User s Guide. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan

Transcription

1 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan

2 Patents Trademarks Copyright Third-party contributors Business Objects owns the following U.S. patents, which may cover products that are offered and sold by Business Objects: 5,555,403, 6,247,008 B1, 6,578,027 B2, 6,490,593 and 6,289,352. Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright 2005 Business Objects. All rights reserved. Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at:

3 Contents Chapter 1 Welcome to the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan 7 About this guide What is the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan? Who should read this guide Business Objects information resources Chapter 2 Installing the Native Baan Driver 9 Installing the Native Baan Driver Deploying the client BDB library Upgrading the Native Baan Driver Chapter 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver 13 Overview Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports Using Report Wizards Using the Log On Server command Logging on to the Baan server Advanced logon settings Selecting Baan database tables Selecting Baan database tables using the Standard Report Creation Wizard Selecting Baan database tables using the Database Expert Setting up the sample reports Changing configuration options Setting the datasource location Chapter 4 Advanced Reporting Options 41 Overview Multi company reporting BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 3

4 Contents Table and field type considerations Array fields Enumerated and bitset fields Text tables and fields UTC time fields Outer joins Server instance variables Chapter 5 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise with the Native Baan Driver 47 Overview Publishing reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise Chapter 6 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise Tools and Features 49 Business Views Using Business Views with the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan Crystal Reports Explorer About Crystal Reports Explorer Chapter 7 Working with Integrated Baan Reporting 53 Overview Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports Navigating Crystal reports Exporting and printing reports Searching report data Locating reports using InfoView Creating shortcuts to your favorite Baan reports Appendix A Business Objects Information Resources 61 Documentation and information services Documentation What s in the documentation set? Where is the documentation? Documentation from the products BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

5 Contents Documentation on the web Documentation on the product CD Send us your feedback Customer support, consulting and training How can we support you? Online Customer Support Looking for the best deployment solution for your company? Looking for training options? Useful addresses at a glance Index 67 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 5

6 Contents 6 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

7 Welcome to the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan chapter

8 1 Welcome to the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan About this guide About this guide This guide includes instructions for report designers and report users. The two major product components Integrated Baan Reporting and the Native Baan Driver are treated separately, and the documentation for each component is divided into fundamental topics. What is the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan? When combined with the enterprise reporting power of BusinessObjects Enterprise and Crystal Reports, the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan provides you, the Baan user, with the ability to extract the business intelligence contained within your Baan system. Who should read this guide This guide is intended for report designers and report users who want to generate Crystal reports from Baan reports, and to report directly off Baan data. Business Objects information resources For more information and assistance, see Appendix A: Business Objects Information Resources. This appendix describes the Business Objects documentation, customer support, training, and consulting services, with links to online resources. 8 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

9 Installing the Native Baan Driver chapter

10 2 Installing the Native Baan Driver Installing the Native Baan Driver Installing the Native Baan Driver To install the driver components, you must be logged on as an administrator of the local machine and have Crystal Reports installed. To install the Native Baan Driver on Windows 1. Insert the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan CD. 2. In the \win32\baandriver directory, double-click setup.exe. 3. Navigate through the Welcome and License Agreement dialog boxes. 4. In the Key Code dialog box, type your CD Key Code; then click Next. Tip: Locate the Key Code sticker on the product CD envelope, or on your Business Objects volume license certificate. 5. In the Select Features and Destination dialog box, click Next to accept the default installation settings. Note: The default installation installs both the Native Baan Driver and the Sample Reports for Baan. To remove the Sample Reports from the installation, click the Sample Reports icon and select Entire feature will be unavailable. Then, click Next. If the setup program detects the existence of other Business Objects products on the machine, that path is used and the Browse button is disabled. 10 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

11 Installing the Native Baan Driver Deploying the client BDB library 2 6. In the Ready to Install the Application dialog box, click Next. The setup program installs the necessary files and notifies you when the product has been successfully installed. 7. Click Finish to exit the setup program. Note: You may need to restart your computer after the installation is complete. Deploying the client BDB library To connect to BaanERP 5.0c, BaanERP 5.2a, and SSA ERP LN 6.1 with Crystal Reports or BusinessObjects Enterprise, you must deploy the client BDB library (shdbapi.dll) on the machine where the Native Baan Driver is installed. Note: If your installation directory differs from the examples below, copy the file to your installation directory. For BaanERP 5.0c, copy the file shdbapi.dll to the following location: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\bin\SSA_BaanERP50c For BaanERP 5.2a, copy the file shdbapi.dll to the following location: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\bin\SSA_BaanERP52a For SSA ERP LN 6.1, copy the file shdbapi.dll to the following location: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\bin\SSA_ERPLN61 For information on locating the client BDB library, see your Baan system administrator, or the Baan server or SSA Enterprise Server documentation. Upgrading the Native Baan Driver You may have an earlier version of the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan and its associated Native Baan Driver installed on your system. You can upgrade to the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan by installing this version of the Native Baan Driver side-by-side with any currently existing Native Baan Driver. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 11

12 2 Installing the Native Baan Driver Upgrading the Native Baan Driver To upgrade your Native Baan Driver installation to BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 1. Ensure your administrator upgrades your BusinessObjects Enterprise system to version XI Release 2 as instructed in the Upgrading and Migrating section of the BusinessObjects Enterprise Installation Guide. Your administrator must follow all of the backup procedures as directed by the guide. 2. After your BusinessObjects Enterprise system has been upgraded, follow the steps outlined in Installing the Native Baan Driver on page 10. The program ignores the old driver and installs the new Native Baan Driver side-by-side with any previously existing drivers. 12 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

13 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver chapter

14 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Overview Overview The Native Baan Driver provides you with access to the data stored in the underlying tables of Baan. If you are currently involved with the production of reports using Baan or other tools, you will find it easy to build reports quickly with this driver. Reports created with the Native Baan Driver can be refreshed against current Baan data by any user who has installed the driver along with Crystal Reports. You can also schedule these reports within BusinessObjects Enterprise, so your users receive customized reports with current data on a regular basis. This chapter includes the following topics: Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports on page 14. Logging on to the Baan server on page 20. Advanced logon settings on page 21 Selecting Baan database tables on page 23. Setting up the sample reports on page 34. Changing configuration options on page 37. Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports Once you ve installed the Native Baan Driver, you must select this driver in your report. There are two ways to select the driver in Crystal Reports: Using Report Wizards Using the Log On Server command Using Report Wizards 1. Launch Crystal Reports. 14 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

15 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports 3 2. On the Start Page, click Standard Report Wizard. The Standard Report Creation Wizard dialog box appears. Tip: To create a specific type of report, select the appropriate Wizard. 3. In the Available Data Sources list, expand Create New Connection and double-click Baan Server. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 15

16 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports The Connection Info dialog box appears. 4. Enter the necessary information to connect to the Baan Master Application Server (MAS). For details on each of these fields, see Logging on to the Baan server on page 20. Note: Most Baan environments require that you fill in only the connection information on this screen. At this point, most users can click Finish to connect to Baan. If you require or would like to use more advanced connection information, click Next. 16 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

17 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports 3 The Additional Info dialog box appears. In this dialog box, you can further specify your connection settings by providing additional information. For details on these options and fields, see Advanced logon settings on page Click Finish. You return to the Standard Report Creation Wizard dialog box. Crystal Reports is now connected to the Baan server and is ready for you to select your Baan database tables. For details, see Selecting Baan database tables using the Standard Report Creation Wizard on page 23. Using the Log On Server command If you prefer not to use the Report Wizards, connect to Baan using the Log On Server command. 1. Launch Crystal Reports. 2. On the File menu (or the Database menu, if a report is already open), click Log On or Off Server. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 17

18 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports The Data Explorer dialog box appears. 3. In the Data Explorer, expand Create New Connection; then double-click Baan Server. The Connection Info dialog box appears. 4. Enter the necessary information to connect to the Baan Master Application Server (MAS). For details on each of these fields, see Logging on to the Baan server on page BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

19 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports 3 Note: Most Baan environments require that you fill in only the connection information on this screen. At this point, most users can click Finish to connect to Baan. If you require or would like to use more advanced connection information, click Next. The Additional Info dialog box appears. In this dialog box, you can further specify your connection settings by providing additional information. For details on these options and fields, see Advanced logon settings on page Click Finish. You return to the Data Explorer dialog box. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 19

20 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Logging on to the Baan server To view the list of Baan database tables associated with this connection, expand the package nodes and the underlying module nodes. 6. Click Close. Crystal Reports, now connected to the Baan server, is ready for you to select your Baan database tables. For details, see Selecting Baan database tables using the Database Expert on page 32. Logging on to the Baan server When you select Baan as your data source using the Report Wizards or the Log On Server command you are prompted for connection information. Version Select the version of Baan that you wish to connect to. Server Enter the name of the server where the Baan system resides. Instance By default, the value for this field is set to 0 (zero). However, if more than one connection to the same server is used in a report, each additional connection requires a unique server instance value in order to establish a distinct connection identity. For details, see Server instance variables on page BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

21 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Advanced logon settings 3 BSE The Baan System Environment enter the file location of the Baan system on the server. User Provide your Baan user name. Password Provide your Baan password. Companies Specify the company or companies that you want to report off. Specifying multiple companies returns a union of data from these companies. For details on creating a report from multiple companies, see Multi company reporting on page 42. Advanced logon settings In the Additional Info dialog box, you are asked to provide information to further specify your Baan connection settings. Login Protocol Select either Rexec or BaanLogin as your login protocol for the Baan server. In the case of the BaanLogin protocol, a server port number can also be specified. Port 7150 is the default port number. Note: Protocols and port numbers must be used consistently across all Baan servers. Database Profile Database profiles specify connection details to remote Baan database servers, which reside on separate machines from the Baan Master Application Server (MAS). To choose a database profile, click the Select Database Profile button. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 21

22 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Advanced logon settings The Database Profiles dialog box appears. If you have already entered your MAS information in the Connection Info dialog box, you may see a default entry in the Database Profiles dialog box. Enter the server name and the BSE of the Baan database server, and the companies that are installed on that Baan database server. You must include a database profile to connect to remote database server processes. Upon completion, save the details as a DB Profile (.dbp file). You may then distribute this file to other users to facilitate their connection to Baan. Note: If you use an asterisk (*) to refer to all remaining companies, be sure to put the wildcard entry at the end of the list; otherwise, the wildcard will refer to all companies. Impersonate User In Baan, each user is specified by a system user ID and a Baan user ID. The User name entered in the Connection Info dialog box represents the system user ID. The system user is a valid OS user on the servers (application servers and database servers), whose credentials are checked by Baan against the OS for authentication. 22 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

23 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 3 The Impersonate User entry represents the Baan user ID. The Baan user ID is a name given to the system user known only to Baan, and is used for authorization. Typically, a user would have identical system and Baan IDs. In this case, the Impersonate User entry should be left empty. Report Language, Report Locale, and Report Time Zone When specified, these valid Baan values override user settings. Selecting Baan database tables This section describes the basic procedure for selecting Baan database tables with the Report Creation Wizards and the Database Expert. For detailed information about adding and linking tables using the Report Creation Wizards or the Database Expert, see the Crystal Reports User s Guide. Selecting Baan database tables using the Standard Report Creation Wizard 1. Open the Standard Report Creation Wizard. The dialog box initially displays a list of the packages that are available from the Baan server. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 23

24 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 2. Expand the package nodes and the underlying module nodes to view a list of Baan database tables. 3. Double-click the tables that you want to make available for the report and click Next. Tip: To add several tables more quickly, hold down the CTRL key as you select the tables and then click the > button. 4. If you selected more than one table for the report, provide table linking information in the Link dialog box; then click Next. Tip: Auto-Arrange Click Auto-Arrange to automatically arrange the tables to fit in the most efficient manner inside the display area. Auto-Link Use this area to automatically create links between tables. Click Clear Links to clear any existing links before using the Auto-Link feature. 24 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

25 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 3 Select the By Name option to link tables by their names or select the By Key option to use foreign key information, thus enabling the Native Baan Driver to look for the relationship between tables as defined in the Baan metadata. Then, click Link. Note: Due to the standardized field-naming conventions used by Baan, selecting the By Name option may generate unnecessary links between database tables. 5. The Fields dialog box displays all of the fields available for use in your report, based on the tables you selected in the Data dialog box. Expand the table nodes to locate the fields you want to display in the report. 6. Double-click the fields that you want to display in the report and click Next. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 25

26 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables Tip: To add several fields more quickly, hold down the CTRL key as you select the fields and then click the > button. 7. In the Grouping dialog box, specify how if at all you want the fields to be grouped on the report, and then click Next. Omit this step if you do not want to create any groupings. 26 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

27 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 3 8. If you specified a group, you may choose and define Summarized Fields in the Summaries dialog box. Add fields to the Summarized Fields area and then select a summary type for each field from the list. Omit this step if you do not want to create or change the summary fields. Click Next to continue. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 27

28 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 9. If you specified a group and a summary, the Group Sorting dialog box appears. You may choose to sort all groups, or you can choose the top or bottom 5 groups. Omit this step if you do not want to use any group sorting. Click Next to continue. 28 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

29 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables If you specified a group and a summary, you may choose to include a chart on your report. Omit this step if you do not want to create a chart. Click Next to continue. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 29

30 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 11. In the Record Selection dialog box, choose fields to select (or filter) records in a report. By selecting records this way, you can narrow the scope of your report and improve processing speed. Omit this step if you do not want to create a record selection. Click Next to continue. 30 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

31 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables In the Template dialog box, you may choose to add a layout design template to your report. Omit this step if you do not want to use a template. 13. Click Finish. Note: You may be asked to provide your Baan password again. Type your password and click Finish. The tables and their associated fields are now available for use in the report. To view these objects in Crystal Reports, enable the Field Explorer (in the View menu, click Field Explorer), and expand the Database Fields node. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 31

32 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables Selecting Baan database tables using the Database Expert 1. If a report isn t already open, create a new report. On the File menu in Crystal Reports, click New, and then click Blank Report. 2. In the Database Expert dialog box, expand the node of the database connection you want. Initially, the Database Expert dialog box displays a list of the packages that are available from the Baan server. 3. Expand the package nodes and the underlying module nodes to view a list of Baan database tables. 4. Double-click the tables that you want to make available for the report and click OK. 32 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

33 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Selecting Baan database tables 3 Tip: To add several tables more quickly, hold down the CTRL key as you select the tables and then click the > button. 5. If you selected more than one table for the report, you must provide table linking information. Define the links between your tables in the Links tab. Tip: Auto-Arrange Click Auto-Arrange to automatically arrange the tables to fit in the most efficient manner inside the Links display area. Auto-Link Use this area to automatically create links between tables. Click Clear Links to clear any existing links before using the Auto-Link feature. Select the By Name option to link tables by their names or select the By Key option to use foreign key information, thus enabling the Native Baan Driver to look for the relationship between tables as defined in the Baan metadata. Then, click Link. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 33

34 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Setting up the sample reports Note: Due to the standardized field-naming conventions used by Baan, selecting the By Name option may generate unnecessary links between database tables. 6. Once you have selected and linked all of the tables for the report, click OK. The tables and their associated fields are now available for use in the report. To view these objects in Crystal Reports, enable the Field Explorer (in the View menu, click Field Explorer), and expand the Database Fields node. Setting up the sample reports The Native Baan Driver includes sample reports that demonstrate some of the ways in which Crystal Reports can extract and format your Baan data. By copying or modifying these samples, you can create reports that display your Baan data in ways that offer the greatest value. To set up the sample reports 1. Launch Crystal Reports. 2. On the File menu, click Open. 34 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

35 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Setting up the sample reports 3 3. Locate the Integration Kit s sample reports folder, which is by default: C:\Program Files\Business Objects\Integration Kit for Baan 11.5\Native\Sample Reports\en 4. Browse the folders contents, select a report, and then click Open. The report appears in the Preview tab of Crystal Reports. 5. Click the Design tab see how the sections and groups have been used to create the report s layout. 6. Try other tools in Crystal Reports such as the Field Explorer, the Formula Workshop, and the Record Selection Formula Editor to see how the Baan data is incorporated and used in the report. Tip: To enable the Field Explorer, click the Field Explorer button on the Standard toolbar. Alternatively, click Field Explorer on the View menu. To enable the Formula Workshop, click the Formula Workshop button on the Experts toolbar. Alternatively, click Formula Workshop on the Report menu. To enable the Record Selection Formula Editor, on the Report menu, expand Selection Formulas and click Record. 7. On the Database menu, click Verify Database. The Baan Server Connection Info dialog box appears. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 35

36 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Setting up the sample reports 8. Remove the sample report s previous connection information, and enter your information for the following fields: Version Select the version of Baan that you wish to connect to. Server Enter the name of the server where the Baan system resides. Instance By default, the value for this field is set to 0 (zero). However, if more than one connection to the same server is used in a report, each additional connection requires a unique server instance value to establish a distinct connection identity. For details, see Server instance variables on page 46. BSE The Baan System Environment enter the file location of the Baan system on the server. User Provide your Baan user name. Password Provide your Baan password. Companies Specify the company or companies that you want to report off. Specifying multiple companies returns a union of data from these companies. For details on creating a report from multiple companies, see Multi company reporting on page 42. Note: For more details on these logon fields, see Logging on to the Baan server on page Click Finish. Crystal Reports proceeds to update the report to reflect any changes in the database information. Depending on the report, the Verify Database message may appear more than once. The report is now refreshed with data from your Baan system. However, if no data appears in the report, and you receive no database error messages, then it is likely that the report uses tables and fields that are empty in your Baan database. 36 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

37 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Changing configuration options 3 Changing configuration options Before using the Native Baan Driver, configure Crystal Reports to list tables and fields by both name and description. This configuration change generally improves the experience of reporting off Baan data. Your Baan server may contain thousands of database tables, each with a predefined, nondescriptive name. The configuration change ensures that you can select specific tables for a report without having to search through an immense list. When you do need to see the list of tables, you can view the table and field descriptions that are defined by the Baan database administrator. To change configuration options 1. Launch Crystal Reports. 2. On the File menu, click Options. The Options dialog box appears. 3. Click the Database tab. In the Tables and Fields area, ensure that Show Both is selected. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 37

38 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Setting the datasource location Setting the datasource location Setting the datasource location of a report is useful when you want to do any of the following: Upgrade reports that were created using previous versions of Crystal Reports. Run reports in an environment (for example, Production) that is different from the one in which they were originally created (for example, Development or Test). To set the datasource location for tables in a report 1. Launch Crystal Reports and open the report that you want to update. 2. On the Database menu, click Set Datasource Location. The Set Datasource Location dialog box appears. 3. From the Current Data Source area, select the table that you want to update. 4. In the Replace With area, create a connection to your Baan server. For information on connecting to Baan servers, see Connecting to Baan through Crystal Reports on page BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

39 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Setting the datasource location 3 5. In the Replace With area, locate the connection to your Baan server. Expand the package and module nodes, and navigate to the table which corresponds to the one that you have selected in the Current Data Source area. Once you find the table, click it to select it. 6. Ensure that the tables in the Current Data Source area and the Replace With area are both highlighted. Then click Update to set a new datasource location for the table in your report. 7. Repeat this step for all the tables in the report. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 39

40 3 Reporting with the Native Baan Driver Setting the datasource location 40 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

41 Advanced Reporting Options chapter

42 4 Advanced Reporting Options Overview Overview The advanced functions of the Native Baan Driver allow you to access array fields, enumerated and bitset fields, UTC time fields, text tables, and text fields. In addition, these functions enable you to perform cross-company or multi-company reporting. The following sections describe how to set up reports that include data from multiple companies or use special data types within Baan. This chapter includes the following topics: Multi company reporting on page 42. Table and field type considerations on page 44. Outer joins on page 46. Server instance variables on page 46. For additional help on advanced report design topics, consult the Online Help or the printed User s Guide supplied with Crystal Reports. Multi company reporting Multi-company reporting enables you to retrieve data from two or more companies and compile the results in one report. You can incorporate one or more companies in the main report, include additional companies in subreports, and incorporate data from one or more Baan tables. To create a multi-company report using the Native Baan Driver, you log on to multiple companies through Crystal Reports. Typically, if you log on to Baan and want to report from company 902 only, you enter 902 in the Connection 42 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

43 Advanced Reporting Options Multi company reporting 4 Info dialog box. If you want to report from company 802 and 902, you enter both company numbers in the dialog box, separated by a comma ( 802,902 ). You can add as many companies as required. Note: You can no longer use the _compnr field to create multi-company reports. The Native Baan Driver does not allow selections on this field to be passed down to Baan itself. However, this field is still exposed to the report designer. You may want to use the _compnr field on the report solely for information purposes, or to perform client-side selections and sorts. Some reports that were created in older versions of the Native Baan Driver may need to be updated in order to reflect recent performance and security enhancements to the driver. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 43

44 4 Advanced Reporting Options Table and field type considerations You can also create a multi-company report using subreports. Using this method, you log on to Baan for each subreport against a separate Baan company. That provides you with the functionality needed in some multicompany reporting situations. For example, you may need to report from companies in two different Version Release Customizations (VRCs) in Baan. The enhancements to the new driver require you to add a subreport to the main report, and log on to Baan separately in each report (this behavior is standard in Baan, which will not permit a user from a particular VRC to log on to a company from a different VRC). Table and field type considerations Array fields The Native Baan Driver supports array fields, and lists them with their array indexes. You select array fields individually to include them in your report. Array fields are supported locally through implicit mapping. As a result, you cannot use them for table joins, sorting, or filtering in the SQL statement. In other words, the array fields appear only in the SELECT statement. Enumerated and bitset fields Enumerated and bitset fields are special data types in Baan. They are stored as numeric values, and given an internal textual representation to increase efficiency. For example, 0 may represent No, and 1 may represent Yes. The Native Baan Driver handles such fields by creating virtual fields with an _STR suffix. These virtual fields allow you to retrieve the descriptive string values, instead of the numeric values. For example, if you have an enumerated field called MStatus (Marital Status) that stores a 0 for Single and a 1 for Married, then a virtual field called MStatus_STR is generated automatically. When you place this field on the report, either Single or Married appears, depending on the value of MStatus. Note: Virtual fields are internal to the Native Baan Driver, so you cannot use them manually when editing the SQL statement. If you use a virtual field for table joins, sorting, or filtering, the driver uses the actual numeric value of the field. 44 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

45 Advanced Reporting Options Table and field type considerations 4 Text tables and fields UTC time fields The Native Baan Driver presents each text field as a memo field, the size of which is limited only by available disk space and memory. Also, for each text field, the driver creates a virtual field with an _IDX suffix, which references the underlying numeric indexes of the text field. Note: You cannot use memo fields for table joins, sorting, or filtering. Like other virtual fields, the virtual fields for text indexes are internal to the Native Baan Driver, so you cannot use them manually when editing the SQL statement. If you use a virtual field for table joins, sorting, or filtering, the driver uses the actual numeric value of the text index. The Native Baan Driver supports UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) time fields (which Baan added to Baan ERP). These fields are converted to the user time zone before the values are displayed on the report. The driver uses the user time zone settings that are defined in Baan. Because these values are automatically converted to the user s local time zone, reports built with older versions of the Native Baan Driver may need to be updated. Some of these reports may contain formulas or logic that manually converts the UTC fields to the user s local time zone; in such cases, report designers should remove the formula or logic because this conversion is now performed by the driver. It is also important to consider which Baan user credentials are being used to run the report. Because the Baan user name and password can be saved to BusinessObjects Enterprise along with the report, you can potentially view or run a Baan report that converts the UTC date/time fields to a time zone that is different from your own. Therefore, when you view reports in BusinessObjects Enterprise, it is important that you know the time zone to which the UTC fields have been converted. Note: Coordinated Universal Time is a time scale that couples Greenwich Mean Time (which is based on the Earth's rotation rate) with accurate atomic time. When atomic time and Earth time approach a one second difference, a leap second is calculated into UTC. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 45

46 4 Advanced Reporting Options Outer joins Outer joins The Native Baan Driver supports outer joins, while Baan supports outer joins only on indexed fields. Thus, when you use Crystal Reports, the driver must process your outer joins on the client side. For reports scheduled in BusinessObjects Enterprise, the processing occurs on the Crystal Reports Job Server. The Native Baan Driver supports only left outer joins, which may be nested. For efficiency, the client side executes only the outer joins. When queries contain both outer and non-outer joins, the non-outer join operations are executed on the Baan server. As a result, outer joins are executed last, after the non-outer joins have been executed on the server. In other reporting environments, outer joins are typically processed by the underlying RDBMS (relational database-management system). Because the driver must process outer joins on the client side, due to limitations in the Baan database interface, the process may take a significant amount of time if the outer joins involve very large tables. Server instance variables Server instance variables enable you to establish more than one connection to the same Baan server. Each connection to the server requires a unique server instance value to establish a distinct connection identity. You set the server instance variable in the Connection Info dialog box when you connect to Baan through Crystal Reports. On your first connection, set the server instance to 0 (zero). If you need to create a second simultaneous connection to the Baan server, you are prompted to log on to the server again. If this occurs, set the server instance to 1. Continue to increment the server instance variable for additional connections as required. 46 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

47 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise with the Native Baan Driver chapter

48 5 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise with the Native Baan Driver Overview Overview BusinessObjects Enterprise allows information to be delivered throughout your organization via the web. No components need to be installed locally all that s needed is a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. Users can view, run, schedule, and manage reports easily and quickly using a customizable web environment. BusinessObjects Enterprise comes with a standard web interface for users to view and manage their reports. This interface, shown below, is called InfoView. You use InfoView to locate and view the Crystal reports that have been generated from within Baan. For more information on InfoView, refer to the BusinessObjects Enterprise InfoView User s Guide. Publishing reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise To deliver a report to users through BusinessObjects Enterprise, you publish the report to the server. You can publish reports in three ways: By using the standard Publishing Wizard provided with BusinessObjects Enterprise. By designing a report in Crystal Reports and saving it to BusinessObjects Enterprise. By using the web-based Central Management Console of BusinessObjects Enterprise. For a detailed description of how to publish reports to BusinessObjects Enterprise, refer to the BusinessObjects Enterprise User s Guide or the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator s Guide. 48 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

49 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise Tools and Features chapter

50 6 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise Tools and Features Business Views Business Views Business Views is a multi-tier system that enables your administrator to build comprehensive and specific Business Views objects. These objects help report designers and end users access the information they require. Using Business Views, the administrator can integrate data from disparate sources bringing together data from multiple data collection platforms across application boundaries so that the differences in data resolution, coverage, and structure between collection methods are eliminated. As a Business Views user, you are presented with a single organized Business View, which can include consistent definitions of corporate hierarchy or customer information, and provide a variety of detailed or summarized viewpoints for the various groups of information consumers. Business Views provide you with the highest level of data abstraction, where you see Business Views as an abstract database connection and the contained Business Elements as virtual tables that contain Business Fields. Business Views are created using a thick-client designer in BusinessObjects Enterprise, the Business View Manager. End users access Business Views through applications such as Crystal Reports, OLAP Intelligence, and when creating ad hoc reports. For more information on Business Views, see the Crystal Reports User s Guide. Using Business Views with the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan Using Business Views with the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan requires that the Native Baan Driver be installed on each machine that will be using Business Views even if the user is simply reporting against Business Views. For instruction on installing the Native Baan Driver, see Installing the Native Baan Driver on page 10. For detailed information on BusinessObjects Enterprise Business Views, contact your administrator. Note: Integrated Baan Reporting does not support Business Views. 50 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

51 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise Tools and Features Crystal Reports Explorer 6 Crystal Reports Explorer About Crystal Reports Explorer Crystal Reports Explorer allows users to create and modify reports, design layouts, and perform data analysis using a zero-client interface. This functionality reduces IT reporting backlog by enabling users to create, save, and redistribute personalized report views in BusinessObjects Enterprise. You can use Crystal Reports Explorer to perform the following administrative tasks: Setting user access to Business Views and report data sources. Controlling the Crystal Reports Explorer features that are available to each user. Providing users with standardized report templates by setting the Default Template folder. Configuring and managing data sources. For more information about Crystal Reports Explorer, see the Crystal Reports Explorer online help. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 51

52 6 Using BusinessObjects Enterprise Tools and Features Crystal Reports Explorer 52 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

53 Working with Integrated Baan Reporting chapter

54 7 Working with Integrated Baan Reporting Overview Overview The Integrated Baan Reporting component of the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan enables you to convert Baan reports into Crystal reports from a Baan print session. You view the generated Crystal reports over the Web, so there is no need to install any Windows client software on your local machine. Once you convert a Baan report to a Crystal report, you can search for particular results using the report viewer s Search Text tool. When you need to save or distribute a report, you choose between multiple export formats, including RTF and PDF. This chapter includes the following topics: Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports on page 55. Navigating Crystal reports on page 56. Exporting and printing reports on page 56. Searching report data on page 57 Locating reports using InfoView on page 57 Creating shortcuts to your favorite Baan reports on page BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide

55 Working with Integrated Baan Reporting Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports 7 Converting Baan reports to Crystal reports Integrated Baan Reporting allows you to view Baan reports over the Web as Crystal reports. The reports that you convert are those that already reside in your Baan system. To view a Baan report in Crystal format 1. Double-click the desired report in your Baan system. 2. On the File menu, click Print to specify your print criteria; then from the Print dialog box, click Print to access the Select Device dialog box. Before the Select Device dialog box appears, you may be prompted to select from a list of available reports. If so, select a report and click OK. 3. Click the File tab, and then click the arrow next to the Device field to display the list of available print devices. 4. In the Device Data dialog box, select the BusinessObjects XI Integration Kit for Baan print device and click OK. The Business Objects print device name and description are set by your administrator. Here, the print device is named IK PRINTDEVICE: Once you ve selected a device, you are returned to the Select Device dialog box. BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide 55

56 7 Working with Integrated Baan Reporting Navigating Crystal reports 5. If you want to print the report with a customized template, click the arrow next to the Template Code field. The Report Templates dialog box appears. Any report templates created by your administrator are displayed in this list. Select the appropriate template and click OK. 6. When you are returned to the Select Device dialog box, select the Preview check box, and then click Continue to print the report. The Crystal report is processed on the server and, when the processing finishes, the report appears in your browser. This may take a few minutes, depending on the current server load and network transfer speeds. Navigating Crystal reports When you view a Crystal report, navigate through the data by clicking the page navigation buttons on the viewer s toolbar (Go to First Page, Go to Previous Page, Go to Next Page, Go to Last Page). Or, specify a particular page in the Page Number box. If the report data is grouped, use the viewer s Group Tree to navigate quickly through the data. To page through the report Use the page navigation buttons on the toolbar to move through the report. Note: The total number of report pages (displayed here as 2/5+) is not calculated until you click the Go to Last Page button. To increase/decrease the report's size Choose from the list of zoom values in the Zoom list on the toolbar. To navigate through grouped data 1. If the Group Tree is not displayed, click the Show/Hide Group Tree button on the toolbar. 2. Click any group in the tree to go directly to that section of the report. Exporting and printing reports From the viewer, you can export reports to various file formats, including Crystal reports (.rpt), Microsoft Excel (.xls), Microsoft Word (.doc), Rich Text (.rtf), and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). You can also print hard copies of your reports. 56 BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Integration Kit for Baan User s Guide