Pacific Northwest

Chapter 2007 Summer

Meeting
Hosted by Nike
Friday, Aug 10, 2007

Print Layout Designer

Anthony Mann
Omega Business Solutions
Topics

• An overview of PLD
• Creating a query print layout
• Customizing an existing print layout
• Advanced areas of PLD
• Hidden Fields, Formulas, and Linked Fields
• Table linkages
An Overview of PLD

• PLD is the SAP report writing tool

• Reports are created by using the following:
• A page grid representing the printed form
• Objects placed on the form
• Organizational objects including headers, footers, repetitive
areas, etc.
• Data objects made up of fields linked to the SAP database,
other fields, system forms, and user-specified or formula driven
values
An Overview of PLD

• Objects in the system have properties which govern

their behavior and content
• PLD is a WYSIWYG editor (what you see is what you
get). However, there are variations.
• The PLD display does not fully take into account properties
that may alter the display of your report.
• Automatic height adjustment, borders, margins, etc.
• Repetitive text areas are shown with a single sample line
Some Limitations of PLD

• Substantial customization is needed of default reports

• Steep learning curve
• Logical operations are complex
• Precision is difficult to obtain
• Limited documentation

Despite these, advanced report writing can be a reality.

A Sample Advanced Report

One of the SAP enhancement pack reports should be

placed on this slide.
PLD Functionality

• PLD has two main functions:

• Creating new reports based upon queries in the system
• Customizing an existing report in SBO
• PLD functions entirely within SBO
• As an alternative to PLD, you can use an external
reporting tool
• XL Reporter
• A Crystal Reports product
Creating a Query Print Layout

Steps:
• Create a query to generate a dataset
• Query may be parameterized
• Save the query
• Create the report from a base print layout template
A Demonstration

• Create a query print layout for the following:

• Returns all business partners that are customers with
multiple ship-to addresses
• Customize it to display:
• BP Code
• BP Name
• Contact Name
• Phone Number
• Number of ship-to addresses
Creating the Query

1. Write Query
2. Save Query
Create Query Print Layout

• Tools -> Queries -> Query Manager

Open and Edit

• Tools -> Queries… -> Query Print Layout

• Double-click layout to edit
Editing Techniques

• Align Fields via:

• Mouse left-click drag
• Main toolbar
• Rename fields
• For readability
• Rename to context-sensitive values: (i.e. BPName for field
displaying Business Partners: Name)
• Resize fields:
• Mouse left-click
• Properties window: General tab
Page Layout Grid

• Header, Footer, and Repetitive Area graphical

display
Field Index Window

• Select fields or areas (repetitive, header, footer)

Properties Window

• View and Edit various Field Properties

Print the report

• Tools -> Queries… -> Query Print Layout…

• Select layout to print
• Print Preview or Print
(main toolbar or
File menu)
Print Preview…
Customizing an Existing Print
Layout
• Customizations are made to the default SBO print
layouts
• Layouts exist primarily for:
• Any document that would be sent to a 3rd party (marketing
documents, checks, etc.)
• All system financial reports (P&L, GL, etc.)
• Most internal documents (production orders, reconciliations,
etc.)
Customizing an Existing Print
Layout
Steps:
• Open the document that you want to customize
• Click the pencil icon
• Select the base report or the default template
• Perform the customizations
• Save the report
• It is not possible to overwrite the system reports
• Set it as the default
• Set by user or for specific BPs
A Demonstration

• Problem:
• Deliveries are consolidated into a single A/R Invoice
• The line item items on the Invoice need to be grouped by
delivery (Delivery 1, 2, 3, total)
• Solution:
• Customize Invoice Print Layout to display Invoice broken
down by delivery
• Display Invoice sub-total by delivery
• Display Invoice total after all delivery Invoices listed
Advanced Skills investigated

• Adding an Additional Repetitive Area

• Sorting and Grouping Repetitive Areas
• Linking Tables
• Sub-totals on Groups
Select the Layout to Customize

• Open A/R Invoice Document Form

• Click the Pencil Icon
• Double-click the Print Layout to customize
• This opens the
Print Layout Designer
• Immediately save the
layout to a different
name
Add a Repetitive Area

• Print Layout Designer -> Repetitive Area -> Add

• Creates a new repetitive area following existing
repetitive areas
Add Fields to Display

• Use Toolbar to select Field Type to add:

• Used in Demonstration
• Text
• Database
• Formula
• System Variable
• Not used in demonstration
• Picture
• Barcode
• External Data
To add Fields

• Select the area to add fields to

• Select the field type
• Left-click drag to add the field
Determine Fields to Add

• Delivery Document Number (at header)

• Item Code
• Item Name
• Price
• Quantity
• Total
• Sub-total for delivery
Add fields

• Header
• Column descriptions
• Header Data Fields (do this after sort and group)
• Repetitive Area
• Database fields
**TRICK !!** - to avoid adding all fields and setting them, just
select and copy the fields that are common from another
repetitive area. Make sure you select “show hidden fields”
before you copy. We will copy all fields, then delete the
ones we don’t want. Be sure to reset the linked fields; those
values are not copied.
Fields are added… almost

Add reference
Fields to link
Delivery
Document in the repetitive area…. These fields are
used to create the sorting and grouping. Two more
fields to add:
1. Invoice base document reference (for delivery)
2. Delivery document number
***Trick !!*** - to display tables in the “table” drop down other than those listed, hold
down the “alt” key then click the “table” dropdown
Hidden Fields Added

We’ve added the hidden fields to link the Delivery

Document.
Now we will sort
The area by
The Delivery
Document Number.
Sorting a repetitive area

1. Select the repetitive area to sort

2. Select Print Layout Designer -> Repetitive Area ->
Sort
3. Select the field to sort by (BaseDocNum)
4. Check “Summary”
5. Check “New page”
6. Click OK
7. Let’s Test it
Displaying the Grouping Header

• We have a sort and a group, but how do we display

header information?
• The answer? Groupings
• Each repetitive area sorted group is assigned a group
number. We need to select the group number to add
fields to the group header.
Print Layout Designer -> Group -> <group number>
- in this case we will choose group 1 as we are working
with the first sort group.
Sort Group Selection
Add header fields to Sub-Group

• Add a formula field and a text field to the repetitive

area header (it is now blank after choosing the Group
number)

• Set the formula field value to SortValue() via the

Formula Editor
• Set the text field to the Field Name (in this case, we
will set its value to “Delivery Number”
The Formula Editor

• Accessible for Formula fields on the Content page of

the Properties window
• Many formulas
available

• Next… Sub-totals!
Group Sub-totals

• Using sorting and grouping you can display sub-

totals
• Adding a sub-total is very similar to adding the group
header fields:
1. Select the repetitive area footer for the selecte group
2. Add a formula field. Set the formula to
ColSum(UniqueID asString).
3. Double click the field to sum on the left side list of
fields in the formula editor
Sub-totals on the layout grid

• You may also display averages in the footer area

using the ColAvg(…) formula
The Final Product

• Congratulations!! We have created a custom Invoice.

Now we just have to assign it.
• A Document Print Layout may be set as the default
print layout for:
• The current user or all users
• All Business Partners or a specific Business Partner
Set as Default

To set the default template for a print layout:

1. Select the print layout
2. Click “Set as Default”
3. Select the options to use.
4. Confirm the selection
Set as Default continued
What we’ve covered

• Query Print Layouts

• Building the Query
• Creating the layout
• Modifying the layout
• Customizing Print Layouts
• Adding a repetitive area
• Copying and pasting fields between areas
• Setting up sorting and grouping
• Linking additional tables
• Setting up sub-totals
Advanced PLD Functionality

• Discussion of:
• Hidden Fields and Formulas
• Linking tables
• Advanced functionality takes practice and time, but
can have great results
Hidden Fields, Formulas and
Linked Fields
• Formulas based on logical comparisons (=, <>, >, <)
return a 0 or 1 value
• Other fields linked to these fields will be visible if the
result of the formula is 1, otherwise it will not be
visible
• Making fields dependant upon formula fields allows
you to hide entire lines
• Fields can be linked to any field, not just Formula
type fields.
Hidden Fields, Formulas, and
Linked Fields continued…
• A field linked to itself will be visible only when it has a
value
• Using the linked fields allows you to display different
types of repetitive line information in the same
repetitive area
• Setting the “Area Height Adjustment” check box for a
repetitive area will collapse the repetitive area to the
sum of the total height visible for all fields in the
repetitive area
• Let’s look at the A/R Invoice to see what this means
Linking Tables

• Linking tables allows you to pull information from

seemingly inaccessible locations in Business One.
• Understanding of how the tables are linked together
is essential
• i.e. using table linking you can display Business
Partner Contacts from a marketing document, or
display the freight charges to a line on a PO
• To get a list of all tables for a database field, select
the field, hold down the Alt key, and click the table
dropdown list.
Linking Tables continued…

• An understanding of how the business one tables link

together is absolutely necessary when linking tables.
• System Information (Ctrl+Shift+I) is a great tool for
getting Business One table information without
looking at the database.
• In general, Business One tables are linked through
the primary keys of each table. For example,
Business Partner Addresses (CRD1) is linked to
Business Partners (OCRD) via the CardCode field –
(OCRD.CardCode, CRD1.CardCode) to identify
Addresses for a Business Partner
Wrapping it up

• The Print Layout Designer takes practice and a good

understanding of Business One data to create robust
reports.
• Reports may be created from custom queries, called
Query Print Layouts
• Built in reports may be customized to suit the needs
of the company, from Inventory Posting Lists to
Checks
Questions and Comments

Thank you for attending.

Contact Information:

Anthony Mann
Omega Business Solutions
[email protected]
503.574.3303