Using parameters in reports for VIsual Studio 2008 - visual-studio

This is my first attempt to create a Visual Studio 2008 report using parameters. I have created the dataset and the report. If I run it with a hard-coded filter on a column the report runs fine. When I change the filter to '?' I keep getting this error:
No overload for method 'Fill' takes '1' argument
Obviously I am missing some way to connect the parameter on the dataset to a report parameter. I have defined a report parameter using the Report/Report Parameter screen. But how does that report parameter get tied to the dataset table parameter? Is there a special naming convention for the parameter?
I have Googled this a half dozen times and read the msdn documentation but the examples all seem to use a different approach (like creating a SQL query rather then a table based dataset) or entering the parameter name as "=Parameters!name.value" but I can't figure out where to do that. One msdn example suggestted I needed to create some C# code using a SetParameters() method to make the connection. Is that how it is done?
If anyone can recommend a good walk-through I'd appreciate it.
Edit:
After more reading it appears I don't need report parameters at all. I am simply trying to add a parameter to the database query. So I would create a text box on the form, get the user's input, then apply that parameter programmatically to the fill() argument list. The report parameter on the other hand is an ad-hoc value generally entered by a user that you want to appear on the report. But there is no relationship between report parameters and query/dataset parameters. Is that correct?

My last assumption appears to be correct. After 30 years in the industry my bias is to assume a report parameter actually filters the SQL data using the given parameter. This is not the case with .rdlc files used by Report Viewer. These report parameters have nothing to do with fetching data. Sounds like this was a design decision on Microsoft's part to completely separate the display of data from the fetching of data, hence, Report Viewer has no knowledge of how data may be fetched. Best way for me to conceptualize this dichotomy is to think of Report Parameters more as Report Labels, quite distinct from the dataset query parameters.

Related

Adf column filter: which format does ADF use to generate the where clause in the VO's query?

TLDR; is there a way to understand at runtime which format is ADF using for dates behind the scenes? In particular the format used to render dates in dynamically generated sql code?
In the Oracle ADF Application I'm working on there are several table filters (by that I mean the field over the column in which I can write text/number/dates to query the table).
Filtering this way, the framework modifies the query of the View Object, adding the appropriate where clause. On the page there's also a button "Select all" that allows me to select all the data that's rendered in the table (there is a selection checkbox).
In the specific case, the query from the VO is used to aim two different goals:
update the rendered data in the table
if I press the "select all" button a function in the backend database is called (callable statement calling the function), passing as a parameter the query.
The first task is successfully reached (as the table is visually updated), but we had an issue with the second one.
The backend function uses the query to select all the extracted data (as iterating in ADF with java would be too slow).
The problem is that the where clause isn't correctly generated for the backend database (which is also oracle).
Basically the generated WHERE clause (which was added to VO's query automatically by the framework) was
WHERE record_date = '2020-10-12'
which I had to change to
WHERE record_date = to_date('2020-10-12', 'YYYY-MM-DD')
in order to have it correctly executed by the Oracle Db.
So now it's working (yay), but my concern is: isn't it dangerous to assume the date format will be 'YYYY-MM-DD' on every application's instance?
I think this 'YYYY-MM-DD' is the format in which ADF is managing dates (as the value is written as '2020-10-12' in the query).
But is there a way to understand at runtime which format is ADF using for dates behind the scenes? Or does it always use 'YYYY-MM-DD', or am I completely off-road and the storage format is another and I should ask which format does it use to render dates? But dates on page are visually rendered in another way :/
Sorry for my lack of expertise and have a nice day!
Update
The value of the query field, which I'm getting by calling
this.getNamedWhereClauseParams().getAttribute('vc_temp_1');
is of class
oracle.jbo.domain.Date
and by printing it I obtain the date in format YYYY-MM-DD.
Would it be possible that the framework was simply using Date.toString?
This would raise another question: how can I be sure of the pattern used by Date.toString? The documentation isn't clear about it (and it says that it should be used only in development, so this is quite a remote scenario).
What you named 'Filter' is called 'Query by Example' or QBE in short. See the doc for more info.
You can change the query passed to the server using a bean method. Look at e.g. JDev 12.2.1.3: Multi select component table filter for a sample.
Using dates in ADF is always dependent on the current user's settings. If the user don'T use a specific locale the default is 'yyyy-mm-dd'. This can be changed at different points, starting by the entity objects, view objects a,d finally in the UI by using converters.
The best way to use dates depends on the use case.

How to loop design in SSRS report

I have a report design that have been used for a while.
Now i want to create multiple pages of the same report looping with different records.
Is there any way to do this, to loop the design..
either looping it how to get the lookup-function to register as a valid function in an expression.
I use two datasets in the report
I started by making one tablix cell and putting the entire design into this one cell, which worked nice, except i have to use one tablix with "Dataset2" and it doesn't allow me to do this because if they are nested, the inner scope has to use the same dataset as the outer scope.
The report designer can't recognize the "lookup" function which i try to put in a expression of this tablix, and using a subreport for such a small task seems like too much.
Any ideas?
Here's a quick screenshot of what I'm working with:
Everything uses dataset1 except that one tablix that needs to be dataset2...
Heres a image of my lookup-function that gives an error:
ok i got this right.
If you want to loop a single page ssrs design put the whole design in a 1x1 tablix with grouping on whatever parameter you like.
If any part of your design use data from another dataset inside of this tablix, you have to use a sub report...
It isn't that much work, but to get the correct parameter in i actually had to make a report data provider and contract + design for the subreport(which just consisted of a single table) which was a pain in the ass. none the less it worked, and all is good.

SSRS Parameter Issue

I am trying to filter data using a text field, However when I specify the available Values to the dataset and field that I am using I recieve this error.
If I remove the Available values, The report runs fine.
I am using Visual Studio Ultimate 2012, with SSRS addon.
The available values can't be populated from the same data source that they are being applied to.
Create a separate data source for your available values and make sure they can populate without user interaction - without their own parameters in other words.
Get the distinct colors list on additional data-set and set it up as default value for your color parameter.
Remember that order of parameters is also important.

Best practice for single-valued result in SSRS 2012

I'm new to Reporting Services and using SQL Server Data Tools (Visual Studio 2012). I want to add an item that will display a single value - in this case, the result of a stored procedure call. The value would probably be displayed in the report header.
I've looked at the Tablix data parts that can be added to the report: table, list, and matrix. Not sure which of them, if any, would be appropriate. I could add a parameter item, but it seems that these function as user input choices.
I also looked at a read-only text box, but don't see how to populate it with a query result.
What is the accepted method of adding a single-value result to a report?
If this is to be displayed in the page header, your only option is a textbox; you can't add tablix type parts to page headers/footers.
The textbox expression would be something like:
=First(Fields!MyValue.Value, "DataSet1")
By using an aggregate expression like this you can make sure only one value is returned (even though you might always have only one) and you can also specify the aggregate's Scope; in this case the DataSet you want to query.
If this was going in the report body I would still recommend the same approach, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it best practise, any would work so it's really personal taste.
However, if you had multiple fields returned by the SP but still only one row, in that case I would recommend a table style tablix with one header-level row; easiest to maintain and layout.

ssrs questions regarding drop down menu and dataset

I am using SSRS through VS 2010 and have the following questions:
Can I define a drop down menu without defining a dataset?
I have a dataset defined, is there anyway to add "manual" values to this dataset? The background requirement of this is that the report query is based on this dataset. However I want to have an option in the dataset where it says "all" in order to allow the user to see everything instead of narrowing down results based on the dataset.
Thanks,
Bruce
I am a newbie to SQL Server reports and found my answers:
For the first one, can simply create a table and use a dataset on the created table with customzied values.
Same goes for the second one, the manual data can be added to the table itself.

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