Adding report data (the Data view)

The Data View specifies the structure of the data record for the report.

The structure of the data record is defined by the data schema file. The data schema file is extracted from the application source files:

For arbitrary XML data sources, you can generate an .xsd file to describe the data schema. See Support for arbitrary XML data sources.
Any data schema file can by modified by using a report schema transformation.

When a data schema has been selected in the Data View, the available data objects are shown. At runtime, the data is sent to the report by the report application.

This figure is a screenshot of the Data View displaying the OrderReport.rdd data. — Figure: Data View

Within the Data View, the integrated toolbar provides the following functionality:

Open Data Report File icon: Click the Open Data Report File icon at the top of the Data View to specify the data schema file to populate the Data View.
Arrows icon: The Arrows icon is a toggle that allows you to sort the data objects alphabetically, or return the order to that defined by the data schema.
Placement specification icons: The six placement icons determine specific property settings when a data object is dragged and dropped onto the report design or the Report Structure view. For details, see Adding data values and captions.

Within the Data View, the tree view includes the name, data type, and the following for each data object.

Sample Data: Values in the Sample Data column display when you preview a report.; Double-click a value to edit or replace it. Updates are saved in a report data sample (.rds) file. This file is created in the same directory as the data schema file, and must remain in the same directory as the data schema file.; When displaying sample data to the report design, RTL expressions are computed using sample data values. If the sample data does not contain appropriate values, unexpected errors can appear in the Document Errors view; these same errors will not occur at runtime when the data is appropriate. To remove these errors, update the sample data with valid values.
Description: The Description column allows you to enter a user-friendly name for the data field. When you create a report element by drag-and-drop from the Data View, the Description is used for the Name property of the element. The Description also appears as a tooltip when you hover over the field name in either the Data View or the Edit RTL Expression dialog.; Double-click a value to edit or replace it. Updates are saved in a report data sample (.rds) file. This file is created in the same directory as the data schema file, and must remain in the same directory as the data schema file.

Along the bottom of the Data View, icons allow you to collapse and expand the treeview. In addition, the Filter Fields By Name field allows you to specify filtering criteria for the Data View. The Data View displays only those data objects containing the string entered into this field.