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Simple FileMaker Pro Summaries
FileMaker Pro's layout capabilities make sophisticated reports a snap.
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Starting with my article in Issue #5, I described how the Layout Assistant "wizard" can help you customize how your database looks, for on-screen entry as well as when printing. Picking up this theme in Issue #7, I showed how you can easily create labels from your database. In this article, I continue along this path, showing how you can use the Layout Assistant to create sophisticated reports: reports with information grouped by category and subtotaled. These reports are different from other types of things you might do in FileMaker Pro because the results are generally only visible when in Preview mode or when printed. I also give you a quick introduction on how to take it even further.
Figure 1: Laying it all out -- The Layout/Report assistant guides you through the process of creating columnar and other types of reports.
Figure 2: Simple or Complex -- You can quickly create a columnar report with the Layout Assistant. With the second option, you can add in subtotals and grand totals, using the checkboxes.
To briefly recap, FileMaker Pro is able to show your data in many different ways; each method of presenting information, whether for on-screen viewing or print, is handled by a layout. Typically, every FileMaker Pro file has at least one layout, and there's practically no limit on how many layouts you can have for your database. To create a layout, the Layout Assistant (figure 1) is available anytime you view the file in Layout mode, by selecting New Layout from the Layout menu, or using a keyboard command (Control+N on Windows, or Command+N on the Mac).
From this New Layout dialog, you can create seven different types of layouts by selecting one of the choices available:
- Use the "standard form" layout as the basis for creating data-entry screens, or for printed forms such as a registration form.
- Columnar lists, as the name suggests, arranges information in columns, with the potential for summarized groups, including sub-totals and grand totals, which will be the focus of this article.
- A "table view" layout lets you view information in a format familiar to users of Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheets.
- You can use Label layouts, as I detailed in Issue #7, for everything from mailing labels, to nametags, to CD labels.
- Vertical labels are similar to the other label layouts, but let you print Asian characters vertically.
- Envelope layouts arrange your information to print on a #10 business envelope.
- The last choice, "blank layout," lets you create layouts you can format any way you like.
Although you can create summarized reports using any of these, I focus on the second option, Columnar Reports, for illustrating how to create these reports.
Creating a report takes a little planning. You have to think about how you want to organize your information, and how you want it to look. What categories will you be using? What data (if any) do you want to subtotal in those categories? You have to set up your database accordingly. Although you can make database adjustments "on the fly," I'll assume you've already created the necessary summary fields (see the Sidebar "Summary Fields Forever" for details) for the report as I move through the Layout Assistant. From the new layout window of the Assistant, click on the Next button. There, you'll see a pair of options for columnar report layouts (figure 2). The first is a simple columnar report; the second creates reports with grouped data. Select this second option, checking the options for subtotals and grand totals.
Clicking on Next, you'll see a screen where you'll select which fields you want to appear as columns in the report. Be sure to include the fields you'll be using to group or categorize your information. The Next screen lets you designate one, or more, of these fields to use for the categorization; each field you select only appears once as a heading for each grouping. The Next screen lets you determine how to sort the records in the report. Notice how your category fields are already selected; choose any additional fields to sort in each category. For example, if you want to create a sales report that's ranked from highest to lowest in each category, you'd insert the appropriate sales summary field beneath the desired category and have it sort in descending (i.e., reverse) order.
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 Technical Editor Anton Anderson has been using FileMaker since 1985. Anton is an FSA member and FileMaker 7 certified. He is founder and senior partner of Productivity Consulting in Southern California, which works with small and midsize businesses to develop technology strategies and custom software using FileMaker Pro. http://www.proconsult.com
Keyword Tags: FileMaker, FileMaker FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Users
ADVISORAMA I don't know jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts. -- Will Rogers |
ARTICLE INFO
Web Edition: 2007 Week 25, Doc #19081Print Edition: Issue #9, Page 9
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