[ 00:07 ] In this lesson, we'll take a look at the data tab in the reporting module. When you're creating a report, the data tab is where you'll collect the various pieces of information that will go into your report. There are two main types of data. There are parameters and data sources. When you create your report, you always start with these two parameters, start date and end date. Whenever you select a type of data, in this list here, you'll always see some configurations appear. The various fields and configurations, that appear, depend entirely on the type of data you selected. Adding a new type of data is easy. We can simply click on the plus icon here, and we see a list of the different types. I'll select new parameter and we can see that it appears here in the list. I'll also give it a default value of five.

[ 00:58 ] Let's switch over to the design tab. If we head over to the key browser, we can see in the parameters folder, here, if I expand it, that my new parameter is listed. Also, if we go to the preview tab at the top, we can see my new parameter and its value of five.

[ 01:15 ] Now let's head back to the data tab. As you saw, the name of the parameter was referenced in the other tab. The names are fairly important. If I were to add a new parameter again, they can't both be called a new parameter. We always try to avoid name collisions here. It's also why you're seeing the little exclamation mark over here. I have to have unique names for these. Let's call this one B and I'll call this one A.

[ 01:39 ] A has a value of five. We need to give a value to B. Now, you may have noticed the arrow icons, that are just to the right of my different types of data. These allow us to rearrange or change the sort order of my different types of data. It's possible for me to rearrange my parameters in the list, here. Now that's not just for organizational purposes.

[ 02:04 ] All types of data can reference other types of data, that are above them in this list. For example, my parameter B here, can have an expression that references the value of A.

[ 02:17 ] Now the value of B is going to be whatever the value of A is plus 10. If we head over to the preview, we can see A has a value of five and B has a value of 15. Let's head back to the data tab here. Again, this kind of referencing always looks above in the list. It always looks up. If I were to swap position of A and B here, now B is above A. B is also referencing A. Because I've sorted them like this, parameter B here, is not going to be able to find the value of parameter A. If we switch over to the preview tab, we can see that A still has a value, but B is showing a null value. We can also see that I'm getting a data collection error, down below. Really, there are two important lessons here.

[ 03:06 ] One, if there are any problems with any of your data, you'll see these data collection errors in the preview tab. Two, in some cases, the order of your data in the data tab might be important. But again, really only if you're doing the referencing that I showed you.

[ 03:23 ] Let's head back to our data tab. I'll switch the order, here. Earlier, I showed you that parameters need unique names. That rule also applies to any of your data sources. If I were to add two named query data sources, real quick, they can't have the same name. To change the name of a data source, you generally just need to find the data key property and type in a new name. Now, I don't actually need these data sources. So to round up the video, we'll go ahead and we'll remove these two data sources with the remove button, which always removes whatever item in the list here you have selected.