Creating User Defined Reports in the Messaging Workbench

 

This article described the steps necessary to create user defined reports in the Messaging workbench. The illustration used are from an MWB advanced tutorial. MWB Options are accessed from the Maint item on the Main Menu. Regarding the figure below, we will only be discussing the Custom Reports list (7) and the Add New/Edit Custom Report button (8) for our purposes here.

 

 

Reports Option tab

 

Fig 5 Reports Option tab

 

 

(6) Custom Reports: This list shows the custom reports that have been created and are available for selection on the MWB Reports tab drop down list.

 

(7) Add New/Edit Custom Report…: This button invokes the customized report creation form described below.

 

User defined reports in the MWB are created by combining one of the MWB’s native reports with an XSL Style sheet. As an illustration we will create a Review Report that displays a list of review annotations for the profile as a whole and for individual elements. Referring to the figure below, note that this is a spare report that displays only those elements that have a review type annotation associated with them. Review notes are intended to be viewed only by analysts and messaging engineers not the end consumer of the profile.

 

Output of a User Defined “Review Report”

 

 

 

General Findings:

 
This is a review not that pertains to the entire profile and is used here as an example of a profile level annotation.

Detailed Findings:

MSH.3 [Sending Application]  
To be determined by M&IS


MSH.4 [Sending Facility]  
To be determined by M&IS

 

PID  
CR822 - "Standardized" PID segment for all OUTBOUND ADT messages


PID.3.1 [ID]  
CR1524 - Removed  
 
"if null, use  
2;991.04 (locally assigned ICN)."
 
 
from Local Element Definition


PID.3.6.1 [namespace ID]  
If the ICN for the ID portion of this  
extended composite field is a local ICN
 
then
 
VAMC ID is found using $$SITE^VASITE.
 
 
If the ICN is a national ICN  
then the assigning facility
 
should be null.

 

 

 

This report can be produced in a two step process by running the SpecXML report on the Display/Reports tab, and then using the File Menu to apply a style sheet (MWBProfileRevNO.xsl) to produce the desired output. After creating the user defined report following the steps below, we’ll be able to run the “Review Report” simply by selecting it from the reports drop down list on the Display/Reports tab.

 

Keep in mind that this is just one example. Combining MWB native reports in text or xml in conjunction with XSL style sheets can out put reports in an infinite variety of appearances and an assortment of output formats including text, html, xml and pdf. The ability to give a name to such associations and to select that name from a list of reports enhances convenience and the user’s productivity.

 

 

Click on the Add New/Edit Custom Report button (7) above to bring up the Customized Report Form shown below. Follow the steps numbered below to create this or another user defined customized report. There is no limit to the number of reports that may be created.

 

Keep in mind that this feature may be used in conjunction with the multiple file profile export feature. For example if you want to export your profile together with the default HTML output that the MWB Display/Reports tab comes with, you could first define a custom report called perhaps HTML Report by pairing up the SpecXML report with the MWBProfile.xsl style sheet. Once the custom report is defined and available on the reports drop down list, you can name it as a report to be exported in future profile archives (see Help article on Profile Exporting).


Reports Option tab\ Custom Report Creation

 

Fig 6 MWB Customized Report Builder

 

(1)    Available Standard Reports: This is a list of the reports available in the MWB. Custom reports are created by transformations on these reports.

 

(2)    XSL Style sheet: Select a style sheet to be applied to the report selected above.

 

(3)    Report Name: Assign a name to the report. This is the name that will appear in the reports dropdown list.

 

(4)    Output file type:  This should correspond to the file type that the XSL translation will create. This determines the file extension that the MWB uses when you elect to save a report to disk.

 

(5)    Custom Reports: This is a list of the custom reports created for this system.

 

(6)    Use the Delete and Add/Edit buttons to select a custom report on the list for action. REMEMBER to click the OK button to save your work. Failure to do so will cause any changes/additions made during the report creation session to be lost.