A database report is the formatted result of database queries and contains useful data for decision-making and analysis.
Most good business applications contain a built-in reporting tool; this is simply a front-end interface that calls or runs back-end database queries that are formatted for easy application usage. For example, a banking software application may contain specifically defined reports on all customers with large deposits or reports on monthly loan summaries for all customers.
To extract data, a query must be run with various tools that call at least one query language. Structured Query Language (SQL) is the most popular and well-known query language. Other query languages include:
- Hyper Text Structured Query Language (HTSQL): This language translates hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) queries to SQL.
- Poliqarp Query Language: This language searches annotated text.
- SPARQL (a recursive acronym for SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language): This language is for graphing applications.
Another standard reporting feature is the ability to create output parameters or restrictions. For example, when a user runs a monthly loans summary report, the user first enters the specific month or account type associated with the requested report. Specialized reporting tools not typically available via simple queries may be connected to a database to facilitate additional reporting capabilities. These often offer greater data insight and highlight trends and patterns, and are frequently labeled under the buzzword “business intelligence” (BI).
Steps
- Open the Navigation pane.
- Click the table or query on which you want to base your report.
- Activate the Create tab.
- Click the Report button in the Reports group. Access creates your report and displays your report in Layout view. You can modify the report.