Report Desk: Setup and Configuration
Report Desk provides a powerful developing environment for
Netcellent to deliver modern reports with rich elements of proportionally spaced fonts, graphics and line drawing. It allows us to output reports to PDF, CSV and
XLSX formats. In addition, Report Desk
uses the PSQL relational engine to access the Elliott database.
Determine Which Users Can Use Report Desk
The following flag is new in System Utilities -> Password Setup -> User
Global Security -> Screen 7::
By default, no users will be allowed to run Report Desk reports. You can individually allow users access to Report Desk by entering "Y" to field 1 on this screen.
Alternatively, you can go to Global Default Security, and set the default value for this option to "Y", and then all users not specifically denied access here will be able to use Report Desk. Keep in mind that access to a Report Desk report requires access to the menu item from which the report gets launched.
Make Limited Number of Report Desk Reports Available for Users
Even though you can limit the users who can access Report Desk's reports with the above security flag, you may not be ready to make all of the reports available to these users. You can limit the users' access to Report Desk's reports by changing EL850U.CFG file. See the following KB articles for more details:
http://support.elliott.com/knowledgebase/articles/1916626-overriding-report-desk-report-configuration
Determine Which Users Can Modify Report Desk Reports
The following flag is new in System Utilities -> Password Setup -> User
Global Security -> Screen 6:
Allow to Run & Modify Report Desk/PowerSearch? - The default value is N.
This flag will determine if a user can run & modify a Report Desk report. Initially, you may only want to give your admin user this ability. Once you are more familiar with the functionality of Report Desk, you can decide who should have this flag turned on. If you assign "Y" to this flag, it override the flag in screen 7, "1. Allow to Run Report Desk's Reports."
Match Your Database Version with The Right Database Name (DSN)
Report Desk requires knowledge of which database name (also known as DSN, for Data Set Name) to use for each Company. The database naming convention, which is not mandatory, works like this:
- ELI86DATA??, where ?? is the Elliott company number, indicates that this database has been converted to 8.5 format, which have document numbers defined as strings.
- ELI85DATA??, is similar to ELI86DATA?? and means the database has been converted to 8.5 format, which have document numbers defined as strings.
- ELIDATA?? is the convention for databases in 8.2 format, where document numbers are defined as numbers.
Or you can browse and execute <ElliottRoot>\Bin86\EL860CF.EXE if you
login as a Windows admin user.
Once in the configuration application, select the Databases tab:
You will only be able to use Report Desk for companies with non-empty, not red database names on this screen (like ELi85DATA00, above). If any of your companies that will use Report Desk have blank or red text database names (in the red boxes above), you can press the Create Standard Databases... button. This utility can create and/or maintain them, with standard v8.2 or v8.6 database names.. See the following KB articles: https://support.elliott.com/knowledgebase/articles/1949389-how-to-use-el860db-exe-utility-to-create-psql-data
If you need to enable Report Desk for a company that needs a non-standard database name, do the following:
- Use the Pervasive Control Center program to create or verify the database you will use for that company.
- On this screen, enter that database name in the column on the line for that company. When you complete the database name, its existence will be verified. If the Comment column says D/B not created, you have misspelled the database name and need to reenter it.
Once all of the databases have been identified, click Finish to update the configuration file..
Now you and other enabled users should be able to begin using Report Desk.
CLS, JEG