Define a connection between controls to link
them together. When you link controls, an action performed on one
control affects the behavior of the other control.
Procedure
- Click the create a new connection icon
of a control that you added to the report. Tip: The create a new connection icon is visible only when the visual aid Show Interactive Object Controls is enabled.
- In the Source Control drop-down
list, select the source control for which you want to define a connection.
- Click the Data Item drop-down list
under the source control and select the data item that will drive
the behavior of the target control.
- In the Target Control drop-down
list, select the target control for which you want to define a connection.
If the target control is a visualization, select a visualization
data container.
- Click the Data Item drop-down list
under the target control and select the data item that will determine
what appears in the target control.
If the data item
that you want to use is not in the query of the target control, and
the source control is a data-driven control, select Copy
Data Item from Source to copy the source data item specified
in the previous step to the target control query. If the source control
is a static control, select Use Source Definition.
If
the target control is a data container, the copied data item appears
shaded in the container to indicate that the column visibility property
for the item is set to Hidden.
- Click the Behavior drop-down list
between the source and target controls and specify the type of relationship
that you want to define between the two controls:
- To select data in the target control based on what will be selected
in the source control, click Select.
- To filter data in the target control based on what will be selected
in the source control, select Filter.
- Below the Behavior area, click the
active variable drop-down list and choose to create a new variable
for the connection or use an existing variable.
Tip: If there are no variables defined in the report, you cannot
click the active variable drop-down list.
- If you create a new variable, type a name for the variable
and specify its data type. You can also specify its default values.
- If you choose to use an existing variable, choose the
variable that you want. You can also specify its default values.
- Click Connect.
Results
When a connection is defined, IBM® Cognos® Report Studio creates the appropriate conditions for the selection behavior and reaction behavior of the source and target controls.
Tip: The interactive behavior icon
of a control changes to indicate that a connection was defined. The
Active Report Controls tab
shows the controls and variables inserted in a report and their relationships to one another. You can click a control in this tab to quickly locate the control in the report as well as set default values for variables.
