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What Is the Best Way to Create This Report?

I need some expert help to get started on this report. It will eventually look something like this (with checkboxes in all).

The query parameters will make both the trip list across the top and the species list on the side vary in both counts and content. I then want to check the checkbox if that species was recorded on that particular trip. I'm just not sure what is the most efficient way to approach this task and would really appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction.

David Johnson, CD

you have a list of species the list of species points to a list of trips. the list of trips will have the particulars of the trip i.e. date/location/users and a list of species ID's.. What you want is database design and not report design

AJ0718

ASKER

Yep, that's pretty much what I've been playing with for the last few hours. I've been trying to do it through a temp table but am struggling with how to dynamically add columns using a select. There has to be an easier way to do this.

funwithdotnet

If the source data is correct, a grid view can spit out something that looks like that with no trouble at all.

Perhaps the best thing to do first is to structure the source data so it'll automatically come out the way you want. What does the source data look like? Where does it come from?

AJ0718

ASKER

I'm pulling my data from a couple of views which looks like this:

I'm just struggling with how to flip things so that the unique locations are column headers, each species is listed only once, and if there is a match in my data the field shows either an X or a checkmark.

funwithdotnet

... and the trip data?

funwithdotnet

To be clear, you want something like

AJ0718

ASKER

Yep, that's what I'm after. I did manage to create a temp table for the structure (SpeciesID, Species, and columns for locations) and bind that to the gridview. I'm hoping now to set the field values by looping through the trip data dataset OnRowDataBound. Does that make sense? If I can figure out the syntax I should be able to set the 1's in your sample as "X" and leave the others as null.

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funwithdotnet

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AJ0718

ASKER

Thanks. I'm going to play with this because it no doubt does things a lot more efficiently than what I just now got finished - http://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/Reports/MonthlyTrips.aspx. I built the structure from a stored procedure using a temp table and bound it to the gridview. I then used the dataset I create on the button click (my sample above) to loop through the ds and put an X where appropriate.

Protected Sub GridView1_RowDataBound(sender As Object, e As GridViewRowEventArgs)
        If e.Row.RowType = DataControlRowType.DataRow Then
            If dsRecords.Tables.Count > 0 Then
                For i As Integer = 0 To dsRecords.Tables(0).Rows.Count - 1
                    Dim SpeciesID As Double = dsRecords.Tables(0).Rows(i).Item(0)
                    Dim Location As String = dsRecords.Tables(0).Rows(i).Item(2)
                    Dim rowView As DataRowView = DirectCast(e.Row.DataItem, DataRowView)
                    Dim myDataKey As Double = rowView("SpeciesID")
                    If SpeciesID = myDataKey Then
                        e.Row.Cells(GetColumnIndexByName(e.Row, Location)).Text = "X"
                    End If
                Next
            End If
        End If

        e.Row.Cells(0).Visible = False
    End Sub
    Protected Function GetColumnIndexByName(row As GridViewRow, SearchColumnName As String) As Integer
        Dim columnIndex As Integer = 0
        For Each cell As DataControlFieldCell In row.Cells
            If TypeOf cell.ContainingField Is BoundField Then
                If DirectCast(cell.ContainingField, BoundField).DataField.Equals(SearchColumnName) Then
                    Exit For
                End If
            End If
            columnIndex += 1
        Next
        Return columnIndex
    End Function

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funwithdotnet

You are most welcome. Don't forget that only developers care how the data gets displayed. :) Your solution works nicely.

AJ0718

ASKER

Thanks.