Actions

You can use Actions, which are linked to Reports, to update the selected records in a Report. These actions are customisable and there are very few limitations to what they can do. Examples of how Report Actions can be used, include:

• Bulk Invoicing of Subscriptions

• Creating Purchase Orders for Materials that have reached their minimum inventory level

• Adding interest to overdue accounts

• Batch changing of Transaction Status.

Creating Actions

Actions are setup in the 'Actions' tab of the Report editor. Fields include:

• Description - This will be used as the Caption in the Actions menu

• Confirmation - This will be used as the Confirmation message - leave this field blank if a confirmation message is not required

• Note - A description of what the Action is expected to do.

• SQL - The SQL that will be executed when the Action is fired. Access this field by clicking the Action button in the Grid and selecting 'Edit SQL'. Right-clicking on the Action grid will also open the popup menu.

Update SQL

The SQL is the heart of the Action and will be executed once for every selected record in the Grid. It contains the Update statement that updates data or executes a procedure to update the data.

The SQL can contain Parameters that match the Field names in the report. A list of available Parameters is available from the Parameter list at the bottom left of the SQL Editor.

Executing Actions

When a Report that contains Actions is viewed, the Action menu will appear at the right of the Report's data grid. Actions are applied to the visible and selected records in the Grid and can be executed in any one of the following ways:

• Double-click the Action in the Action Menu

• Select the Action, select the records to be Actioned and press Enter.

• Select the Action, select a Record, press Enter, scroll to next record, press Enter, etc.