Creating custom reports

Products

• Security Information Manager

Issue/Introduction

 

Resolution

Creating custom reports

You can place a single query in a report, or you can insert multiple queries. Each query can be on a separate page, or you can divide a single page into sections and insert one query in each section. You can also insert other elements, such as text and graphics. Reports are limited to 1000 pages. If the report is longer than 1000 pages, the results are truncated.

Note:
If you plan to publish and distribute the report to other users, you must select a query from Published Queries. In the Query Chooser window, you can drag a query from My Queries to Published Queries.

When you create a custom report, you have the formatting options described in . The options appear on a menu when you right-click in the report template. Each menu option has a corresponding icon on the report design toolbar.

Table: Report building options

Option	Description
Insert Text	To include generated text, such as the date the report was generated, make a selection from the Report Parameters drop-down list, and then click Add. To include your own text, type in the text box. When you finish, click OK.
Insert Image	Browse to the location of the image. After you select the desired image, click OK. Note: You may insert only JPG and GIF files that are 100 kb or less. Information Manager does not support BMP or other image files in reports.
Insert Line	This option inserts a horizontal line in the center of the selected area of the report.
Insert Query	In the Query Chooser window, navigate to the name of the desired query, and then select it. Click Insert. (This option is not available when the cursor is in the header or footer area.) Note: If you plan to publish and distribute the report to other users, you must select a query from Published Queries. In the Query Chooser window, you can drag a query from My Queries to Published Queries. If the query that you want is not available, you can use the Query Wizard on the Events page to create a query. See the section on managing event archives for more information.
Add Grid	Select the number of rows and columns, and then click OK. An empty grid appears in the selected area. You can select any section of the grid and insert text, images, and so on. You can also size any section of the grid by dragging the borders of the section.
Add Row	This option subdivides the selected area by inserting a blank row. You can also size the row by dragging its borders.
Add Column	This option subdivides the selected area by inserting a blank column. You can also size the column by dragging its borders.
Toggle Header/Footer	When the cursor is in the header or footer area, you can select this option to toggle the header or footer on and off.
Portrait	This option changes the orientation of the report to Portrait mode.
Landscape	This option changes the orientation of the report to Landscape mode.

To create a custom report

1. In the Information Manager console, click Reports.

2. In the Explorer pane, right-click the folder where you want to create the new report, and then select New > Report.

3. Type the name for the report, and then click OK. The name can contain only alphanumeric characters.

   An empty report template appears, with three sections: header, footer, and body in the center.

4. Do any of the following actions:

   • To insert a header, right-click in the header area, and then use the formatting options described in .

   • To insert the query (or multiple queries) and any desired images and text, right-click in the body area, and then use the formatting options described in .

   • To insert a footer, right-click in the footer area, and then use the formatting options described in .

   • To add a new page to the report template, click the Add a Page icon on the report design toolbar.

     To return to a previous page, click the View All Pages icon, and then double-click the page that you want to display.

5. To modify any of the properties of the report, use the Properties pane in the lower-left area of the Reports page. Click in the Value column for the property that you want to change.

   The available properties depend on the elements that you have placed in the report area. The following are examples of properties that you can modify:

   • If you insert a query, the available properties depend on whether the data displays as a graphical chart or as a table. If the query is graphical, you can select the type, for example, bar or pie. If the query is tabular, you can select the columns that you want to include in the table as well as the desired font and type size of the text.

   • If you insert text in the report body, header, or footer, you can modify the font size of the text.

   • If you insert a line, you can modify the default thickness, color, direction (orientation), and alignment of the line.

   • If you add a grid, you can specify the background color of each segment of the grid.

6. To execute the query and preview the appearance of the report, click the Preview tab.

   While on the Preview tab, you can print or save the report with the data that is currently displayed.

7. When you finish creating the report, click the Save icon on the top toolbar.