Data export problem

[martynmac]

Hi all,

I have a requirement where i need to extract the contents of a data provider to a CSV file. This is a simple enough job, but one of my developed reports requires extracting data that is not in the data provider, but is on the report itself.

Let me try to explain...

The report displays data that is aggregated from a daily to a weekly level and various calculations are performed on it so as to analyse company performance. Each of these calculations are separated for each week and a name is given to each calculation. This 'name' is just simply a column header name I have chosen myself and is displayed in the main section of the report. Since this 'name' is not in the data provider (or the database itself) I cannot extract it to a CSV file.

Does anyone have any ideas on this? I am at a complete loss for ideas on this one.

Many thanks in advance,

martynmac

 

[blom0344]

Hello Martynmac,

If this is a one time exercise choose edit --> copy all and paste into any kind of program as text. It takes the literal content of the report , also manually adjusted headers. T. Blom
Information analist
Shimano Europe
tbl@shimano-eu.com

 

[martynmac]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, this is a function that will be in use regularly and copy & paste will not give any control over the character delimeter. Business Objects seems to provide very basic data extract functionality without much control.

martynmac

 

[blom0344]

Quite an unfair remark. BO has been designed to serve as a reporting tool , qualifying as the last tool in the process of data-extraction,manipulation,combining,[denormalization in DWH],reporting. The fact that you cannot manipulate the end-result of output as easily as for instance a spreadsheet has its reasons. It is not only meant as an endstation, but it also serves to create uncorruptable output. (In contrast to every financial manager being able to modify his Excel-figures to a desired level)

If you want to use it as a medium to further data-processing, one could be better of with Business Query, directly getting the output into Excel.
Anyway, using copy all , pasting to Excel and saving the excel-format to CSV, may sound primitive, but it works just the same.

To me this is just like buying a finished painting and complaining that you have trouble recycling the used paint to do make something else. Use a tool for its intent. T. Blom
Information analist
Shimano Europe
tbl@shimano-eu.com

 

[martynmac]

I see your point, but I am not getting into an argument about this. There was nothing unfair about what I said, I was not being derogatory - I was merely stating fact.

Expecting an end user to copy & paste is poor service in my opinion, when the option to extract data option is there for all to see but there is very limited control of it's output.

As for your sarcastic comment about 'Use a tool for it's intent', who is being unfair now? Are you trying to insult me? Do you not think that hundreds of man hours was spent evaluating this software to suit the requirements of our customer. What it boils down to is that we require a reporting facility and a data export facility. In purchasing the Business Objects software we have an excellent reporting facility to which there are no complaints, but the export facility is poor in it's execution and I have plenty of business objects support cases to prove it.

I accept that Business Objects is an excellent tool - and judging by your previous response you obviously think this too, but please try to be a bit more tactful in you responses instead of displaying blind zealotry.

Thanks for your initial help, but your second response is rather innappropriate for a professionals forum.

 

[blom0344]

Hello Martynmac,

Sorry, if I stepped on your toes. It was not my intend to insult you (the analogy I made was perhaps a bit out of line) I have worked with BO since early 4 releases and what gets to me is people who complain (not just you) about functionality missing that is a bit farfetched.

In fact the export facility of BO is quite adequate (as opposed to such things as complex filtering), but you are expecting too much. Altering headers on the fly and expecting then to export the result to a different format with the stroke of a button is rather like a insult to BO itself. It is not an text-editor, you know.

Apart from being surprised by your furious reply, I wonder why in heaven's name you get the idea that I might think you did not evaluate BO before purchasing. That is not being insulted by something I wrote , but by an element you drag into it yourselve.

"What it boils down to is that we require a reporting facility and a data export facility".

Right on the nose, BO is quite the first , never meant to be the last.

I rest my case, with apologies about the sarcasm and analogy. T. Blom
Information analist
Shimano Europe
tbl@shimano-eu.com

 

[martynmac]

Hi blom0344,

Your apology for the sarcasm is accepted, I also apologise for mine in my last reply - I may have misinterpreted a couple of things you said. To me, the comment 'Use a tool for it's intent' meant that you thought I didn't know what I was doing.

The point is we are both right to a certain extent; you more than I in a reporting context - I freely admit that because I can see where you are coming from.
The thing is, Business Objects sold us their tool on the understanding that it provided excellent facilities for both so when one pays a small fortune out of their budget on that assumption - that is what they expect: excellence in both areas. I cannot complain about the reporting functionality as this is excellent, but in my personal opinion the export function is far more basic than what we were led to believe by their sales people and we have had many problems with it.

Anyway, I don't wish to bore you about this anymore . No hard feelings,

Regards,

martynmmac

 

[blom0344]

Hi Martynmac,

Glad we're on speaking terms again.

Perhaps there is something in the VBA sphere that you could use (haven't checked it out myself in detail) in the library section of following site:

http://www.islink.com

my reference is to the "Filter and Export via VBA" T. Blom
Information analist
Shimano Europe
tbl@shimano-eu.com

 

[martynmac]

Thanks for the above link Blom0344, this looks like it will be very helpful.

Regards,

martynmac