Oracle SQLPlus [Electronic resources] : The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition نسخه متنی

5.1 Following a Methodology

Designing a report is a
development project, albeit a small one. As with any development
project, it helps to have a methodology, or sequence of steps, to
follow that will lead you successfully through the process of
designing a report with a minimum of fuss and backtracking. For
example, when designing a report, it makes no sense to worry about
formatting the data until you have first decided what data to
include.

This chapter presents a micro-methodology for developing reports with
SQL*Plus that has worked well for me. It divides the design process
for a simple report into the following steps:

Formulate the query.

Format the columns.

Add page headers and footers.

Format the page.

Print it.

Dividing the design process into discrete, logical steps reduces the
amount and the complexity of the information you must keep in your
head at any given time.

For more advanced reports, such as a master-detail report, you may
want to perform additional steps:

Add page and line breaks.

Add totals and subtotals.

Work through report design in a methodical manner. Often the
temptation is to start typing in commands. Resist this temptation.