Understanding the Ad Hoc Editor

To launch the Ad Hoc Editor, choose Create > Ad Hoc Report:

The Data Chooser wizard appears, you select a data source and report type, and the Ad Hoc Editor opens. In the Data Chooser you select data for the report from either Topics or Domains.

Topics and Domains

Topics and Domains are repository objects that provide a prepared view of a data source for Ad Hoc report design. Generally, an administrator or iReport user creates a Topic as a JRXML file. The JRXML Topic is then associated with a data source in the server. A Topic can also be created from a Domain in the server. Both types of Topics appear in the Data Chooser wizard when users create an Ad Hoc report.

Administrators create a Domain in the server that typically filters the data, creates input controls, and manages the list of available fields. A Domain specifies tables in the database, join clauses, calculated fields, display names, and default properties, all of which define items and sets of items for creating Ad Hoc reports.

Using a Topic instead of a Domain simplifies report creation. The following table compares creation of a report using a Topic versus a Domain. Using a Topic, which is actually an empty report, saves the report designer from choosing, pre-filtering, and changing display names of the data (steps 3-5 of Steps to Design a Domain-based Report):

For more information, refer to Creating and Uploading a Topic and Saving Domain Settings as a Domain Topic.

The Ad Hoc Editor Window

To open the Ad Hoc Editor window, you can select a Topic in the Data Chooser, and click a report type, Table, Chart, or Crosstab:

The Ad Hoc Editor window contains the following panels:

•    Fields – Lists the fields of data available in the Domain or Topic.

•    Canvas – Serves as the main report design panel.

•    Filters – Retrieves a subset of data from the data source.

You drag and drop data from Fields to the Canvas to begin building a report.

The canvas includes Sample Data | Full Data options for displaying a subset of data or all the data in the report.

The canvas also includes Table, Chart, and Crosstab options for resetting the report type. You can change the report type in the Ad Hoc Editor during the design or when you reopen the design for editing. The tool bar at the top of the canvas provides access to many functions of the Ad Hoc Editor. See "Ad Hoc Editor Tool Bar Icons" describes the tool bar.

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Tables, Charts, and Crosstabs

The Ad Hoc Editor provides the most frequently-used report types—tables, charts, and crosstabs:

•    Table – Use tables to view values in the database and to summarize the values in columns. Each row corresponds to a row in the database. Rows can be grouped by identical values in any field with intermediate summaries for each grouped value. For example, a table report of product orders contains columns to show the dates and amounts of each order, and the rows are grouped by city and product.

•    Chart – Use charts to compare one or more measures across multiple sets of related fields. Charts summarize data graphically. Types of charts include bar chart, line chart, and pie chart. With the exception of time series and scatter charts, each type of chart compares summarized values for a group. For example, click the Chart tab to view the data in a bar chart that showed the sum of payments received for each of the products in each of the cities.

•    Crosstab – Use crosstabs to summarize data across multiple dimensions. Crosstabs are more compact representations than tables because they show only computed values, not individual database values. Columns and rows specify the dimensions for grouping; cells contain the summarized measurements. For instance, the example above could be displayed in a crosstab with columns grouped by sales manager and year.