Preview Sample Options (Desktop)

When you preview a report, use the toolbar at the top of the Preview window to perform actions such as navigating within the report or printing the report.

DPSField Description
Show or Hide Document Map Click the bar on the left edge of the Preview window to display the document map. Use the document map to locate and jump to a specific section of the report.

Click the similar bar on the right edge of the document map pane to hide the document map.

The document map is an outline of the structure of the report, based on the sorting and grouping criteria you set up for the report. The document map contains a link for each sorting and grouping value. When you click a link in the map, DPS displays that portion of the report in the Preview window.

For example, if you sort and group data on a report by project number and phase number, the document map contains a link for each project number at the top level of the map hierarchy and a link for each phase within each project at the next level of the hierarchy.

The document map is not available when you display the report in print layout mode.

Show or Hide Parameter Area Click the bar on the top edge of the Preview window toolbar to display the parameter area. In the parameter area, you can change selected report parameters and click View Report to generate the report again without returning to the Options dialog box.

Click the similar bar at the bottom edge of the parameter area to hide the parameter area.

This option is not available for all reports.

First Page Click this option to display the first page of the report.
Previous Page Click this option to display the previous page of the report.
___ of ___ This option displays the current page number and the total number of pages in the report (for example, 27 of 50).

To display a specific page of the report, enter the page number and press ENTER.

Next Page Click this option to display the next page of the report.
Last Page Click this option to display the last page of the report.
Stop If DPS is generating a report and you want to stop that process rather than wait for it to finish, click this option.
Refresh Click this option to regenerate the report with the current data in the database.
Print Click this option to display the Print dialog box and then select a printer and set other printing options.
Print Layout Click this option to display the report as it would look if you printed it. If you click and change the page setup options (the margins, for example), DPS regenerates the report based on the new settings.

In print layout mode, you cannot do the following:

  • Use to display the document map.
  • Use Search to search for data in the report.
  • Drill down to view supporting detail.

Click again to display the report in preview mode

Page Setup Click this option to display the Page Setup dialog box. On that dialog box, you can complete the following actions:
  • Specify paper size
  • Specify orientation (portrait or landscape)
  • Set margins
  • Select a printer
  • Change printer properties
Email Report To send the report as an email attachment or to send a link to the report in an email message, click this option. On the Email Report dialog box, specify the recipients, subject, message text, and file format.
Download Report To save the report to a file, click this option to display the Download dialog box. In that dialog box, select the file format and indicate if you want to include all report pages or only a range of pages.

You can save reports in any of the following formats:

  • Adobe PDF: DPS generates the report as an Adobe portable document format (PDF) file with the .PDF file extension.
  • Rich Text Format (RTF): DPS generates the report as a Rich Text Format file with the .RTF file extension.
  • Microsoft Word Document: DPS generates the report as a Microsoft Word document with the .DOC file extension. You can then use Word formatting options to modify the appearance of the report. If you generated the report in landscape orientation, we recommend that you set the page orientation in Word to landscape also to preserve the report layout.
  • Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet: DPS generates the file in a format that you can open and work with in Excel. The file extension is .XLS. Use this option if you want to add your own calculations to the report in Excel.
  • Tagged Image File Format (TIFF): DPS generates the report as a Tagged Image File with the .TIF file extension.
  • Comma-separated File Format: DPS generates the report as text file that contains a set of data items separated by commas. The file extension is .TXT.
  • XML Document: DPS generates the report as an XML file. The file extension is .XML.
  • HTML Document: DPS generates the report as an HTML file. The file extension is .MHTML.

To open the report file after DPS generates it, click Open in the Download dialog box. DPS opens the file in the application that is associated with the file type in Microsoft Windows. (You can review or change those associations in Windows Control Panel. Open the Control Panel window, double-click File Options, and click the File Types tab.) When you click Open, DPS also saves the report file on your computer in the Documents and Settings\<windows user>\Local Settings\Temp folder.

To save the report file after DPS generates it, click Savein the Download dialog box and specify the file name and location. To open the saved file, double-click it in Windows Explorer.

Show or Hide Advanced Search Click this option to search the report displayed in the Preview window, based on the fields and search values you specify. You can then view the search results on the computer, print them, or export them to Microsoft Excel.

The advanced search feature is not available if you use SQL Server Express or SQL Server Workgroup.

Help Click this option to display a help topic that describes how to use the Preview window.
Zoom

To zoom in (enlarge the report data) or zoom out (shrink the report data), select one of the following from the drop-down list:

  • A percentage: Select a higher percentage to zoom in and select a lower percentage to zoom out.
  • Page Width: To fit the complete width of the report in the Preview window, select Page Width.
  • Whole Page: To fit the complete report page in the Preview window, select Whole Page.
Find To do a simple search for text in the report, enter that text in Find and click . DPS displays and highlights the first occurrence of the text. To find the next occurrence, click .

The search feature has the following characteristics:

  • It does not differentiate between upper case and lower case letters.
  • You cannot use wildcard characters or Boolean search operators. It only finds exact matches for your search text.
  • The search begins on the page of the report that is currently displayed.
  • The search only finds the target text if it is visible when you do the search. It does not find data that is hidden in collapsed groups.
  • This option is not available in print layout mode.
Find

Click this option to display the first occurrence of the text in Find. To find other occurrences, click .

This option is not available in print layout mode.

Find Next After you click to display the first occurrence of the text in Find, click this option to find other occurrences.

This option is not available in print layout mode.

Get Report Information Click this option to view the following information for the report:
  • Report query
  • Report options
  • Report data source
  • Report definition (the .RDL file for the report)