Re: I HATE Oracle Reports! Anything better out there?

Ben,

[Quoted] Just wanted to let you know that when I first started with Oracle Reports about a year and a half ago, I was ready to take the CD and burn it.

Then I realized it's easier to just create a report from scratch. Do it manually. Start with setting the report up (we use all text mode reports here) and get a general heading frame setup and the general layout setup and then save it (so you can use it as a template for other reports later).

Then, finish the report by starting with your own Query in the data modeler. Then do your Groups and whatever else you want to do (functions, summary items, counters, etc). Then in the layout modeler do everything manually there too. Here we ALMOST always make the frames variable (not headings of course) and we almost always have a header frame that's by itself for the heading with print on Every Page turned on.

There hasn't been one report yet of the 108 reports I've done that were impossible with Oracle Reports. I know this product is sometimes tedious and sometimes buggy and could be much better, but I actually get along with it real good now. The best part about it is that you can simply drag an item from a group to another group and the sort automatically takes place. Also, PL/SQL can be put in the before and after form triggers which both fire before the main query is executed (nice), and it can be put other places.

Some gripes though, no way to pull the report name into the headings (why not oracle?), can't use bind variables in Parameter items (please give us this in the future), Text reports don't give us a Windows Printer Pull down list ( I know they are text and therefore the win drivers don't get used but you still have to choose a printer!!! ).

I've missed alot I'm sure but I haven't got time to write more.

Just some thoughts,

Ken Halsted.
Mountaire Corporation
N Little Rock , AR

"Ben McMurry" <fmc_at_ornl.gov> wrote in message news:38ecf59a.29136806_at_news.ornl.gov...
> Anybody had experience with report-writing tools other than Oracle
> Reports? I find Reports to be very cumbersome to use. It's designed
> for non-programmers, and I'm a programmer who's mainly interested in
> getting out reports quickly. I can write/supply the SQL myself.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Ben McMurry
> fmc_at_ornl.gov
Received on Fri Apr 07 2000 - 16:55:21 CEST