
• Customizing the data format of chart data labels
  You can customize the data format of the legend entry labels and data labels on the category and series axes if they are of Number or Date/Time type. To do this, right-click on any label and select the required format from the Format submenu, or input a format in the text box at the bottom of the submenu and click Enter on the keyboard.
• Stopping or resuming a real time chart from refreshing
  For a real time chart, you can stop or resume it from automatically refreshing by right-clicking it and selecting the Pause Refresh or Resume command from the shortcut menu.

Manipulating geographic map group markers/areas

• Going up/down on geographic map group markers/areas
  • For the group level that is higher than some other group levels in a geographic map component, point to its group marker/area, right-click it and select Go Down from the shortcut menu to jump one group level down.
  • For the group level that is lower than some other group levels in a geographic map component, point to its group marker/area, right-click it and select Go Up from the shortcut menu to jump one group level up.
• Showing/Hiding geographic map group markers/areas
  By default, all visible group markers/areas are shown. To hide them, right-click the geographic map (not the group markers/areas) and select Hide Markers/Hide Areas from the shortcut menu. If you want to show them again, right-click the geographic map and select Show Markers/Show Areas from the shortcut menu.