Author Topic: Build Custom MS Word Reports from EA Projects (Read 6156 times)

Report Developer · « **on:** October 05, 2009, 04:18:03 am »

I have built an application that reads ea files and generates MS word files. This allows a customer to work entirely in EA and then generate their custom report from the EA project. Word file will be formatted exactly how the final report should be laid out. Provide me with the sample report and matching EA file. A template word file will be created.

The question is how beneficial to customers this would be? and

how can this be integrated into EA - do i use a plugin approach, MDG etc.

I am simply extending EA report generator for custom reports.

salayande · « **Reply #1 on:** October 05, 2009, 06:58:24 am »

Any feature that improves on what exist is useful.

What is not clear from your message is if the application is based on the existing reporting engine.

If it is a new application, an MDG app is fine for distribution of functionality.

If based on the current EA reporting engine, unless you are sure of Sparx product plan, the engine may be removed in the near future, I am not sure if it is wise layering this solution on what exists. If the plan is to commercialise the utility, it is better to write a reporting application from scratch which does not depend on the existing reporting engine. You are best placed to control the development of the product and avoid inheriting the limitations of the existing solution.

best regards

Segun

Geert Bellekens · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2009, 07:23:42 pm »

I believe that almost everybody needs a "good" report generator.
At least at all the clients I worked for that was the case.
The problem is that all these clients had different, very specific needs with regards to layout, performance and required features of such a report generator.
Some clients needed a report that generated a document containing all details from the model for one specific usecase or package. Others wanted a much more flexible solution with small "fragment" type templates that allowed to create (and refresh) a document on the fly.
I think it is going difficult task to create a "generic" report generator that will be suited for all these needs.
Even creating a generic report generator for one client might be a problem.
I've used a couple of generic report generators in the past, and in my experience they get you about 90% of the way, but NEVER 100%.
If the environment is happy with this 90% then thats fine, but whenever you want to communicate with the "business" you will probably need a 100% perfect solution; e.g. a document without too much whitespace, without technical stuff, in short a document that looks like it is written by hand.
Otherwise the "business" will not even bother reading the document. (even if they say they have).
So now my preferred approach is to create a custom report generator for each client, making sure they get documents that are 100% ok and dont need half an hour editing before they are presentable to the stakeholders (when that half an hour editing is necesarry you can bet your arse that at some point the analyst will quickly make some modifications in the document without doing those modifications in the model).

I think you should keep that in mind: if its not 100% then the generated documents will get out of sync with the model.

Geert

Eve · « **Reply #3 on:** October 07, 2009, 08:41:20 am »

Quote

If based on the current EA reporting engine, unless you are sure of Sparx product plan, the engine may be removed in the near future

How many times have you seen Sparx Systems remove something that is supported? We still have the RTF document generation that existed before the current generator which has been around for years.

Report Developer · « **Reply #4 on:** October 09, 2009, 06:37:18 am »

This current solution uses the API and generates custom reports. Each report type will produce a different report based on a different word template.

What is required is the report in word format and the sample EA project. Report will then be created and added to the list for the company.

I will continue with my standalone application. My objective was for a EA user to operate totally in EA and Generate Custom reports on the fly.

Thelonius · « **Reply #5 on:** October 09, 2009, 06:55:49 am »

Quote

...when that half an hour editing is necessary you can bet your arse that at some point the analyst will quickly make some modifications in the document without doing those modifications in the model...Geert

Report Developer · « **Reply #6 on:** October 13, 2009, 01:32:03 am »

Thanks for your suggestion - Thelonius. I will generate pdf files from the word template instead.

salayande · « **Reply #7 on:** October 13, 2009, 05:08:46 am »

It would be nice to print a relationship matrix (and changing the axis) from the reporting facility

Report Developer · « **Reply #8 on:** October 13, 2009, 05:17:18 am »

That will simply be another report. As long as there is a connection between package elements and other package elements.

JamesHacker · « **Reply #9 on:** October 14, 2009, 07:17:21 pm »

Quote

I have built an application that reads ea files and generates MS word files. ...
I am simply extending EA report generator for custom reports.

Hi!
I am writing a program in C# (because we need to create a DOCX report) that is able to call the EA "Automation Interface" (AI). My next task is to use this API to extract stuff from EA and generate a DOCX (MS Office is used where I work) file.

Report-Developer or anyone else, can you provide some code (in c# or any language) that does some or all of this "create Docx using EA AI" task? If not, even tips will be welcome! I'm a java programmer, but am new to both C# and AI.

Alternatively, does anyone have a ready-made EA plugin to do this?
Thanks for any info or assistance!

James

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