Report Writer; General Description - Control Data Corporation 3300 Reference Manual

5.1
GENERAL
DESCRIPTION
60229400
REPORT WRITER
5
The Report Writer enables the user to specify the format of printed reports
to be output from the COBOL program. Each report is defined in the Report
Section of the Data Division. Once defined, the Report Writer statements in
the Procedure Division place the report in the specified format on a user
speCified device. More than one report can be generated from a single source
program.
When the Report Writer is used, the Report Section must be included as the
last section of the Data Division, and File Description entries {FD) in the
File Section must contain the names of the reports to be output.
A report is a pictorial presentation of data. In preparing a report, the
format id differentiated from the content. The format must be planned in
terms of page width and length, organization of report items on the page,
and the hardware device on which the report is to be written.
Two types of entries are required for each report: the report description
entry (RD level) which describes the physical aspects of the report format
and the report group description entry (01 level) which describes the char-
acteristics of the iten;ls included in the report and their relation to the
report format.
The Report Description (RD level) specifies the overall format: characteris-
tics of the page are outlined; limits are prescribed for the page and for
footings, headings, and detail information. This entry also specifies data
items that act as print control factors. Each report associated with an output
file must be defined in an RD entry.
Each report must contain at least one report group. A report group is a set
of one or more data items which is always presented as a single unit regard-
less of format. It may consist of one or more report lines. The report
group always has an 01 level number; but it may contain lower level group
and/or elementary items with level numbers from 2-49. Each report group
at the 01 level must have a TYPE clause which specifies the type of the
report group: heading, footing, or detail. A data name identifying the
report group is optional. However, it must be specified for any report group
referenced by GENERATE or USE statements in the Procedure Division.
The placement of an item in relation to the report group and of the report
5-1