Managing Report Templates

Specialized Administration > Analyzing System and Business Information > Reports and Queries > Managing Report Templates

From the Report Templates table, you can create and update report templates in the current context using the Query Builder tool, and manage the report templates in the system. A report is the output of a predefined search and is used for generating statistics and metrics against business information. A report template is the saved query used to generate a report.

Accessed by clicking the Report Management link on the Utilities page, the Report Templates table lists all report templates available in the context from which it was launched, and its parent contexts. For example, when launched from the Utilities page of a product, the Report Templates table displays all report templates available from that product, its parent organization context, and the site context.

You can filter the report templates that display in the table by selecting an option from the table views drop-down list:

• Default—lists all report templates, excluding join models.

• Join Models—lists only report templates that are flagged as join models. For this view, a column displaying the Main Type for the join model is added. For more information, see Join Models and Setting a Main Type on a Report Template.

• All—lists all report templates, including join models. For this view, the Join Model column displays a Yes or No, indicating whether the report template is a join model. The Main Type column also displays the main type specified on any report template.

You can also find and sort objects in the table. For more information on these capabilities, see Using Tables.

The following table describes the actions available from the Report Templates table toolbar, or the right-click actions menu for an individual report template:

Action

Description

New Report Template

Launches the Query Builder to create a new report template (saved query).

Delete Report Template

Deletes the selected report templates from Windchill.

If any reports reference the selected report templates, you are prompted to delete the associated reports along with the report templates, or to cancel the delete action.

If any saved reports or saved charts exist for a report template, or if the report template is used as a report view in another report template, the report template cannot be deleted. Saved reports can be deleted from the Saved Reports table. Saved charts can be deleted from the Saved Charts drop-down list in the Results Table of the Report Builder.

Import Report Templates

Allows you to easily import report templates into the Report Templates table. Any report templates previously exported from a Windchill system can be imported. The QML is validated during import. QML files imported from other Windchill releases might not work due to schema change between Windchill releases. The Validate QML action available from the Query Builder Maintenance Dashboard can be used to check for schema-related issues.

Imported report templates do not have the Expose As Report property set, regardless of the property setting on the system from which they were exported. For more information on this property, see Properties (Query Builder).

Export Report Templates

Allows you to export selected report templates as a ZIP file. Exporting is especially useful in moving report templates between contexts, or from one Windchill system to another (for example from a test system to a production system).

To export and import a report along with all of its supporting artifacts, including the associated report template, use the export and import functionality available from the Reports page. For more information, see Exporting and Importing Windchill Reports.

Upload Report Template from QML

Creates a new report template from QML uploaded from a file. From the Query Builder File Management window, click Browse to browse to the QML or XML file to be uploaded. You can also drag-and-drop the file to the input box. The file is validated against the XML schema during the upload.

The report template is created with the same name as the selected file. If a report template with that name exists, a number is appended, for example “New Report 1”. The report template is created in the same context from which the Report Templates table was launched.

Refresh

Updates the Report Templates table with the latest report templates and their information.

View Maintenance Dashboard

Launches the Query Builder Maintenance Dashboard, which provides a means to upgrade reports from previous Windchill releases to the new QML. This action only displays if the Reports > Query Builder > Maintenance Dashboard preference is set to Yes in the Preference Management utility. For more information, see Preference Management.

The following actions are available from the right-click action menu for an individual report template:

Action

Description

View Information

View the information page for the report template. This action can also be accessed by clicking the view information icon

for the report template.

View Report

Launches the report in the Report Builder.

Edit Report Template

Opens the selected report template in the Query Builder for editing.

Delete Report Template

Deletes the report template from Windchill.

If any report references the report template, you are prompted to delete the associated report along with the report template, or to cancel the delete action.

Export Report Template

Allows you to export the report template as a ZIP file. Exporting is especially useful in moving report templates between contexts, or from one Windchill system to another (for example from a test system to a production system).

Save Report Template as QML

Saves the report template QML to the user’s download directory as a QML (.qml) file, rather than a ZIP (.zip) file. The saved file has the same name as the report template. If a file with that name exists, a number is appended, for example ReportTemplate1.qml.

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