Rave Reports Visual Designer

Wizards

Wizards are a feature in Rave that allow certain types of reports to be created by answering a series of questions. They can be found under the "Tool" menu option. The Wizards can be added and tailored to each user's needs. It is a perfect way to minimize the end-users interface with reporting tasks.

There are two Wizards, a "Simple Table" and a "Master-Detail". Wizards can be designed to ask for the data connection and allow the user to choose the fields that are needed on a report. It is important to note that an active DataView should be available prior to running the wizards, whether it is a Direct Data View or an SQL Data View. Simple Reports are generally used for listings. Common uses include Client reports, Telephone lists, etc. The Master-Detail Wizard is used when more complex reporting is required, such as invoices, product order lists, etc.

Independent of the one that is executed, there are several steps that are common to both. These include the DataView selection, field selection, etc and are covered in greater detail in the exercises included at the end of this section.

It is very important that the user understands that these are general purpose reporting wizards and as such, some aspects are not treated with great detail (amount of text that would fit on a page, layout, etc). They can be used as the building blocks for a more complex report or can be adjusted to suite a particular layout required. If the intention is to build very complex reports, the wizards are not recommended for this purpose.