The data source you choose determines how you select the data that will be used in the report.
About the term data source
The term data source used here refers to how you use the Report painter to specify the data to retrieve into the report. Data source can also refer to where the data comes from, such as a SQL Anywhere data source (meaning a database file) or an XML data source (meaning an XML file). Connecting to Your Database uses the term data source in this second sense.
InfoMaker data sources
InfoMaker has five data sources. All five can be used for reports, but only a subset of the possible data sources can be used for forms and data pipelines:
|
Data source |
Reports |
Forms |
Pipelines |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Quick Select |
X |
X |
X |
|
SQL Select |
X |
X |
X |
|
Query |
X |
X |
X |
|
External |
X |
|
|
|
Stored Procedure |
If the DBMS supports stored procedures that return result sets |
|
X |
You cannot create a form for data that is not stored in a database. A form allows you to display and change data in a database.
About stored procedures
The Stored Procedure data source icon displays only if the DBMS you are currently connected to supports stored procedures that return result sets.
To specify the data for a report, choose one of the data sources from the following table.
|
Data source |
Use when |
|---|---|
|
Quick Select |
The data is from a single table (or from tables that are related through foreign keys) and you only need to choose columns, selection criteria, and sorting. |
|
SQL Select |
You want more control over the SQL SELECT statement generated for the data source or your data is from tables that are not connected through a key. For example, you need to specify grouping, computed columns or retrieval arguments within the SQL SELECT statement. |
|
Query |
The data has been defined as a query. |
|
External |
The data is coming from text file (TXT) or dBASE II or dBASE III file (DBF). |
|
Stored Procedure |
The data is defined in a stored procedure. |
After you choose a data source in the various Report wizards, you specify the data. The data source you choose determines what displays in the wizards and how you define the data.
