Is there a way to extract the select statements out of all my desktop reports? My goal is to use this to build an database of columns and tables used in my reports…
I can see the selects in the .rep with notepad and was thinking of just writing a program to read all the .rep files…
Anyone have a better idea?
larryc (BOB member since 2004-04-15)
Hi,
Can you please explain us what you meant "My goal is to use this to build an database of columns and tables used in my reports… ",
So how are you current set of reports running?
Ideally they should not run, but first of all if you dont have the tables and objects in the database, then how they are present in the reports?
Did you mean to have an document which states which database columns have been used in the present report?
Omkar Paranjpe 
(BOB member since 2006-02-13)
If you are looking for the report metadata (dataprovider objects with other details) then there is a utility in BOB downloads List objects in a report , check it.
You can enhance it to get other info too.
Also the function
=DataProviderSQL() returns the generated SQL of a DP query
.
haider 
(BOB member since 2005-07-18)
Since we cannot purchase metadata manager, I trying to create an application that will parse a select statement take the columns and tables in and insert them into a database (using java) so I can do impact analysis when schema changes occur. I can then create a report prompted by table name and column name to determine if the schema change will affect a report.
Right now i am tracking this thru a spreadsheet and my release process. Every report that gets released, the dp selects are extracted and put in to a spreadsheet. it’s ugly, but im looking maybe 4 a better process without spending ‘capital’ 
larryc (BOB member since 2004-04-15)
I looked at the “list objects in report” report. This is nice, but object name doesn’t really help. It needs to be at the sql level. I.E. Order number could and is in many tables and the object really doesn’t tell what table the object belongs to…
larryc (BOB member since 2004-04-15)
There is another utility here … Document a universe using Excel and the Designer SDK. Not an ideal solution, but you could get clever and “vlookup” or “link” the two together.
Dwayne Hoffpauir (BOB member since 2002-09-19)
But the output of this function is restricted in size. So if your SELECT clause has too many characters, you will not get the complete SELECT clause and far worst no part of FROM clause at all.
Best Regards,
Kashif Ansari
Kashif Ansari 
(BOB member since 2006-01-16)