Intension
This document is intended as a discussion base for topics and solutions around Reporting in general and specifically the Integrity Gateway and the Integrity Reports.
Status
Although the PTC world speaks in between with ThingWorx and PTC Navigate (including reporting Apps), I still believe that an Integrity build-in reporting has his place inside the product.
Standard Integrity Functionality
Integrity Gateway: Create standardized Output - mainly in Word Format - for any stakeholder or auditors.
Integrity Reports: Ad Hoc Reporting for any kind of business need in HTML or XML format.
1. Integrity Gateway (Client)
The Integrity Gateway is a Java client application which can run in user interaction or in silent mode.
The user can choose one of the provided templates (export configurations) and the target file name. Then, the gateway will read and transform Integrity data to receive the word output.
2. Integrity Reports (Server)
Integrity Reports are a server based way to create HTML pages or XML data files out of Integrity. The Layout is based on HTML templates enriched with specific Integrity Tags. Such Tags allowing you to create repeating sections based on the provided data (for data tables). Integrity Reports are quite powerful, although we have seen issues when complicated rich text or images are involved.
Comparison Matrix:
| Feature | Integrity Gateway | Integrity Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Supports Output in Word Format | Yes (is also in use for Edit-in-Word) | No |
| Supports Output in Excel Format | No (see Custom Gateway below) | No |
| Supports Output in HTML Format | No | Yes |
| Supports Output in XML Format | No | Yes |
| Supports PDF export | No (see Custom Gateway below) | No |
| Supports Scheduling | No | No |
| Supports E-Mail Distribution | No | No |
| Supports configurable file names | No (see Custom Gateway below) | No |
| Supports Archiving | No | No |
We see that Integrity offers 2 different techniques for different purposes. Both are valid approaches according to the business case.
But, very often our clients expecting a combination of both, and today rather as a server functionality than on client.
Reporting Customizations
The probably best known Customization is the Custom Gateway, but also the Reporting Engine is one used quite frequently.
The Custom Gateway is a local Java Application which sits on top of the Gateway and offers mainly the following:
- Flexible Output Path and configurable File Names
- PDF Generator
- Baseline Picker
Furthermore, the Custom Gateway can add Java functionality to any export. Herewith, you can retrieve almost any data from any place in Integrity and enrich your data export. Examples are: Trace Listing, Administration Configuration Export, Audit Trail Listing, Test Document export with Test Session and detailed Test Results. All this is done using the API right before the Document generation process.
The Custom Gateway works also with Excel. A similar template concept with Tags has been implemented like in Word. Herewith, you can create professional looking pre-configured Excel files right out of Integrity (including Excel charts)
The Reporting Engine is an Ad-Hoc Reporting tool, primarily to create trace Listings in Excel. It is a standalone Java based solution not related to the Gateway. It's layout is template based and the to-be-reported traces can be configured in XML files.
The Integrity Report Gateway is one of the newest Customizations bringing the Custom Gateway functionality now to the Server. It has been created on customer request to avoid any local Java file. This solution is replacing the local Integrity Gateway, but needs sponsors to get developed further (current state: conceptual study, but very stable; sharable on request).
Right now, we don't have any common solution to fulfil automated Report Scheduling, e-Mailing, or archiving. Although, Integrity offers all these elements - and we just need to put all this together.
Next Steps
I am interested in your approaches how you solve today's Integrity internal reporting requirements. I am also interested in how you have implemented Scheduling, e-Mailing, and/or Archiving.
Thank you
(Known professional or semi-professional solutions in use by our clients: PTC ThingWorx Apps, BIRT, Oracle BI Publisher)