Use the Report Builder

Overview

This topic walks you through creating a report with the report builder.

After first creating an interface we provide a list of template, examples, and builders that will help you get started in design mode.

The report builder allows you to create basic grids and charts to display data from a record type object or data store entity using an intuitive interface. This page walks through the main components of the report builder.

The report builder can be found from the list of interface templates, under the BUILDERS section.

Select the Data Source

First, select a constant that points to either a record type or a data store entity. The Report Builder accepts constants only. If you are using a record type object as the data source for your report, you must use a constant to reference the record type object.

report_builder_constant.png

This is used to populate the data for the interface. The report builder has access to all data from the source. By default, the grid uses a batch size of 20 to display the data in pages and the charts display all data at once.

Select the Fields to Display

Next, select the fields that are used for the grid or chart, as shown below.

You can add new columns by selecting the corresponding field from the dropdown and clicking the Add Field button.

Existing columns can be sorted left and right using the arrows, and deleted using the X. The display name of each data column can be changed by clicking on the Change display name link.

Only fields that are scalar and either a primitive data type (with the exception of Encrypted Text) or an Appian object data type can be used. The text representation of data from Appian object data types will be displayed (such as [Group:1] for a group).

Aggregate Data

In addition to displaying the data, you can also aggregate data by selecting Group records by common fields. At least one field must set as a grouping field. You can also specify how all other fields are aggregated, as shown below.

Display the Data in a Read-Only Grid

To display the data in a Read-Only Grid, select the Grid option in the Choose Visualization section. You can also define the default sort order for the data. A preview of the grid is displayed, as shown below.

Display the Data in a Chart

To display the data in a chart, select one of the chart options in the Choose Visualization section.

Charts work best when the data is aggregated.

For bar, column, and line chart, you can add multiple data series and the display name for each data series will be displayed in the tooltip. A preview of the chart is displayed, as shown below.

Generate the Interface

When you've finished the basic configurations for the grid or chart, click the Generate button at the bottom to generate the corresponding interface.

This interface definition includes both the query to return the data and the configuration for the component. You can then modify the interface to format the data or add dynamic behavior.

The generated interface can be modified in design or expression mode for additional functionality. Alternatively, you can choose to safe the interface as a single component interface for greater reusability.

For more information on how to modify a chart generated by the report builder, see the following recipes:

Open in Github Built: Tue, May 23, 2023 (06:12:33 PM)

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