Implementation Steps: Reporting and Standard Letter Generation
Define Reports
Step 38 Write New Reports
A number of standard reports are supplied with Oracle Training Administration. These reports have been written using Oracle Reports V.2 and registered as concurrent programs within Oracle Applications.
You can use these standard reports or write your own reports
Step 39 Register Reports as Concurrent Programs
You must register each new report you have written as a concurrent program so that users can request the report from the Submit Requests window. You also register the parameters that can be submitted with the report. For example, you may have written a report to display personal details and you want to submit a student name to limit the output to include one person at a time.
See: Concurrent Programs Window
Step 40 Define Report Sets
You can define sets of reports:
- To restrict user access to specific reports.
A set of reports can be linked to a responsibility.
- To simplify requesting a report
You can run a report set in one request, rather than a request for each report.
See: Organizing Programs Into Request Sets
Standard Letter Generation
You can use standard letters in HRMS to help you to manage your enterprise's recruitment or enrollments. You do this by issuing standard letters to applicants (Oracle Human Resources) or students (Oracle Training Administration), triggered by changes in assignment or enrollment status.
Oracle HRMS provides you with two different methods to create standard letters:
- Online using Application Data Export (ADE)
Before you start to set up your standard letters, you need to establish which method best suits your needs.
See: Setting Up Standard Letters
There are two methods of using concurrent processing to set up your standard letters:
You can use any word processor to produce standard letters from Oracle HRMS. If you use a word processor, you can submit a concurrent request in the Letter Request window to generate the mail merge file. When the concurrent request is complete, you can use your word processor's mail merge facilities to create the merged letters.
See: Using a Word Processor
As an alternative to using a word processor to produce standard letters, you can use the Standard Letter and Label features of Oracle Reports. Use this method if you do not want to use word processors to print your letters (or if you no not have a word processor).
See: Using Oracle Reports
Concurrent Processing - Using Word Processors
The sub-steps below describe how to set up standard letters using concurrent processing.
One of the first tasks you need to perform is to identify which data you want to extract from the database to include in your standard letters. You need to identify the select statements to use to provide you with the data as the content of your letters. Oracle HRMS supplies you with SQL*Plus scripts as templates to enable you to do this. You also need to identify the text that you want to include as the body of your letters.
The next decision you need to make is to decide whether or not you want to associate your standard letters with student enrollment or applicant assignment statuses.
The next step is to write the script that extracts the event and enrollment details from the system. This SQL*Plus file must use the correct delimiter for your word processor to recognise in the mail merge routine.
3. Register SQL*Plus script
After you have written the file to extract the data, you must register it so that it can be run as a concurrent program. Name the files PERWP***. You must use this prefix to define this program as a letter for the concurrent program to recognise it.
4. Linking the SQL*Plus script with a letter
The next step is to link your SQL*Plus script to one or more enrollment statuses.
You now need to write a skeleton letter using your word processor.
You now run the SQL*Plus script to extract the data from the database. You activate the SQL*Plus script by creating a pending letter request in the Letter Request window.
7. Merge data file with standard letter
You need to merge the data in the data file with your skeleton letters to create your standard letters.
Concurrent Processing - Using Oracle Reports
The sub-steps below describe how to set up standard letters using oracle reports.
1. Plan content and layout
One of the first tasks you need to perform is to identify which data you want to extract from the database to include in your standard letters. You need to identify the select statements to use to provide you with the data as the content of your letters.
The next decision you need to make is to decide whether or not you want to associate your standard letters with student enrollments or applicant assignment statuses.
The next step is to write the report that extracts the event and enrollment details from the system. You also need to write your skeleton letter text and select statements.
After you have written the report, you must register it so that it can be run as a concurrent program. Name it PERWP***. You must use this prefix to define this program as a letter for the concurrent program to recognise it.
4. Linking the report with a letter
The next step is to link your report to one or more enrollment statuses.
You now run the report to extract the data from the database. You run the report by creating a pending letter request in the Letter Request window.
Step 42 Online Using Application Data Export (ADE)
You can generate your standard letters online, using ADE. ADE comes with its own set of documentation and online help.
See: Application Data Export (ADE).
Note: We only provide online help for this version of ADE.
Step 43 Online Using Microsoft Word
If you use Microsoft Word as your word processor, not only can you use the concurrent processing method to produce your standard letters, but you can also generate letters online.
You can use one of two methods:
- Generate Microsoft Word letters using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
- Application Data Export (ADE)
Attention: In future releases of Oracle HRMS, generating Microsoft Word letters using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) will be replaced by ADE.
ADE comes with its own set of documentation and online help.
See: Application Data Export (ADE).
Note: We only provide online help for this version of ADE.
If you are setting up standard letters using the concurrent processing method, follow the same sequence as for Multimate or WordPerfect.
See: Flowchart for Setting Up Standard Letters Using MultiMate or WordPerfect
If you are generating Microsoft Word letters using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), see: Writing a SQL*Plus Script for Microsoft Word
Define Folders
Oracle Training Administration includes five folder forms:
You can define standard folders in each of these forms, and you can choose which users can create their own customized folders.
Step 44 Define Standard Folders
Each of the folder forms has a supplied default folder, which displays all records and a subset of the available fields. You can adapt these folders to create one or more folders in each form, with your choice of:
- records, defined by a query
- record sorting, using up to three sort fields
- field formatting, including column order and width
Each folder is either private to one user or available to all users who have access to the form. You must select one folder on each form to open as the default.
See: Customizing the Presentation of Data in a Folder
Step 45 Enable or Disable User Folder Customization
If you want users to be able to define their own customized folders, set the user profile option Flexview: Allow Customization to Yes.
See: Setting User Profile Options
See Also
Next Implementation Step: Security
