Flexibility of Report Generation in Excel 2002.

[Dean]

I need some information on Reporting in Excel 2002:

1. Is there flexibility to define a schedule for automatic
report generation in Excel? If so, how can this be done?

2. Is there flexibility to categorize a group of reports
in Excel?

3. Is there flexibility to display a report in Excel,
using a different format (e.g. .pdf format, .rpt format,
etc.)?

4. Is there flexibility in Excel to generate reports in
other Reporting tools, such as Crystal reporting?

5. Can a report be generated, based on a user inputting a
criteria? If so, how?

6. How simple or complex is it to change the format,
criteria selection, and scheduling of a report?

7. How flexible is it to define queries, layouts,
parameters, roles and permissions in Excel? What I mean
here is can any user do this, or does a user require
specific access to conduct these activities?

Any help you provide would be very greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Cheers,

Dean.

 

[Dave Peterson]

Some of your questions are pretty general, so my opinions (not quite answers)
will be, too.

I need some information on Reporting in Excel 2002:

1. Is there flexibility to define a schedule for automatic
report generation in Excel? If so, how can this be done?

Depends on what your schedule is. Excel supports an "ontime" function that can
run every xx minutes/hours/days, but excel has to be open for it to keep track.

See Chip Pearson's page for more info:
http://www.cpearson.com/excel/ontime.htm

But it kind of sounds like you'd be using a windows scheduling program (once a
week/once a day/etc) to invoke excel to generate the report.

2. Is there flexibility to categorize a group of reports
in Excel?

As much flexibility as you can program into it (or as much as you can use the
built-in features). It's kind of limited to your imagination and skill set.

3. Is there flexibility to display a report in Excel,
using a different format (e.g. .pdf format, .rpt format,
etc.)?

The only way I've ever generated .pdf files is to print to file and have the
adobe distiller do the conversion.
(.rpt is crystal reports??? Either way, I don't know enough about that to
help.)

4. Is there flexibility in Excel to generate reports in
other Reporting tools, such as Crystal reporting?

Can't CR use the excel file and generate reports from that--I think .xls can be
used just like another database. (but I don't use CR.)

5. Can a report be generated, based on a user inputting a
criteria? If so, how?

Yep. Kind of limited by your knowledge and imagination.

6. How simple or complex is it to change the format,
criteria selection, and scheduling of a report?

Scheduling--see above
other stuff--depends on what you mean. Could be pretty simple, could be very
complex.

7. How flexible is it to define queries, layouts,
parameters, roles and permissions in Excel? What I mean
here is can any user do this, or does a user require
specific access to conduct these activities?

Excel isn't a secure platform. You can stop most people with a few protection
settings, but if people are interested and have a little knowledge, your top
secret stuff will get out.

Any help you provide would be very greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

If you're a user who is going to attempt this stuff, I'd recommend that you talk
to a consultant who can really answer your questions and provide the solution
that you need.

If you're a user who is getting ammunition to go to the IT department, good luck