DB Pipeline Master Detail

rbuser

Hello,
I have had problems with records not appearing on reports using Linked
DBPipelines.

A hypothetical report for example to print order numbers (using
OrderPipeline) along with the customer address

OrderPipeline
DataSource = DSOrders
SkipWhenNoRecords = FALSE

CustomerPipeline
DataSource = DSCustomers
MasterDataPipeline: OrderPipeline
MasterFieldLinks: CustomerCode = CustomerCode
SkipWhenNoRecords = FALSE

For most orders the customer address fields from the CustomerPipeline will
print. On some it just comes out blank.

Maybe the Customerpipeline only searches forwards?

If i remove the masterdatapipeline property and field links from the
customer table and code in a Customers.Locate('CustomerCode',CustCode,[]);
everything works ok.

This has caught me out more than once now. Am I using piplines incorrectly
for getting relational data?

nicocizik

Hi Steve,

Be sure that your detail dataset is ordered on the linking field.
ReportBuilder only traverses both datasets beginning to end to increase
processing speed. Take a look at the following article for more
information.

------------------------------------------------
TECH TIP: Fundamentals of Report Data Traversal
------------------------------------------------


1. Single Table Listing Report

Assign the Report.DataPipeline property and leave the
DetailBand.Pipeline unassigned.

The report will traverse the data from start to end (based on the
datapipeline range settings and honoring any filters you've placed on
the datset etc.)


2. Master/Detail Report:

A. Assign the Report.DataPipeline property to the master. Create a
subreport in the detail band and assign the childreport.DataPipeline to
the detail datapipeline.

Use either the visual linking features available from the Report
Designer's Data tab, or Use standard Delphi dataset linking to define
the relationships between the datasets.

The Report will traverse the master records and for each, the subreport
will traverse the detail data related to the master.


3. Master with 2 Details

Configure as in 2 above. Add an additional subreport to the detailband.
Set subreport.ShiftRelativeTo property to the point to the first
subreport. Connect the ChildReport's DataPipeline to the detail data.


4. Report connected to no datapipelines.

When Report.AutoStop is set to True, the Report will print a single
detail band.

When Report.AutoStop is set to False, the Report will print detail bands
until instructed
to stop. You can control when the report stops by setting the
Report.PageLimit property or by calling Report.DataTraversalCompleted
method. Otherwise the report will never stop.


Additional Notes:
----------------

1. SubReports have a Report property that is of type TppChildReport.
Thus, programmatically you can code SubReport.Report.DataPipeline :=
myDataPipeline.

2. ChildReport's traverse data following the same rules as above. A
ChildReport prints in its entirety each time it gets a turn to print.

3. For a Child style SubReport use the Title/Summary band rather than
the Header/Footer (or use a GroupHeader/GroupFooter combo). A standard
Header/Footer will not work because these always print at the very
top/bottom of the page.

4. Do not filter the dataset of modify it any way once the report.Print
command is issued. If you need to do master/detail and cannot use
linked datasets, then use the master DataPipeline.OnRecordPositionChange
event to filter the detail dataset.

5. The reports and datapipelines use dataset bookmarking. Make sure
the dataset can support bi-directional navigation.



Check out the RBuilder\Demos\Reports\Demo.dpr project. Reports 0071,
0072, 0073 show examples of master w/mutliple detail style reports.
Number 0072 has two detail reports.


--
Regards,

Nico Cizik
Digital Metaphors
http://www.digital-metaphors.com

rbuser

Nico,
I checked this and the dataset's are ordered on the linking field.

I since modified the code so that i no longer use the MasterDataPipeline and
linking fields, instead i have a unlinked pipeline and use Locate in the
code to find record.

However I still have a problem and would like to understand why I cant get
this to work:-

Here is the setup I have a Memory Table that has one field "idHeader" and I
populate this table with header id's I want to print.

HeaderIDPipe
HeaderPipe
MasterDataPipeline - HeaderIDPipe
LinkingFields - idHeader
DetailPipe
MasterDataPipeline - HeaderPipe
LinkingFields - idHeader


The report previews ok.

Here is the strange thing. After clicking the print button from the preview
window the report prints out with one detail line per page (and most detail
lines are missing). After printing, the preview is the same if you change
pages. However this does not happen with all printers. It appears to work ok
when printing to some printers. For example for testing I use a PDFCreator
and that works ok, but if i print to my HP5 it messes up.

I have again got around the problem by using code (example below) and
removing the pipe master detail link.

Also I am not using any master detail links on the dataset.

Procedure TfrmMasterDetailReport.HeaderPipelineFirst(Sender: TObject);
begin
Detail.SetRange([Header.FieldByName('idHeader').AsInteger],
[Header.FieldByName('idHeader').AsInteger]);
end;


Am I doing something wrong when using pipe linking?

nicocizik

Hi Steve,

Which database are you using? Are some of the records in your linking field
null? If possible, please send a small example I can run on my machine in
.zip format to support@digital-metaphors.com and I'll take a look at it for
you.

--
Regards,

Nico Cizik
Digital Metaphors
http://www.digital-metaphors.com

rbuser

Hi Nico,
I am using Pervasive SQL.

The index on the detail pipeline has 3 fields, idHeader, MachineId,
SerialNo.

I am linking by the primary field only.

The second two fields in the key are for retrieval order. None of the fields
are null.

It is a bit difficult to send you the whole thing as it is part of a larger
exe. the example I have given in this post is a hypothetical version to
demonstrate what i am doing with linking.

I have sent you the dfm and pas files for the actual report. Hope this is
useful.

Regards

nicocizik

HI Steve,

Sorry for the delay. Looking at your example, I cannot see anything that
jumps out as incorrect.

Looking at your previous posts, I'm a bit unclear about the setup of your
datasets. Is the in-memory dataset acting as the master dataset in your
master-detail relationship? This is very strange that it previews ok but
the printed output is incorrect. As a quick test, try commenting out all
your event code dealing with the report and see if you can get the data to
print correctly. If there is event code specifically dealing with the data,
try tracing into it as the report previews and as the report prints and try
to find the differences. Perhaps some event code is firing or not firing at
certain times.

--
Regards,

Nico Cizik
Digital Metaphors
http://www.digital-metaphors.com

rbuser

Hi Nico,

I have commented out the event code with the exception of the
LotPipeLineFirst which is needed to perform the Master detail linking
manually.

The report still has the same problem. Previews ok, then prints messed up,
then is messed up in the preview after printing and then using next/previous
page.

I will send you 2 screen shots. before print and after print.

Regards

nicocizik

Hi Steve,

You mentioned that this only occurs when printing to an HP5. Have you tried
printing to other printers? Also, be sure you are not linking both the
pipeline and the dataset at the same time. If possible, please send a
simplified version of this app that I can run on my machine to
support@digital-metaphors.com in .zip format and I'll take a look at if for
you.

--
Regards,

Nico Cizik
Digital Metaphors
http://www.digital-metaphors.com

rbuser

Hi Nico,

Yes it does occur with other printers but not all. It was first
reported to me by our customer who was printing to a dot matrix, but it
works ok on their laser. I initially put it down to their printer driver
until i saw it for myself.

Here I have problems with the HP5 but if I print to PDFCreator (Windows
Virtual printer to PDF Document) it works ok.

I did also notice that I had the Master Detail link in place on the
TransactionPipeline, but that still works ok with or without the link
provided i use SetRange to limit the Dataset.

And in the lase message I forgot to mention that yes the master is the
Memory dataset. so the LotPipeline first fires for each record in the Memory
dataset.

It would take some time to get it working as a seperate project. You would
still need a database (cut down and zipped) and you would also require the
www.pervasive.com SDK with PDAC (Pervasive Direct Access Components) and (2
user) Workgroup developer engine from their site.

Would that be too much for you to set up as a test?

Thanks for your continued help.

Regards

rbuser

And Just to add to the last message

I have no master detail links set up on any Dataset's in my Datamodule, I
intended for RB to do that for me.

Regards

nicocizik

Hi Steve,

Yes, if you can put together a simple example where I can see this behavior,
I will try to download and install a trial version of Pervasive and see if
I can find the problem. Please send the example in .zip format to
support@digital-metaphors.com.

--
Regards,

Nico Cizik
Digital Metaphors
http://www.digital-metaphors.com