You can use the DP4 Report Writer utility to write a program to process the information on your database. Programs produced using Report Writer are suited to defining tasks that require infrequent user interaction. For example, you might use this facility to print the names and addresses of all the customers on the database to a file, for use in a mail merge. Some users prefer to use QAB for reporting purposes, as this gives more control over program flow and allows you to print graphics or use multiple fonts. On Windows platforms you may choose to use third party software and ODBC to create reports.
Report Writer provides automatic access to parent tables. This means that you can produce a report that includes information from a selection of tables, provided that they are linked by common keys. For example, you can print out the order details for each customer by including fields from the CUSTOMER, ORDER_HEADER and ORDER_LINE tables in the report.
You can specify a condition for the selection of records, and include formulas for calculation. For example, you can set up a report to print out the names of all customers who have ordered goods over a specified value in the last six months.
Report Writer gives you detailed control over the format of the report. You can specify the size and spacing of the fields and the location of columns on the page. You can set up subtotal fields that are calculated at runtime, and specify whether records are sorted in ascending or descending order.
Report Writer can be used for developing three types of programs:
A report program outputs information from your database in the specified layout, usually a tabular format
An export program produces a file of data that can be used to update another database
A delete program deletes records from your database according to a set of criteria