Reports, imports and exports

Umana reports are a flexible way of displaying and summarizing your data in a printable document. There are more than 300 standard reports provided with Umana.

How reporting works

Producing a report is a three-step process

The required data is extracted from the database to a cursor (a temporary list)
(Sometimes Umana displays a list of action items at this point as well.)
This extracted data (cursor) is sorted for presentation.
This extracted data is formatted and printed (or sent to a file)

Data extraction

The data extraction ("initialization" program) grabs data from the database, based on your selection, and puts it into a cursor (temporary table), or multiple related cursors, with the data to be printed.
Extraction programs can only be modified through programming. Usually, these programs use selection criteria that you specify and which therefore do not need to be modified. They are kept in the Umana REPORTS folder.
Some extraction programs can also update the data base. Reports which update the data base always give you the choice of updating or not.

Sorting

The cursor is sorted based on your sort specification.

Formating and printing

The page layout defines the headings and location of the extracted data on the page. Once the data is extracted, the layout formats the reports to display them on screen, send them to the printer or to a destination of your choice.

You can modify page layout definitions. The standard report layout definitions are kept in the REPORTS folder as .FRX and .FRT files. When you modify or create your own layout, it is saved in the CUSTOM folder. See Defining a layout.

Reports catalog

The list of reports and imports and exports available is stored in the REPOLIST table in the Umana DBFS directory on your server. This includes both Umana standard reports and your custom reports.

The report definition includes

The name (in English and French)
The category (where it shows in the PRINT menu)
The name of the extraction program
The name of the page layout definition
The name of the form to display when you click Selection...
The default selection
The default sort order
(For some exports) the list of fields to export
The folder you last exported it to
User (user groups) having access to it (if limited)
The last time it was used or modified, and the number of times it was used

( these items are user-modifiable.)

Imports and exports

Imports and exports enable external links to or from text or spreadsheet files.

Operation

Executing (printing or viewing) a report

Umana reports are organized by category in the same way as the modules. To access them:

Print main menu
Shortcut bar

Creating your own reports

To modify an existing report— the default selection or the layout—choose the desired report, select Action from the main menu bar and click Modify or press F2.

To create a new report, use an existing report model. There are many report models in all the categories. Choose the basic report, select Action from the main menu bar and click Copy or press CTRL+I