#5 Custom Reports
[This item was moved over from OpenMind. Feature RQ# 13]
Ability to generate custom reports from logs
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Date: 2006-01-24 20:17
Sender: Harish Murthi
what type of report would we be generating?
1) could it be a csv generated report?
2 )what would be the type of events used for generating
reports?
3) talking of custom reports where(like in preferences) and what customization we do?
4) Events post generation of reports.
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Date: 2006-01-27 15:38
Sender: Bindul Bhowmik
The feature is still in the concept feature, and there needs to be more discussion before we are sure the way we want to go.
However, these are my thoughts for your questions:
1. CSV is definitely an option, but I feel it is pretty restrictive to be flexible. I was thinking more in the lines of having an XML report which would then be converted to XML-FO, applying any graphing modules if required in between. The FO output then can be converted to any format desired (PDF, RTF, on-screen,
etc.)
2. I would like to think that a report would be generated out of a Verifier (currently being designed) on an action. However, there could be other scenarios also where we could require reports.
Need to investigate the use cases further.
3. When we say custom reports, I believe we say that the user can select the format of the report (out of preset list), the fields that get reported and any graphs etc. in it.
4. Reporting just views the 'Events' and does not tinker with them, so Events post reporting would behave just like they would without reporting.
This is a feature which will be required for a functioning daemon version of Insight, but the ATM there is no progress on this track. I guess there are other higher priority items to get over with, but we will have to get to it before the 1.5 release.
Currently this is part of the Insight Wish List, but I now feel it belongs more in the Release Plan, so unless someone has an objection to it, I will move it to the Release Plan Wiki.
