You can include dynamic data source elements to be defined at run time. By using the
datasource configuration element, you can reconfigure a data source.
The product calculates the URLs of static data sources when the document-style report generation
begins and not at the time when the first query from the data source is accessed. With data source
configuration elements, you can control the evaluation time of elements during document-style report
generation.
Data source configuration elements are useful when you do not know the connection information
while starting to design your document-style report. For example, if you linked artifacts from two
products, A and B, the data source information can be picked up from the B at run time. By
reconfiguring a data source, you change the properties such as URI, username, password, and any
other data source-specific properties used by the product when extracting data.
Before you begin
The data source configuration element must be placed in the document template before the
element that contains the queries for the configured data source.
About this task
Use the data source configuration element to reconfigure the data source. A data source
configuration element must be connected to a data source schema that is used in the template.
Depending on the data source configuration, the dynamic data source element includes properties
similar to the properties in document specification. At the time of document-style report
generation, this element initializes or reinitializes the data source. Use the Data Source
Configuration element to define only the properties that are not known at run time. Using this
element for all properties such as the username, password, location of exe
files make the templates less portable.
Although the data source configuration element properties are similar to
the ones defined for data source element in document specification, the properties from the document
specification have static values while the properties from the data source configuration element use
values from another data source available in their context.
Procedure
- In the Palette view, select the
Data Source Configuration element
and drag it into the template.
- Select the data source configuration element.
- In the Properties view, select the Data tab.
- In the Target data source property, enter the name of the data
source schema. After a data source configuration is connected to a data source schema, its
formatting properties are updated to reflect the runtime properties of the data source schema
type.
- In the Inherited data configuration property, enter the name of a
data source schema that is used in the template. By default this property does not contain a value.
You can change this value with the data source schema name that is used in the template. If this
property is used, the target data source is configured by using the settings that are taken from the
inherited data source, along with the properties defined in the data source configuration.
The properties from the inherited data source are used when a value is not specified for the
target data source. For example, the URL of the inherited data source is used for the target data
source if the URL property is not filled for the target data source. A common use for the inherited
data source property is to provide credentials only once for data sources.
Other properties can also be specified or they are taken from either the values that are provided
in the Document Specification or the data source that is defined under the
inherited data
source property.
Note: The target data source and inherited data source can be the same data
source. If you leave inherited data source empty, the target data source
is used.
Unless the data source configuration property is empty, it takes precedence over the document
specification property. The product combines the properties that are defined in the data source
configuration element with those defined in the document specification.
Less? Shouldn’t that be more? KK 2/1/12