Project Properties Screen - Overview 

The Project Properties screen manages the meta-data for your project. This meta-data is stored on the common user database.  Projects may be shared by other users.

Definitions 

Project - A collection of selected reports and a set of tasks designed to validate those reports. 

 

Usage 

On the Project Properties screen you can: 

  • Set the name of the project         
  • Set the location of the reports.       
  • Setup input parameters that will be passed to the Report List Query.         
  • Choose data sources for the project and tasks.         
  • Develop and test the Report List Query.  

 

 

How to use this screen

 

 

1.    Setting your project name: The project name must be unique. If it is changed, the change will be propagated to all screens referencing it.

 

 2.    Setting the location of the reports:  This is the directory where your reports will be located at Project run time.  The report names in this folder should match the names returned by the Report List Query.

3.   Setting the Report List Query Input Parameters. Use this to manage the input parameters that will be passed to the Report List Query. Depending on the data type you choose, String, Integer, Date, etc, the parameter window will provide the appropriate editor. Note: You can use drag & drop to include these parameters into your Report List Query. Also, you can right-click on the Report List Query to select from the list of available parameters.

 

 

 

 4.    Choosing data sources for your project and tasks:   Data sources are connections to the databases were your raw data resides. They are used by the queries in your projects and tasks. A project has two data sources. They can reference the same or different databases

       a.       The Project Data Source is used by the project to run the Report List Query.  This data source should reference the database where the Report List Query can return an accurate list of the report names you wish to validate and additional parameters you wish to pass to your Tasks. 

       b.       The Tasks Data Source is used by all tasks within the Project.  This data source should reference the database containing the raw data you wish to compare your report data against.

 

 

5.       Developing the Report List Query.  Each project has a Report List Query that generates the list of report names to be validated. This Report List Query can include columns that reflect the unique properties of each report, such as a territory ID, product ID, or run date, etc., which can be passed, as parameters, to the tasks. You can choose between two kinds of Report List Queries: An SQL Query and a Directory Search Query. You choose a query type by clicking on the desired tab. Only the query on the tab chosen will execute at run time.

a.       SQL Query – This method employs an SQL query, where the first column must always be the report file name, and subsequent columns reflect the properties of the reports such as a territory ID, product ID, or run date, etc., which can be passed as parameters to your tasks.  

Note: You can use drag & drop to include input parameters, described above,  into your Report List Query. Also, you can right-click on the Report List Query to select from the list of available parameters to insert.

The Report List Query should follow these rules: 

    i.      The first column returned by the query must be called ReportFileName. The report file name value should have no path, but should include an extension, e.g.: Sales_A0101_20081231.xls. 

     ii.      The SQL syntax must follow the standards prescribed by the type of database your project data source is connected to. If the project data source references an Oracle database then syntax rules for Oracle SQL must be observed.

Also…   The Test Query button allows you to debug your query as you develop. The View Parsed Query link allows you to view how parameters will be resolved in your query.

 

  

 b.       Directory Search Query.  This second method is a standard directory search, using a partial file name and wild cards, designed to return a list of report names that are to be located in the report folder.  You may include input parameters (from above), or wildcards * or ?, where * equals any character, and ? equals one alpha-numeric character, e.g.:  Sales_???_@ReportDate*.xls. 

With this method, you may extract sub-strings from the report file names that reflect the properties of the reports such as a territory ID, product ID, or run date, etc.,  which can be passed as parameters to your tasks.