How to pass variable values to List, Crosstab and Chart in Active Reports

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List, Crosstab and chart are most used components. This document is to explore three ways to pass variable values to these components beyond simply master detail design. Please note that all sample attached is applied for version 10.1 (not version 10.1.1)

Directly pass variable values

Please download report specification and .mht file for review in detail

Actually, List, Crosstab and Chart become controls in active reports, which behave like a control that allows setting variable values and responding based on variable values. It is possible to directly pass variable to List, Crosstab and Chart. However, there are two main disadvantages:

1. slide animation is not available like Deck
2. Container filter is not available for chart; therefore, you can’t directly pass variable value for Chart.

Please see attached screenshot below



Specify container select and filter for List control:

Specify container select and filter for Crosstab control:


Specify container select for chart Control: It is important to note that filer can’t be applied for chart.

Pass variable values using data deck with a single variable

Please download report specification and .mht file for review in detail

Define a data deck and then put List, Crosstab and Chart into card. In this case, variable is passed from data button to data deck, then define a master detail relationship between Deck and all three components. This solution will provide slide animation, while the container filter is not needed. Please see attached screenshot below

Pass variable values using data deck with two variables

Please download report specification  and mht file for review in detail

In case when List, Crosstab and Chart need two variables, it requests two columns in data deck to build master detail relationship. To get two columns in Data Deck, a data deck query is needed to have two columns from two queries. Please see attached screenshot below



Data deck query uses the cross product from both data button query and data radio query

Then the master detail relationship is built based on join for both region and year

Pass variable values using data deck and direct pass (newly added)

Obviously, it is possible to pass variable via these two different methods. In this sample, region variable (varRegion) is a directly pass, while Year variable (varYear) is passed with data deck, or master detail.  Please download mht  and report specification for review in detail

This solution bring two major advantages

1. Users still get interactive experience or animation with data deck. In this sample, users only care year change while region is specified somewhere else.
2. The mht file size will be dramatically reduced, as the data deck results in much bigger size than direct pass

Implementation
Report layout

Use data deck with master detail relationship

Use direct pass