Adding and Connecting the Table
Out of all the tools available on the left bar, the most useful and practical tool is the Table tool. You can click on the table and drag it onto the blank report:
The first thing that needs to happen once the table is populated is for you to connect it to the main dataset where all of the data fields are stored. To do this, select any cell in the table, then click on the top left corner:
Once you click that corner the entire table will become outlined:
While the table is selected like this, open the properties window (gear icon) on the right side and use the dropdown in the dataset field to connect the main dataset:
By looking at the table you will notice there are two rows. The difference between the first row and the second row is that the data entered in the first row will stay static while data in the second row will update dynamically. The intended process here is to use the first row as column headers and the second row as the data entry in the scenario that you are trying to create a custom table. The second row is where we will enter the data fields that will pull the school’s information. If you don’t want a static first row, you can right click on the left side of the row and have the option to simply delete the row.
If you are planning to include multiple rows of information on your report you can right click on the row with the three lines on the left side and right click and Insert Row- Inside Group – Below/Above:
Entering Text into a cell
In order to insert text into a table cell, there are two methods:
The first method is by hovering over the cell and clicking on the little blue square icon that pops up, then click Add Text:
Enter the text you want shown and then click the Add button:
The second method is to select the table cell, then go to the properties and fill in the ‘Content’ field with the information you want to populate:
Adding a field from the dataset
To pull data fields from the dataset that your table is connected to, click on the Data window (database icon) and click the dropdown arrow for your connected dataset. You click and drag any of the fields that show up into the individual cells within the table. The field should snap into the cell.
Alternatively, you can click on a cell within the table and click on the blue squre that appears within that cell. A menu will come up with the options for the fields that can be populated:
Manipulating the Table
If you want to move the entire table you can click on the little square in the top left corner. This will select the entire table and allow you to move it. You can then left click the circle with arrows in it and drag the table around the report template. It is recommended that the top left of the table starts on the top left of the report template so that when running the report, it will not waste any space:
You can also stretch or condense columns and rows by hovering the mouse over the top and left borders of the table. You can then drag the column or row, extending the area that the cells have.
If you need to combine two adjacent cells, hold the control key and left click on the two or more cells you need to combine. Then right click and some options will come up:
Among these options is the Merge Cells function.
You can now create a table, connect it to a dataset, populate it with text or data, and manipulate the table!