Maintaining Report Templates

A report template is used to generate grid reports, job paperwork and labels, internal reports generated from workbook, certificate reports, invoices, and any other reports in CCLAS.

Report Template Scope

Report templates are created either with org-scope or lab-scope. An organisation or laboratory can contain multiple report templates.

Report templates can be scoped by type of report:

  • 00—Grid
  • 01—Certificate
  • 02—Paperwork
  • 03—Labels
  • 04—Invoices
  • 05—Summary Sheet
  • 06—Worksheet
  • 07—Prep Sheet
  • 08—Job Sheet
  • 09—Report
  • 10—Credit Note
  • 11—Instrument Upload
  • 12—Financial
  • 13—Status
  • 14—Cost Invoice
  • 15—Proposal Invoice
  • 16—Other

Properties of a Report Template

A report template can have:

  • A file—The actual template used by the report engine.
  • A device—The target device to output the report.
  • A report engine—Used to generate the report.
  • An application object—For grid reports from search applications.
  • A default output format—Format of the output file, as per the selected report engine. Most report engines can generate documents in multiple formats.
  • An output filename or output file name syntax—An explicit filename, or syntax to generate the filename, for the generated report. A default suffix is only applied to those reports where no extension is specified by the report template.
  • A script—Custom rules to run during report generation.

Use of Report Templates

Report templates are used by report engines in CCLAS to generate job sheets, preparation sheets, worksheets, bar code labels for samples, instrument run files, internal reports, certificate reports, grid reports and invoices.

A client can link to a report template so that it is used as the default report template for report requests linked to the the client.

A cost centre can link to a report template so that it is used as the default report template for report requests linked to the cost centre, where a report template cannot be obtained from the report request's linked client.

Configuring Report Templates

The following report engines and output formats are available for use within CCLAS:

  • Crystal Reports—Report templates can be configured and uploaded as Crystal Report templates and used by the Crystal Reports (TM) report engine, to generate reports in PDF, DOC (MS Word document), XLS (MS Excel spreadsheet), RTF (rich text format) or TXT (text) output format, and can contain sub-reports or use parameters that are pushed through to the Crystal Report report engine using scripting.
  • Text—Report templates can be configured and uploaded as text templates and used by the Chunk (TM) report engine for Java, to generate reports in PDF, DOC (MS Word document), XLS (MS Excel spreadsheet), RTF (rich text format) or TXT (text) output format.

    Text templates are often set up for easy printing of labels and instrument run list files.

  • Other—Report templates can be configured and uploaded for other non-native-to-CCLAS report engines, such MS Word or Excel to generate reports via scripts. The scripts can specify the fields that are to be used in the report.

Uploading Report Templates

Report templates need to be uploaded to CCLAS before they can be used to report from CCLAS.

Report Content

CCLAS uses custom attributes that contain images, from objects such as jobs or samples, in order to display images on the generated report.

Report data is extracted in the stakeholder's preferred language. For example, when a report request is created from a job, the selected language for the stakeholder's report is specified in the report request and used to populate the report result sets.

Note: A report request report is associated with one language only. If there is more than one report configured for a report request, each report can be configured to report in different languages.

These reportable result sets and views are populated when data is extracted from the database during report generation from a report request. Refer to Technical Documentation—Job Reports for information on populating reportable result sets and views.

Customising Report Generation

A report script attached to a report template can be used to:

  • Specify a directory path for the output file.
  • Query custom tables to generate custom reports using DSC files.
  • Include data from external data sources.
  • Include additional header and footer content.

The report script contains event functions that are triggered at various hook points during the report generation processes.