FAQ/UserGuides/14.2-Basic-FORMS-Reports.md
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-#14.2 Basic FORMS Reports
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+#3.0 Data Sources Tab
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-###Starting a Forms Report
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+[[_TOC_]]
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-To create a form-based report using Izenda FORMS, simply click ‘Design Report’ as you would to create any report using Izenda. Once you are in the ‘Data Sources’ tab, choose the relevant data sources.
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+##About
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-Continue to the ‘Fields’ tab. Choose any relevant fields. You can use the ‘Format’ drop-down menu to execute data formats within the form you create. Izenda FORMS will allow you to choose fields to call into the form from any available inside the selected data-source without actually choosing them in the ‘Fields’ tab; when the form and report are saved and reloaded, FORMS will automatically populate the ‘Fields’ tab with the fields called in the form.
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+The Data Sources tab shows you which Tables or Views you have access to from the database. Your system administrator can set up the interface to simplify the data selection process, allowing for easier report creation and less time consumed trying to understand complex data models.
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-FORMS will recognize aliases changed in the ‘Fields’ tab under ‘Description.’ For instance, a field named ‘OrderID’ and aliased as ‘Order#’ in the ‘Description’ column would be called within Izenda FORMS as ``[Order#]``. Using the ‘Advanced’ button for each field, expressions or concatenations can be implemented into the fields called by FORMS.
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+##3.1 Simple Mode
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-**Examples:**
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-``[dbo].[Employees].[Address] + ', ' + [dbo].[Employees].[City] =>
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-111 Grand Ave, Atlanta``
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+![]()
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-``[Quantity] * [Price] => 5 * 10.50 => $52.50``
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+The screenshot above takes a look at the simple view of the datasources tab. Tables and views are represented by checkboxes that become enabled/disabled based on the primary keys located in the selected items. This means that when you check one box, all tables that cannot be joined to it will automatically be disabled. After each subsequent table you join by clicking, the list of available tables that are valid candidates to join with will be refreshed (see image below).
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-After choosing relevant fields and adjusting formats in the ‘Fields’ tab, click ‘Design Form’ at the bottom of the ‘Fields’ list.
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+![]()
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-### Building Reports
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+##3.2 Admin Tips
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-The form designer has two modes: ‘Editor’ and ‘Source.’ Izenda’s form designer functions in the same manner as any browser based text editor when in ‘Editor’ mode. In this interface you can see a preview of rendered HTML and any user can make a quick customization or change. Changes made in ‘Editor’ mode are automatically parsed into HTML.
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+Report administrators should check out the following code samples for the methods of controlling user access to data sources.
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-![forms1](http://wiki.izenda.us/FAQ/FAQ/forms1.png)
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+* [[VisibleDataSources|/API/CodeSamples/VisibleDataSources]]
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+* [[Using Constraints|/API/CodeSamples/Using Constraints]]
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+* [[ShowJoinDropDown|/API/CodeSamples/ShowJoinDropDown]]
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-![forms2](http://wiki.izenda.us/FAQ/FAQ/forms2.png)
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+##3.3 Advanced Mode
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-‘Source’ mode accepts HTML directly. If you are designing a new form from scratch, most HTML designers will find it is best to build new projects using a web design tool like Expressions and then simply paste the source code into Izenda FORMS in ‘Source’ mode. The user should not attempt to build a complex report using ‘Editor’ mode, because the parsing engine will add additional unnecessary complexity as the report complexity increases.
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+In Advanced Mode, you will have to select the relationships that exist between the tables or views yourself. You will start with a drop-down menu that lists the various Tables and Views that are available. The following section requires basic knowledge of database terminology.
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-Again, it is best practice to build an Izenda FORMS report in ‘Source’ mode by hand or by using an external web design tool to generate HTML. Once this HTML is pasted into the tool while in ‘Source’ mode, you can easily switch to ‘Editor’ mode to tweak the output.
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+![The Primary Table Dropdown Menu]()
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-**Video Tutorial:** http://blog.izenda.com/quick-tutorial-making-the-most-of-your-toolbar-options/
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+To join two tables and/or views, they must have fields with identical primary/foreign keys. For example, in the Northwind sample database, both the **Customers** and the **Orders** tables have the same *CustomerID* field. These two tables will be able to be joined together using the **primary key** in the Customers table and the **foreign key** in the Orders table. Foreign keys are not required to have the same name as the primary key, but must possess a relationship that results in one or more selected rows when joined together. To add another table to join on, press the ![](http://wiki.izenda.us/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_create_below.png) button.
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-![forms3](http://wiki.izenda.us/FAQ/FAQ/forms3.png)
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+The very first dropdown on the new row is the **Primary Table** dropdown menu (shown below). This is the table/view you want to join into your collection of Data Sources. This will hold all of your possible DataSources regardless if they have fields that can act as viable joining points to your source table/view or not.
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-### Adding Fields
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+![The Primary Key Dropdown Menu]()
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-Fields are inserted into a form using square brackets.
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+When you select an additional Data Source, Izenda will automatically attempt to find what it thinks the appropriate relationship is. However, in this view the user has the capability to manually define what these relationships should be. To that end, there is the **Primary Key** dropdown. This dropdown appears to the right of your joined table/view and contains a list of all the fields for that table/view. Below is a screenshot showing what this looks like.
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-**Example:**
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-``[Field Name or Alias HERE]``
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+![The Foreign Table Dropdown Menu]()
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-If you want to display the field 'ShipCountry', then at the appropriate place in the form, you would place the ``[ShipCountry]`` tag.
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+The **Foreign Table** dropdown menu (shown below) is a list of the tables/views that have been selected previously. To eliminate self-referential issues, the table/view listed in the dropdown on the current row is not included. Select the table/view to join the table/view in that row.
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-**Video Tutorial:** http://blog.izenda.com/quick-tip-adding-and-modifying-fields/
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+![The Foreign Key Dropdown Menu]()
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----
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+The **Foreign Key** dropdown menu (shown below) is a list of fields in the table/view that are selected in the **Foreign Table** dropdown menu to the left. Here you can select the field to join with the table/view in the **Primary Table** dropdown.
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-[[14.0 Izenda FORMS]]
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+![The Join Field Dropdown Menu]()
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-[[User Guides|http://wiki.izenda.us/FAQ/UserGuides]]
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+The **Join Field** dropdown menu (shown below) is a list of options specifying how your Data Sources will be associated with each other and how data will be retrieved. Join types are explained in the Section 3.4.
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+**Admins:** See Section 3.2 for information on how to show this field (off by default).
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+###3.3.1 Understanding the Data Model
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+Most users choosing to use the Advanced Mode need to have a clear understanding of the database schema to be able to quickly join tables together. Database schemas are blueprints of how the data is organized in the database. This mode does allow for greater flexibility in selecting the types of joins that can be performed, but is not recommended for most users. The database schema for the Northwind example database is displayed below.
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+##3.4 Join Types
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+The join type dropdown, as described above, is found to the right of the **Foreign key** field when joining Data Sources in Advanced Mode. By default, Izenda will perform a Left Join across the data sources selected. When this dropdown isn't shown, Izenda performs the default join operation.
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+![Join Types Venn Diagram]()
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+###3.4.1 SQL Samples of Various Join Types
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+**Inner (Direct) Join:**  Selects rows from two tables such that the value in one column of the first table also appears in a column of the second table.  
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+```sql
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+SELECT DISTINCT 
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+[dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerName] AS 'Customer Name'
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+FROM [dbo].[Orders]
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+INNER JOIN [dbo].[Invoices] ON [dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerID]=[dbo].[Orders].[CustomerID];
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+```
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+**Cross Join:** A cross join will return a result table where each row from the first table is combined with each row from the second table. 
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+```sql
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+SELECT DISTINCT 
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+[dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerName] AS 'Customer Name'
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+FROM [dbo].[Orders]
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+CROSS JOIN [dbo].[Invoices];
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+```
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+**Left(First Exists) Join:** The Left Outer Join known also as Left Join returns all rows from the left table in the Left Outer Join clause, no matter if the joined columns match.  A field in a result row will be null if the corresponding input table did not contain a matching row.
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+```sql
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+SELECT DISTINCT 
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+[dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerName] AS 'Customer Name'
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+FROM [dbo].[Orders]
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+LEFT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[Invoices] ON [dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerID]=[dbo].[Orders].[CustomerID];
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+```
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+**Right Join:** The Right Outer Join known also as Right Join returns all rows from the right table in the Right Outer Join clause, no matter if the joined columns match.  A field in a result row will be null if the corresponding input table did not contain a matching row.
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+```sql
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+SELECT DISTINCT 
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+[dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerName] AS 'Customer Name'
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+FROM [dbo].[Orders]
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+RIGHT OUTER JOIN [dbo].[Invoices] ON [dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerID]=[dbo].[Orders].[CustomerID];
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+```
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+**Full Join:** The Full Outer Join known also as Full Join returns all rows from Both the Right Outer Join & Left Outer Join.  A field in a result row will be null if the corresponding input table did not contain a matching row.
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+```sql
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+SELECT DISTINCT 
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+[dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerName] AS 'Customer Name'
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+FROM [dbo].[Orders]
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+FULL OUTER JOIN [dbo].[Invoices] ON [dbo].[Invoices].[CustomerID]=[dbo].[Orders].[CustomerID];
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+```
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+##3.5 Function Buttons of Data Sources Tab
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+At the far right of each joined table/view row on the Data Sources tab are several button controls(![Delete](/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_delete.png), ![Insert Above](/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_create_above.png), and ![Insert Below](/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_create_below.png). These are described below.
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+![Function Buttons]()
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+|**Icon**|**Control Name**|**Description**|
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+|:------:|:--------------:|:-------------:|
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+|![Delete](/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_delete.png)|Delete button|Click this button to delete the row the button is on.|
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+|![Insert Above](/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_create_above.png)|Insert Row Above Button|Click this button to insert a row above the row the button is on.|
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+|![Insert Below](/Guides/ReportDesign/5.0-Filters-tab/filter_create_below.png)|Insert Row Below Button|Click this button to insert a row below the row the button is on.|
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+##3.6 Custom Data Source Selection Page
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+Since Izenda is a platform and not a set product, if the Simple or Advanced Modes do not fit your needs, you can have a customized Data Source Selection Page tailored to your preferences. The example below demonstrates a custom implementation using report categories to filter hundreds of tables and views to make the process even easier for end-users.
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