TRAVELTRAX DESKTOP REPORTING User Guide June 13, 2013

/ TRAVELTRAX DESKTOP REPORTING
User Guide
June 13, 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 4

Logout 7

Main Menu 8

Databases 10

Add Database Alias 11

Connect to Database 11

System Setup 13

General 13

MailMan 14

Message Defaults 14

System 14

Licensing 15

Reporting Periods 16

Category Editor 17

Corporate Structure 18

Export 19

Import 19

Query Explorer 20

Help 21

Main Toolbar 22

Display Options 23

Sort 23

Data Dictionary 24

Customized Calculated Field 25

Profiles 27

Create a profile 27

Assign Reports to a Profile 28

Create Reports 29

Report Properties 30

Section Properties 30

Data Fields 32

Summary Type 33

Rank 34

Sort Direction 35

Calculation 35

Substring 36

Drill Down 37

Data Field Properties 37

Field Heading 37

Field Type 38

Field Length 38

Link By 38

Justified 38

Edits Visibility 39

Key Enabled 39

True Ticket Count Explanation 40

Filters 41

Prompts 42

Mandatory Prompt 42

Optional Prompt 42

Run Report 45

Report Design 45

Delete Design 46

Excel Design - Detach 47

Excel Design - Reattach 48

Batches 49

Introduction

TRAVELTRAX Desktop Reporting is a data reporting tool that allows your company to build your own reports, as well as build profiles, lookup lists and batches. You will also be able to customize things such as reporting periods, category names, and corporate structures.

This User Guide will explain all features of this application and how to use them. This guide is written for report developers and anyone that manages profiles.

In Desktop Reporting, you can connect to your database, access data, filter the data, and print it out on a report. Sound simple? It is. Once you understand that anything you do in Desktop Reporting falls into these four steps, you will quickly grasp where you are in the process and you'll be printing reports in no time. The four steps in Desktop Reporting are:

· Connect to Database

· Access the data

· Filter the data

· Output data to report

Let's unfold each step slightly:

Connect to the Database

After the data has been imported or downloaded from your back office or from a credit card feed into the Desktop Reporting database via Agency ETL or CreditCard ETL and is in a standard format that Desktop Reporting recognizes, a database connection is made through ODBC.

II. Access The Data

The data dictionary is how Desktop Reporting makes each data element in the database accessible to the application. Each data dictionary element represents a field in the database. Additionally, Desktop Reporting allows the addition of data dictionary elements by building Custom Calculations or by creating Lookups.

III. Filter the data

Filtering is a method of selecting data that is needed for a report. Without filters, every piece of data in a field would print on a report. Filters can be added in a Profile or in a Report. If you think about it, entering a date range for a report or in a batch will also filter the data so it will only display for those dates. See a few examples below:

· Date Range – You can set up a date range of Year to Date and it will display the data for the entire year up until the date your run the report. Or you can add a date range of Monthly and it will only display the data for one month.

· Profile filter examples – You can enter a filter for a specific client code, for a group of employees, for a location, or for a department.

· Report filter examples – You can enter a filter so that only one airline displays, only preferred airlines display, or a filter that will not display any voided tickets.

IV. Design the report

To design a report, the fields to be included on the report are placed on the report design grid. The report is "laid out" in the same way a newspaper would be designed; with attention to organization, balance, aesthetics and presentation. The report design is then run against the database causing the data to fill in the objects that define them.

Introduction continued

As a guideline, remember that every aspect of Desktop Reporting falls within one of these four steps. Desktop Reporting is a sophisticated application. There are additional administrative tasks for troubleshooting and database table maintenance; but your main steps to build expert custom reports are connecting, accessing, filtering and designing.

Desktop Reporting can be used to simply print an existing report - which requires minor involvement with step 3 (filter the data) and nothing in step 4 (output data to report) because the design work has already been done. Alternately, Desktop Reporting can be used to its full advanced functionality with a customized data dictionary, intricate selection criteria and multi-section reports with complex formatting.

The TRAVELTRAX Desktop Reporting tool is an application that has to be loaded onto your computer. Once it’s loaded, you will determine whether users need a login and password to gain access to the application or if they can open the application without logging in. See below for an explanation.

A. If your system is set up to automatically open without opening the database(s) or logging in, find your Desktop Reporting icon and open the application.

· You will automatically be brought to the main menu.

· What you see on the screen will depend on the view you have set up. We’ll get to the views later in this document.

B. If your system requires you to open the database(s) and log in, then you will be taken to the Databases screen below.

Follow the steps below to log in and connect to your database(s)

Select the BDE (Database) Alias needed from the drop-down list.
Enter a User Name and Password if they are required for you to connect to your database.
Click the Connect icon to connect to that database.
Repeat these steps to connect to the Data layer, Meta layer, and System Layer database aliases (normally TMAN, TMAN_META, and TMAN_SYSTEM).
Click the Exit Icon to close out of this box and access Desktop Reporting.

Logout

Desktop Reporting doesn’t require you to logout. You can just exit the application by clicking the Exit button.

Main Menu

This section allows you to control the application. You can do most of the functions that exist in the Toolbar and a few functions you can’t find on the Toolbar. You can create new, copy, or delete a report, profile, batch, lookup, list, or script. You can import or export any of these items to/from XML or Paradox. You can access the Query Explorer to look at the SQL that a report has created or you can change the way the main screen displays.

File

This option allows you to create any of the items in the list below. It will allow you to open, copy, or delete a file as well as exit the application.

View

This option allows you to change the way this main menu is displayed and sorted.

The first 4 options will display the items (reports, profiles, lists, etc.) in one of 4 ways:

· Large Icons – Displays large icons along with the names of the items. The icons displayed will correspond with the type of times you have displayed (the report icon will display next to reports, the list icon will display next to a list, etc.

· Small Icons – Displays small icons along with the names of the items. The icon displayed will correspond to the type of the item you have displayed.

· List – Only shows a list of the names of the items.

· Details (Preferred) – This option will show you the name, description, category, type, and last modification date of the items you have displayed. We recommend this option since it gives you more information.

View continued

· Arrange – This will sort the items you have display by any one of the headers shown above.

· Refresh – This will refresh the items you have displayed. If you do not have Auto-Refresh checked and you have added or deleted an item, it will not automatically display. You will need to refresh the list to show the additions or deletions.

· Auto-Refresh – If you check this option, then the list of items will automatically refresh when you add, delete, or modify them.

· Webman Reports – This item is no longer valid.

· Webman Batches – This item is no longer valid.

Tools

This option is where you will be able to change to a different database (if your company uses more than one), check or modify your system setup items such as the location of Excel, Paradox, etc. You can add, modify, or delete Reporting Periods or Categories and you can import or export items to/from XML or Paradox. You can also open Query Explorer to enter SQL statements.

Databases

In this part of the application, you can view the database you’re currently connected to, verify that the database is open, add a new database alias or delete a database alias. There is also a button that will take you to System Setup.

Databases continued

Add Database Alias

If a new Database Alias has been created in ODBC & BDE and you need to add the alias in the TRAVELTRAX Desktop Reporting tool so you can access that database, follow the instructions below

Click on Tools.
Click on Databases.
Click the Add Alias button.

Click the drop-down arrow and select the alias from the list of possible database aliases (typically TMAN). These are the BDE alias names created and configured in BDE.
Select OK. The database alias is now selectable from the Database Alias drop down list.

Connect to Database

Follow the instructions below to connect to any database alias that is available for your company. The list will include all the aliases established in BDE that have been added to Desktop Reporting.

Click on Tools.
Click on Databases.
Click the drop down for the Database Aliases.
Select the Database Alias needed.
Enter the User Name and Password for the database (if required).
Click the Connect icon.

· Save Password – if your database requires a User Name and Password, you can save that information by clicking this box.

· Auto Login – Desktop Reporting will automatically connect to this database if this box is checked.

Repeat steps for all layers needed (See BDE alias note below).
Select the Exit icon.

Databases continued

NOTE: When you select the database alias it completes the other pertinent fields (ODBC DSN, Table Owner, Answer Extension, Driver Type, etc.). These are configured in ODBC and are shown here for informational or troubleshooting purposes.

NOTE: BDE Alias – When you’re account is implemented, an ODBC connection would be created for you to connect to your database(s). From that, we create a BDE alias that can be used in our system. We normally connect to 3 different layers:

· Data Layer – This layer contains your actual data.

· Meta Layer – This layer contains the names of the reports, profiles, batches, lookups, lists, and dictionaries. It also contains the categories and report periods.

· System Layer – If you have purchase a Web Reporting site, then this layer will contain the user names, logins, and settings for that site. It will also contain information on what reports the users run and the dates/times they run them.

System Setup

The first time you start Desktop Reporting, you need to set up your system in terms of identifying the database, providing your name and your company name for use throughout Desktop Reporting and establishing optional Export and MailMan Settings. If you have established your system setup previously, you only need to make system setup changes when administrative changes occur.

General

Enter or modify the general system information here.

· User Name – Enter the name for the workstation. For instance, “JaneDoe” or “Agent99”.

· Customer # – Enter the customer number given to you during implementation.

· Company Name – Enter your company's name.

· Paradox Directory – This entry shows where the Paradox executable file resides.

· Excel Directory – This entry displays where Microsoft Excel application resides.

· Export Directory – Enter the default export directory location you want when you are exporting any object (Reports, profiles, batches, lookups, lists, dictionaries, etc.).

· Desktop Reporting Alias – From the drop-down list, select the BDE alias for your Data Layer.

· System Layer –

· Filter Profiles – Select this if you would like to have the option of filtering your profiles when you run a report/batch.

System Setup continued

MailMan

To establish the ability to e-mail a report from this application, enter the server name, sender name, and sender address on the MailMan tab. You can gather this information from your network administrator.

To select the option to print, you must already have your printers designated on your computer. Select the default printer from the drop down list.