Analysis and Report Utility

Transcription

1 Analysis and Report Utility Microsoft Excel SAP Crystal Reports Revised: July 12, 2012

2 Analysis and report utility This utility allows you to access data in your OGC-Plus software so that you can organize it the way you want using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a report generator such as SAP Crystal Reports. Access your system data Your OGC-Plus data is structured and stored in a database that the software uses to process the information via different functions. Your OGC-Plus data: Products Customers Suppliers Inventory Sales ODBC Other software: Microsoft Excel SAP Crystal Reports Using an ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) utility, other software applications can access your OGC-Plus data and let you perform functions that these systems were designed to do. Examples of useful software Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application included in the Microsoft Office suite. Its functionalities include numerical calculations, graphical representation, data analysis (for example, with pivot tables) and programming. Go to the Excel section SAP Crystal Reports is an application that allows you to easily design interactive reports and link them to most of your data sources. The sort and filter functions help you perform report analysis. Go to the Crystal Reports section

3 Connect to Excel In Excel, you can connect a worksheet to an external data source. Once connected to your data source (OGC-Plus or SpruceWare.NET in our case), Excel opens a data management interface (Microsoft Query) that allows you to select the information you want to export into Excel. If you are not familiar with databases, we suggest you read the Database information structure section to better understand how databases are organized.

4 Select the data you want to extract Thanks to a simple drag and drop function, Microsoft Query allows you to select the tables with the data you want to extract and link them together. Once you have chosen your tables, you can simply drag and drop the fields that you want to appear in your Excel spreadsheet. You can view the data at the bottom of the screen as you select your fields. This gives you a preview of what will be extracted into your Excel worksheet. Note that you only need to select the fields when creating or modifying the data configuration. When you finish the configuration, simply save your Excel file (.xls).

5 Working with data in Excel Once you have configured the ODBC connector, the data from your OGC-Plus database will be automatically extracted into your Excel worksheet. The data is refreshed via the Excel file. You can configure this refresh so that it is done automatically or manually by the user. You can now organize your data using all of the functions available in Excel. Filters Pivot tables Sales per year Graphics Sales per customer

6 Connect to Crystal Reports In Crystal Reports, you can connect to a data source that you want to use for your report. Data explorer Log On Log Off Data explorer Browse through the folders to find your servers. To log on to a server, click on its plus icon or press Log On. When you are finished, press Close. Options Help Close Crystal Reports also allows you to select the specific information you want to view in report form. Database Expert Data Links Link together the tables you added to the report. Linking is needed to match records of one table with corresponding records of another Auto Arrange Auto-Link By Name By Key Link Order Links Clear Links Delete Links Link Options Index Legend Cancel Help If you are not familiar with databases, we suggest you read the Database information structure section to better understand how databases are organized.

7 Creating/modifying a report Crystal Reports is designed to turn information from any type of data source into a report. Its design environment allows you to select and position the fields you want in your report depending on the different sections available for this purpose. You can also enhance the layout by adding graphical elements (images, shapes, lines) and formatted text based on your needs. Field Explorer Report Header Page Header a Page Heather b Details Report Footer Page Footer Once you have configured the report, you can then view it. Note that you only need to choose the configuration when creating or modifying your report. When you have finished configuring the report, simply save your Crystal Reports file (.rpt) and activate the refresh function to update your data as needed. Using a report

8 You can use the report to present information in a predefined structure. Crystal Reports also has various interactive functions. Browse Search Search Keyword Enter parameters (e.g., Date Range) Enter Parameters values Start of Range: End of Range : Include this value No lower value Include this value No upper value Cancel Sort information Group sort Expert Analyze report or chart results by taking the Top N or sort of totals For this group sort : based on : Include values : Cancel Help

9 Database information structure To understand how information is structured in a database, we'll use the example of a well-known filing system the filing cabinet, which in this case represents our database. Each drawer contains information for a specific group (e.g., Customers). The file folders each contain specific information about a customer. FIELDS DATABASE TABLES DATA A database organizes information in the same way using a variety of Tables (drawers). Each Table contains Fields (file folders) in which Data (information) is stored. Example Tables Fields Data Customers Customer Code, Name, Province 123, Paul, QC 456, Bob, ON 789, Dan, BC Sales Customer Code, Date, Invoices, Amounts 123, 01-Jan, 2345, $ , 05-Jan, 2355, $ , 15-Jan, 2375, $225.00

10 Representation of database elements Database elements are generally represented in the following way: Customer Table names Sales Customer Code Customer Code Field names Name Date Province Invoice Amount Customer Name Province Customer Date Invoice Amount Code Code 123 Paul QC Jan 2345 $ Bob ON Data Jan 2355 $ Dan BC Jan 2375 $ Links between database tables Database tables can be linked to avoid an unnecessary duplication of information. By linking two tables through a shared field (Customer Code), you can compile the information contained in each separate table. Example Customers Customer Code Name Province Sales Customer Code Date Invoice Amount Customer Name Province Date Invoice Amount Code 123 Paul QC 01-Jan 2345 $ Bob ON 05-Jan 2355 $ Dan BC 15-Jan 2375 $ Would you like to get this utility? Contact our customer service team at: OGC.PLUS