Ad Hoc Templates consist of settings for one, or multiple joined, data sources, as well as the selection of available columns and further component settings. The component settings allow you to set default values for things like charts, tables and crosstabs.

The General settings allow setting up a name and description for this Ad Hoc template, as well as the basic data source configuration. Data sources are made available using the Datasource application. Here, you have to make sure that users that should be able to use the Ad Hoc template also have permissions to use the data source it relies on.

In the Data section, it is important to understand that the settings made here will be reflected further down in the component settings. For example, you need to select the available columns here. Otherwise, you will not be able to use them in the chart, for example. You may also need to set up data filters, which will be used for all data queries.

You must select at least one table from the data source to be able to select the available columns. If multiple tables are selected, the additional panel for merging these tables will appear. You can easily add multiple joins for your tables.

First select the tables to join, including one of the join types. Second, select the table columns on which you want to join your data.

A stated above, you have to select all columns that should be made available to other components here. A hint on the list will always display from which table this column was selected. You can provide a custom name that should be displayed to users in the Ad Hoc application.

Multiple data filters can be set up so that the data query is restricted to a sub set, e.g. for large data sets. It is possible to define multiple columns in one filter, which will be treated as and filter¹⁾. Also, you can add additional filter which then are treated as or filter.

Depending on the users' permission who configures the Ad Hoc templates, multiple sharing options for the template may be available. The user requires at least the permission to read users and groups to create a custom shared template.

• Not shared - the template is available only to administrative users.
• Shared for all users - every user in the i-net Clear Reports can access this template.
• Custom - multiple users and groups may be selected to provide access to this template.

The templates pre-definition of Chart data allows adding categories and series. As demonstrated below, there is always a hint for which axis you are currently selecting a table row. Both, categories and series can be reordered using the options' menu.

The sort order of the categories data can be changed using the sorting icon and implies a grouping selection. The grouping options, e.g. for a date/time-column, can be selected here as well. For the series entries, there is a dropdown box to specify how the data is processed.

Pre-defining Tables allows setting up the default columns, groups, and sorting for the Ad Hoc Table component. Here, you can select columns from the available data sources and redefine the order of the columns.

Using the grouping options, multiple tables will be created - one for each group. Depending on the data type, additional options become available, e.g. for grouping dates by day, week or year.

Also, you can set up by which columns the table should be sorted. Columns that are selected will be used for sorting the table in the given order. Columns that are not added here will retain the order in which they are fetched from the data source.

Crosstabs are a complex type of presentation and require multiple values being pre-defined: Columns, Rows, and Values. Here, too, you can select groups which result in multiple crosstabs being put into the report.

A crosstab is concluded with a total field, for both, columns and rows. Selecting multiple columns results in additional subsections with an additional value and subtotal field. This behavior can be changed in the advanced settings of an Ad Hoc report later on.

Note: Crosstabs get big very fast, so be careful which combinations you select.