Detail Areas

[synoptix]

Synoptix Desktop Client Guide

   

Detail Areas

---

Purpose
A Detail Area allows you to have account numbers and other criteria automatically entered into a report. More than one Detail Area can be included in a single report. However, when removing Detail Areas from a report, they must be deleted one Area at a time.

To add a Detail Area, drag one of the available criteria from the Detail Cells list box in the Cell Palette and drop it onto the Report Designer spreadsheet cell where you want the Detail Area inserted.
 
   

Adding a Detail Area populates the Area Properties section of the Properties Panel as shown below. This section allows you to define the accounts you want included in the Detail Area.

   

Definitions
Company: This label indicates which company the chart of accounts will be pulled from. It is the same company you selected in the Cell Palette prior to dragging your criteria onto the Report Designer spreadsheet.

Filters: This section allows you to filter all results within your Detail Area by any available criteria.

Sort: By default, the Reporting Suite sorts criteria on a report from left to right and top to bottom. The Sort property allows you to further sort specific criteria in ascending or descending order.

Group By: Most databases allow information to be grouped together, and the result set to be returned as a group. Having the database group its data this way allows it to return only unique results, even if more records exist. It groups additional records together before returning the information to the report.

Detail Area Dates: Allows you to limit results within your Detail Area by various date calculations, such as Month, Year, and YTD, similar to the Calculations found under Cell Properties.

Alternate Row Colors: When selected, rows in the Detail Area alternate between white and light gray when the report is run.

Detail Area: Filters

Purpose

Located in Area Properties on the Properties Panel, Area Filters allow you to filter the number of records that are coming from the database. In most cases, if you don’t use any filters, you’ll get every record from the database encompassed by the data set you chose to use.

Area Filters allow you to limit the number of records by specifying which records you want to see, which you don’t want to see, or any combination of the two. You can select as many filters as you need in order to obtain desired results. An example of an Area Filter is shown below.

   

For more information on adding filters, see this guide


Definitions

Criteria: Clicking the blue underlined text here allows you to specify the filter's criteria.

AND/OR: If more than one filter is used, you can affect how results are returned by using the AND & OR operators. The AND operator, which is selected by default, will return all records that satisfy the conditions of all filters in the Detail Area. Selecting the OR operator will return all records that satisfy the conditions of any of the filters.

Variable: Selecting the filter’s Variable check box allows a filter’s criteria to be defined in the Report Viewer when the report is run, using the Variable Criteria Panel. When selecting the check box, you can either leave criteria blank and add all criteria at runtime, or select some criteria and have the option of adding or subtracting additional criteria at runtime.

SQL Phrase: Selecting the SQL Phrase check box gives you the ability to write a small portion of the SQL statement that will be run against the database. This is described in more detail in Section 8, “Inventory Valuation Report.”

Exclude: Selecting the Exclude check box will, as its name suggests, exclude the filter’s criteria from results, rather than including it.


To choose a field to filter, select any cell within the Detail Area and then:

1. Click the green plus sign (+) to the right of Filters in Area Properties. This displays the Available Filters dialog box.
   
   
   
2. The desired filter can be selected and applied, as shown below.
   

   

Next, to set the newly created Area Filter’s criteria:

1. Click Select Criteria.
   
   
   
2. Click the Search icon in the resulting dialog box.
   
   
   
3. Select and save the desired criteria from the search results.
   

   

Detail Area: Sort and Group By

Purpose
Located in Area Properties on the Properties Panel, Sort allows you to specify the sorting order of data coming from the database. By default, report criteria is sorted left to right and top to bottom. The Sort property allows you to further sort specific criteria in ascending or descending order.

An example of Sort criteria is shown below. Cost Category and Invoice # have been added as criteria, with both sorted as Ascending. When more than one criterion is added, the uppermost is sorted first, the second is sorted next, and so on. You can select a criterion and use the Up/Down arrows to move it higher or lower in the list, or click the X to delete it.

   

Definitions
Sort Order: Select ascending or descending for each criterion added.

Group By: Most databases allow information to be grouped together, and the result set to be returned as a group. Having the database group its data this way allows it to return only unique results, even if more records exist. It groups additional records together before returning the information to the report.


To sort according to specified criteria, select any cell within a Detail Area, then:

1. Click the green plus (+) sign to the right of Sort in Area Properties on the Properties Panel.
2. Select the desired report criteria in the resulting Sort By dialog box.

   

3. Select Ascending or Descending from the resulting Sort drop down list.

   


This guide applies to Synoptix versions 7 and 8