Reference Objects and Copy Objects

When a report object is configured as a shared object, that shared object can be inserted as a reference object or copied as a new report object within the same report or in a different report.

What Are Reference Objects and Copy Objects

A report object that is added to a report as a copy of a shared object is called a copy object. A copy object is not associated with the original source object. A copy object is a copy of the information in the source object when the copy object is added. If the source object is modified, the information in the copy object is not updated. However, users can modify the copy object. The information in the source object is not modified if the copy object is modified. A copy object can be used as a template in other reports. For example, an administrator can create a format in an Excel object and share that format with other reports by adding a copy of that Excel object.

A report object that is added as a reference to a shared object is called a reference object. The shared object to which the reference object is linked is called a source object. A reference object does not contain its own content. It remains associated with the original shared object (the source object). When a report with a reference object is refreshed, the information in the reference object is updated from the source object. If the information in the reference object needs to be updated, it must be done at the source. A reference object is read-only and cannot be modified directly. The administrator can use a reference object to share a report object with different users and set different workflow privileges.

You can remove the reference to the shared object (breaking the reference) if needed. You can also change the source object a referenced object currently references by selecting a different source object. To change the source object of a reference object, you need to have at least a rollforward of the report that contains the original shared object, in effect, the same base shared object but in a different report.

To determine whether a report object is a shared object or a reference object, you can use any of these indicators:

• Shared and reference objects display a small indicator with the report object name in the report tree.
• A tool tip indicates whether a report object is a shared object or a reference object.
• Any report object that references another report object displays a message in the information bar.

Add a Shared Object as a Copy

If a report object is configured as a shared object, you can create a copy of that shared object within the same report or in a different report. A copy object can be modified, but any modifications in the original source object are not applied to the copy object.

To add a shared object as a copy object to a report:

1. Open the report that you want to work with.
2. In the report tree on the left, right-click the report object where you want to insert a shared report object as a copy, and click Add Sibling > Shared Report Object.
3. From the list, select the shared object that you want to copy and click Copy.
4. Apply a workflow to the copy object. The workflow for a copy object can be different from the source object.

Add a Shared Object as a Reference

If a report object is configured as a shared object, you can add it as a reference object within the same report or in a different report. When a report is refreshed, the information in a reference object is updated from the source.

To add a shared object as a reference object to a report:

1. Open the report that you want to work with.
2. In the report tree, right-click the report object where you want to insert a shared report object as a reference, and click Add Sibling > Shared Report Object.
3. From the list, select the shared object that you want to link to and click Reference.

   Tip: When you hover your mouse over a reference object, you can see the names of its source report and source report object. To open the reference object, right-click it and click References > Open.

4. Apply a workflow to the reference object. You can change the workflow of a reference object. A reference object can have a workflow that is different from the workflow of the source object.

The information bar for the reference object contains the following message in the work area for the report object:

This object is referencing another object.

Change the Source Report Associated with a Reference Object

After you roll forward or cascade a report, you can change the source report that is associated with any reference object in the resulting rollforward or cascaded report.

You can change the source for a reference object, but only if the source is contained in a report that is part of a rollforward chain. You can also change the source report associated with a reference object when performing a Rollforward or Cascade operation on a report.

To change the source report associated with a reference object:

1. Open the report that you want to work with.
2. In the report tree, right-click one or more selected reference objects and click References > Change. The Change References for Selected Report Objects window opens.
3. Use the drop-down menu for each selected reference object to choose the source report you want it associated with. Only source reports for which you have the appropriate permissions are made available for selection.
4. Click OK. The selected reference objects are now associated with the source report you specified.

Break a Reference

You can break the reference between a reference object and the source object. The reference object becomes a non-reference object.

1. Open the report that you want to work with.
2. In the report tree, right-click the reference object and click References > Break.

The report object no longer references the original source object and can be modified. Modifications in the original source object are not applied to the report object.

Reference Objects in Cascaded Reports

When you cascade an existing report, any reference objects in the cascaded report reference the shared objects in the original report.

You can use cascaded reports for single sourcing. Cascaded reports contain all the report objects in the original source report. When you modify a shared object in the original report, the changes are automatically copied to the associated reference object in cascaded reports.

If needed, you can update the source object for all reference objects to a new source. For example, if you cascade a report for use in a different year, the reference objects remain associated with the original report and the original data. You can change the references from the original source report to any other report, as needed.

When you create a cascaded report based on another cascaded report, reference objects in subsequent cascaded report also reference shared objects in the original report.

Note: All referenced objects in copied reports are read-only.