How to Create a Report Template

 

Overview

Report templates are designed in Jaspersoft Studio using the RDQL query language to retrieve data from Risk Controller.

This article covers creating a new template from scratch: selecting a datasource keyword, adding fields to the canvas, previewing data, and applying basic formatting.

 

Background: The Report Canvas

The Jaspersoft Studio canvas is divided into bands. Each band serves a specific purpose:

Band	Purpose
Detail 1	The primary working band. Repeats once for every record (risk) returned.
Column Header	Appears above the Detail band. Use for column headings.
Page Header / Footer	Repeats at the top and bottom of every page.
Title / Summary	Appears once — Title at the start, Summary at the end. Use for headings, charts, or grand totals.
Group Header / Footer	Added when grouping is applied. Repeats once per unique group value.

 

Step 1 — Create the report file

1. Right-click the project folder in Project Explorer and select New > Folder.
2. Name the folder to reflect the report.
3. Right-click the new folder and select New > Jasper Report.
4. Select Blank A4 and click Next.
5. Enter a filename with the .jrxml extension (e.g. MyRiskReport.jrxml) and click Next.
6. On the Data Source screen, select predict-da from the Data Adapter dropdown.
7. Click Next through the Fields and Group By screens, then click Finish.

 

Step 2 — Configure the datasource using RDQL

1. In the report canvas toolbar, click the DataSet and Query editor dialog button.
2. Change the Language dropdown to RDQL.
3. In the text area, enter one or more datasource keywords separated by spaces (e.g. Risks Score Actions).
4. Click Read Fields and authenticate when prompted.
5. Confirm the field list populates in the lower panel, then click OK and save.

Note: If fields do not appear on the first Read Fields attempt, click OK, save, reopen the Dataset and Query dialog, and try Read Fields again.

 

Step 3 — Add fields to the canvas

1. In the Outline panel (bottom left), expand the Fields node.
2. Drag required fields (e.g. name, description) one at a time into the Detail 1 band.
3. Jaspersoft Studio automatically adds a Static Text label to the Column Header band for each field.
4. Click Preview at the bottom of the canvas to verify data appears.

Note: Preview mode returns a maximum of 10 records. To view the full report, export the template and run it from Risk Controller.

 

Step 4 — Display colour-coded risk scores

1. Add the SCORE keyword to the Dataset and Query editor alongside existing keywords.
2. After reading fields, drag current_styledScore into the Detail 1 band.
3. Select the field element on the canvas.
4. In the Properties panel, select the Text Field tab.
5. In the Markup dropdown, select styled.
6. Click Preview. Scores display with the same colour-coded backgrounds as in Risk Controller.

 

Best Practices

• Create a separate subfolder for each report to keep subreports and image files organised.
• Add a Sort Field whenever a Group band is used to prevent groups from appearing out of order.
• Compile the report (right-click .jrxml > Compile Report) before exporting, particularly when using Jaspersoft functions or subreports.
• Keep a copy of any shipped template before modifying it.

 

Troubleshooting

• Document is Empty when previewing:
  • A filter is excluding all 10 preview records. Temporarily remove the filter to verify the layout, then reapply.
• Fields display NULL:
  • Enable Blank When NULL on the Text Field tab, or use the expression: 
  • $F{fieldName} == null ? "---" : $F{fieldName}
• Text fields are truncated:
  • Set Stretch Type to Stretch With Overflow on the field element.
  • Set Position Type to Float on all elements below it.
• Report shows FAILED in Risk Controller:
  • A compiled .jasper file is likely missing or the report contains a function Risk Controller cannot compile.
  • Compile in Jaspersoft Studio before exporting.