Reports have various properties that can configured to tailor the design, structure and appearance of the build. Report Data Sources can be XML, CSV, JSon, XLSX or HTML and are converted and loaded as XML for querying using XQuery or Python.
Report Data Sources are defined using the connection properties dialog or by selecting the Report node and editing the properties in the property grid. A schema XSD File can also be applied to XML data.
Report Data Schema's will be inferred as a typed schema from the Report Data Source if Report Engine cannot find a valid XSD File.
Report Definition Language (RDL)
The Indigo Scape DRS Data Reporting System uses Indigo DRS RDL (Report Definition Language) which is an XML vocabulary using a flexible machine readable Markup Language to define and describe report structure, elements, functionality, content and data.
Indigo DRS Report Definition Language represents a standard for creating complex and interchangeable reports between Indigo DRS systems and also maximises content reuse and modularity.
The Report Data Source can be queried using XQuery / XPath or Python. Report Queries are associated with Report Fields and the output of a query will be substituted in place of the Report Field Name.
XQuery is a query and functional programming language that is designed to query and transform collections of structured and unstructured data, usually in the form of XML (Extensible Markup Language).
IronPython can use the .NET Framework and Python libraries, and other .NET languages can use Python code just as easily. Python scripting can be used to query the Report Data Source and create report Report Data Contexts.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a document written in a markup language such as HTML. CSS is designed primarily to enable the separation of document content from document presentation, including elements such as the layout, colors, and fonts.
This separation can improve content accessibility, provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentation characteristics, enable multiple HTML pages to share formatting by specifying the relevant CSS in a separate CSS File, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content.
It is recommended that Cascading Style Sheets are used on all Indigo DRS Reports. Report elements such as Report Tables and Paragraphs have a property to define the Style Sheet Class from the CSS thus determining the appearance of that particular element.
Report output builds can be published locally or to the Internet using the Report Publishing Tool located on the Report Designer menu File | Publish.
Reports can be published to PDF, HTML and DocX using the Report Publishing Tool.
PDF Document Properties for the Report can be configured to add Report Headers and Footers and set Report Security.
Report Licensing Entitlement (RLE) allows the use and distribution of Reports to be governed and controlled with a powerful licensing system. Flexible licensing terms allow Reports to be distributed with conditions tied to hardware, users and infrastructure thus maximising control, distribution and profitability.
NOTE: Report Licensing* is an optional feature that requires a separate application licensing entitlement to be purchased for the Report Designer Tools!
