518
edits
Changes
Version 6.0
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| align="left" | '''Uses'''
| align="left" | *Navigating data in {{IMSMANG}}*General summaries of pre-provided data
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*Lists and summary reports of single items
Because data export is initiated with a search, it provides a flexible approach for getting data to an external tool. However, once the data is used in a tool outside of {{IMSMANG}}, it is impossible to control how this data is manipulated which may limit the consistency of reports produced in this way.
{{note|{{IMSMANG}} searches return information on only one item at a time, and data export is limited to the data returned by the search. Data from linked items (such as victim data linked to accidents) is not available for export.}}
==External Reporting Tools==__NOEDITSECTION__
{{IMSMANG}} also allows information managers to connect advanced reporting tools such as Crystal Reports or ArcGIS Desktop directly to its relational database for highly advanced report generation. With this capability, information managers can use custom reporting solutions to connect with {{IMSMANG}}, allowing for complete control of {{IMSMANG}} outputs. Or, managers can modify existing reporting solutions to connect to {{IMSMANG}}, which leverages technology already implemented in the programme and limits the need for retraining.
{{note|Using external reporting tools is a complex activity requiring an advanced understanding of SQL, reporting tools and the {{IMSMANG}} data model.}}
===Connecting External Reporting Tools===__NOEDITSECTION__
When connecting an external reporting tool to {{IMSMANG}}, it is recommended that information managers build database views within the database to do any necessary data transformations. While it is possible to directly import or connect {{IMSMANG}} database tables in external tools and perform transformations within the external tools, the recommended method is to do transformations within the {{IMSMANG}} database using database views and then import the resulting views into the external tools.
{{note|Building database views to transform data before importing it into other tools significantly reduces the performance hit associated with connecting external tools.}}
===Building Database Views===__NOEDITSECTION__
Using database views, information managers can perform statistical and other operations on the {{IMSMANG}} set for reporting purposes including sum, count and average or more complicated functions available in SQL. These operations can be combined with search criteria to provide a highly precise mechanism for providing data to reports. For example, information managers can create a view that returns the name of each clearance and a sum of the hours worked, AP mines found and area cleared on all progress reports linked to each clearance.
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