Types of web reports

Question

Hi gurus,
What are the types of web reports we have? Where do you specify them, Is it some sort of property setting?
i'll asign points.
regards
priya

Answer 1

Hi,
   Web application design, with the BEx Web Application Designer as its main tool, allows you to use generic OLAP navigation for your BI data in Web applications as well as in business intelligence cockpits for simple or highly individual scenarios. Web application design comprises a broad spectrum of Web-based business intelligence scenarios, which you can adjust to meet your individual needs using standard Web technologies.
Features
The following figure shows how the Web Application Designer is integrated into the function landscape and tool landscape of the Business Explorer:
You can use this BEx Web Application Designer, the desktop application used to create Web applications, to generate HTML pages that contain BI-specific contents such as tables, charts or maps. These objects, which retrieve BI data from a data provider and place it in a Web application as HTML, are known as Web items. For more information about the Web items available, see Web Items. Web Applications are based on Web Templates that you create and edit in the Web Application Designer. You can save the Web templates and access them from the Web Browser or the portal. Once they have been executed in the Web, Web templates are known as Web Applications.
Business Explorer Web application design allows you to create highly individual scenarios with user-defined interface elements by using standard markup languages and the Web design API. You can adjust and enhance the Web templates (the HTML pages that determine the structure of Web applications) on an individual basis. For more information on this, see Web Design API.
The BEx Web Application Designer is a desktop application for creating Web applications with BI-specific content. Using the BEx Web Application Designer, you can create an HTML page containing BI-specific content such as various tables, charts, or maps. This HTML page (Web application) is the basis not only for Web applications with complex interaction, but also for Web cockpits and iViews.
The command wizard and pattern wizard are integral parts of the Web Application Designer. Using the command wizard, you can easily generate commands from the Web Design API and include them in your Web template. Using the pattern wizard, you can configure BI patterns to a certain extent and tailor them to meet your needs.
The initial view of the BEx Web Application Designer has four different screen areas in addition to the menu and toolbars.
      Web Items Screen Area
      Web Template Screen Area
      Properties Screen Area
      Error and Warnings Screen Area
Applications with the BEx Web Application Designer. For more information about creating Web applications, see Creating Web Applications.
You can adjust the appearance of the Web Application Designer to meet your requirements. The object on which you are working, namely the Web template, is handled differently from the tools and help windows with which you are working.
      You can show and hide the individual screen areas and toolbars using the View menu option.
      You can reposition the three toolbars and the Web Items and Properties windows as required. Depending on where you reposition the object, it is either anchored or appears freely as a toolbox.
      Since the Web Application Designer is a Multiple Document Interface Application (MDI Application), you can open and manage different windows with Web templates simultaneously. You can use the Window menu option to arrange the windows differently: cascading (overlapping), vertical, or horizontal.
Using the BEx Web Application Designer, you can create a BEx Web application (an HTML page with BI-specific content) easily.
       1.      Creating a Web template
The Web template is the starting point for creating a Web application. The Web template is an XHTML document that is used to define the structure of a Web application. It contains placeholders for Web items, data providers, and commands. A Web template becomes a Web application when the data is displayed in the Web browser.
During the design process, you change the Web template by embedding placeholders for Web items and data providers. You can keep track of these changes in the XHTML view.
To create a new Web template, choose Web Template ® New in the Web Application Designer menu bar. You can also create Web templates from the Select Web Template window. Choose Create New Web Template.
       2.      Setting the data binding/selection of the data provider
The data for your Web items is provided by data providers that you create in the Web Application Designer. You can assign a data provider to multiple Web items. The data provider concept makes it possible to change the data source of a Web item easily. If a particular data provider is assigned to more than one Web item, any changes made affect all the assigned Web items. By means of navigation (by changing the drilldown), the Web item always displays the current drilldown data.
A data provider is a dynamic object that returns current data for one or more Web items at runtime. You define the start view of the data provider by selecting a query or a query view. For more information about data providers, see Data Providers in BI Applications.
There are several ways to create data providers:
          a.      In the Data Provider section in the Web Items screen area
           i.       Select whether you want to create a data provider of type Filter or type Query View, and drag the corresponding line into the lower data provider section of the Web template screen area. The Maintain Data Provider dialog box appears.
           ii.       Assign a name to the data provider and make the remaining settings required. 
In the dropdown box beneath the name field, you can also select or change the data provider type.
           b.      Using the New Data Provider symbol in the lower data provider section of the Web Template screen area
           i.       Double-click to choose New Data Provider. The Maintain Data Provider dialog box appears.
           ii.       Proceed as described under a. ii.
            c.      Using the General tab page in the Properties screen area
You can only use this option if you have already inserted a Web item into your Web template.
             i.       In the header of the properties screen area, select the Web item for which you want to create a data provider.
             ii.       On the General tab page, choose New Data Provider. The Maintain Data Provider dialog box appears.
The data provider is assigned to the selected Web item. You can also create more than one data provider, as described under c. The data providers are listed in the dropdown box under Assigning Data Providers. This enables you to assign a different data provider to the selected Web item.
The Maintain Data Provider dialog box appears under data provider: . You can modify or change the settings for the data provider here.
When you have created a data provider, it is assigned to the inserted Web item. Assigning depends on the order of the data providers in the inner structure of the Web template. See also 4.a.
       3.      Adding a Web item
The Web items in the Web Items screen area serve as templates. By dragging a Web item into your Web template, you create an actual version of the Web item; this is called an object. The Web item has a name and certain other default parameters that you can change as required (see also 4.).
You see the changes in the XHTML view. A Web item tag for the Web item and a data provider tag for the data provider (assuming you have created a data provider) were integrated into the XHTML as placeholders. Change the name of the Web item and assign a data provider to it. In the XHTML view, you can see that your settings have been written to the Web item tag. The layout you choose is also applied in the XHTML.
                            a.      Drag a Web item from one of the Web item groupings Standard, Extended, or Miscellaneous in the Web Items screen area to the Web template by using drag and drop. The Web item appears in the Web template.
Underneath the selection area for Web items and data provider maintenance, you see the help area, which provides explanations for the Web items and data providers. To display the texts for a Web item, select the Web item by double-clicking with the secondary mouse button. To hide the texts, proceed in the same way. When you hide the display of texts and select a Web item by single-clicking it, a quick info is displayed for the Web item.
                          b.      If you want to rename the inserted Web item, proceed as follows:
In the Properties screen area, choose Rename Web Item to the right of the dropdown box in which the inserted Web items are listed. Name the Web item by overwriting the default text under Name in the Properties screen area next to the dropdown box in which the inserted Web items are listed.
       4.      Specifying the properties of the Web item
                            a.      In the Properties screen area, choose the General tab page to make or change the assignment of a data provider for the corresponding Web item. See also 2.
                            b.      Choose the Web Item Parameters tab page to set the parameters for the selected Web item.
You can also set the parameters for the Chart Web item using the Edit Chart dialog box. Choose Edit in the context menu of the Chart Web item or Edit Chart in the Internal Display parameter grouping of the Chart Web item. For more information, see Editing Charts.
       5.      Adding additional Web items
To insert additional Web items, repeat steps 3 and 4.
     When you insert additional Web items using Insert ® Web Item, pay attention to where you position the cursor in your Web template. The cursor position determines where the new Web item is inserted. See also Designing the Layout of Web Templates. When you insert Web items using drag and drop, the position of the cursor is irrelevant.
      Make sure that you set the data binding and any Web item-specific parameter settings for the correct Web item. To make settings for a Web item, select the Web item in the layout view. In the header of the Properties window, the system displays the Web item for which you can change the settings. As an alternative to selecting the individual Web items, you can use the dropdown box to toggle between the attributes of individual Web items.
       6.      Designing a Web template layout
In the Web Application Designer, you create your Web template in the same way you do in various XHTML editors. See also Designing the Layout of Web Templates.
       7.      Changing the Web template properties
                            a.      To change the default properties of the Web template, select the Web template from the dropdown box in the Properties screen area.
                            b.      Choose the Web Template Parameters tab page, where you can change the parameter settings for the Web template.
For more information, see Web Template Properties.
       8.      Saving and executing the Web template
You execute the Web template in the Web browser (portal). The Web template becomes a Web application, which means the template is saved on the Application Server for ABAP and a URL is generated for this Web application.
At runtime (triggered by calling the URL), the BI tags are replaced by corresponding HTML with the information determined by the Web item and data provider settings. When this is done, the Web template on the Application Server for ABAP is accessed. Therefore, you must save your Web template before you execute it.
                            a.      To save your Web template, in the menu bar of the Web Application Designer, choose Web Template ® Save.
                            b.      Choose Web Template ® Execute to view your Web application in the browser (portal).
You must save the Web template before executing it in the Web browser. Therefore, when you execute the template, you are asked to save it if you have not already done so.
      To assign a Web template to a role, choose Web Template ® Publish ® In Role. See also Role Maintenance.
      To copy the URL of a Web template to the clipboard, choose Web Template ® Publish ® Copy URL to Clipboard. The Web template, however, must already be saved.
      To broadcast a Web template, choose Web Template ® Publish ® BEx Broadcaster.  For more information, see Precalculating and Broadcasting Queries, Query Views, Web Templates and Reports.
Result
Your Web application is started and displayed in the portal, which in turn runs in a Web browser.
If you want to print your Web application, choose Print in the context menu for the executed Web application.