How to use Info Services in IFS Web Client

Info Services is the common name for features in IFS Applications that let you order, distribute, preview, and print reports. Use Info Services to:

Contents

About Reports

Normal Reports and Quick Reports: Info Services distinguish between normal reports and Quick Reports. A Quick Report is a special type of report that is easier to create and use, but has a limited set of features. More specifically, the following features are only available to normal reports:

Quick Reports have some advantages over normal reports, such as the ability to export the contents of a Quick Report using Output Channels.

General Operation for Normal Reports: You can order and print any report by using the page in the IFS Applications - Info Services navigator folder or General folder. Many reports can also be ordered directly from within a page. For instance, an invoice page could have an operation to create and print an invoice report for the current invoice. Directly printing a report to your printer is not possible. However a work around exists. You can view the PDF format of the report and chose to print from the browser window.

The execution of an IFS Info Services report can be split in two different logical steps. The first one would be the data assembly part, and the second one would be the combined formatting and rendering part. Unlike IFS Windows clients you're only able to do background printing from the IFS Web Client. This is because all reports printed from web must be handled by the IFS Print Server (or the IFS Print Agent). It's not possible to print to a local printer from web. The first step in the order report dialog controls the data assembly part, let's refer to this as executing the report, the report or execution or the report request. Optionally you can choose to print the report or preview it, let's refer to this as the print or format request.

In IFS Web Client reports can be executed online or scheduled just like in the IFS windows client. A scheduled report can be one of six types:

If the scheduled item has a single execution, the scheduled item is removed once it's been executed (Active = false). When the scheduled item has been executed the data is assembled and an archive item is created. Ordered reports can be accessed through the report archive until they expire. If you choose to print or preview a ordered report a formatting request is created. Note that this can be done at the same time as ordering the report or at a later time using the report archive. When the formatting request is created you can select a printer (only if printing, not for preview). As stated above, only logical printers are available. When the formatting request is submitted a print job is created. This print Job is picked up by the Print Agent (or Print Server), processed and sent to the printer. In case of a preview, a PDF file is generated and stored on the server. PDF files are stored in the PDF archive location designated when Print Server is installed. PDF content for a Print Agent type report are saved in a database table.It's this PDF file/content that is used to preview the report from web. It's possible to configure IFS Info Services so a PDF file is generated for every formatting request regardless of if it's a print or preview request.

The report archive is where you view completed report orders. Each entry is a collection of assembled data. For each item you can also view any previously completed formatting requests if a PDF archive item was created for that formatting request.

From the report order wizard you can execute a report online, and schedule a report using the Scheduled Task/Report wizard.

Note: If you want to print a report a second time, you don't have to reorder it. Unless expired, the report will still be in the archive and can be printed from there.

 

Order Reports

There are two ways to order normal reports in IFS Applications:

Hint:

Quick Reports are ordered through the Quick Reports Navigator located in the Info Services folder in the IFS Navigator.

The standard order process was described above. Direct ordering is performed from within a page, usually by using a Print command. When you make a direct order, all the options are automatically set and the report executed immediately. You should use direct order where available.

To make a standard order using Order Report Assistant:

  1. Open the Order Report Assistant from the IFS Applications/Info Services navigator folder.
  2. Select the report you want to order from the Report list.
  3. Enter report parameters (if any).
  4. Execute the report
  5. Once executed you can print/view the report or order another report.

Report: Shows reports available in the system. Drop down the list to select a report.

Item: Lists all attributes of a report that can be used in a query. This column is filled in automatically when a report is selected.

Value:  In this column, you enter conditions to identify the report data or result set that should be returned. You can use simple conditions, having just one value or more general conditions, such as ">50".

Execute Report: Select Execute Report to execute the report online. Or check the checkbox Schedule to schedule the selected report. In this situation the Scheduled Task Assistant will open and execution will continue from there.

To make a standard order using Schedule Report/Task page:

  1. Open the Schedule Task/Report page. Navigate through the tree structure and find the report you wish to order. Use the "New Schedule" menu option to open the wizard. You could also open the wizard from a higher level such as module level or even report level itself.
  2. Enter report parameters (if any).
  3. Select execution plan
  4. Enter formatting requirements
  5. Schedule the report.

 

Using Print Manager and Archive

IFS Info Service provides two tools that you can use to manage your report orders and finished completed reports:

To use these tools efficiently, you must first understand how IFS Info Services manages your orders and reports. When you place a report order, using either standard or direct order, the following takes place:

  1. If your order is scheduled (run in the background on the server), it is run as a batch job. The batch schedule list is a collection of all active orders (reports that have been ordered but not yet finished). From within the Scheduled task/report, you can modify, execute, and delete your orders.
  2. When all the reports in your order are completed, a print job is created and stored with the Print Manager. The print job is basically a list of the reports in your order. When the print job has been created, you are notified according to what you selected for When Report is Finished. You can modify and delete print jobs in the Print Manager. For instance, you can change the server that handles the printing, or you can print it online.
  3. While the Print Manager handles groups of reports corresponding to report orders, the Report Archive manages the individual reports. Every report is stored in the report archive, remaining there until they expire. Expired reports are automatically removed. Use the report archive when you want to reprint an existing report or simply want to view an executed report.

 

Printing Reports

In IFS Info Services, all printing is handled from the Print dialog. Here, you can set options such as layout, language, and number of copies for all reports being printed. To set options for a report, first click on it in the list. You can also select the printer to use. You can use local printers and printers handled by IFS Print Server.

There are two ways in which you can print reports:

Note: When you print reports from the Report Archive, a new report job is created with the Print Manager. This print job can then be managed just as print jobs that are automatically created from report orders.

 

Quick Reports

Quick Reports are simple, easily accessible, and easily used. They are designed to provide correct, up-to-date information that you can instantly print or transfer to other applications, using Output Channels, for further processing. See the Output Channels chapter below for more information about transferring the quick report data to other applications.

A Quick Report has some differences from normal reports: For instance, it cannot be executed in the background; nor can it be scheduled or archived. The result of a Quick Report is always presented in a normal overview way in your application. Quick Reports support query conditions and query saving.

Quick Reports are accessed through the Quick Report Navigator, located in the Info Services folder in IFS Navigator. Or through the Quick Reports Portlet.

Output Channels

An Output Channel is a logical connection through which data can be transferred from IFS Applications to a Windows application, mostly to Microsoft Excel format. Output Channels enables you, with a single mouse click, to transfer data from any IFS Applications table to Office programs and other analysis tools.

This functionality is achieved in two steps:

  1. When you click on Output Channels, a file of specific format is generated, i.e. Tab-separated or HTML.
  2. The generated file is opened in an application.

Step 1 is performed by IFS Applications, and step 2 is the responsibility of the operating system.

Your system administrator configures the Output Channels for you. You can then transfer data into a program, such as Microsoft Excel, by clicking on the Output Channel toolbar button.

Using Output Channels

To use Output Channels, provided that the channels have been correctly configured, simply click on the Table Properties menu. The Table Properties menu is the  down arrow     at the top left of the table. If the option is enabled there will be one or more Output Channels listed in this menu. Choose one and the data will be output to the format chosen.

Background Jobs

Some operations, such as transferring times to the payroll system, can take a long time to perform. Therefore, these operations are typically performed as background jobs. Instead of starting the operation and waiting until it is completed, IFS Applications performs the operation as a background job on the server. This means that you can continue working with your application while the server performs the operation for you.

You can manage your background jobs through the Background Jobs window, which you find in the General folder in IFS Navigator.

 

Related Links

Print manager
Background jobs
Quick Reports
Printing Reports
Report Archive