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In order to connect to the database you will need to create an ODBC link to the Database. In this example we are connecting to an Access Database called demonstration.mdb
Impromptu comes with the ability to connect to different types of database eg Access , SQL Server and Oracle.

Once this has been achieved you can then create a Database Definition which connects to the ODBC Link.

You are then ready to create a New Catalog using the Database Definition.and then import tables from the Catalog.

Having imported your tables from your relational database you can then join related tables. You can also analyse your join strategy to locate isolated tables with no joins, loops which cause poor results, and no spanning tree which shows no link between two groups of joined tables. You can also test joins between distant tables to see if a report will have the most efficient SQL.

The Tables and fields from the Database can then be organised into easy to navigate folders. Creating an Admin folder to store tables and fields as they are in the Database. You can delete folders by cutting and not pasting. You can edit the names of the fields to make it easier to understand where the fields have come from in you database. You can create a useful fields folder to make report writing easier.

You are then ready to write your first reports in Impromptu. Within minutes you can be writing sophisicated reports.

You can add predefined calculations and predefined conditions to your catalog.

For security it is important to set the Creator password.

You can then set up User Profiles using a parent child relationship the first step being to create a user class called All Users. This allows the catalog to be used by Impromptu User as this version of Impromptu does not have access to Creator Class.

Once you have set up your user classes you can then deny access to folders, deny access to tables, deny access to fields. prefilter the users.

Creating a content overview gives a text version the contents of the Catalog, including a list of the tables and fields, folders and translations, join strategy and user class profiles. This can be very useful for finding the location of fields in the catalog.

If names of fields are changed in the database the Catalog can verify. Also if field types are changed the catalog will also alert you to the offending field.

Personal Catalogs can be quickly converted to Distributed Catalogs allowing them to be used by other report writers. You can quickly disconnect from and reconnect to the database.

You can add Toolbars to the interface.