EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT QUERY CONVERSION GUIDE (ASP)

Transcription

1 5607 New King Street Troy, MI Support Bulletin EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT QUERY CONVERSION GUIDE (ASP) Query to Executive Assistant Conversion:... 2 Importing Query Objects:... 2 Customizing the Converted Query:... 5 Importing Query into Microsoft Excel: FastPath Check List: If Linking to Microsoft Excel: April 2006 ADP, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. 1 of 21 The ADP logo is a registered trademark of ADP of North America, Inc.

2 Query to Executive Assistant Conversion: This document will show how to convert an existing query from the AS400 environment into an Executive Assistant (EA) report using the ShowCase Query Import tool. The EA product will need to be previously installed on both the PC and the AS400. These steps mark out the basic outline and provide some detail to a normal query being converted. Further steps may be required depending on the complexity of the query being converted. Some queries, such as multi-stage reports (a set of queries that have to be run in sequence), may not convert at all. These types of reports will probably need to be completely rewritten. If you are converting multi-stage queries please call the ARG Customer Support Center for assistance at (800) prompts 3, 5. Once you ve performed this procedure a few times, the FastPath Check List: (on the last page of this guide) may be used as a quick checklist of tasks. Importing Query Objects: This section will show you how to import an existing query from the AS400 to your EA product using the Import Query Object functionality. 1. Open EA Report Builder. From the Tools menu, click on Import Query Object. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 2 of 21

3 2. Fill in the necessary information in the Import Query Object window. Data Source should already be populated. Collection is the library in which the query resides on the AS400, such as UQLIBR, QGPL, etc. Query Object is the exact name of the query you wish to convert. Click OK or press Enter. 3. It is normal to receive an error regarding the file joins. Simply hit OK and let the query finish converting. You may see other errors regarding field size or formatting, press OK and the program will continue. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 3 of 21

4 4. Once the query has converted, you will see it pull up in the EA Report Builder window. This is a good time to save your work by clicking on File then Save As and giving the query a name. Once you have saved your query, there is more work to do to make the query usable in the PC environment. Further steps will need to be taken to make the query usable in the Application Service Provider (ASP) environment. These steps are shown in the next sections. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 4 of 21

5 Customizing the Converted Query: In the following section, we will show you how to make your converted query work in the non ASP environment, as well as the new ASP environment. If you miss one of these steps, your query may not work once on the new system. 1. Click on the Query menu and select Tables from the drop down list. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 5 of 21

6 2. The Query Properties window will open to the Tables tab. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 6 of 21

7 3. For each file listed in the Added Tables window, DBLIBR must be replaced with the value *CURLIB. To do this, highlight the file name and click the Change Link button. Replace DBLIBR in the Collection field with *CURLIB and click OK. This operation must be completed for each file shown. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 7 of 21

8 4. The file joins must also be changed for each file listed. Under the heading Join Type, click on the red circle and a drop down menu will open. Select Left Outer Join. This operation must also be performed for each file listed in the Added Tables window. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 8 of 21

9 5. In order for a converted query to run in the ASP environment, any Logical files listed will need to be changed to Physical files. You can determine this by looking at the file names listed in the Added Tables window. Any file name that ends with L and a number, such as SLDELHL1, must be changed to end with PF, to look like SLDELHPF. This is also accomplished in the Change Link window, used earlier, by changing the file name in the Table field. 6. Once these two operations are complete, click on the Columns tab and verify there are no duplicate columns that converted. Also on this screen, click the check box labeled Return distinct rows only. Click OK and be sure to save your work again. These are the basic functions that must be performed for EVERY query converted from the AS400 into Executive Assistant. Further customization may be required on some queries as summary and break group information does not convert. For more information on Summary and Break Groups, please consult the appropriate EA User Guide which can be found on the ARG Dealer Download Center. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 9 of 21

10 Importing Query into Microsoft Excel: Once a query is converted and saved, it can be imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for manipulation if desired. In this section we will show you step by step how to accomplish this Open a new spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. Click on the ShowCase menu and select Queries. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 10 of 21

11 2. In the Query window, click the Add button. This will open a Browse window from which you can select your converted query. 3. Locate and select the desired query and click Open. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 11 of 21

12 4. After you select your query, Executive Assistant will open and the query will run. You may be prompted for your AS400 sign on information here. Once the query has run, you will see it listed in the Queries window. Click OK. 5. Click on the ShowCase menu and select Query References. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 12 of 21

13 6. The Data References window will appear. Click the Add button. 7. Another window will appear called Data Reference. In the Data Category field, select Column Headings from the drop down menu. In the Data window, you will see all the column headings of the selected query. Highlight all these headings by clicking and dragging your mouse down the list. Notice, in this example, there are eight headings listed. Then click on the little red arrow located in the Reference field. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 13 of 21

14 8. When you click the red arrow, you will be directed back to your blank spreadsheet. You must now select the fields where you want the column headings to be referenced to on the spreadsheet. In this example we would click on field A1 and drag across to field H1. You will notice that the field reference numbers will change as your selection area increases. Since there are eight column headings, in this example, we will stop at H1 because that is the eighth field across the spreadsheet. 9. Once you have selected the fields your column headings will reference to, click the little red arrow in the Data Reference box once again. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 14 of 21

15 10. This will return you to the Data Reference window. Click OK to save your column heading reference selections. 11. Now that we have referenced the column headings, we need to reference the report detail. Click the Add button again in the Data References window. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 15 of 21

16 12. In the Data Category field, select Query Viewer Data from the drop down menu. Once again pay attention to how many categories there are displayed in the Data window. In this example we have eight again. Highlight all eight categories, and click the little red arrow. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 16 of 21

17 13. We are now selecting reference fields on our spreadsheet for the report detail in our query. Fields A1 through H1 are already referenced for our column headings. So click on field A2 and drag across to H3. This will select eight columns and two rows for our report detail. (Note: Column Heading are always one row across, Query Viewer Data or Detail Data are at least two rows) 14. Once your selection is made, click the red arrow in the Data Reference box once again. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 17 of 21

18 15. We have successfully referenced our report detail fields on the spreadsheet. Click OK to save them. 16. This will return us to the Data References window. Click OK again to save all our column heading and report detail references permanently. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 18 of 21

19 17. We are now back at our spreadsheet, however now you will see data on it. Our referencing operations have gone out to the query, which ran when we selected it in Step 3, and pulled the data from the query into our spreadsheet. The data is now available for manipulation and formatting. This is a good time to save your spreadsheet. We recommend naming it the same name as the query used in referencing to save confusion later. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 19 of 21

20 18. At this point, the query is imported into Microsoft Excel. From here, simple formatting and data manipulation can be performed as desired. The next screen shot will show the same report as before, with some basic formatting already done. For instructions on data formatting and manipulation of data, refer to your Microsoft Excel handbook or instruction guide. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 20 of 21

21 FastPath Check List: AS 400 Library: Query Name: Open EA Report Builder and select Import Query Object from the Tools menu. Fill in the necessary information into the Import Query Object window and select OK. If errors appear regarding the file joins, field size or formatting, simply press OK. Select File then Save As and give the query a name (once it s converted). Select Tables from Query menu. In the Query Properties window (Tables tab), highlight the table name under Added tables/views, select Change Link, replace DBLIBR in the Collection field with *CURLIB and select OK (NOTE: This operation must be completed for each file listed under Added tables/views). Under the column heading Join Type, select the two red circles and select Left Outer Join (NOTE: This operation must also be performed for each file listed in the Added Tables window). Review the Added Tables window for any file name that ends with L and a number (such as SLDELHL1) and change to end with PF (like SLDELHPF). Upon completion, select the Columns tab, verify no duplicate columns converted, select the Return distinct rows only check box, select OK and save your work again. If Linking to Microsoft Excel: Add the Query to Excel from the ShowCase menu and select Queries. Add the Column Heading from the ShowCase menu and select Query References. (Data Category field is Column) Add the Report Detail from the ShowCase menu and select Query References. (Data Category field is Query Viewer Data) Save the Spreadsheet, the same name as the Query is recommended. Format the Spreadsheet. Resave the Spreadsheet. April 2006 ADP, Inc. 21 of 21