About Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

Transcription

1 About Working with Reports using Actuate iportal Working with Reports using Actuate iportal includes the following chapters: About Working with Reports using Actuate iportal. This chapter provides an overview of this guide. Chapter 1. Introducing Actuate iportal. This chapter explains online reporting and how Actuate iportal works. Chapter 2. Accessing your documents. This chapter provides explains how to access repositories and view files within repositories. Chapter 3. Running a report. This chapter provides information on running a report in Actuate iportal. Chapter 4. Using a dashboard. This chapter provides information about Actuate portlets and the sample dashboard. The Actuate web site, contains information about the product and its features, as well as product update information. To obtain the password to access the customer-only portion of the web site, telephone Actuate Customer Support. The engineers in Actuate Customer Support can also help with technical questions about the product, according to the terms of your service contract. See the supported products and obsolescence policy for the list of supported Actuate iserver platforms. The supported products and obsolescence policy is available at the following URL: About Working with Reports using Actuate iportal v

2 vi Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

3 Chapter 1Introducing Actuate Chapter iportal This chapter contains the following topics: About business reporting using Actuate About Actuate iportal Chapter 1, Introducing Actuate iportal 1

4 About business reporting using Actuate In a diverse and global business enterprise, corporations need a way to create, publish, and distribute reports on a scheduled basis. The creation, storage, and viewing of reports occurs on distributed, networked environments, such as the internet, intranets, and extranets. Using Actuate reports provides an efficient, scalable, highly searchable, and easily updated alternative to static web pages or traditional, paper-based reporting. Actuate iportal provides access to these reports. This web-based tool is available in two modes, enterprise and workgroup. In either mode, you can view, print, and generate Actuate reports either remotely on a server or locally: To perform these tasks remotely, your computer must be able to access a server running Actuate iportal. You can access Actuate iportal and Actuate iserver using a web browser. To perform these tasks locally or on a stand-alone computer, you can use any of the Actuate desktop applications. In enterprise mode, you must also be able to access a server running Actuate iserver. In enterprise mode, you can also schedule reports and distribute and store the reports that you generate. About Actuate iportal Actuate iportal is an end-user product that you use to access, view, run, and print reports that are in an Encyclopedia volume. It provides access to dashboards and BusinessReport Studio. Because Actuate iportal runs on a server, you do not have to install any additional software on your computer. All you need is Actuate iportal, a web browser, and the URL that you use to access the repository. To use Actuate iportal, you need to use Internet Explorer 6.x or later. Figure 1-1 shows a high-level view of how the Actuate iserver System components and the client applications interact. For simplicity, the illustration does not show the data tier, such as a database server. The shaded areas indicate the tools with which you work. 2 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

5 Remote user Servers Web browser Web server BusinessReport Designer Actuate desktop applications Actuate BIRT Report Designer Actuate BIRT Report Designer Professional Analytics Cube Designer e.report Designer Professional e.spreadsheet Designer Information Object Designer Actuate Active Portal for.net Actuate iserver Encyclopedia volume Actuate Management Console Actuate iportal On-disk repository Figure 1-1 Actuate iserver architecture About repositories A repository is a location for report storage. For Actuate iportal in workgroup mode, the repository is on a file system. In enterprise mode, the repository is an Encyclopedia volume. An Encyclopedia volume is a shared repository that contains all the items that a single Actuate iserver machine or cluster of server machines manages. Each Encyclopedia volume contains items such as folders, report files, and user profiles. Users in the enterprise environment can share and access files that are in an Encyclopedia volume. Actuate iserver System can support multiple Encyclopedia volumes. Encyclopedia volume administrators create multiple Encyclopedia volumes to organize data into manageable and logical parts. Chapter 1, Introducing Actuate iportal 3

6 About Encyclopedia volume features The Encyclopedia volume provides the features that are described in the following table. Table 1-1 Encyclopedia voume features Feature Familiar file management system Multilevel security Function Organizing report files in hierarchical folders. Limiting report generation and viewing to authorized users. An Encyclopedia volume administrator can assign different privileges on a file or user basis. Autoversioning Flexible scheduling Automatic notification and distribution Automatic archiving Access using web browsers Report page security Open server report generation Actuate Report Server Security Extension (RSSE) Grouping related report files to maintain different versions of reports. Generating new reports at specified times. You can set a report to run once or on a regular basis. Placing completed reports in specified folders, and sending notices to users. Deleting and automatically archiving Encyclopedia volume files based on a date, the age of the file, or the number of versions of a file. Viewing Encyclopedia volume contents over the web, including viewing Actuate reports in DHTML and other formats. Using report documents with security rules that determine which pages a user can view. Running or printing third-party report requests. From within the Encyclopedia volume, a user can run or print a third-party report just like an Actuate report. Providing the ability to extend Actuate iserver security. 4 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

7 Chapter 2Accessing your Chapter documents This chapter contains the following topics: Connecting to a repository Changing language and time zone settings About functionality levels Navigating the repository About volume security Working with folders Working with files Filtering items on a page Searching for files and folders Setting user preferences Subscribing to a channel Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 5

8 Connecting to a repository Documents that you can access are stored in a repository. To connect to a repository, you need the following information: The URL to use to log in to the repository A user name and password to log in to the repository You can log in to only one repository at a time. To log in to multiple repositories, open multiple web browser windows. Each web browser window handles one connection to a repository. Connecting to a repository in workgroup mode In workgroup mode, users can access stored reports in a file system repository. How to connect to a file system repository 1 To open the Actuate iportal login page, complete one of the following tasks: Choose Start Programs Actuate 9 Actuate iportal. A welcome page appears. Choose My Documents. If your company has a web site with a link to the Actuate iportal login page, start your web browser, then choose the link. Start your web browser, then provide the URL for the Actuate iportal login page. For example, type the following URL: where login.do?repositorytype=workgroup actuate1:8700 is the web server that runs web pages that provide the interface to the repository. iportal is a keyword that indicates access to Actuate iportal. login.do displays the login interface. repositorytype=workgroup indicates the mode. 6 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

9 The login page looks like the one in Figure 2-1. Figure Supply login credentials: Repository login page Type the user name and password that the repository administrator assigned to you. Select a language from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the language for the Actuate iportal user interface and the formatting of dates, times, currency, and numbers. If a translation for the language you select is not installed, the user interface appears in US English. Select a time zone from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the time stamp for files. When finished, choose Log In. Connecting to a repository in enterprise mode In enterprise mode, users can access stored reports in an Encyclopedia volume. How to connect to an Encyclopedia volume 1 To open the Actuate iportal login page, complete one of the following tasks: Choose Start Programs Actuate 9 Actuate iportal. On the welcome page, choose My Documents. If your company has a web site with a link to the Actuate iportal login page, start your web browser, then choose the link. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 7

10 Start your web browser, then provide the URL for the Actuate iportal login page. For example type the following URL: where login.do?repositorytype=enterprise&serverurl= actuate2:8000 actuate1:8700 is the web server that runs web pages that provide the interface to the Encyclopedia volume. iportal is a keyword that indicates access to Actuate iportal. login.do displays the login interface. repositorytype=enterprise indicates the mode. serverurl= specifies the location of the Actuate iserver System that manages the Encyclopedia volume. The login page looks like the one in Figure 2-2. Figure Supply login credentials: Encyclopedia volume login page Select an Encyclopedia volume from the drop-down list. Type the user name and password that the Encyclopedia volume administrator assigned to you. Select a language from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the language used in the Actuate iportal user interface and the formats of dates, times, currency, and numbers. If a translation for the language you choose is not installed, the user interface appears in US English. Select a time zone from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the time stamp for files and tells Actuate iserver System which time zone you are in so that jobs can be scheduled correctly. 8 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

11 Choose Log In. Changing language and time zone settings In enterpise mode, an Encyclopedia volume administrator sets up the language and time zone for all users. The language setting determines the language used in the user interface and the format in which dates, times, numbers, and currency are displayed in the Actuate iportal user interface. For example, using the English (United States) locale, Actuate iportal displays a date as May 14, :08:30 PM. Using the French (France) locale for the same time, Actuate iportal displays the date as 14 mai 03 17:08:30. These two locales differ in how they order the month and date, whether they use commas, and whether they use a 12-hour or 24-hour clock. Notice that changing locales does not change the time zone. You set the time zone separately. In some cases, Actuate iportal and the Actuate iserver System server that manages the Encyclopedia volume run in different time zones. For example, you choose GMT (Greenwich Standard Time) from the Time zone drop-down list, but Actuate iserver System runs on IMT (India Standard Time). When you schedule a report to run at a certain time, you specify the time to run the report in Greenwich Standard Time. Actuate iserver System, however, schedules the job for the corresponding time in its time zone. To schedule the job correctly, Actuate iportal calculates the difference between Greenwich Standard Time and India Standard Time. India Standard Time is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Standard Time. If you schedule a report to run at 2 a.m. GMT on May 14, 2003, Actuate iserver schedules the report to run at 7:30 a.m. IST on May 14, To change language and time zone settings, log out of the repository, and log in again using the settings that you want. About functionality levels Using Actuate iportal in enterprise mode, you can perform functions such as navigating to an Encyclopedia volume folder and viewing a document. Actuate iportal supports additional functionality based on your functionality level. The Actuate iportal functionality levels that permit additional functionality, such as deleting folders, are: Active Portal Intermediate Active Portal Advanced Active Portal Administrator Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 9

12 An Active Portal Administrator is not the same as an Encyclopedia volume administrator or a system administrator. An Encyclopedia volume administrator has all privileges on all items in the Encyclopedia volume. Only an Encyclopedia volume administrator can add and delete users and security roles and perform other administrative tasks. An Actuate iserver System administrator uses the System Administration console of Actuate Management Console to perform administration tasks for an Actuate iserver cluster, an Actuate iserver node, and for Actuate iserver in a stand-alone configuration. An Actuate iportal administratorcan customize Actuate iportal skins. The features that you can use in Actuate iportal depend on your Actuate iportal function level. Table 2-1 summarizes the features that are available to the built-in Actuate iportal functionality levels. Table 2-1 Actuate iportal functionality levels Active Portal functionality Access the documents, jobs, and channels links in the X X X X side menu. Create a folder. X X Customize Actuate iportal skins. X Delete a file. X X X X Delete a folder. X X Search for files and folders. X X X Send notification with attachments to oneself. X X X Set privileges on a file or folder on which you have grant X X privilege. Subscribe to a channel. X X X Set a job priority when submitting a job. X X Basic Intermediate Advanced Administrator Navigating the repository When you connect to a repository using Actuate iportal, the first page that you see is Documents. Figure 2-3 shows an example Documents page in enterprise mode. Documents can look different if your Actuate iportal installation uses a different skin. 10 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

13 Figure 2-3 The Documents page About Actuate iportal pages The repository administrator or application developer can customize the Actuate iportal web pages for your site. Customizations can range from changing cosmetic elements, such as colors and logos, to implementing custom navigation. In enterprise mode, Actuate provides three skins to easily customize the appearance of your Actuate iportal installation. The illustrations and interface descriptions in this book reflect the web pages in the classic skin that Actuate provides for enterprise mode iportal and might differ from the web pages that you see. Figure 2-4 shows the standard layout of of a page in the Actuate iportal classic skin. Each page consists of three areas: banner, side menu, and main display area. Banner Side menu Figure 2-4 Actuate iportal layout Main display area In enterprise mode, if the Encyclopedia volume administrator created a home folder for you, Documents displays the contents of your home folder when you first log in to the Encyclopedia volume. Otherwise, Documents displays the contents of the Encyclopedia volume s root folder. In workgroup mode, iportal creates a home folder in the repository that matches your user name. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 11

14 About the banner The banner at the top of the page displays the following elements: Company logo. By default, the Actuate logo appears. User name. Log out to log out of the repository. Help to access online help files. In enterprise mode, the following additional elements appear: The name of the Actuate iserver System machine to which you are connected. If you are connected to a single-volume server, the system name is the same as the volume name. The name of the Encyclopedia volume to which you are connected. Options, which is a link to where you can set user preferences. About the side menu The classic skin provides a side menu from which you can choose a Documents link to browse the repository folders and files to which you have access. The Documents link is available in both modes, workgroup and enterprise.: In enterprise mode, you also can choose the following additional links: To view the status and results of your scheduled jobs, choose My Jobs. To view the contents of channels to which you subscribe, choose Channels. About the main display area The main display area shows the content that is relevant to a specific page. For example, the main display area of a Documents page shows the contents of a folder. You can also enable the filter option from the main display area. Browsing the documents page Choose Documents from the side menu to access links to folders and files in the Encyclopedia volume. A documents page displays the contents of the current folder. On a documents page, you can choose a folder link to access folder contents. For example, choose Details to see the contents of the Details folder. In workgroup mode, you can access only your home folder and folders within the public folder. 12 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

15 By default, a documents page organizes the contents of a folder by categories. Depending on the contents of the current folder, you might see some, all, or none of the following categories: Folders, which shows the folders within the current folder Documents You Can View, which shows the reports you can open for viewing, such as report document (.rptdocument) files and spreadsheet (.xls) files Reports You Can Run, which shows the report executable files that you can run to generate new reports, such as report design (.rptdesign) files and e.spreadsheet template (.sox) files Figure 2-5 shows an example of a documents page in enterprise mode. Figure 2-5 A documents page in enterprise mode Browsing a jobs page In enterprise mode, you can choose My Jobs from the side menu to view the status of jobs that you submitted. You generate a job whenever you schedule a report object executable file to be run in the background. A jobs page has five tabs, Schedules, Waiting for Event, Pending, Running, and Completed, which display lists of jobs: Schedules shows the scheduled jobs that will be processed at a later date and time. Waiting for Event shows the scheduled jobs that will be processed as soon as their triggering event occurs. Pending shows the scheduled jobs that are currently in the process queue. Running shows the scheduled jobs that are currently running. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 13

16 Completed shows the scheduled jobs that have been processed. Figure 2-6 shows an example of a list of completed jobs on a jobs page. Figure 2-6 List of completed jobs on a jobs page Browsing a channels page In enterprise mode, choose Channels from the side menu to link to your personal channel and to channels to which the Encyclopedia volume administrator has subscribed you. Figure 2-7 shows the contents of a channels page. Figure 2-7 Channels page Choose any of the channel links to view the contents of a particular channel. Each channel page lists the reports for the channel. Figure 2-8 shows a channel notification. 14 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

17 Figure 2-8 Channel notification If you are a member of one of the functionality levels, you can subscribe to additional channels. About channels Channels are subscription services that enable users to access reports in enterprise mode. Only users with an Active Portal Intermediate, Advanced, or Administrator functionality level can subscribe to channels. Typically, channels are set up to provide access for subscribers to particular types of reports. For example, a user might subscribe to a Sales channel to access the latest sales reports. As new reports become available, the appropriate channel subscribers receive notification. Channels have the following features: Channels are secure. Channels have unique names. Channels receive notification when reports for the channel complete. Channels items expire after a given time period and are removed from the channel. Only the Encyclopedia volume administrator can set the expiration period. If you want to change this setting, see the Encyclopedia volume administrator. About personal channels Every user has a personal channel. You do not need to subscribe to it, nor can you unsubscribe from it. A personal channel displays the following notices: Completion notices for jobs that you submitted. You receive notices for both failed and successful jobs. Completion notices for jobs that other users submitted to which you have access. You receive notices for both failed and successful jobs. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 15

18 The Encyclopedia volume administrator uses default settings for what your personal channel displays. You can change what it displays by changing the notification options. For example, you can choose to receive notices for successful jobs only. 16 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

19 About volume security Actuate iserver System includes the Encyclopedia volume security features that are described in the following table. Table 2-1 Encyclopedia volume security features Feature Encyclopedia volume users and passwords File and folder access types Privileges Security roles Privilege templates Description Actuate iserver System includes a number of systemdefined users, including Administrator, a position assigned to the person who is responsible for Encyclopedia volume administration. The Administrator creates Encyclopedia volume users. Typically, a user supplies a user ID and password to log in to an Encyclopedia volume. A file or folder can be either shared or private. If a file or folder is private, only the owner and an Encyclopedia volume administrator can access that file or folder. Other users can access a shared item if those users have the proper privileges on the item, as discussed later in this section. Privileges specify which operations a user can perform on files, folders, and channels. The Encyclopedia volume administrator can set privileges for users on any file, folder, or channel. Users can set privileges on files and folders that they own. Users can set privileges for another user s file or folder if they have grant privilege for the item. Users also can assign privileges on an item to a security role. An Encyclopedia volume administrator can create security roles to manage privileges. A security role is a collection of users. A security role can also include other security roles. An administrator or user can set privileges for security roles on Encyclopedia volume items. When a security role has privileges on an Encyclopedia volume item, all users who belong to that security role have those privileges on that item. A user s privilege template specifies which privileges to set on all new objects the user creates. For example, a user s privilege template can set privileges for the user s assistant, colleague, or supervisor on all new objects the user creates. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 17

20 Table 2-1 Encyclopedia volume security features Feature Page-level security SmartSheet security Report Server Security Extension Description A report developer can use page-level security to determine user access to specific pages of an Actuate Basic report. Using page-level security, a report developer can create a report having security rules that control which pages a user can view. To use page-level security, you must purchase an Actuate iserver System license that enables the Actuate Page Level Security Option. To view a report that uses page-level security, a user must have secure read privilege on the report. A report developer can use SmartSheet security to determine user access to specific parts of an e.spreadsheet Designer report. Using SmartSheet security, a report developer can create a report that uses security rules to show each user only the data, worksheets, or data range sections that the user is authorized to see. To use SmartSheet security, you must purchase an Actuate iserver System license that enables the Actuate SmartSheet Security Option. A developer can create an application that controls the security and user properties for an Encyclopedia volume by using Report Server Security Extension (RSSE). For example, Actuate iserver System can access an external security application to authenticate user names and passwords. About users and passwords An Encyclopedia volume administrator sets up Encyclopedia volume user IDs. When a user logs in to an Encyclopedia volume, the user types a user ID and password, unless the password is null. If Actuate iserver System does not use RSSE, a user can change the password after logging in to the Encyclopedia volume. Some RSSE applications do not support a user changing a password. About privileges Each privilege permits a user to perform certain actions on a folder, file, or channel in an Encyclopedia volume. For example, if a user has read privilege on a file, the user can view or print the file. If a user attempts to perform an operation without the necessary privileges, a message indicates the nature of the problem. 18 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

21 By default, the user who creates a file or folder in the Encyclopedia volume is the owner of that item and has full privileges for the item. An Encyclopedia volume administrator can use the Information Delivery API (IDAPI) to change ownership of the item to a different user. Alternatively, a user with read privilege on the item can copy the original item and become the owner of the new item. If an administrator deletes a user, the administrator becomes the owner of all items that the deleted user owned. An Encyclopedia volume administrator always has full privileges on all items in the Encyclopedia volume. Planning the assignment of privileges It is important to understand the types of privileges that are used and their impact on volume activities in order to devise a strategy for assigning them to users. About types of privileges The following table describes the Encyclopedia volume privileges, the types of items to which the privileges apply, and other characteristics of the privileges. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 19

22 The order of the privileges in the table indicates a generally increasing ability to use items, modify items, and set access to items. Table 2-1 Privileges Privilege Visible (V) Secure Read (S) Read (R) Trusted execute (T) Description With visible privilege on a file or folder, a user can see the file or folder in the list of Encyclopedia volume items. A user must have visible privilege on a file or folder for any other privilege to be effective. A user who has read and execute privilege for an ROX or DOX file also has visible privilege for that file. A user who has read or secure read privilege for any other type of file also has visible privilege for it. An Encyclopedia volume administrator cannot remove visible privilege from the owner of a file or folder. This privilege does not apply to channels. A user who has secure read privilege on a file can read that file but not copy or download it. If your Actuate iserver System license enables the Actuate Page Level Security and Actuate e.report options, you can set pagelevel security on an Actuate Basic report object instance (.roi) file. A user who has secure read privilege, but not read privilege, on a file with page-level security can read only specified parts of that file. With read privilege on a file, a user can read, copy, and download the contents of the file. Read privilege and visible privilege are the same for a folder. A user who has read privilege on a channel can view the channel. To read a notice on a channel, a user also needs to have read or secure read privilege on the report document to which the notice refers. With trusted execute privilege, a user can execute an information object without having execute privilege for the information object s underlying data sources. This privilege only applies to an Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file. Only a user who has administrative privileges can set the trusted execute privilege on an item for a user or security role. 20 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

23 Table 2-1 Privilege Execute (E) Write (W) Delete (D) Grant (G) Privileges Description With execute privilege on an executable file, a user can execute the file. For example, a user who has execute privilege on an Actuate Basic report object executable (.rox) file can run the report. With the execute privilege, the Actuate iserver Factory service can read the file. To execute an Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file, a user must have any privileges required to execute all underlying data sources the file uses. The execute privilege does not apply to folders, channels, or document files. With write privilege on a file, a user can replace a file. With write privilege on a folder, a user can create items in that folder, including new versions of existing files. During report execution, a user who has write privilege on a channel can indicate whether to post a notice to the channel about that job s success or failure. That user also can choose to set the read or secure read privilege on the resulting document for any user who has read privilege for the channel. With delete privilege on a file or folder, a user can remove an item from an Encyclopedia volume. This privilege does not apply to channels. With grant privilege on a file or folder, a user can set and revoke any privileges that other users and security roles have for the item. This privilege does not apply to channels. To set a privilege for a user or security role on a file or folder, the item must have a shared access type. For the grant privilege to be effective, a user also must have visible privilege for the file or folder. To set or revoke privileges from Actuate iportal, a user also must have the Actuate iportal Advanced or Actuate iportal Administrator security role. To set or revoke privileges from Actuate Active Portal, a user also must have the Actuate Active Portal Advanced or Actuate Active Portal Administrator security role. An Encyclopedia volume administrator has grant privilege on all files and folders in an Encyclopedia volume. A volume administrator cannot remove the grant privilege from the owner of a file or folder. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 21

24 About the execute privilege and file types If a user does not have execute privilege on an executable file, the user cannot execute that file. The following tables list file extensions for executable files and non-executable document files. Executable file types include files with the following file extensions:.bizdesign.dox.dp4.icd.rox.rptdesign.rpx.sox.vtf.vtx Document files include files with the following file extensions:.bas.bizdocument.cb4.cvw.dcd.doi.dop.dov.epr.htm.html.iob.odp.pdf.rod.roi.rol.rop.ros.rov.rop.row.rpt.rptdocument.rptlibrary.rpttemplate.rpw.rtf.sma.sod.soi.txt.xls Understanding the impact of privileges on volume activities The following tables provide information about the privileges that a user must have to perform specific actions on Encyclopedia volume items. Each table provides information about one of the following categories of required privileges: Privileges for the item that the action involves. All actions require that a user have the necessary privileges for the Encyclopedia volume item that the action uses. For example, downloading an item requires that the user have read privilege for that item. Privileges for other files or a channel that the action involves. Some actions involve use of another file or channel and require that a user have the necessary privileges for that other item. For example, to view a cube (.cb4) file, a user must have read privilege for the CB4 and read privilege for the associated cube profile (.dp4) file. Privileges for folders that contain the item. Other actions require that a user have the necessary privileges for the source or destination folder of an item. For example, copying an item to another folder requires that the user have visible and write privileges for the destination folder. Table 2-2 lists the privileges that a user must have to complete the specified type of action on a relevant Encyclopedia volume item. In Table 2-2, each type of privilege is represented by the first letter of its name: V (visible), S (secure read), R 22 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

25 (read), E (execute), T (trusted execute), W (write), D (delete) and G (grant). The letter A is used to indicate that a user must belong to the administrator role. Table 2-2 User privileges for actions in an Encyclopedia volume Privileges required on item Action Type of item V S R E T W D G A Browsing items in the Encyclopedia file list, viewing their properties and access control list, for any item outside of the user s home folder Any V Copying Copying Creating a query definition (.dov) file Any except an Actuate SmartSheet (.soi) file Actuate SmartSheet (.soi) file Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file R R R (E or T) Deleting Any V D Downloading Any except an Actuate SmartSheet (.soi) file R Downloading Executing Actuate SmartSheet (.soi) file Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file V R (E or T) A A Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 23

26 Table 2-2 User privileges for actions in an Encyclopedia volume (continued) Privileges required on item Action Type of item V S R E T W D G A Executing Any executable file but not an Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file Granting or revoking privileges Any V G Moving Any V W Printing Any (S or R) Renaming Any V W Replacing the latest version of a document Updating the contents of a channel Any document file Channel Viewing an item s contents Any (S or R) Table 2-3 lists actions that also require privileges on other files involved in the requested action. V V E W D Table 2-3 File-specific user privileges for actions in an Encyclopedia volume Action Creating a query definition (.dov) file Type of item Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file Privileges required on other files Read privilege on the data object executable (.dox) file Privileges that a user must have to execute all Actuate information object (.iob) files, data source map (.sma) files, and data connection definition (.dcd) files that the file uses 24 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

27 Table 2-3 File-specific user privileges for actions in an Encyclopedia volume (continued) Action Deleting Folder Visible and delete privileges for all files in the deleted folder Executing Executing Type of item Any executable file Actuate information object (.iob) file or data source map (.sma) file Privileges required on other files Visible and delete privileges for the existing document file if execution will replace that file Write permission on a channel if the user chooses an executation option to add the output document file to a channel Privileges that a user must have to execute all Actuate information object (.iob) files, data source map (.sma) files, and data connection definition (.dcd) files that the IOB or SMA file uses Visible and delete privileges for the existing document file if execution will replace that file Write permission on the channel if the execution options include adding the output document file to a channel Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 25

28 Table 2-3 File-specific user privileges for actions in an Encyclopedia volume (continued) Action Executing Type of item Data object value (.dov) file Privileges required on other files Read and execute privileges for the corresponding Actuate information object (.iob) file, data source map (.sma) file, or data object executable (.dox) file Visible and delete privileges for the existing document file if execution will replace that file Write permission on a channel if the user chooses an execution option to add the output document file to a channel Updating Channel Execute and visible privileges on the executable file that generates the report document and on the notice that appears in the channel Viewing Cube (.cb4) file Read privilege for the corresponding cube profile (.dp4) file Viewing Document file Execute privilege on the executable file if the user executes the executable file at the same time Read privilege on the channel if the user views the document file through a channel in Actuate Active Portal, Actuate iportal, or Actuate Management Console 26 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

29 Table 2-4 lists actions that require privileges on a source or destination folder. Table 2-4 Folder-specific user privileges for actions in an Encyclopedia volume Action Type of folders Privileges required on folders Copying an item from one Destination Visible and write privileges folder to another folder Creating a new item in a folder or replacing the latest version of an item Destination Visible and write privileges Moving an item For information about the various types of report documents and report object executable files, see their entries in Actuate Glossary. About root folder privileges Destination and source All users can view an Encyclopedia volume s root folder. The items the user sees in the root folder are those for which the user has visible privilege. A user can have visible privilege directly or through a security role. An Encyclopedia volume administrator can set write and grant privileges on the root folder for users and security roles. The administrator can also remove these privileges. The following list describes the privileges that the administrator can set on an Encyclopedia volume s root folder: To allow a user to set privileges on the root folder to other users and security roles, an administrator must set the grant privilege for the root folder to the user or to a security role to which the user is assigned. To allow a user to create folders in the root folder, the administrator must set the write privilege for the root folder to the user or to a security role to which the user is assigned. If an administrator does not want to set the write privilege for the root folder to users and security roles, the administrator can create one or more shared folders in an Encyclopedia volume s root folder. The administrator can then assign write privilege on the shared folders to specific users and security roles. This option gives users the ability to create folders and files within the shared folders but not in the root folder itself. About home folder privileges Visible and write privileges An administrator can specify a home folder for a user. A user s home folder is the location that the user sees when the user logs in to an Encyclopedia volume. A user s home folder is also the default location for the output of jobs that the user runs. By default, a user s home folder is the root folder of the Encyclopedia Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 27

30 volume. For example, if a user executes a report object executable (.rox) file, the default location for the resulting report object instance (.roi) file is that user s home folder. If an administrator does not specify a home folder for a user, the user s home folder is the Encyclopedia volume s root folder. When an administrator specifies a home folder for a user, the user automatically has visible, read, and write privileges for the folder. Users cannot modify their own home folder settings. If an administrator changes the location of the home folder, the user gains visible, read, and write privileges for the new home folder, and keeps those privileges for the former home folder. About roles An Encyclopedia volume administrator creates security roles to simplify privilege assignment and maintenance. A security role is the name for a group of users who, because of their inclusion in the group, possess the privileges of the security role. Administrators and other users can set a security role s privileges on specific files, folders, or channels. Setting privileges for a security role provides those privileges to all users in the security role. A user can belong to several security roles. Security roles also can belong to other security roles. Assigning a security role to another security role supports the creation of a hierarchy of security roles. Using security roles helps ensure consistency in how an administrator sets privileges on various items for users who require the same privileges on those items. For example, to allow the marketing personnel and sales representatives to view a sales report, an administrator can assign those personnel to security roles. The administrator wants to ensure that only the sales representatives can run the associated report executable file. Both sales representatives and marketing personnel must have the read privilege for the report document. Only the sales representatives need the execute privilege for the associated report executable file. Instead of assigning these privileges on these items directly to each user, an administrator can create a security role called Sales to group all users who are sales representatives and a security role called Marketing to group all users who are marketing personnel. Figure 2-9 shows an example of creating and adding users to these security roles. As supervisor of both groups, EHom is part of both security roles. 28 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

31 1. Create a security role Marketing Sales 2. Add user to security role EHom DAdams JSalinger LThompson EHom BCarter EFitz SHorn Figure 2-9 Creating and adding users to security roles When a user needs to assign privileges to all sales representatives, the user can simplify the task by assigning them to a security role for example, Sales instead of to each individual sales rep, who is a member of the security role. Figure 2-10 shows the steps involved in realizing this example. For each item Sales Report document (ROI) Sales Report executable (ROX) 1. Select each security role Marketing Sales Sales 2. Assign privileges Read Read Read Execute Figure 2-10 Assigning privileges to security roles Using security roles to group users reduces the complexity of administering privileges in two ways: An Encyclopedia volume administrator can create a security role and assign to it privileges on many items. As users need access to those items, the administrator can add them the security role. Removing a security role s privilege on a file, folder, or channel typically removes that privilege for users assigned to that security role and who has not been assigned the same privilege directly or by a different security role. However, if a user has that same privilege through a different security role, removing the privilege for one role does not remove the privilege for the user. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 29

32 Similarly, removing a privilege on an item for a security role does not remove the privilege for a user who also has the privilege directly. An Encyclopedia volume administrator can set up a hierarchy of security roles. If an administrator adds a security role to another security role, the added role becomes a child role and inherits the privileges of its parent role. A security role can be a child role of multiple parent roles. The final set of privileges for a security role is the union of its specific privileges with the privileges of all its parent roles. Adding a privilege to a parent role means that all its children inherit the privilege. To remove a privilege that a security role inherits from a parent role, an administrator must remove it from the parent role. Removing a privilege on a file, folder, or channel from a parent role removes that privilege for all child roles that have this privilege only through the parent role. Typically, if an administrator or other user removes a privilege on an item from a parent role, all child roles of that security role lose that privilege. If a child role has a privilege on an item through several parent roles or has the privilege directly, removing the privilege from one parent role does not remove the privilege from the user. If a user can assign privileges, the user can assign privileges to a security role, but only an administrator can create or modify the definition of a security role. Also, only an administrator can see which users belong to each security role. When naming security roles, use descriptive names, so other users can choose appropriately among available roles when assigning privileges. There are system-defined Actuate security roles that cannot be deleted or renamed: Administrator. This role is for system administrators. Members have full access to the Encyclopedia volume and all files and folders on the volume. All. All users have this security role. This role is used on volume items, not security roles or users. Operator. Members who have this role can perform special back-up operations. There are three system-defined security roles, corresponding to Actuate iportal user levels: iportal Administrator iportal Advanced iportal Intermediate There are also three system-defined security roles, corresponding to Actuate Active Portal user levels: Active Portal Administrator 30 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

33 Active Portal Advanced Active Portal Intermediate These security roles control the features that are available to Encyclopedia volume users working with Actuate iportal. About privilege templates By default, the owner of a file or folder and the Encyclopedia volume administrator have all privileges on an Encyclopedia volume item. By default, other users have no privileges on an item. Each user also has a privilege template that specifies the privileges that other users have to items that he or she creates. The specifications in a privilege template affect only items that have the shared access type. The default privilege template does not set any privileges on new items for other users and security roles. By modifying a user s privilege template, an administrator can change the default privileges that other users receive on files and folders that user creates. For example, an administrator can change a user s privilege template so that the user s manager always has read and execute privileges on items that user creates. Figure 2-11 shows an example of a privilege template for a user, LThompson. In the example, the privilege template assigns all privileges to the user s assistant, DAdams. The privilege template also assigns read and write privileges to a colleague, BCarter, and read privilege to the Sales role. When LThompson creates a shared item, the template specifies these privileges for the new item. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 31

34 User User s privilege template LThompson DAdams BCarter Sales Delete Read Read Execute Write Grant Read Secure Read Trusted Execute Visible Write Figure 2-11 A privilege template About file and folder access types A file or folder in an Encyclopedia volume can be private or shared: Private. Only the owner and an Encyclopedia volume administrator can access a file or folder that has the private access type. The owner and the administrator cannot set privileges on the file or folder for any other user or security role. Shared. For a user to set privileges for other users on a file or folder in an Encyclopedia volume, the file or folder must have the shared access type. Then, any user with appropriate privileges can access the item. The volume administrator or the owner of a file or folder can set its access type. Working with folders In enterprise mode, you can access three types of folders: Folders that are made available to you by: A volume administrator 32 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

35 A report developer A user who has the Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels Your home folder, if the volume administrator created one. Folders that you create. Only users who have the Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can create folders. When you access a repository using Actuate iportal in enterprise mode, the operations that you can perform on folders depend on the Actuate iportal functionality levels that the repository administrator assigned to you. In workgroup mode, you can access your home folder and its subdirectories and the public folder and its subdirectories. If you have access to the file system that contains the repository, you can create new subfolders in your home folder. Accessing the contents of a folder In enterprise mode, every user has a view of the repository contents. The Encyclopedia volume administrator, the report developer, or a user who has the Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality can set user access to folders. Users typically have access to multiple levels of folders. You navigate through folders by choosing Documents then choosing folder links. As you traverse the folders, you can always check the path of the current folder by looking at the folder path at the top of the main display area of the page. The following path is an example of a folder path: Actuate > Sales > East > NY In this example, Actuate is the repository name, and the other names are folder names in hierarchical order. NY is the folder whose contents appear on the page. You can use this folder path as a navigation tool. Each part of the path name is a link. Choosing any of these links displays the contents of the selected folder. For example, a quick way to get to the repository s root folder is to choose the repository s name in the path. Getting detailed information about a folder To view details about a folder, choose the details icon. When you choose this icon, Actuate iportal displays a details page that includes information about the creator of the folder, the location of the folder in the repository, privileges for the folder, and the folder s archiving policy. About your home folder Your home folder is a personal folder that, by default, only you and the repository administrator can access. You own your home folder and have full privileges for Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 33

36 it. In enterprise mode, if you generate reports that you want to keep private, save the reports in your home folder, and do not grant privileges on the folder to any other user. In workgroup mode, report documents are not saved. Accessing your home folder When you log in to the repository, Actuate iportal displays the contents of your home folder. If you do not have a home folder, Actuate iportal displays the contents of the repository s root folder. The typical path to your home folder is <repository name>/home/<your user name>. You can navigate to your home folder by traversing the folder hierarchy and choosing folder links. You can also choose My Folder to open your home folder immediately. Creating a folder In enterprise mode, users who have Active Portal Advanced and Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can create folders in an Encyclopedia volume. How to create a folder in an Encyclopedia volume 1 To create a folder in the repository root folder, or to create a subfolder under an already existing folder, choose the details icon at the right of the folder path. 2 In Detail, select Create Folder from the Select an Operation drop-down list, as shown in Figure 2-12, then choose OK. Figure 2-12 Create Folder command 3 In Create Folder, type a folder name and description, then choose OK. 34 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

37 Setting folder privileges By default, folders are shared. You can set privileges on a shared folder. Shared folders are not available to other users until you set the appropriate folder privileges. In enterprise mode, users with Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can set folder privileges. To set privileges for a folder, you must also have grant privileges on that folder. When you set folder privileges, you can assign privileges to individual users or to sets of users that are called roles. For example, the All role includes all users in the repository. For more information about roles, see Chapter 2, Managing Encyclopedia volume security, in Administering an Encyclopedia Volume. If you own a folder and do not want to assign privileges to other users, make the folder private by selecting Do not share. Only the folder owner or the repository administrator can set a folder access type to Do not share. If a folder is shared, any user with grant privilege on that folder and Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can set privileges on the folder. When you set folder privileges, you can: Set privileges for files in the current folder only or for all files and subfolders in the folder. Add or remove privileges. How to set folder privileges in an Encyclopedia volume 1 On the folder s detail page, select Share from the Select an Operation dropdown list, as shown in Figure 2-13, then choose OK. Figure 2-13 Selecting Share Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 35

38 The sharing and privileges page appears, as shown in Figure Assign or deny privileges on the folder to other users or roles Set privileges for items in the folder Figure 2-14 and privileges page 2 In Available, select a role or a user for which to define privileges, then choose the right arrow. This action moves the role or user to Selected. 3 Select the Privileges using the individual checkboxes. 4 Set folder privileges for the role or user: To set privileges for all items in the folder, select Apply these privilege settings to the contents of the folder. To set privileges for all subfolders and files in the current folder, select Recursively include subfolders and their contents. To replace the privileges on the items in the folder, select Replace existing privilege settings. If you do not select Replace existing privilege settings, the new privileges are added to the existing privileges. Choose OK. Deleting a folder from an Encyclopedia volume In enterprise mode, users who have Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels and delete privileges on a folder can delete that folder. 36 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

39 How to delete a folder from an Encyclopedia volume 1 On the folder s detail page, select Delete from the Select an Operation dropdown list, as shown in Figure 2-15, then choose OK. Figure 2-15 Deleting a folder 2 When the confirmation message appears, choose OK. When the deletion is complete, Actuate iportal displays a deletion confirmation page. Working with files Using the default display settings, files in the repository appear in the following categories: Documents You Can View. When you choose a file from Documents You Can View Actuate iportal opens it for viewing. Reports You Can Run. When you choose a file from Reports You Can Run, Actuate iportal displays a page for submitting a run request. The document pages that display folder contents show these files in separate sections. Depending on which files you can access, you might see some, all, or none of these categories. When you access a repository using Actuate iportal, you can perform the following additional file operations: Get detailed information about a file. Delete files that you own. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 37

40 In enterprise mode, you cannot rename, copy, or move files without the necessary privileges. With the Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality level in enterprise mode, you can: Delete files for which you have privileges but do not own. Share files that you own by assigning privileges to other users. By default, the file types listed in Table 2-5 are defined in the repository. Table 2-5 File type cb4 dp4 cvw odp dox bas rptdesign rptlibrary rpttemplate rptdocument bizdesign bizdocument rol epr iob icd rop dov doi rod roi rox rov ros soi iportal file types Description Actuate Analytics Cube Actuate Analytics Cube Profile Actuate Analytics Cube Report Actuate Analytics Parameters for Analysis Services Actuate Basic Information Object Actuate Basic Source File Actuate BIRT Report Design Actuate BIRT Report Design Library Actuate BIRT Report Design Template Actuate BIRT Report Document Actuate BusinessReport Design Actuate BusinessReport Document Actuate Design Library Actuate External Procedure Object Actuate Information Object Actuate Information Object Cache Definition Actuate Parameter Template Actuate Query Definition Actuate Query Output Actuate Report Design Actuate Report Document Actuate Report Executable Actuate Report Parameter Values Actuate Search Definition Actuate SmartSheet 38 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

41 Table 2-5 File type sod sox pdf rpt rpx rpw dcd sma htm or html xls rtf txt iportal file types (continued) Description Actuate SmartSheet Design Actuate SmartSheet Executable Adobe PDF File Crystal Report Crystal Report Executable Crystal Web Report Data Connection Definition Data Source Map HTML document Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Rich Text Format Text File Getting detailed information about a file Documents displays a file name, version number, and date and time of creation. To get more details about a file, choose the details icon. When you choose the details icon, Actuate iportal displays a details page that includes information about file type, location, and file size. In enterprise mode, this page also includes information about the creator of the file, access rights, the archival policy for the file, and whether the file is shared or not shared. Detail information is read-only. A detail page looks similar to the one in Figure Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 39

42 Figure 2-16 Detail information About access rights In enterprise mode, the access rights section of a details page for a file shows your privileges for that file. Each privilege indicates an operation that you can perform on the file. About file access types In enterprise mode, users with Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can set file privileges for other users by selecting Share on the file s detail page. By default, all files except Actuate Analytics cube reports are shared. In other words, you can assign privileges to other users for a file that you create or on which you have grant privileges. If you do not want to assign privileges to other users, make the file private by selecting Do not share. About autoarchiving In enterprise mode, the autoarchiving section of a detail page for a file shows the archival policy, if any, that the administrator assigned to that file, as shown in the following example: Delete item after 30 days. Allow expiration of this file. Archive item before deletion. 40 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

43 Determining the version of a file In enterprise mode, the Encyclopedia volume provides autoversioning functionality to maintain different versions of a report. By default, when a report object executable file is run multiple times, by a single user or multiple users, the Encyclopedia volume creates new versions of the generated report and increments the version number. When you run a report object executable file, you can specify a version name for the new report and the versioning method to apply. You can also specify what to do if the generated file already exists: Create a new version. Replace the latest version. Keep only a specified number of the latest versions. When you view the details of a file, you can view the version number and version name. The Encyclopedia volume generates the version number, which reflects the number of times the report object executable file was run if you chose to create a new version every time. If you specified a version name when you ran the report object executable file, the details page displays the version name. Setting file privileges In enterprise mode, users with Active Portal Advanced or Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can set file privileges. When you set file privileges, you can assign privileges to individual users or to sets of users, called roles. For example, the all role includes all users in the Encyclopedia volume. For more information about roles, see Chapter 2, Managing Encyclopedia volume security, in Administering an Encyclopedia Volume. If you want to give a user or a role access to a file, you must also give the user or role access to the folder that contains the file. By default, files are shared. You can set privileges on a shared file. Shared files are not available to other users until you set the appropriate file privileges. If you own a file and do not want to assign privileges to other users, make the file private by selecting Do not share. Only the file owner or the Encyclopedia volume administrator can set a file s access type to Do not share. If a file is shared, any user who has Active Portal Advanced and Active Portal Administrator functionality levels and grant privilege on that file can set privileges on the file. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 41

44 Figure 2-17 Sharing privileges How to set file privileges 1 On the file s detail page, select Share from the Select an Operation drop-down list, as shown in Figure 2-17, then choose OK. Figure 2-18 shows an example of the sharing and privileges page. Figure 2-18 Sharing and privileges page 2 Set file privileges: Assign privileges on the file. If you do not want to assign privileges to other users, select Do not share. 42 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

45 Choose OK. Deleting a file Deletion options differ between enterprise mode and workgroup mode. In enterprise mode, you can delete a file from the repository only if you have delete privileges for the file. In workgroup mode, you can delete a file from your home folder. How to delete a file 1 Choose the details icon. 2 On the details page, choose Delete from the drop-down list in Select an Operation. 3 At the confirmation prompt, choose OK to confirm the deletion. When you choose OK, one of the following events occurs: If you have delete privileges for the file, and the delete operation succeeds, you receive a message confirming that the file was deleted from the volume. If you do not have delete privileges for the file, you receive a message stating that you do not have the correct privilege to delete the file. Filtering items on a page In both workgroup and enterprise modes, you can filter the list of items that appear on a page. You filter items on a page when: The lists of documents are too long to view conveniently. Files appear first in alphabetical order, then by version number in enterprise mode, and you cannot change the sort order. You view a partial list of items that match a specified criteria. For example, you can use the filter to display only viewable reports, or only reports that begin with the letters Sales. The number of items exceeds 500. Actuate iportal displays a maximum of 500 items. Enabling the filter option To filter, you must first enable the filter option. The filter options vary for each page, depending on which items appear. For example, on Documents, you can filter files and folders. In enterprise mode, you can filter job names and jobs that failed or succeeded on Completed. When you enable the filter option, it is enabled until you disable it or you log out from Actuate iportal. Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 43

46 Filtering items on a documents page By default, Documents displays all the contents of the current folder, including subfolders and all versions of report documents and report object executable files. Using the filter option, you select what folder contents to display. How to filter items on a documents page 1 Choose Filter On. The available filter options appear on Documents, as shown in Figure Figure 2-19 Filter options 2 Select the items to display: Latest version only. This item is only available in enterprise mode. It is not selected by default. If you select it, only the most recent versions of reports and report object executable files appear. Folders. This item is selected by default. If it is not selected, folders do not appear. Documents. This item is selected by default. If it is not selected, viewable documents do not appear. Executables. This item is selected by default. If it is not selected, report object executable files do not appear. 3 To filter items by certain characters, type a string in the text field. You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard character in the string. For example, to display all reports that start with the word detail, type: detail* The string applies to all items that you selected for display in step 2. If you selected folders and documents, only folders and documents matching the string appear. 44 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

47 4 Choose Apply to run the filter. The resulting page displays the filtered items. In Figure 2-20, only viewable report documents appear. Figure 2-20 Filtering reports Filtering items on a jobs page In enterprise mode, the jobs page has five tabs, Schedules, Waiting for Event, Pending, Running, and Completed. By default, a page shows all jobs in the corresponding state of processing. Using the filter option, you can choose to display jobs with file names that match a specific string expression. How to filter items on a jobs page 1 Choose Filter On. After you choose Filter On, the available filter options appear on the jobs page. 2 Type a string in the text field. You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard character in the string. For example, to display all jobs whose names start with d, type: d* On Completed, you can display only jobs that succeeded, only jobs that failed, or both. 3 To run the filter, choose Apply. The resulting page displays the filtered jobs. For example, in Figure 2-21, the completed jobs page displays only jobs that start with d. Figure 2-21 Filtering jobs Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 45

48 Filtering items on a channels page In enterprise mode, by default, a channels page displays all reports in the channel. Using the filter option, you can choose to display only reports whose names match a specific string expression. How to filter items on a channels page 1 Choose Filter On. When you choose Filter On, the available filter options appear on the channels page. 2 Type a string in the text field. You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard character in the string. For example, to display all reports starting with m, type: m* 3 To run the filter, choose Apply. The resulting page displays the filtered items. For example, in Figure 2-22, Personal Channel displays only reports that start with d. Figure 2-22 Filtering channel information Removing filter selections The filter selections that you set on a page remain in effect until you reset the filter or log out of Actuate iportal. Choose Reset to revert to the default filter and display all items. Just as you can set filter selections on a page-by-page basis only, you reset filter selections on a page-by-page basis. Searching for files and folders In enterprise mode, a user who is assigned an Active Portal functionality level of Intermediate, Advanced, or Administrator or who is a repository administrator can search for data in a repository. Search results do not include items for which you do not have read or visible privileges. 46 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

49 Using special characters in a search expression If a search string contains one or more special characters, you must type a backslash (\) before each special character. Special characters include characters that are operators in a search expression, as shown in the following list: Comma (,) Hyphen (-) Exclamation point (!) Less than sign (<) Greater than sign (>) Equal sign (=) Pipe sign ( ) Ampersand (&) Number sign (#) Asterisk (*) Backslash (\) Searching for a file You can search for files or folders. The following procedure describes how to search for files that meet the following criteria: Folder is /Training File type is Actuate Basic report document (.roi) How to display search results 1 Choose Documents from the side menu, and navigate to the folder in which to search. 2 In the page banner, choose Search. 3 In Search Documents, type a value in Enter the name of the file or folder to search for, as shown in Figure You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 47

50 character in the string. For example, to display all reports whose names start with the word detail, type: detail* Figure 2-23 Search field 4 Select a view type from the View drop-down list, and choose Search. The search results appear, as shown in Figure Figure 2-24 Search results Setting user preferences In enterprise mode, after you connect to an Encyclopedia volume, you can: Change your password. Set display options. Choose notification options. In workgroup mode, you can set the Actuate iportal view for your folders. Changing your password In enterprise mode, the Encyclopedia volume administrator sets your user name and password. After you log in to an Encyclopedia volume, you can change your password at any time. How to change your password 1 Choose Options on the page banner. 48 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

51 2 On Options--General, in Update password, type your old password, then type your new password twice, as shown in Figure Figure 2-25 User password To save your settings, choose Save Options. The new settings take effect immediately. Setting display options You can set page display options in the following ways: Change Actuate iportal views. In enterprise mode, use a different Actuate iportal skin. Changing Actuate iportal views Actuate iportal provides four ways to display the contents of a repository: Select Categories to view files and folders separated into different categories. Select Details to view a list of folders followed by a list of files that the Encyclopedia volume contains. Select Icons to view Encyclopedia volume items horizontally with large icons. Select List to view Encyclopedia volume items horizontally with small icons. To change the view of the current folder, select the view type in View. How to change Actuate iportal views in an Encyclopedia volume 1 Choose Options on the page banner. Set your new password Choose to apply settings Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 49

52 2 On Options--General, in View, select one of the following options from the drop-down list, as shown in Figure 2-26: Categories Details Icons List Figure 2-26 Views 3 To save your settings, choose Save Options. The new settings take effect immediately. Changing Actuate iportal skins In enterprise mode, Actuate iportal skins provide different presentation formats for the Actuate iportal graphical user interface (GUI). A skin consists of images, cascading stylesheets, JavaScript, and template files that are used to define the GUI. 50 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

53 Actuate iportal provides three default skins: Use the Classic skin to view Documents, My Jobs, and Channels in the side menu. Volume, system, and user information appear on the banner. Figure 2-27 shows the classic skin, which is the default skin. Figure 2-27 Classic skin Use the Tabbed skin to view Documents, My Jobs, and Channels as tabs on the banner at the top of the page. Volume, system, and user information appear on the banner also, as shown in Figure Figure 2-28 Tabbed skin Use the Tree View skin to view Documents, My Jobs, and Channels as a hierarchical view in the side menu. The folders view starts from the root folder Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 51

54 of an Encyclopedia volume. This hierarchical view is similar to that of Windows Explorer, as shown in Figure Figure 2-29 Tree View skin How to change which Actuate iportal skin you use 1 Choose Options on the page banner. 2 On Options General, in Skin, select one of the following options, as shown in Figure 2-30: Classic Skin Tabbed Skin Tree View Skin Figure 2-30 iportal skins To save your settings, choose Save Options. The new settings take effect immediately. 52 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

55 Choosing notification options In enterprise mode, the Encyclopedia volume administrator sets up your initial notification options. When you log in to an Encyclopedia volume, you can change these settings at any time. The Encyclopedia volume administrator can disable the notification options for security purposes. If you need access to the options, and they are not available to you, contact your Encyclopedia volume administrator. The notification options that you select determine if and how you are notified about successful and failed jobs. The notification options also apply to jobs that the Encyclopedia volume administrator or other users submit and to which you have access. You can choose to receive notices through , in your personal channel, or both. By default, notices for failed and successful jobs appear only in your personal channel. You can choose to send a generated report document as an attachment when you submit a run request. How to set notification options 1 Choose Options on the page banner. 2 On Options General, choose Notification. 3 On Options Notification, make your selections, as shown in Figure Figure 2-31 Notification tab To save your settings, choose Save Options. The new settings take effect immediately. Subscribing to a channel In enterprise mode, users who have Active Portal Advanced and Active Portal Administrator functionality levels can subscribe to channels. The Encyclopedia Chapter 2, Accessing your documents 53

56 volume administrator controls access to channels. Access to channels can vary, depending on the type and level of security that is used with the Actuate iserver System. How to subscribe to or unsubscribe from a channel 1 Choose Channels on the side menu. The channels page displays a list of channels to which you are subscribed, as shown in Figure Figure 2-32 List of channels 2 Select Subscribe to channels from the drop-down list, as shown in Figure 2-33, then choose OK. Figure 2-33 Subscribing to a channel 3 Select the channels to which you want to subscribe, and deselect the channels from which you want to unsubscribe, as shown in Figure Select channels Figure 2-34 Unsubscribe to channels To save your settings, choose OK. The new settings take effect immediately. 54 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

57 Chapter 3Running a report Chapter This chapter contains the following topics: Accessing a report that you can run Displaying only executable files About run requests Running a report synchronously Running a report in the background Specifying a report parameter Using a date-and-time expression for a document or a version name Checking the status of a job Viewing a report Chapter 3, Running a report 55

58 Accessing a report that you can run Repository administrators can generate and distribute report documents that users can view and print. They can also distribute a report s executable file so that users can generate updated reports for themselves. License options determine which report executable types you can run. For example, you need Actuate BIRT Report option to run an Actuate BIRT report. When you connect to a repository, you can see all items to which you have access. Actuate iportal uses a server to run a report. In enterprise mode, the server is an Actuate iserver System. In workgroup mode, the server is an application server. By default, a documents page organizes files into the following categories: Documents You Can View, which lists the reports that you can open for viewing Reports You Can Run, which lists the report executable (.rptdesign) files and Actuate e.spreadsheet Template (.sox) files that you can run to generate new reports For information about the various file types, such as report documents and executable files, see their entries in Actuate Glossary. Displaying only executable files If you have access to a large number of files, you can use the filter option to display only executable files. You can also specify that the page display a partial list of executable files that match specified criteria. About run requests You run a report when you want Actuate iserver to generate a report with the most current data. An executable file contains compiled code that specifies how the server generates a report and what data it retrieves for the report. In enterprise mode, you can run third-party reports, such as Crystal reports, and Actuate reports. When you run a report, you can use the default execution settings or set properties, such as report parameters to filter report data, the name of the generated report document, and, in enterprise mode, the file versioning method to use. These options are collectively called a run request. You can run a report in the following ways: Synchronously 56 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

59 In enterprise mode, in the background, which is also called asynchronously About synchronous run requests A synchronous run request, also called a simple request, instructs the server to process the request immediately. If the processing completes successfully, the generated report appears. If the report takes a few minutes to finish generating, Actuate iportal displays the pages that have completed. You should not run a report synchronously if it is very large, such as thousands of pages. Actuate iportal waits a fixed amount of time, 30 minutes by default, for the server to respond. If a report takes longer than the designated wait period to generate, Actuate iportal stops waiting for the report and displays a time-out message. By default, the server creates a temporary report document, which is also called a transient report, when you run a report synchronously. The server runs the report executable file and displays the generated report, but it does not save the report in the Encyclopedia volume. This feature is useful for running and viewing test reports that you do not want to save. In enterprise mode, you can choose to save the report when you create the request. About background run requests In enterprise mode, a background run request, also called a background job or an asynchronous job, instructs Actuate iserver System to process the request in the background at a scheduled time. You do not have to wait for the processing to complete to perform other tasks, such as submit another run request. The immediate result from submitting a background run request is a confirmation message. You can view the processing status of a request by choosing the My Jobs option and locating the job in one of the jobs pages, either Scheduled, Waiting for Event, Pending, Running, or Completed. Running a report synchronously Run a report synchronously when you want to: Run the report immediately. View the report as soon as the server generates it. Create a temporary report that is not saved on the repository. You cannot run reports that use report bursting synchronously. A report that uses report bursting generates other reports, and Actuate iportal cannot determine Chapter 3, Running a report 57

60 which report to display. If you try to run a bursting report, an error message appears, stating that the execution failed. Also, you should not run large reports synchronously, because the request might time out before the server finishes generating the report. A report s executable file can contain report parameters, and you can supply parameter values to modify how the server generates the report. If you do not specify parameter values, Actuate iserver uses the default values, defined by the report developer. By default, when you run a report synchronously, Actuate iserver creates and displays a temporary report. In enterprise mode, you can save the generated report. If you want to view only the first pages of a large report, you can cancel report generation after you view the pages that you need. How to run a report synchronously The following procedure assumes thatyou are connected to an Encyclopedia voume using iportal in enterprise mode. This procedure describes how to run a report object executable (.rox) file. 1 In Reports You Can Run, navigate to the folder that contains the ROX. 2 Choose the link to the report. You can choose either the file name or the version name. 58 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

61 3 On Run and View Parameters, supply parameter values if the report uses parameters. Figure 3-1 shows Run and View Parameters. Figure 3-1 Run and View Parameters 4 To save the generated report in the Encyclopedia volume: 1 Choose Save As. 2 On Run and View Save As: Chapter 3, Running a report 59

62 Select Save the output document in the repository, as shown in Figure 3-2. Select this option to save the generated report Figure 3-2 Run and View--Save as In Output location, accept the default setting, or type a new location to which to save the file. You must save the file to an existing folder. Provide the file name: In Document name, accept the default setting or type a new document name. In Version name, type a version name. You can use a date-and-time expression that evaluates to the date on which the report is generated as a document or version name. A file name cannot include the following characters: ; *? < > " Specify how to use an existing version of the report: To create a new version of the report and retain existing versions, select Create a new version. To replace an existing version of the report, select Replace the latest version. To retain a certain number of previous versions of the report, select Keep only the latest, then type the number of previous versions to retain. When you finish, choose Submit. Actuate iserver System processes the run request and displays the generated report. 60 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

63 Running a report in the background In enterprise mode, you can run a report in the background when you want to: Continue with other tasks instead of waiting for the results of the run request. View the report later. Schedule the report to run at a later date and time or on a recurring basis. If Actuate iserver System fails before scheduled jobs run to completion, the generation process reruns when Actuate iserver System restarts. A job that failed several times due to Actuate iserver failure reruns only once. When you run a report in the background, you select when to run the report and whether the report runs once or at scheduled intervals. You also specify the job priority. Actuate iserver System uses job priority to determine the order in which it processes jobs. The Encyclopedia volume administrator sets your maximum job priority level. Only users with Actuate iportal or Administrator functionality levels can set job priority for a report request. If your maximum job priority is 200 or less, no Priority buttons appear on Background Schedule. A report s executable file can contain report parameters, and you can supply parameter values to modify how Actuate iserver System generates the report. If you do not specify parameter values, Actuate iserver System uses the default values, defined by the report developer. When you run a report object executable (.rox) file in the background, you can select one of the output formats that are described in Table 3-1. Table 3-1 Output format ROI PDF Output formats Description The standard Actuate Basic report format, a report object instance (.roi) file. ROI is the default output format. Adobe Acrobat-readable Portable Document Format. Chapter 3, Running a report 61

64 Table 3-1 Output formats (continued) Output format Excel Data Excel Display RTF Fully Editable RTF Description A format that is used mainly for tabular or listing reports. The appearance is not always faithful to the original report nor does this format work well for complicated reports. Potential issues include images and graphs that do not appear, background colors of frames and flows that are ignored, and component positioning that is only roughly accurate. Use this format to export the data and preserve its data type in Excel. For example, datetime data is exported as the datetime data type. The data might not appear the same in Excel, because Excel can display the data in a different format. In the English (United States) locale, for example, a Date Time control that displays the mm/dd/yy h:nn:ss AM/PM format in an Actuate report appears in the m/d/yyyy h:mm format in Excel. When you export data to Excel, you cannot preserve both the data type and the format. To preserve the format, select Excel Display for the export format. A format that appears as much like the Actuate report on an Excel spreadsheet as possible. The Actuate report s data is in Excel s general format. Rich Text Format. The report s visual layout is similar to the DHTML viewer layout. Rich Text Format with more flexibility for manipulating output, such as the ability to move and delete several lines from a report at one time. This format produces a larger RTF file than the RTF format. If your Actuate iportal functionality level is or Administrator, you can receive e- mail notification when the report runs. Actuate iportal notifies you only of jobs that succeed. An notice can include the generated report as an attachment. Table 3-2 lists the executable types and report attachment formats. Table 3-2 Executable types Executable type.dov.rox.rpx.bizdesign.rptdesign Supported attachment output format.pdf, Excel data,.rtf, fully editable.rtf.roi,.pdf, Excel data, Excel display,.rtf, fully editable.rtf.rpw,.rpt.bizdocument.rptdocument 62 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

65 Table 3-2 Executable type.sox How to run a report in the background The following procedure assumes that you are already connected to an Encyclopedia volume. This procedure describes how to run a report object executable (.rox) file. 1 In Reports You Can Run, navigate to the folder that contains the ROX. 2 Choose the clock icon at the right of the report. 3 On Run in Background Schedule, provide scheduling information, asn shown in Figure 3-3: Accept the default job name or type a new name for the job. On the jobs pages, the job name identifies the request. To distinguish multiple run requests for a report, assign a unique name for each request. Select a scheduling option: Executable types (continued) Supported attachment output format.xls To schedule the report to run as soon as you submit the request, select Right Now. To run the report on a specified day and time, select Once. Type the date-and-time value, or choose the calendar button at the right of the date field to select a date from the calendar. To run the report on specified dates and times between a start date and an end date, select Recurring, then select an interval or a date and time on which to run the report. You must also select a start date and an end date for the report request. To set the job priority, select Low, Medium, or High, or select Other and type a priority value. Chapter 3, Running a report 63

66 When you finish, to specify report parameters, choose Parameters. Figure 3-3 Run in Background--Schedule 4 On Run in Background Parameters, if the report uses parameters, specify parameter values. 5 To specify output settings, choose Output. 6 On Run in Background Output, specify output settings, as shown in Figure 3-4: In Headline, type a headline to describe the report. A headline appears below the job name on Personal Channel. In Output location, select the folder to which to save the file: To save the file to your personal folder, select Personal folder. To save the file to a different folder, type the folder name and location, or choose Browse to select the folder. You must save the file to an existing folder. Provide the file name in Document name, accepting the default setting or typing a new document name. For a report object executable (.rox) file, in Document format, you can select an output format for the report. In Version name, type a version name. You also can use a date-and-time expression that evaluates to the date on which the report is generated as a document or version name. For information about using date-and-time expressions in the document name. 64 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

67 A file name cannot include the following characters: ; *? < > " Specify how to use an existing version of the report: To create a new version of the report and retain existing versions, select Create a new version. To replace an existing version of the report, select Replace the latest version. To retain a certain number of previous versions of the report, select Keep only the latest, then type the number of previous versions to retain. To receive an notification when the report runs, select Send me an notification, then select the report output format. Choose Submit. Figure 3-4 Run in Background Output Chapter 3, Running a report 65

68 After you submit the job, a job confirmation page appears to confirm that the request was submitted, as shown in Figure 3-5. Figure 3-5 Job submission confirmation page Specifying a report parameter Report parameters specify criteria for running a report. Parameters that are defined by the report developer in the report design can control aspects of report generation, such as: What records are retrieved The sorting sequence of data The output format You set parameter values when you create a run request. If you do not specify parameter values, Actuate iserver uses the default parameter values, defined by the report developer. Understanding the types of report parameters The parameters types are: Optional Required Ad hoc Boolean shows an example Parameters page, listing several parameters and sample parameter values. About optional parameters An optional parameter does not require a value. An optional parameter enables, but does not require, a user to narrow the scope of a report. If a user does not specify parameter values, the report uses default values. 66 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

69 About required parameters A required parameter must have a value before the report runs. For example, a report that accesses a database can require a user name and password. Typically, a report developer supplies a default value for a required parameter. In Figure 3-7, the Purchase Volume parameter is required, as indicated on the right side of the Parameters page. About ad hoc parameters An ad hoc parameter filters the data that a SQL query retrieves. The value that you provide for an ad hoc parameter modifies the WHERE clause of the report s SQL statement to retrieve only data that meet certain criteria. An ad hoc parameter can be either optional or required. About Boolean parameters A Boolean parameter supports true and false values. A report developer can use labels for Boolean true and false values. For example, after creating a Boolean parameter, Order Status, a report developer can use Order did not ship for false and Order shipped for true. Supplying a parameter value Depending on how the report developer designed the parameter, the user can use one of the following methods to supply a parameter value: Type a parameter value in the text box at the right of the parameter name, or, if the parameter is an ad hoc parameter, use the ad hoc parameter builder to provide a value in the text box. Select a radio button. Select a value from a drop-down list, type a value in the drop-down list box, or, if the parameter is an ad hoc parameter, use the ad hoc parameter builder to provide a value in the drop-down list box. Type a date, or use the date picker to supply a date value. Actuate does not support thousands separators in numeric report parameter values. Chapter 3, Running a report 67

70 Specifying a value for an ad hoc parameter The value of an ad hoc parameter modifies the WHERE clause of a SQL query that the report developer created. You can specify a single value or an expression. Using an expression, you can specify a list or range of values. When you use Query by Example (QBE) syntax, the application reads the QBE expression and adds the corresponding SQL code to the query. You can use QBE syntax to build the following types of expressions: A single value, such as 10 A relational expression, such as >10 A range of values, such as A list of values, expressions, or ranges, separated by pipe signs, such as >50 Some locales also accept a comma as a list separator. A group of values, such as (abc xyz), that can be combined in a Boolean expression, such as (abc xyz)&bbb Table 3-1 provides a quick reference for QBE expressions, including the expression type, the data source column name to which the expression applies, the QBE expression, and the associated SQL condition. Table 3-1 QBE expressions reference Type of expression Column QBE expression SQL condition Single value quantity 0 quantity = 0 custstate CA custstate LIKE 'CA%' Relational quantity >50 quantity > 50 custstate!ca custstate NOT LIKE 'CA%' custstate!'ca' custstate <> 'CA' custname >P custname > 'P' custname D&'%Corp%' custname LIKE 'D%' AND custname LIKE '%Corp%' Range price price BETWEEN 10 AND 20 orderdate 1/1/1994 5/31/1994 orderdate BETWEEN {d ' '} AND {d ' '} custname Ed Kl custname BETWEEN 'Ed' AND 'Kl' 68 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

71 Table 3-1 QBE expressions reference (continued) Type of expression Column QBE expression SQL condition List custstate CA CT NV custstate LIKE 'CA%' OR custstate LIKE 'CT%' OR custstate LIKE 'NV%' custstate 'CA' 'CT' 'NV' custstate = 'CA' OR custstate = 'CT' OR custstate = 'NV' empcode empcode = 1 OR empcode BETWEEN 6 AND 8 Group custname (D F)&'%Corp%' (custname LIKE 'D%' OR custname LIKE 'F%') AND custname LIKE '%Corp%' A value in a QBE expression must match the data type of the data source column to which it applies. For example, you must use a numeric value in a QBE expression that filters a numeric column. Do not apply formatting to a report parameter value. If the application cannot convert a value in a QBE expression to the data type that the data source requires, <ERROR> appears in the SQL code. How to use the ad hoc parameter builder For a field that supports typing an ad hoc value, you can type the value and use the ad hoc parameter builder to choose from a list of operators and characters to provide a QBE expression in the field. 1 Choose the builder button to the right of the parameter value field s dropdown list. shows the menu that appears. 2 To add an item to the field, choose the item from the list. 3 To type text, reposition the insertion point in the field, or repeat steps 1 and 2 to choose another item. Figure 3-6 shows the result of adding two pipe signs ( ) and typing several values. The resulting a QBE expression specifies that the values must match 'A', 'B', or 'S'. Figure 3-6 A QBE expression on Requester Specifying a null value in a QBE expression To specify that a field in the database must contain data or must not contain a data value, use the keyword Null. To specify that the field must not contain a data value, type Null as the QBE expression. To specify that a field must contain a data Chapter 3, Running a report 69

72 value, type!null as the QBE expression. Null is not case sensitive. Table 3-2 shows examples of QBE expressions using Null. Table 3-2 QBE expressions using Null Database column QBE expression SQL condition orderdate Null orderdate IS NULL custid!null custid IS NOT NULL Using a date in a QBE expression To supply a date in the short date format, use the locale-specific date separator and date format order. Table 3-3 lists examples of correct date formats in different locale settings. Table 3-3 Using a date in a QBE expression Locale setting Correct format US English 01/15/2006 French (France) 15/01/2006 Russian When you use a date in a QBE expression, use four-digit years rather than two-digit year abbreviations. For example, to signify January 15, 2006, type 01/15/2006 rather than 01/15/06. Using a four-digit year ensures that you do not have to consider the two-year interpretation rules. If you decide to use a two-digit year abbreviation in a QBE expression, the application interprets the two-digit year abbreviation according to the following rules: 00 through 29 are 2000 through through 99 are 1930 through The application uses these same rules when it retrieves and operates on dates with two-digit year abbreviations from a data source. For example, if the column orders.shipbydate contains dates with two-digit year abbreviations, the following query: SELECT orders.shipbydate FROM orders WHERE orders.shipbydate >= {d ' '} 70 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

73 returns values of orders.shipbydate with two-digit year abbreviations from 00 through 29. The following query: SELECT orders.shipbydate FROM orders WHERE orders.shipbydate < {d ' '} returns values of orders.shipbydate with two-digit year abbreviations from 30 through 99. You can control how the application interprets two-digit year abbreviations by changing the value of the Microsoft Windows registry key AC_CENTURY_BREAK, which is located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\ACTUATE. The default value is 30, which produces the interpretations that this section describes. Matching an exact string value in a QBE expression To instruct the application to match only an exact value, enclose the string in single quotation marks in the QBE expression. Returned data must match the enclosed string exactly. Returned data does not include values that have additional characters at the end of the string. Table 3-4 lists the values that example QBE expressions return. Table 3-4 Matching an exact string value in a QBE expression QBE expression Matches Does not match Smith 'Smith' 'Smith ' 'Smithson' 'Smith' 'Smith' 'Smith ' 'Smithson' Red Green Blue 'Green' 'Red Green Blue' 'Red Green Blue' 'Red Green Blue' 'Red' 'Green' 'Blue' Smith, Jane 'Smith, Jane' 'Smith, John' 'Janesson, Per' 'Smith, Jane' 'Smith, Jane' 'Smith, John' In the preceding table, a comma appears as a list separator for Smith, Jane. To specify a list separator that is locale independent, use the pipe sign ( ). Chapter 3, Running a report 71

74 Using a special character in a QBE expression A special character is a character that has special meaning in a QBE expression. These special characters are used in the same way in a QBE expression as in SQL. In a QBE expression, for example, a greater than sign (>) specifies matching a value that is greater than the value that follows the symbol. Special characters include: Ampersand (&) Backslash (\) Caret (^) Comma (,) Equal sign (=) Exclamation point (!) Greater than sign (>) Hyphen (-) Less than sign (<) Open bracket ([) Close bracket (]) Open parenthesis (() Close parenthesis ()) Percent sign (%) Pipe sign ( ) Single quotation mark (') Underscore (_) Using a special character as a literal character in a QBE expression You must follow specific syntax when providing a QBE expression that matches a value that contains a special character as a literal character, such as a greater than sign (>). Type a backslash (\) before each special character, or enclose the string in single quotation marks, which directs the application to match the string value exactly. For example, the following QBE expression uses a backslash before the comma. The application interprets the comma literally: 16M x 1 Dynamic Ram\, 3.3 volts 72 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

75 Without the backslash, depending on your locale setting, the application interprets the comma as an OR in SQL, as shown in the following SQL expression: WHERE items.itemcode LIKE '16M x 1 Dynamic Ram%' OR items.itemcode LIKE '3.3 volts%' To specify a list separator that is locale independent, use the pipe sign ( ). The following QBE expression matches the percent sign (%) literally in a string: 'ab\%c' which translates to the following SQL: = 'ab%c' This SQL only matches 'ab%c'. Some data sources support matching a literal percent sign (%) using LIKE functionality. Using a special character to match one or more characters in a QBE string Table 3-5 lists characters that have special meanings in a string in a QBE expression. Table 3-5 Character Brackets, [ ] Percent, % Underscore, _ Characters that have special meanings in a string in a QBE expression Meaning in QBE Match any one of the characters within brackets. Not supported by all data sources. Match any character, group of characters, or no character. Match any single character. Table 3-6 provides examples of QBE expressions that use the preceding special and literal characters. Table 3-6 Examples of characters that have special meanings in a string in a QBE expression QBE expression Matches Does not match Sm[aeiou]th 'Smith' 'Smath' 'Smooth' 'Smth' Sm\[aeiou\]th 'Sm[aeiou]th' 'Smith' ab[%]c 'ab%c' 'abac' 'ab[%]c' Chapter 3, Running a report 73

76 Table 3-6 Examples of characters that have special meanings in a string in a QBE expression (continued) QBE expression Matches Does not match Smith% ab%c Sm_th 'Smith' 'Smithsonian' 'Smith ' 'abac' 'ab%c' 'abc' 'Smith' 'Smoth' Using the percent character to match any set of characters or blank characters The percent sign (%) matches any set of characters or blank characters. The application adds a percent sign to a string supplied as a QBE expression when all of the following conditions are true: The database column is of type string. 'Smit' 'Smooth' 'Smth' The input parameter value is not enclosed in single quotation marks and is not a range. The string does not contain a percent sign, such as Sm%th. The application adds a percent sign to ensure blank characters at the end of strings in the database do not interfere with the matching process. If you do not want the application to add the percent sign (%) to the end of a string, enclose the string in single quotation marks in the QBE expression. Table 3-7 illustrates the results of the application adding a percent sign to QBE expressions. Table 3-7 Adding a percent sign to QBE expressions QBE expression SQL condition Matches Does not match 'Smith' custname LIKE 'Smith' 'Smith' 'Smith ' Smith custname LIKE 'Smith%' 'Smith' 'Smith ' 'Smithe' 'Smithsonian' 74 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

77 To match values ending in a space character when the QBE expression contains a percent character, append a percent character to the QBE expression. For example: Sm%th% This syntax is valid only for LIKE. The application does not add a percent character to a BETWEEN clause. For example, if the database column custname is of type string, and the report user types D as the value of the ad hoc parameter, the query retrieves the data row that contains Design Boards, however, if the report user types A-D as the ad hoc parameter value, the application generates the following WHERE clause: WHERE custname BETWEEN 'A' AND 'D' This query does not match customer records where custname is Design Boards. QBE expression values that retrieve values starting with A through D appear in Table 3-8, including one to which the application adds a percent sign. Table 3-8 Examples of QBE expressions to retrieve a range of values QBE expression A-E >A&<E A B C D SQL condition custname BETWEEN 'A' AND 'E' custname > 'A' AND custname < 'E' custname LIKE 'A%' OR custname LIKE 'B%' OR custname LIKE 'C%' OR custname LIKE 'D%' Using the bracket characters to specify a set of matching characters With many data sources, you can use brackets ([ and ]) to specify a set of matching characters. Data sources that support using brackets in this manner handle any special characters enclosed by brackets as literal characters. For example, the following QBE expression encloses the percent sign (%) and uses it literally: ab[%]c This QBE expression translates to the following SQL expression: LIKE 'ab[%]c' Not all data sources support all special characters. For example, Oracle databases do not support using brackets to specify a set of matching characters. For an Oracle database, brackets do not have special meaning. They are interpreted literally. Because an Oracle database does not support brackets, you can use only a backslash to match a percent sign or underscore (_). For an Oracle database, the example QBE syntax, Sm[aeiou]th, translates to the following SQL: LIKE 'Sm[aeiou]th' Chapter 3, Running a report 75

78 This SQL code matches the string, 'Sm[aeiou]th', not the string, 'Smith' or 'Smath'. For information about data source support for wildcard characters, see your data source documentation. About structure and table parameters A report that uses an SAP R/3 data stream supports structure and table parameter types. Figure 3-7 shows structure and table parameters on a parameters page. Table parameter Structure parameter Descendant elements Figure 3-7 Structure parameters Actuate assigns the Null keyword as the default value for a structure field or table column. A table or structure parameter can contain a row of null values for all its columns. If you specify Null as a parameter value, Actuate treats Null as a null input value for that field. To specify the literal string Null as a value for a table or structure parameter, enclose it in single quotation marks. Specifying a value for a structure parameter A structure parameter consists of multiple descendant elements. Each descendant element has its own data type. Descendant elements appear as a group of parameters on Run and View Parameters or Run in Background Parameters. You can supply a value for a structure parameter in any of the following ways: Type a value in a text field. Select an option from a drop-down list, or type a custom value in the field for the drop-down list. Type a date, or use the date picker to select a date. Specifying a value for a table parameter A table parameter contains one or more columns. Unlike other report parameters, you cannot specify a value for a table parameter on Run and View Parameters 76 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

79 or Run in Background Parameters. To specify a value for a table parameter, use Table Parameter Editor. Table Parameter Editor displays the default row for a table parameter. How to add a table parameter row 1 On Documents Parameters, choose Edit at the right of a table parameter name. Figure 3-8 shows Table Parameter Editor. Figure 3-8 Table Parameter Editor 2 On Table Parameter Editor, choose Insert. Insert Row appears, as shown in Figure 3-9. Figure 3-9 Insert Row 3 In a column field, type a value for a column. The value must match the column s data type. Chapter 3, Running a report 77

80 4 To save your changes and return to the table view in Table Parameter Editor, choose OK. The new row appears at the top of the table in Table Parameter Editor, as shown in Figure Figure Choose OK. Updated table How to edit a row You can edit the value of each row in a table. 1 In Table Parameter Edit, choose Edit at the right of the row to edit. Figure 3-11 Edit a row 2 In Editing Row, to modify a row, type a value in the row s text field, as shown in Figure When you finish supplying values, choose OK. 3 In Table Parameter Editor, choose OK. 78 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

81 How to delete a row In Table Parameter Editor, complete one of the following steps: To delete a row, choose Delete at the left of the row to delete. To delete all rows, choose Delete All, then choose OK. Using a date-and-time expression for a document or a version name When you submit a run request in enterprise mode, you can specify a document name and a version name for the generated document. You can use a date-andtime expression to add the report generation date and time to the name. For example, to use Sales Report followed by the report generation date as a document name, use the following expression: Sales Report {mm-dd-yy} On February 28, 2004, the name appears as: Sales Report When you schedule a report to run on a recurring basis, adding a date-and-time expression creates unique document or version names. You can create date-and-time expressions in either of the following ways: Use the date-and-time formats in the Actuate iportal locale map file. Create your own date-and-time formats. Using a format keyword The following table lists the date-and-time format keywords that you use and the expression to which each keyword evaluates in a report. Examples and results with an.roi file-name extension are document names. Examples and results without an.roi file-name extension are version names. Be aware that commas and colons in a date-and-time expression can create unexpected results in file names. Chapter 3, Running a report 79

82 In a document name that is based on a date-and-time expression, Actuate recommends using only General Date, Long Date, Long Time, Medium Time, and Short Time types. Table 3-9 Date-and-time expressions Keyword Description Example Result General Date Returns a date and time in the Short Date Long Time format as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file {General Date} 01/23/2001 8:53:03PM Long Date Medium Date Short Date Long Time Medium Time Short Time Returns a Long Date as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file Returns a date with the month name abbreviated to 3 letters: dd-mmm-yy Returns a Short Date as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file Returns a Long Time as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file Returns hours and minutes in 12-hour format, including AM /PM designation (hh:nn AM/PM) Returns hours and minutes in 24-hour format (hh:nn) Creating a custom date format {Long Date} {Medium Date}.roi {Short Date}.roi {Long Time} {Medium Time} Tuesday, January 23, Jan-01.roi roi 8:45:00 PM 8:45 PM {Short Time} 20:45 Table 3-10 lists the date format symbols that you use and the expression to which each symbol evaluates in a report. Examples and results with an.roi file-name 80 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

83 extension are document names. Examples and results without an.roi file extension are version names. Table 3-10 Date-and-time symbols Symbol Description Example Result d Returns the day of the month without a leading zero (1-31) Day{d}.roi Day3.roi dd ddd dddd ddddd dddddd w ww m mm mmm mmmm Returns the day of the month with a leading zero (01-31) Returns the three-letter abbreviation for the day of the week Returns the full name of the day of the week Returns the Short Date string as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file Returns the Long Date string as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file Returns the day of the week as a number, where Sunday = 1, and Saturday = 7 Returns the week of the year as a number (1-53) Returns the number of the month without a leading zero Returns the number of the month with a leading zero Returns the three-letter abbreviation for the name of the month Returns the full name of the month Day{dd}.roi {ddd}.roi {dddd} Day03.roi Tue.roi Tuesday {ddddd} 01/23/2002 {dddddd}.roi Weekday{w}.roi Week{ww}.roi Month{m}.roi Month{mm}.roi {mmm}.roi {mmmm}.roi Tuesday, January 23, 2002.roi Weekday3.roi Week4.roi Month1.roi Month01.roi Jan.roi January.roi Chapter 3, Running a report 81

84 Table 3-10 Date-and-time symbols (continued) Symbol Description Example Result q y yy yyyy c Returns the number of the quarter (1-4) Returns the number of the day of the year (1-365) Returns the last two digits of the year (00-99) Returns all four digits of the year ( ) Returns a date and time in the Short Date Long Time format as defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file Using unescaped literal characters or strings in a date expression that also uses user-defined date-and-time formats can result in a syntax error. For example, the following expression: Sales Report for MMM company as of {Date - mm/dd/yy} produces in the following syntax error: Bad format specification in token - {Date - mm/dd/yy} while the following expression: Sales Report for MMM company as of Date - {ddddd} produces in the following string: Sales Report for MMM company as of Date - 01/23/2002 Creating a custom time format Quarter{q}.roi Day{y}.roi Year{yy}.roi Year{yyyy}.roi Quarter1.roi Day23.roi Year01.roi Year2002.roi {c} 01/23/2001 8:53:03PM Table 3-11 lists the time format symbols that you use and the expression to which each symbol evaluates in a report. The examples and results that have an.roi filename extension are document names. The examples and results without an.roi file-name extension are version names. Table 3-11 Time format symbols Symbol Description Example Result h Returns the hour of the day without the leading zero (0-23). Hour {h}.roi Hour 9.roi 82 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

85 Table 3-11 Time format symbols (continued) Symbol Description Example Result hh n nn s ss AM/PM A/P or a/p AMPM tttt Times return in 24-hour format unless you use an A.M./P.M. symbol. The symbol for minute is n. m is the symbol for month. Using unescaped literal characters that are not date-and-time components can result in unexpected name values. For example, the following expression: {MMM&MMM Rep - mm/dd/yy} generates the following result: Jan&Jan Rep - 01/23/2002 while this expression: Returns the hour of the day with a leading zero (00-23). Returns the minute without a leading zero (0-59). Returns the minute with a leading zero(00-59). Returns the number of seconds without a leading zero (0-59). Returns the number of seconds with a leading zero (00-59). Returns AM/am for any hour before noon and PM/ pm for any hour after. This symbol is case-sensitive. Returns A/a for any hour before noon and P/p for any hour after noon. This symbol is case-sensitive. Uses the format that is defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file. The default format is AM/PM. Uses the format that is defined in the Actuate iportal locale map file. MMM&MMM Rep - {mm/dd/yy} Hour {hh}.roi Minute {n}.roi Minute {nn}.roi Second {s}.roi Second {ss}.roi {hh:nn:ss am /pm} {hh:nn:ss AM /PM} {h:n:s a/p} {h:n:s A/P} {h:n:s AMPM} {tttt} Hour 09.roi Minute 5.roi Minute 05.roi Second 1.roi Second 01.roi 08:45:03 pm 08:45:03 PM 8:45:3 p 8:45:3 P 8:45:3 PM 8:45:00 PM Chapter 3, Running a report 83

86 generates the following result: MMM&MMM Rep - 01/23/2002 Checking the status of a job In enteprise mode, Actuate iserver System maintains status information about background run requests, also called jobs. To view this information, choose My Jobs, then browse the jobs page, as shown in Figure Figure 3-12 My jobs The jobs page has five tabs, Schedules, Waiting for Event, Pending, Running, and Completed, which display jobs in varying states of processing: Schedules shows the scheduled jobs that will be processed at a later date and time. Waiting for Event shows the scheduled jobs that will be processed as soon as their triggering event occurs. Pending shows the scheduled jobs that are currently in the process queue. Running shows the scheduled jobs that are currently running. Completed shows the scheduled jobs that have been processed. The job name that you specified when you created the run request identifies a job. If you did not specify a job name, Actuate iserver System uses the default job name, which is the report executable file s name. On jobs pages, you see only the jobs that you scheduled. Jobs from other users are not visible to you, just as your jobs are not visible to others. Actuate iserver System does not maintain status information for synchronous run requests. 84 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

87 Understanding how Actuate iserver System manages jobs As a job progresses from one state to another, it moves to the corresponding page. A submitted job appears first in Scheduled or Waiting for Event. When a job enters the queue, it moves to Pending. When a job executes, it moves to Running. When Actuate iserver System finishes processing a job, the job moves to Completed. A job remains on completed until you delete it. A scheduled report does not always run at the scheduled time. When a scheduled report runs depends on several factors, such as the priority level of the job, the availability of Actuate iserver System processes for generating reports, or the number of jobs in the queue. Similarly, an event-based job does not always run as soon as its event occurs. When an event-based jobs runs depends on the polling interval and type of event being polled, in addition to the same factors that incluence when a scheduled report runs. Getting detailed information about a job The job pages display basic information about each job. For example, Schedules displays the job name, report executable file name, and date and time of the next scheduled execution. Completed displays the job name, the report document name, the processing result, and the date and time at which Actuate iserver System finished generating the report. To see more details about a job, choose the details icon in the Details column. The page that appears displays more information about the schedule, the report executable file, the generated report document, the job status, and the notification settings, as shown in Figure Chapter 3, Running a report 85

88 Figure 3-13 Job status Cancelling a scheduled job You can cancel or delete a job before Actuate iserver System processes it. You cannot recover a deleted job. You cannot edit a scheduled job. To change the parameters of a job, delete the old job, and create a new one. How to cancel a scheduled job 1 Choose My Jobs. 86 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

89 2 On My Jobs Completed, choose Schedules. The schedules page appears, as shown in Figure Figure 3-14 Schedules 3 On the schedules page, choose the details icon for the job that you want to delete. The job s detail page appears, as shown in Figure Figure 3-15 Detail 4 Choose Delete Schedule. A confirmation page appears to confirm the deletion. Deleting a job completion notice When Actuate iserver System finishes processing a job, the job appears on the completed jobs page. If you receive job completion notices in your personal channel, the job notice appears in your personal channel. A job remains on the completed jobs page until you delete it. A job notice remains in your personal channel until you delete it. You cannot recover a deleted job or job notice. Chapter 3, Running a report 87

90 Deleting a job notice from the completed jobs page 1 Choose My Jobs. 2 On the completed jobs page, choose the details icon for the job that you want to delete. 3 On the job s detail page, choose Delete Job. After you delete the job, a confirmation page appears. Deleting a job notice from your personal channel 1 Choose Channels. 2 On the channels page, choose Personal Channel. 3 On Channels Personal Channel, choose the details icon for the job that you want to delete. 4 On the details page, choose Delete Notice. After you delete the notice, a confirmation page appears. Viewing a report After you run a report, you view it in your web browser, which uses the appropriate viewer for that type of report. For more information about viewing a report in a web browser, see the following documentation that is specific to a report type: For Actuate Basic reports, which use the DHTML viewer, see Working with Actuate Basic Reports. For cube reports, which use the Actuate Analytics Cube Viewer, see Working with Cube Reports using Actuate Analytics Option. For spreadsheet Reports, which use your browser s Microsoft Excel plug-in, see your Microsoft Excel documentation. 88 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

91 Chapter 4Using a dashboard Chapter This chapter contains the following topics: Understanding a dashboard Understanding Actuate portlets Chapter 4, Using a dashboard 89

92 Understanding a dashboard A dashboard is a personalizable web page that supports adding and removing content in the form of portlets. A portlet provides a view of specific information that is available from a portal. Actuate iportal provides a sample dashboard that serves as a portlet container. Actuate also provides personalizable portlets for the sample dashboard. Accessing the sample dashboard The sample dashboard displays personalized content for each user. Users must log in to the sample dashboard to access the content to which they have subscribed. How to access a dashboard in workgroup mode 1 To open the Actuate iportal login page, use one of the following methods: Choose Start Programs Actuate 9 Actuate iportal. At the welcome page, choose example portal dashboard. If your company has a web site with a link to the Actuate iportal login page, start your web browser, then choose the link. Start your web browser, then provide the URL for the Actuate iportal login page. For example, type the following URL: where /login.do?repositorytype=workgroup&redirect=dashboard actuate1:8700 is the web server that runs web pages that provide the interface to the repository. iportal is a keyword that indicates access to Actuate iportal. login.do displays the login interface. repositorytype=workgroup indicates the mode. redirect=dashboard instucts iportal to open the dashboard after completing the login porcess. 90 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

93 A login page appears, as shown in Figure 4-1. Figure Supply login credentials: Workgroup login page Type the user name and password that the repository administrator assigned to you. Select a language from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the language of the Actuate iportal user interface and the formats of dates, times, currency, and numbers. If a translation for the language you choose is not installed, the user interface appears in US English. Select a time zone from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the time stamp for files. Choose Log In. How to access a dashboard in enterprise mode 1 To open the Actuate iportal login page, use one of the following methods: Choose Start Programs Actuate 9 Actuate iportal. At the welcome page, choose example portal dashboard. If your company has a web site with a link to the Actuate iportal login page, start your web browser, then choose the link. Start your web browser, then provide the URL for the Actuate iportal login page. For example, type the following URL: where /login.do?repositorytype=enterprise&serverurl= actuate2:8000 Chapter 4, Using a dashboard 91

94 actuate1:8700 is the web server that runs web pages that provide the interface to the Encyclopedia volume. iportal is a keyword that indicates access to Actuate iportal. login.do displays the login interface. repositorytype=enterprise indicates the mode. serverurl= specifies the location of the Actuate iserver System machine that manages the Encyclopedia volume. The login page appears, as shown in Figure 4-2. Figure Supply login credentials: Enterprise login page Select an Encyclopedia volume from the drop-down list. Type the user name and password that the Encyclopedia volume administrator assigned to you. Select a language from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the language of the Actuate iportal user interface and the formats of dates, times, currency, and numbers. If a translation for the language you choose is not installed, the user interface appears in US English. Select a time zone from the drop-down list. Your selection determines the time stamp for files and tells Actuate iserver System your time zone, so jobs can be scheduled correctly. Choose Log In. 92 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

95 Using the sample dashboard Initially, the sample dashboard does not contain any content. To view personalized content, you must add portlets to the sample dashboard. The sample dashboard provides the following five Actuate portlets that you can add: Arbitrary web page BusinessReport BIRT Report BIRT Reportlet My Documents When you include multiple iportal portlets on a portal page, set up the portlets so that they are all in the same mode. Do not mix portlets in enterprise mode with portlets in workgroup mode. In addition to the Actuate portlets, you can also add other portlets to the dashboard. You can add content by choosing the Add Content link. When you choose the Add Content link, a menu appears at the left of the portal page. This menu also provides searching and template functionality, as shown in Figure 4-3. Search Add button Expandable catagories Template Figure 4-3 Add content menu Actuate iportal sample dashboard provides seven templates for the dashboard layout. The dashboard templates support formatting the dashboard using columns. In addition to adding content to the dashboard, users can also specify page settings for the current portal page by choosing the Page Settings link. The Page Settings link supports themes that determine how the dashboard looks and feels. Chapter 4, Using a dashboard 93

96 How to add content 1 To add content, choose the Add Content link in the top-right corner of the sample dashboard. A menu appears on the left of the screen, as shown in Figure Expand the categories to view available portlets. You can also search for available portlets. 3 Locate the desired portlet, and choose the Add button. The selected portlet appears in the sample dashboard. 4 Choose Finished. How to format a dashboard using templates 1 Choose the Add Content link in the top-right corner of the sample dashboard. A menu appears on the left of the screen. 2 From the Template drop-down menu, choose the columnar format. The appearance of the page changes to match your selection. 3 Choose Finish. How to format a dashboard using Themes 1 Choose the Page Settings link in the top-right corner of the sample dashboard. A Page Settings window appears, as shown in Figure 4-4. Figure 4-4 Page setting menu 94 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

97 2 Choose the Look and Feel tab, as shown in Figure 4-5. Back Figure 4-5 iportal themes 3 Select a theme. To apply the Theme, choose the Back button. The appearance of the page changes to match the selected theme. Understanding Actuate portlets Actuate iportal supplies five predefined portlets that adhere to the JSR 168 standard. Table 4-1 describes the Actuate portlets. Table 4-1 Actuate Portlets Portlet Arbitrary web page BusinessReport BIRT Report BIRT Reportlet My Documents Description Portlet view of a web page by specifying the URL Portlet view of a BusinessReport by specifying the BIZDESIGN file Portlet view of a BIRT Report by specifying the RPTDESIGN file Portlet view of a BIRT Reportlet by specifying the RPTDOCUMENT and BIZDOCUMENT files Portlet view of the user s home folder and public folder Chapter 4, Using a dashboard 95

98 Controlling portlets In the sample dashboard, each Actuate portlet has the controls, as shown in Figure 4-6. To view the portlet controls that are located on the right of the portlet title bar, hover the pointer over the title bar. Figure 4-6 Remove Maximize Minimize Preferences Configuration Portlet controls The following table describes the portlet controls. Table 4-2 Control Configuration Preferences Minimize Maximize Remove Portlet controls Description Format properties and set permissions for the portlet. Specify the title and height of the portlet. This control also provides specific parameters for specific portlets. Collapse the portlet content pane. Expand and display the portlet content pane. Remove the portlet from the dashboard. How to move a portlet 1 Hover the mouse pointer over the title of the portlet. The pointer changes to a cross, and the portlet controls appear at the right of the portlet title bar, as shown in Figure 4-7. Figure 4-7 Cross pointer 2 Click the portlet title bar. Drag the portlet, and drop it at the desired location. 96 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal

99 Portlet preferences Each Actuate portlet has customizable user preferences. You can configure user preferences for each portlet by selecting a portlet s preferences control. All Actuate portlets have the user preferences that are described in Table 4-3. Table 4-3 Universal portlet preferences Preference Description Title Title of the portlet. The title text appears in the portlet title bar. Height The height of the portlet window. The default height is 300. All portlets except Arbitrary web page have all the parameters in Table 4-4. Table 4-4 Common portlet preferences Preference Description Mode User name The user s login name. Workgroup Enterprise Password The user s password. Workgroup Enterprise Server name The web server that runs web pages that provide the interface to the repository. Workgroup Enterprise Server port The location of the Actuate iserver System machine that manages the repository. The default value is Enterprise Volume The Encyclopedia volume to which the user Enterprise is connected. Repository type The type of repository. Workgroup Enterprise Arbitrary web page portlet The Arbitrary web page portlet, as shown in Figure 4-8, provides the user the with ability to display an arbitrary web page. The portlet has a unique parameter, URL, which specifies the page to display. By default, the URL is: Chapter 4, Using a dashboard 97

100 Figure 4-8 Arbitrary web page BusinessReport portlet The BusinessReport portlet runs a BusinessReport (.bizdesign) file. The report s output appears in the portlet. Table 4-5 describes the user preferences for the BusinessReport portlet. Table 4-5 Field Title Report name Parameters BusinessReport preferences Description Title of the report. The default title is BusinessReport. The name and path of the BusinessReport design. The parameters for the BusinessReport. The syntax is &paramname=value, as in &CustNum=124. BIRT Report portlet The BIRT Report portlet runs a BIRT report (.rptdesign) file. The report s output appears in the portlet. Table 4-6 describes the user preferences for the BIRT Report portlet. Table 4-6 Field Title Report name BIRT Report preferences Description Title of the report. The default title is BIRT Report. The name and path of a BIRT report (.rptdesign) file. 98 Working with Reports using Actuate iportal