Create the layout with the Report Wizard

25-8 Oracle Reports Users Guide to Building Reports

2. On the Report Type page, select Create Paper Layout only.

3. On the Totals page, click SUM_SAL in the Available Fields list, then click Sum.

4. Click Finish to preview your report output in the Paper Design view.

25.5 Format Monetary Values

To make your report easier to read, you can add formatting to the monetary values. To format monetary values:

1. On the first page of the report, click one of the cell values. Notice that all of the

values are immediately selected, indicating that you can change their properties simultaneously.

2. Shift-click one of the summary values at the bottom of a column of the matrix.

3. Click the Currency button in the toolbar. A currency symbol immediately appears

next to all of the values.

4. Click the Add Decimal Place button in the toolbar twice. Two decimal places are

added to the right of the decimal point.

5. Resize the fields. Click and drag the rightmost handle of the cell value under the

SALESMAN label about 0.5 inches 1.5 centimeters to the left. After you complete this operation, the department summaries from the second page should move onto the first page.

6. Shift-click the SALESMAN label.

7. Click the Align Right button in the toolbar.

8. Click in an open area of the Paper Design view to deselect all of the objects.

9. Click one of the department summaries at the end of a row in the matrix. All of the

department summaries are immediately selected.

10. Shift-click the report summary underneath the department summaries.

11. Use the left arrow key to move these summaries to the left until they are

approximately flush with the SALESMAN column in the matrix. Note: Although you can use the Report Wizard to add summaries to a single-query matrix, you cannot use this method for a multiquery matrix. Tip: You may have to use the arrows to make the Totals tab visible. Note: When your new layout is created, you should notice a couple of things. First, at the bottom of each column of the matrix, you should now see a summary of that columns values. The report is also probably more than one page long now. Because of the width of the layout, the summaries for the departments cannot fit on the page with the rest of the matrix. Hence, the department summaries and the report summary overflow to the next page. Go to the second page of the report and you will see the department summaries and the report summary. Building a Matrix Report 25-9 12. Click the Currency button in the toolbar. A currency symbol immediately appears next to all of the values. 13. Click the Add Decimal Place button in the toolbar twice. Two decimal places are added to the right of the decimal point. 14. Resize the fields. Click and drag the rightmost handle of one of the selected fields about 0.5 inches 1.5 centimeters to the left. 15. Click the Align Right button in the toolbar. Figure 25–9 Matrix report in Paper Design view with monetary values formatted

25.6 Add Zeroes in Place of Blanks

A matrix report displays a juxtaposition of data – in other words, the values held in common by two different categories of data. These categories are indicated by the row and column labels. The matrix displays this juxtaposition of values using a grid-like format. If the two categories have nothing in common, the grid at that point is empty. The matrix appears to be full of holes. You can fill the holes using boilerplate text. To replace blanks with zeroes: 1. Open the matrix report to which you previously added the summaries.

2. In the Object Navigator, double-click the view icon next to the Paper Layout node

to display the Paper Layout view.

3. In the Paper Layout view, click the Confine On and Flex On buttons in the toolbar

to turn both modes on.

4. From the font lists in the toolbar, choose Arial Western, point size 10.

5. Click the Align Right button in the toolbar.

6. Click the Text tool in the tool palette.

7. Click the top of the F_SUM_SAL field about 0.75 inches 2 centimeters from its

right edge. Your objective is to create an object right on top of F_SUM_SAL. Note: Do not confuse empty spaces in the grid with null values. A null value is an actual value fetched from the database. The spaces in a matrix report are empty because nothing has been fetched to fill them. Tip: The steps that follow require some precision in the placement of objects. Hence, you may want to magnify the view to make the process easier. Click the Magnify tool and then click somewhere in the Paper Layout view. Repeat as many times as necessary.