What's New Table of Contents |
What's New in SAS Web Report Studio 3.1
Overview
New and enhanced features in SAS Web Report Studio include the following:
- improved workflow for reports
- more control over report creation
- improved scheduling
- more control over formatting viewed reports
- new filtering capabilities for tables, graphs, and maps
- ability to distribute reports via e-mail
- ability to insert geographical maps
Note: You must have permission
to use some of the following features.
If you have questions about your authorization, contact your system administrator. 
Improved Workflow for Reports
The following enhancements were made to the workflow:
- The new Report Management page enables you to interact with the entire repository of reports. Actions include viewing a list of reports that you have scheduled, and moving, copying, and deleting multiple selected reports.
- For existing reports, you can save without having to view the Save As dialog box.
- You can maintain an archive for a report. Archived reports are saved in PDF file format.
More Control over Report Creation
Improved Layout Design
You can exercise more control over layout design by using these new layout features:
- The new drag-and-drop functionality enables you to place objects into the body grid "cells."
- You can merge and split cells in the body grid to position objects exactly where you want them to appear.
- You can align objects within cells.
- You can add visual elements such as headers, footers, images, and text to report sections that contain a stored process. The visual elements are independent of the stored process output. (Previously, a stored process section could contain only the stored process.)
New Group Break Features
These new group break features enable you to refine your output:
- For multidimensional data sources, you can specify group breaks for any level of a hierarchy. For example, if a time hierarchy has the levels Year, Quarter, and Month, you can select any level as a group break level. (Previously, you could only select Year.)
- You can include dynamic text with each group break level.
- You can add an ascending or descending sort to each group break level.
- You can select group breaks based on the number of categories or hierarchies in the report section. For example, if there are six categories in the report section, then you can select up to five group break levels. (Previously, you could specify a maximum of three group breaks, regardless of the number of categories or hierarchies used in the report section.)
More Flexibility in Defining the Query for a Report Section
Your ability to define the query that obtains the data for a report section has been enhanced in the following ways:
- For multidimensional data sources that contain a time hierarchy, you can create custom data items that are based on relative time. You can calculate the difference in a selected measure over a previous period or previous year, percentage change of a selected measure over a previous period or previous year, and a selected measure's cumulative value to the current period.
- You can reorder data items after you have selected them for the report section. The order of the data items determines how they are assigned by default in tables, graphs, and maps. (Previously, you could not move data items up or down in the selection list after you selected them.)
- You can add more than one stored process to a report section.
- You can create a report section that uses both query methods: data items selected from data sources and stored processes.
- For categories in relational data sources, you can create prompted section filters that enable users to query for prompt values.
Improved Scheduling
Report scheduling has been enhanced in the following ways:
- A new Schedule Report Wizard makes it easier for you to specify scheduling options.
- You can schedule stored processes and reports that use stored processes. (Previously, you could only schedule reports that exclusively used data items from a data source.)
- You can schedule an entire folder of reports.
- You can specify prompt values for reports and stored processes that have prompts.
More Control over Formatting Viewed Reports
When you are viewing a report, this additional functionality is available:
- You can resize individual table columns by using your mouse.
- You can resize graphs and maps by using your mouse.
- You can modify table, graph, and map properties. (Previously, properties could be changed only when editing or creating reports.)
New Filtering Capabilities for Tables, Graphs, and Maps
Your ability to filter tables, graphs, and maps has been improved in the following ways:
- For tables, graphs, and maps, you can filter on relative time periods. For example, create a filter to see values based on a purchase date as of yesterday.
- Data items that are assigned to the hidden function in tables, graphs, and maps can be included in filters for those objects.
Ability to Distribute Reports via E-mail
A new Distribute Report Wizard enables you to distribute reports via e-mail as a PDF attachment or embedded HTML. Reports with group breaks can be distributed to targeted recipients based on the breaks. For example, you have a sales report with group breaks on regions. Each sales manager in the recipient list could receive information on just his or her respective region.
Ability to Insert Geographical Maps
If geographic mapping is enabled for a multidimensional data source that is used in a report section, you can insert a map object into the layout of a report. This means that queries can consider spatial proximity as part of the analysis.