Usage of Table Component in canned Reporting

Starting from open source BI Helical Insight 6.1.0.826 GA, the Table component has been introduced in the Canned Report module to enable users to display structured, row-wise data in a tabular format. This component allows report designers to bind query results to columns, repeat rows dynamically for each record, and apply formatting and aggregations to present detailed and organized data within reports.

In earlier versions, tabular layouts had to be built manually by arranging individual fields and configuring repeat-by options. With the introduction of the Table component, users can now create tabular visualizations in a faster and more effective way within the Canned Report module.

Steps to create a tabular visualization in Canned Reporting :

Create a data source connection

Refer the following documentation for this step https://www.helicalinsight.com/data-sources-page-overview-in-canned-reporting

Once the datasource connection is created, select the connection and write the SQL query. Click on Save and Run to execute the query

The first 10 records of the result set will be displayed in the Data Preview section, this is helpful to understand whether the data being fetched from the SQL is correct or not.
In the CANVAS tab, you will find the Table component under the Elements list
Drag the Table component onto the canvas, then right-click on it and select the ‘Repeat‘ option. In most use cases it will be ‘By Report‘
Click on the Table component. On the right side, you will see the Table configuration options/Properties. Below we have explained each and every component in detail
1. Query
  
  Purpose: Specifies the data source for the table.
  
  How it works: While making the datasource connection, we have written query. We can write multiple queries also there. You can select a query (like Query1) which will be used for the table.
2. Select Fields:
  
  Please select the all the columns from the query that you want to display in the table.
3. Select Fields For Table Columns:
  
  From the fields selected in step 2 at “Select Fields”, now you can choose the fields from that list which will be used to produce the table columns.
4. Position
  
  Determines how the table is positioned in the report. Options:
  - FixRelativeToTop: Table stays fixed relative to the top.
  - FixRelativeToBottom: Table stays fixed relative to the bottom.
  - Float: Table moves freely and can be placed anywhere. If multiple tables are being used, then this option is better choice.
5. Stretch
  
  Purpose: Specifies the graphic element stretch behavior when the report section is affected by stretch.
  - ContainerBottom
    The table expands downward until it touches the bottom of its container (such as a frame or band).
    Useful when you want the text to fill all available vertical space inside its container.
  - ContainerHeight
    The table always matches the full height of its container.
    The height stays the same even if the text content is small or large.
  - ElementGroupBottom
    When the table is inside a group, it stretches until the bottom of the entire group.
    Useful when grouped elements need to align at the bottom.
  - ElementGroupHeight
    The table stretches to match the total height of its group.
    Helps keep all grouped elements the same height and maintain a consistent layout.
    This is usually the most commonly used option.
  - NoStretch
    This is the default behavior.
    The table does not stretch, even if the content is larger than the available space.
6. Print When Expression
  
  Purpose: Conditional printing of the table. We can put an expression here and based on that this column will be printed or not printed.
7. Print Repeated Values
  
  Purpose: Controls whether repeated values in rows are printed or left blank.
8. Remove Line When Blank
  
  Purpose: Removes the table row if all columns in that row are blank.
  
  Use Case: Avoids empty rows appearing in reports.
9. Print in First Whole Section
  
  Purpose: Prints the table only at the start of a section (useful in multi-section reports).
10. Print When Record Overflows
  
  Purpose: Controls printing when the table spans multiple pages or sections.
  
  Use Case: Ensures content is not skipped if it overflows the current page.
11. Blank When Null
  
  Purpose: If a field is NULL, it shows as blank instead of printing NULL.
12. Alignment
  
  Purpose: Controls the table alignment
  - X-position: Distance from the left side in pixels
  - Y-position: Distance from the top in pixels
  - Width: Width of the table component in pixels
  - Height: Height of the table component in pixels
13. Borders
  
  Purpose: Configure various properties of the border, like border style, width and color.
14. Padding
  
  Purpose: We can configure padding for table. Data will appear in the cell after applying that much padding.
15. Table Configuration
  
  Purpose: Advanced table settings.
  
  Cell Colors
  - Table Header Color controls the color of the top header row
  - Column Header Color controls the color of column names
  - Table Body Color controls the color of data cells
  Cell Borders
  - Borders Color controls the color of table lines
  - Borders Style controls where borders appear such as all cells rows only or columns only
  Headers and Footers
  - Add Table Header shows or hides the table header row
  - Add Column Header shows or hides column names
  - Add Column Footer shows or hides the totals row
  - Add Table Footer shows or hides the bottom footer
Now you can decide which all columns will appear in the table.

For doing that use “Select required fields for Table Columns” and via drop down you can select the fields. The sequence in which we click, it will appear in that sequence.

After selecting the fields, the table will appear like this.

Other components like header, footer, border etc can be enabled. disabled and used as per your design requirement. In this current blog example we have disabled Table header, Column header, Table footer from Table Configuration. Then click on Apply
Adjust the table in the canvas properly

With the release of Helical Insight 6.2.1.1001, the Table Component in Canned Report has been enhanced with a new Table Outline Panel that provides a more structured and user-friendly report designing experience. The upgraded interface simplifies report creation using drag-and-drop functionality and offers better control over datasets, fields, calculations, grouping, variables, and table structure management

Individual cell level properties

Once a table is created, we may want to specify the individual cell level properties like thousand sepeator in some cell, alignment, bold, font size etc. To apply these properties:
- Click on the Table component to open the table editor.
- Select the individual cell you want to customize.
- Configure the required formatting and styling properties from the property panel.
Click here to read more.
When we have clicked on Table, there are other configuration options which are explained below for doing things like adding fields, parameters, deleting fields, formatting, grouping etc.

Table Outline Panel

Dataset

The newly introduced Table Outline Panel appears on the left side of the report designer.

This Contains:

Parameters

Parameters are used to create dynamic and interactive reports. They mainly act as filters and allow users to pass values during report execution.

Once parameters are defined in the main canvas, they automatically appear inside the Parameters section of the Table Outline.

Fields

Fields represent the columns returned from the dataset or SQL query. All query output columns automatically appear under the Fields section in the Table Outline.

Using drag-and-drop functionality, fields can be directly placed into the any of the components of table and accordingly the table report gets created:

Below is the definition of various components of a table

Users can also right-click on fields/calculations to create fields directly from the Table Outline

Note: Fields can only be created from the fields available in the selected query. This option is useful when a field was missed while designing the canvas, allowing it to be created later and added directly to the table.

Variables

The upgraded Table Component also provides access to variables that can be directly used inside reports. These variables can also be dragged into any component of table like header, footer etc.

To know more about the variables refer the below blog: https://www.helicalinsight.com/quick-functions-in-canned-reports/

Calculations

The new Table Outline also includes a dedicated Calculations section.

This section allows users to create custom calculated fields dynamically without modifying the original dataset.

Calculated fields can then be dragged and used anywhere inside the report component.

Users can also right-click on calculations to create groups directly from calculated fields for easier summarization and grouping.

Groups

Within table, we can have groups allowing to show data further categorized. Like in the below image we have a 3 column table which is grouped according to travel_medium. Hence the data appears for first travel_medium like bus, then next so on and so forth.

In order to create Group, Open the Outline Panel.

i. Locate the required Group Component.

ii. Right click on it and select “Create Group”

iii. It will show group created with default name as “Group 1” etc.

iv. After clicking on Group 1, a UI like below will appear with further customization options.

After creating the group we will get new options under table

Right click on them and you can create/delete a row/column etc along with their position in the respective created Group/header/footer/data.

Current Limitation

Currently, groups created directly from the Table Outline are automatically named as: Group 1, Group 2, Group 3…etc

These group names cannot be renamed at the moment.

However, if groups are created directly from the canvas area, the group name is automatically displayed based on the selected field name.

Table Sections

Table Component organizes reports into multiple sections for better formatting and management as shown in the above image

Column Management Options

Version 6.2.1.1001 onward introduces improved column management through the Table Outline. Right-clicking on a column provides options such as: Create Column At The Beginning / End, Delete Column, Delete Cell, Select All Cells, Select All Elements, Undo ,Redo

Managing Table Bands

The upgraded Table Component allows users to modify table structures even after the initial configuration.

Users can enable or disable table bands such as Table Header, Table Footer, Column Header, Column Footer, Group Header, Group Footer (image and steps)

Re-Enabling Disabled Table Bands

Previously disabled table bands can be re-enabled directly from the Outline Panel without recreating the table.

Steps:

i. Open the Outline Panel.

ii. Locate the required Table Component.

iii. Right-click on the required section only if it is disable you can see the Create row option.

Removing Table Bands

To remove a table band:

i. Right-click on the required band. If it is enabled you can then see the delete row option.
Save the report and open in new window

Adding Multiple tables in the report :

Each Table component requires a dedicated query. A single query can be bound to only one table, therefore, a separate SQL query must be created for every additional table used in the report.