Phillip
If you have 5 reports based on the same data tables and linkages...you can consolidate them into one report with a parameter option for the user to select the look that they want.
It is actually quite fast to do this.
1. take the most complicated report for the basic look (say it is Report 1).
2. add a parameter called "Report Selection"
{?ReportSelection}
Type: string
Description: Choose 1 - report 1
2 - report 2
3 - report 3
4 - report 4
5 - report 5
default: 1
(You could use a picklist as well
3. now open up another report (say Report 2)...are there common sections to both reports? That is great if there is. But let us say that though they are grouped the same the Group 1 headers are different....
Well then break the Group 1 header into 2 sections...the first section will have the fields for Report 1 and the second section you just copy the fields in the Report 2 Group 1 header and then paste them into the section B of the new report Group 1 header.
4. In the section expert for the Group 1 header section "a"
you place the formula:
WhilePrintingRecords;
{?ReportSelection} <> 1;
Similarly for Group 1 section "b" the formula would be
WhilePrintingRecords;
{?ReportSelection} <> 2;
Do you see the process?? now you are turning on and off sections of the report depending on the parameter value selected by the user.
You can even affect the grouping of a report by making the groups based on formulas
@group1
if {?ReportSelection} = 1 then
{Table.value1}
else if {?ReportSelection} = 2 then
{Table.value2}
... other choices ...
else
{Table.value1}; // a default value
Only thing here to be careful of is that All grouping choices must be the same variable type...so if mixed numeric/string then convert all numerics to strings using the totext function.
That is the basic approach, just create selection specific sections controled though the user selection parameter.
These reports can get quite complicated though and there are many tricks you can employ....my record is consolidating 15 reports into one report with user options for one of my clients.
If you like this approach and are having trouble...just ask and we'll walk you through it
Jim Broadbent