Oracle SQL Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach

Chapter 11. Common Reporting Problems

As a SQL developer, DBA, or power user, at some point you'll have to write reports to share with colleagues, management, clients, or other companies. If you're lucky, you'll be able to concentrate on the logic and presentation of your reports in peace and quiet. Unfortunately, however, you'll almost certainly be confronted with "shoulder surfing" report critics. You know the kind: they stand behind you, gesticulating at the screen, offering helpful advice like "That should be converted to a spreadsheet." or "Can you make it look like the old report? It's easier to read that way."

Many of these demands will have common solutions, to rotate, compress, substitute and otherwise transform perfectly normal report ...