Pro SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services

CHAPTER 6  BUILDING REPORTS

Figure 6-6. Employee Service Cost report details and groups

Formatting the Output

You can modify several quick and easy report properties to add a more professional look and feel to the
report:

• Border Style


• Format

By using the Shift or Control key, or by clicking and dragging the mouse, it is easy to apply report
properties to many cells simultaneously. For the Estimated Cost and Service Count header cells, you will
add a border to the bottom, separating the record header from the actual data. First, highlight the two
header column cells by holding down the Control key and clicking each cell. Next, open or expand the
Properties window. The Properties window contains a Border Style property for each area of the selected
cells—top, bottom, left, and right. For this example, select Solid for the bottom border.
With the Properties window still open, click the Estimated Cost detail row cell. Format the cell in the
Properties window to make it currency by adding the formatting command C0 for the Format property.
Next, rename the header cell labeled Employee Name to Diagnosis > Service > Patient > Employee
and extend the column to accommodate the width of the new label.
After you apply the formatting, you can immediately see how these changes affect the output by
clicking the Preview tab (see Figure 6-7).