Dynamic Filters in BIRT Studio (Demo Pack)

averma

Dynamic (Ad hoc) Parameter Support<br />
A parameter enables a designer to expose a design variable whose value can be received from either a user or another program. This variable in turn is used to control the behavior of either query, formula or design item properties. Actuate 11 greatly enhances design flexibility by introducing a new type of parameter called the Dynamic Parameter.<br />
The Dynamic filter is supported by an intelligent parser that automatically updates the underlying query based on the value supplied for that parameter. For example, consider a simple customer listing table that shows customer information such as "Name", "Address", "Industry", "Country", "City", "Revenue" etc. To expand the type of business questions that this report can answer, the designer can create a dynamic filter on “Country” field. When the end user executes this report, he/she is prompted to either enter the “Country” value or leave the field blank.<br />
If a value is specified, the parser automatically updates the WHERE clause with that condition to retrieve values specific to the country specified. If the user specifies a blank value the WHERE clause is automatically dropped. In case of multiple values, the parser constructs an IN clause with the list of values.<br />
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Dynamic Parameter Creation<br />
The Dynamic Parameter can be created directly from the filter dialog in BIRT Studio. The business user can classify the parameter as either static or dynamic and then go on to define additional properties.<br />
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Attached BIRT design("DynamicFilter.rptdesign") has two dynamic parameters – Sales Office and Sales Rep. The end user can optionally provide both the operator as well as values for the parameters. If the user decides not to provide any values for these parameters, these filters are dropped from the underlying SQL query. If however the end user supplies an operator and a value then the filter condition with the correct operator is created and appended to the query. Note that the user interface automatically changes depending upon the operator that is used. For example if the “IN” operator condition is used, then the prompt automatically changes to a list box that allows multiple selections. To further review the files, copy this example file to your local folder and click the edit button to review the design construction.<br />
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View Live Example<br />
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Ashwini Verma