Operation Manual

Step 6: Create report
1) Label the report: Vacation Expenses.
2) Select Dynamic report.
3) Select Create report now.
4) Click Finish.
The report (Figure 258) has been created, but it needs some editing. The date could be formatted
better, and all the numbers need to be formatted as currency. It could use a heading that includes
its name, its author, and the date it was prepared. If the report had more than one page, the page
numbers could be put in a footer of each page, perhaps including the total number of pages. But to
do these things, you must use Report Builder.
Figure 258: Report without modifications
Report Builder: another way to create reports
With Report Builder, you can create complex and stylish database reports. You can define group
and page headers, group and page footers, and calculation fields. Report Builder is installed with
LibreOffice.
When we used the Report Wizard, we created a template in Report Builder for our report. If we edit
our report, we open Report Builder with this template. By modifying the template, we also modify
the report. For example, we can change the Date field’s format, and it will change the format of all
the dates contained in that field in the above report. Similarly, we can change the field formatting of
any of the other fields and change the format everywhere that field appears in the report.
Report Builder can also create reports by itself. To do this, click Create Report in Design View.
For instructions on how to use the Report Builder, see Chapter 6, Reports, in the Base Handbook.
Accessing other data sources
LibreOffice allows data sources to be accessed and then linked into LibreOffice documents. For
example, a mail merge links an external document containing a list of names and addresses into a
letter, with one copy of the letter being generated for each entry.
To access a data source that is not a *.odb file:
1) File > New > Database opens the Database Wizard window.
Chapter 8 Getting Started with Base | 257