Specifications

CHAPTER 5 Defining Reports
Users Guide 173
If you select the condition with
rows from department that have no
employee
, you create a right outer join instead.
Equivalent statements
The syntax generated when you select table A then table B and create a left
outer join is equivalent to the syntax generated when you select table
B then
table A and create a right outer join.
For more about outer joins, see your DBMS documentation.
Using retrieval arguments
If you want a report, form, or pipeline to prompt for criteria to determine which
rows to retrieve when you preview the report, run the form, or execute the
pipeline, you can use retrieval arguments in the SQL SELECT statement. If
you define the data source without defining retrieval arguments and decide
later that you need arguments, you can return to the Select painter to define the
arguments.
Another way to prompt for retrieval criteria
You can select View>Column Specifications from the menu bar. In the Column
Specification view, a column of check boxes next to the columns in the data
source lets you identify the columns to be prompted for. This, like the Retrieval
Arguments prompt, calls the Retrieve method.
See Chapter 6, “Enhancing Reports,” and Chapter 20, “Enhancing Forms.”
For example, suppose you are creating a report that provides information about
any employee. When you are defining the report in the Report painter, you pass
the employee ID as an argument (placeholder). When you run the report, you
are prompted for the employee ID, you supply the ID number, and the report
displays information about that employee.
❖ To define retrieval arguments:
1 Make sure you are in the Select painter (from the Report painter or the
Form painter, select Design>Data Source from the menu bar).
2 In the SQL Select painter, select Design>Retrieval Arguments from the
menu bar.