Irrational subfile behavior

Wed, 1 Sep 1999 17:58:51 -0400

Hi Al,

It all goes back to history.  Quiz was written first, and for "end users".
If you say "X subtotal" in the Report statement, a Footing At, and the Final
Footing, then Quiz must create 3 new items on the fly in order to keep the
subtotaling and resetting of initial values all separate from one another.
If you want to do that in QTP (assumed to be a "programmers" tool), you'd
have to create different temporary items for each sort break level.

That is why Quiz creates summary items instead of just using yours.  As for
why it "changes" the characteristics of your element, it only does that if
you perform a calculation on the item (like a subtotal).  It could be argued
that subtotaling and counting don't require (or even benefit from being
stored in) a floating point storage, but that was the choice they made, back
in the olden times.

With QTP (which was written later than Quiz), they figured out they really
needed a storage area that could be defined and used at the programmer's
discretion.  Thus, the Temporary Item was created.  And it was decreed from
on high, that summary operation results (in QTP) should be stored therein.
Thus:

Temporary T-X Zoned*2
Item T-X SUBTOTAL X

Will add X into T-X on each processing cycle. And, BTW, it will be written
out to a subfile as a Zoned size 2 item.

One of the many reasons I'm a big fan of QTP. ;-)

Hope that answered your questions.. because I'm outta here! (For today, at
least.)
(And thanks for the kind comment on my tag line.) ;-)
Matt

Matt.Ohmes@Cognos.Com
Cognos Corporation
909 E. Las Colinas Blvd.
Suite 1900
Irving, TX  75039
214-259-6200
"Matt doesn't really know anything.  He just likes to pontificate a lot.
We refuse to acknowledge that he works for Cognos or that we have ever
met him or anyone with whom he's ever been associated.  Don't lend him
money and don't let him talk to your sister!" ;-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Al Karman [mailto:alkarman@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 1999 4:41 PM
To: Matt.Ohmes@COGNOS.com; alkarman@hotmail.com; powerh-l@lists.swau.edu
Subject: RE: Irrational subfile behavior

Matt,

2nd ?, 1st...
Auto-redefine - bad syntax, but the thought was that QTP doesn't do 
this...would QTP change an elements characteristics solely due to it's being

processed more than 1nce, hmmmmmm????

1st ?,...
If we want to split hairs (quick, gimme an axe...), QUIZ is in fact 
re-defining my element...
Some would think sub-totalling a numeric field shouldn't change it's 
physical characteristics.  Your point is well taken, but I'm curious on your

thoughts of the above...

PS - love the tag on your signature....

Yours in MPE/iX,

>From: "Ohmes, Matt" <Matt.Ohmes@COGNOS.com>
>To: 'Al Karman' <alkarman@hotmail.com>, powerh-l@lists.swau.edu
>Subject: RE: Irrational subfile behavior
>Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1999 17:25:13 -0400
>
>Al, a reporter from the back of the room asks...
>
>"Funny you mention subtotalling - I do invoke that arcane function....
>Why does Quiz insist on redefining, on its own, my fine work??
>And a follow-up, Mr. President....why DOESN'T QTP do auto-redefine??"
>
>Hmmm.... First question first. Well, actually Quiz didn't redefine your
>work. ;-)  You created a defined item of Zoned size 2, but you REPORTED a
>summary result, not the defined item.  To illustrate:
>
>Define X Zone*2 size 2 = 1 ; I hope I got that syntax right
>Report &
>   X pic "^^^" Heading "Defined^Item X" &
>   X SUBTOTAL pic "^^^^^^" Heading "Summary^Item X"
>
>I just reported 2 items, the first was a defined item, zoned size 2.  The
>second was a floating point calculation result that happens to also have 
>the
>name X.  You'll notice the Picture and heading clauses follow the word
>SUBTOTAL because the report item is X SUBTOTAL, not just X.
>
>Now, as to the second question...
>Huh?  What do you mean "auto-redefine"?
>
>Matt
>
>Matt.Ohmes@Cognos.Com
>Cognos Corporation
>909 E. Las Colinas Blvd.
>Suite 1900
>Irving, TX  75039
>214-259-6200
>"Matt doesn't really know anything.  He just likes to pontificate a lot.
>We refuse to acknowledge that he works for Cognos or that we have ever
>met him or anyone with whom he's ever been associated.  Don't lend him
>money and don't let him talk to your sister!" ;-)

           '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
           '             Al Karman               '
           '  Information Technology Consulting  '
           '   Internet:  alkarman@hotmail.com   '
           '        FAX:  248.671.5035           '
           '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Subscribe: "subscribe powerh-l" in message body to majordomo@lists.swau.edu
Unsubscribe: "unsubscribe powerh-l" in message to majordomo@lists.swau.edu
powerh-l@lists.swau.edu is gatewayed one-way to bit.listserv.powerh-l
This list is closed, thus to post to the list, you must be a subscriber.