• Creating Reports in ITAS

  
  
  

  Introduction

  The ITAS Report Writer is a tool that allows users to generate their own reports. The user designs the report template (the report layout) and this can then be run in the future. Users can share reports with other users.

  The Report Writer option is REPORT on the GENERAL Navigator page. The Report Writer is also launched from other applications via a Reports button, for example TRADE.

  This tutorial will show the steps in creating an ITAS report. It will start with a basic listing, but then add various steps to enhance the report.

  
  

  Step 1: Report Basics

  On the main screen of the Report Writer, you can enter the basic details such as the report name, the data is uses, various display attributes and so on. In this example, we are going to create a shipment schedule.

  • In the Report Name prompt type Shipment Schedule and press OK. Say Yes to the “Create New Record?” prompt.
  • Change the orientation to Landscape
  • Change the category to Public. This means other users will be able to run your report.
  • Change the number of columns to 12. This can be changed later on if you find you haven’t set the correct number initially.
  • Change the table type to be Physicals. This determines what data is available to the report.
  • Press the Save button. You will see the message Record Shipment Schedule Created.

  You don’t need to worry about any of the other prompts for now – they are all optional. For more details on what each prompt does, you can use the Context Sensitive Help (“Point And Click”) or the main topic help (Press F1).

  
  

  Step 2: Report Layout

  Once the basic details have been entered, we can move on to designing the report layout. This is done on a separate screen.
• Right-click and from the context menu select Edit -> Report Layout. A new screen will open up.
• Press Edit to start editing on this screen.
• The layout area is divided into several sections: Report Header, Report Detail, Report Footer and Other. In each section there are a number of cells with a white background. (The other cells are there to differentiate between the sections). Select the first cell in column 1 in the “Detail” section (so on the row directly under the “Report Detail” heading). A border will appear around the cell to indicate it has been selected.
• Whilst this cell is selected, right-click and choose Insert -> Field. The cell will be populated with [New Field]
• Right-click again and select Properties. A new screen will open up.
• In the first prompt select phys01_planshipdate (Planned Ship Date). You can start typing, and the prompt should automatically move to the correct item in the list               .
• Press Tab to move off this field onto the next field (Alias). This should have defaulted to Planned Ship Date. Keep pressing Tab until you get to the OK button, then press that.
• The screen should close and you will be returned to the Layout screen. The cell will now show 01 MAR 2000. This is a “mask” to give you some idea who the field will look when the report is run.
• Add the remaining fields to the report by selecting the next free cell and then following steps 4 to 8 above. To make things quicker, instead of using the right-click menu items, everything can be done solely using the keyboard, by using Ctrl+F for Insert -> Field and Ctrl+R for Properties. The fields to add (starting at column 2) are:
• Contract Ref. (phys01_contract)
• Client Reference (phys01_clref)
• Cmy 2 (phys01_origin)
• Quantity (phys01_conquan)
• Shipping Line (phys01_shippingline)
• Vessel (phys01_vessel)
• Port/ctry of Origin (phys01_portorig)
• Destination (phys01_portdest)
• Consignee (phys01_consignee)
• B/L Ref (phys01_blref)
• Status (phys01_afi)
• All the fields added in the previous steps will form the body of the report. You now need to add the headings, that will be printed on the top of every page. This involves adding texts to the Report Header section. Select the first cell on the top row of the Report Header section, right-click and select Insert -> Text (or use Ctrl+T). The cell will be populated with [New Text].
• Right-click and select Properties (or Ctrl+R), and in the text prompt type Ship.
• Move over to the OK button and press that.
• Move the cursor down to the 2^nd row of this section, press Ctrl+T Ctrl+R and enter the text as Date then press OK
• Repeat for the remaining columns, giving them relevant headings. Note that each text item does not have to contain single words. For example, instead of separate items for “Ship” and “Date”, you could have entered “Ship Date” as a single text on the top row.
• Press Save to save the changes to date

• Press the Close button to close the layout screen and return to the main screen.
• Press the Print button. Another screen appears giving you the option to filter the report and change the title that appears on the report.
• Press Report to run the report
• When you’re happy, press Close to return to the main screen.

• Return to the Layout screen and press Edit.
• Highlight the first cell in the “Other” section. This section is used to add fields to a report that the report needs to use, but that won’t get displayed in the report. We want to add weight code, so that the report will know what weight code each contract uses, thus allowing us to convert to MT.
• Press Ctrl+F Ctrl+R to insert a new field and bring up the Properties screen.
• Enter phys01_wtcode (Weight Code) and press OK.
• Highlight the quantity field in the Report Detail section and press Ctrl+R to bring up the Properties screen.
• Press the Advanced button, and the bottom half of the screen opens up.
• In the Dependencies area, change the first prompt to Quantity, then select Weight Code in the second, and then select MT in the Convert Value To prompt. This means that whenever the quantity is printed, the Report Writer will use the contracts weight code to determine the correct conversion to MT.
• In the Decimal Places prompt near the top, select Use Dependency. This means the number of decimal places displayed for quantity will depend upon the number of decimal places set up for MT.
• Press OK
• Right-click on this field again and select Total This Field. A new field will appear directly underneath in the Report Footer section. This will display a total at the end of the report

• Return to the Layout screen and press Edit.
• Right-click on any blank cell and select Insert -> Section.
• In the new screen, select Section Grouped By Position Month (phys01_position) and press OK. You will see the next section displayed in the Layout – there will be a header and footer for the next section.
• Click on the first cell in the Position Month head and insert a text. Give it the value Month.
• Click on the second cell in the Position Month head, and insert a field. Choose Position Month (phys01_position) and change the Sequence to be 1. This means the report will be sorted by this field. Then press OK.
• Highlight the Quantity field on the Detail section, right-click on it, and choose Total This Field. A new total will appear in the Position Month footer.

 Step 6: Further Functionality

We can do more things to improve the look and content of the report. This section suggests a few things that can be done.

1. Return to the Layout screen and press Edit
2. Right-click on the “Month” text in the section 1 header and select “Font Properties”
3. Tick bold and OK
4. Repeat for other section fields.
5. Right-click on the shipping status field and choose Properties.
6. As this is a static code, we can use DOCDES rules to expand this: Choose “DOCDES Rule” and select “*descr”. Also change the “Number of Chars” to be 20.