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Docentric Data Source Packages (DDSP) Overview

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To design a report template with Docentric AX Designer we need to generate the report data source saved as a physical file. This file is called Docentric Data Source Package (DDSP file).

There are two possible ways to generate the DDSP file:

  • By switching on the Generate DDSP when report runs option in Docentric report setup
  • By printing to a special print destination – Generate DS. This approach isn’t recommended for Print Management reports, that’s why we provided the possibility to hide the Generated DS print destination in Docentric AX parameters, thus forcing only the first approach.

DDSP files are generated by Docentric AX Framework using the Default of a custom DSP (Data Source Provider) class. Default DSP class reuses existing SSRS report data sets that are filled by built-in RDP classes or queries.

A DDSP file contains:

  • The XML schema of a report data source.
  • Sample data used for offline report preview from within Docentric AX Designer.
  • System data such as languages and label translations used for multilingual preview.

Report data source schema is used during design process to bind dynamic parts of a template to data tables, fields or expressions. It consists of three parts, or so called data sections:

  • The Parameters data section – contains report parameters defined by SSRS report contract.
  • The MainData data section – contains report data exposed and filled by a RDP class or query.
  • The GeneralData data section – contains current company info, current worker info, etc.

The picture above shows the Data Source pane in Docentric AX Designer with the MainData and Parameters data sections of the PurchPurchaseOrder.Report report’s data source.

The GeneralData data section is automatically added to the DDSP file for each report. You can set up which data to include in a report’s GeneralData, e.g. company logo, hidden parameters or document branding info.
See how >>

 

This is only the default schema of the GeneralData data section. You can add additional data or completely change the GeneralData data section for a single report, for a group of reports, or for all your reports. Learn how >>

You can also change report sample data during designing a template. This can be useful when you need to test (offline) different aspects of template, e.g. to conditionally show some parts of the designing document.
See how >>

See also

Docentric Training for Writing Custom DSP Classes >>
How to Add Additional Data to a Docentric SSRS Report >>
How to Use Docentric AX APIs >>
How to Extend Data Sections of DDSP >>

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