On both occasions I searched high and low for a solution to the problem using a few trusty searches , but could not come up with an answer that worked for me. To cut a long story short the simple solution was to ensure that the URL was a) correct and b) fully qualified.

In the first instance (report deployment) the name of the Report Server Virtual Directory was a Named instance and so trying to deploy to http://localhost/reports was never going to work. Ensuring the right virtual directory was in the URL made all the difference. Go figure.

In the second instance (accessing the Report Manager) I had installed a default configuration of Reporting Services and therefore the setup had created the Virtual Directories required (Reports & ReportServer). However, having typed in the URL http://localhost/Reports I got the Authentication Required screen (as above). I found numerous solutions (supposedly) to this problem, all of which are listed at the end of the post, but I eventually just tried the full path of the home page: http://localhost/Reports/Pages/Folder.aspx and it worked like a dream. Again. Go figure.

Why the full path had to provided I don’t know. On previous occasions I have not have to do so and have been able to connect to the Report Manager using the abbreviated URL (http://localhost/Reports). If anyone does have a clue as to why this is I would gladly welcome the comments.

Things to note:

I am running Windows XP Pro SP2 with SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition.

————————————————————————

Other possible solutions, or at least other areas to check when experiencing this issue:

1. If you are using Firefox and still have problems with Authentication (whilst there are no issues with IE) try this very quick and easy fix.

2. Checking the security settings in Control Panel>Administrator Tools> IIS> Default website and right clicking Reports, choose Properties>Directory Security>Anonymous Access & Authentication control. A number of people suggest using the Anonymous setting only, although I have found that although you can then navigate to http://localhost/reports, no folder structure is available to you. It is therefore suggested that you use the Integrated Windows Authentication only.

3. Ensure that all the settings in Reporting Services Configuration are green. If not, attend to each of the areas in red.

4. Any other ideas? Post a comment that I can include here.

Hopefully, you haven’t had as painful a journey as I have in getting this exceedingly annoying issue (but scarily easy fix) sorted out.

I have only been to one SQLBits Conference (SQLBits V, Newport, Wales) and have talked about it here, here and here. I liked it. I liked it a lot (as if you couldn’t tell, right?). I got to meet loads of sqlservery people and had a number of good conversations, attend several brilliant presentations and a number of good ones (most of which I learned a bunch of new things), won a Redgate SQL Compare license (which I am still waiting for btw, Redgate, nudge nudge) and generally had a great time. While SQLBits V was a 3 day affair, SQLBits VI will be 1 day only and the theme is Performance Tuning and Scalability. Oh, and it’s free.

Conference Details

SQLBits VI will be held in London, and more specifically, at the Church House Conference Center, Westminster, London, UK on 16th April 2010. Starting at around 8am (for registration, swag-bag pick up and of course a few obligatory bacon baps) the conference kicks off with sessions across several tracks:

• Database Administration
• Development
• Business Intelligence

With the focus being on performance tuning and scalability for all tracks, this promises to be a great conference for learning some interesting things.

Registration is open (and has been for a little while, if I’m being honest), but you will have to be quick. Becuase it’s only a 1 day conference, but mostly because it’s such a great conference and it’s FREE, places tend to be snapped up pretty darn quick. Also, if you register for SQLBits VI before 30th March 2010 you stand a chance of winning registration to the European PASS Summit (Germany), if you attend SQLBits VI then you stand a chance to win a registration to the PASS Summit (Seattle, USA).

One point on registration. As it is free, people tend to register even if they are not sure if they will actually attend. While this is not a bad thing in itself, if you are one of those people AND it turns out that you cannot attend then please cancel your registration. This frees up a place for someone else that can make it (but was too late [initially] for registration). There’s a lot that goes into planning a conference and most of this is done around the number of attendees. If a number of those registrants don’t pitch up, then there is a not only a whole lot of wasted money but a whole lot of wasted opportunity. Don’t be selfish, think of the community and act accordingly. Remember, it’s free!

Remember the after party

The sessions are bound to be fantastic, and you are likely to learn a great deal. But go home early at your peril. The prize giving, party and social after all the day’s events is not something you will want to miss. Why? Well, this is a prime opportunity to really get to know more SQL Server people. People that may well become your friends down the line, or at the very least be a contact point should you need assistance on a specific topic (the SQL Server Community is pretty awesome that way). It is also the best time to find those elusive speakers and ask them the questions that you have prepared. It’s a prime time to do this as the speakers are not stressed out about their presentations and are in a more relaxed and approachable state. They are much more likely to entertain your <ahem>query </ahem>, especially if you hand them a beer before you do so.

So, stay out a little longer than 6pm and make the most of a wonderful opportunity.

And finally…

I’m looking forward to catching up with some old acquaintances and learning a lot of new tricks on how to tune SSIS Packages and Scale Reporting Services Solutions. I’ll also be taking some notes on presentation styles and on what makes a speaker/session a great speaker/session, as I’m thinking getting on to the presentation bandwagon….in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

See you at SQLBits VI!

Subtotals 101

SQL Server Reporting Services makes it relatively easy to add totals to your columns and rows in a matrix object. In short, it’s as easy as right-click>Subtotal. Seriously, that’s it. Well, unless you want to format them, but that’s another issue entirely (an not quite as straight forward).

Let’s do this step-by-step :

1. Open or create a new SSRS project
2. Add a report item to your project.
3. Add a dataset
4. Add a matrix object
5. Configure matrix to desired specification
6. Add totals to outer groups by right-clicking the outer column/row group for which you require the subtotals and select subtotal.
7. Add subtotals for inner groups by right-clicking the inner column/row group for which you require the subtotals and select subtotal.
8. Tidy up by hiding the inner group line items initially – by right-clicking the inner group and selecting Properties>Visibility and then setting the properties accordingly.

Here’s a quick 2 minute screen cast of how to create subtotals in a Matrix object in SSRS 2005. It illustrates creating row group Totals & subtotals, but applies to column groups as well:

Here’s a link to another version if you are having any trouble: http://www.screencast.com/t/OGE1MmI4

Let’s do this by way of example:

I created a project with a single report. The Data source is AdventureWorks2008 and we are looking at Total Sales figures by Year & Month (keep it simple right?). I have set up a matrix object and added the required fields and set subtotals for Month & Year. See Fig 1. below:

Objective: Enable Toggling of the Month group, using the Year Group as the Toggle Item

At this point I want to point out two key areas, as this is where we will be concentrating our efforts:

1. The Row/Column Groups section at the bottom of the designer
2. The Visibility Properties at the bottom right corner (Last item in the Properties list – but only when an object is selected)

Now, select the drop-down arrow for the Month Row group (See Fig 2.), choose Properties and then select the Visibility tab.

The objective is to enable toggling of the Month rows in the Matrix. We could choose to Show or Hide the Month rows when the report is initially run, or to make this decision based on an expression. Using an expression will determine which rows are expanded and which are collapsed when the report is run initially. I have chosen to use an expression:

=IIF(Fields!YEAR.value=2001, False, True)

This says that if the Year group value is ‘2001’ then show the Month Sales Total values (‘Expanded’), else Hide the Month Sales Total values (‘Collapsed’). See Fig 3. below:

Also note (in Fig 3. above) that I have set the YEAR cell as the Toggle Item. We’ll configure this next.

Once you have set the above properties go back to the designer and highlight the YEAR cell in order to view its properties. These should be on the bottom right, otherwise right-click the cell to bring up the properties window. Find the Visibility > InitialToggleState property and set it using the following Expression:

=IIF(Fields!YEAR.Value = 2001, True, False)

This says that if the Year group value is ‘2001’ then show the toggle icon as ‘Expanded’ (True), else show it as ‘Collapsed’ (False). This allows us to ensure that we are in sync with the expression we used to set the initial visibility of the Month rows. Fig 4. shows the end result of all this hard work:

The Visibility Properties

Understanding what each of the three visibility properties does will help to use them effectively.

Hidden – Can be set to either ‘True’ or ‘False’. This can be done by selecting True or False from the drop down, or by using an expression to set either of those values after evaluating a condition. True equates to the object being hidden and False to the object being shown (tricky eh?).

InitialToggleState – This is only applicable if the object that you have selected can toggle the visibility of other objects. It refers to the state of the toggle icon and can either be ‘Collapsed’ (‘+’) or ‘Expanded’ (‘-‘). As explained by way of example above, setting this to ‘’True’ sets the icon to the ‘Expanded’ state, and False to the ‘Collapsed’ state.

ToggleItem – Use this property to set the object that will enable the user to toggle the visibility of another item. In the example above, I have chosen YEAR as my toggle item for the Month Group.

Beware the Gremlins

You need to be aware of setting properties for the right objects or groups, or you may find that your report does not display correctly:

Fig 4. shows what happens when you set the Visibility properties for the Month & Data CELLS in the report instead of the Month Group properties. Setting the Month Group visibility properties means that you won’t get that nasty white space, and there’s no need to set the visibility of the cells (in this instance).

I have placed the example project in a nice little zip file for all you folks that might want such a thing.

Follow these easy steps:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio,
2. Log on to the Reporting Services Instance that contains the reports you are looking for
3. Browser through the directory structure to the report that needs to be updated
4. Right-click the report and choose Edit…
5. Now follow the prompts to save the file to a destination of your choice
6. Open BIDS & create a new project/solution
7. Import the (previously) saved .rdl file into your SSRS project.
8. Edit away to your hearts content….

I’m not going to ask why you don’t have access to or have misplaced the files in the first place (No source code management? Seriously?). I am sure there are a myriad of reasons that you can come up with. This post merely provides a quick way to recover your files and continue edits/updates that may be required.

Sessions

I was assigned as a room monitor on the Saturday, and as 3 of the sessions I was planning on attending were in the BI track, this is where I ended up. The day for Room 1 went as follows:

Getting Dimensional with Data -  Chris Testa O’Neill (Blog | Slides)

Chris took us through the basics of building a cube, highlighting the use of data sources and data source views, the importance of dimensions and hierarchies, and of course the measures that will hold the business metrics. This was a good talk on getting started with building your first cubes.

A Whistle Stop Tour of SSIS Add-ins – Jamie Thomson (Blog | Twitter | Slides)

Jamie introduced us to a number of free/paid for SSIS add-ins. He described each add-in, how it was configured and demoed a practical use for each. I have already written about this session in Part 1 of the Conference Recap. Jamie put a lot of work into his demos, so a big thanks to him.

Self Service Business Intelligence (Project Gemini) – Bob Duffy (Blog | Slides)

Bob took us once again through building a business intelligence solution with Office 2010 and Gemini. It seems that no matter how many times I see presentations on this stuff I don’t get tired of it. Looking forward to the moment I can use these tools in a commercial setting. Whenever that might be….

SSIS in SQL Server 2008 – Allan Mitchell (SQLIS.com | SQLDTS.com| Slides)

Allan did a great job (even though he overran his session by ‘a few minutes’) of informing us of a couple of differences in Threading between SSIS in SQL Server 2005 & 2008, why you need to be using the Cache & the Lookup Transform, the Data Profiling Task and Change Data Capture. Another enjoyable and informative session.

Report Builder 3 – Andrew Fryer (Blog | Twitter | Slides)

Andrew wowed us all. Again. Even with some demo trouble (he was plagued with ‘technical issues’) it was a fabulous session. He took us through all the features of Report Builder 3 as a Managed Self-Service BI tool. Items to note:

• The Tablix Object
• Improved Visualizations (Better Charts & Gauges, Maps, Sparklines, Data Bars, Indicators)
• Interesting layouts (see slides)
• Support for Spatial Data
• Integration with Virtual Earth tiles.
• Multiple Map Layers
• A number of Layout enhancements (new functions, new data sources, Expression-based page breaks & chart headers, Excel tab naming, Bottom-to-top text rotation)
• Aggregating aggregates

This was the last presentation of the day and of the conference and it ended on an high note.

Everyone then piled out into the foyer for drinks & games. About an hour after the social started Simon gathered everyone for prize giving – There were several prizes and winners were chosen by selecting completed feedback forms from a box (that contained all of them). I couldn’t believe it (cue Victor Meldrew). On the fourth attempt a feedback form of mine was pulled out and my name was called. Score! I still wonder at how the Redgate SQLComapre license was still there for the taking. This is after 3 other winners had taken mice, & webcams from the pile. I think I did pretty well. Thanks Redgate!

Volunteering

As I have mentioned before, SQLBits is a not commercial conference. It is organised and run by a handful of professionals that do it in their own time. I offered to be one of the helpers at this November’s conference and was glad I did so, as I got to meet and interact with a number of great people. It can sometimes be difficult to start a conversation with someone you don’t know (as I mentioned here) unless you have something in common, or an icebreaker. Volunteering can be the icebreaker. It forces you to meet a bunch of new people and gets the ball rolling.

So what did volunteering at SQLBits involve? About an hour of my time on the Friday evening, and playing room monitor in one of the rooms (BI Track) for the day – which meant that I couldn’t attend all of the sessions that I was aiming to, but as most of them were in the same room this wasn’t too much of an issue for me. To be honest, it was a lot less work than I had expected – note to self: must get involved earlier next time.

And what did I gain out it? A better understanding for what is involved in organising a SQLBits conference, meeting and conversing with the organisers, speakers and other volunteers, making new contacts and friends, being part of the community, a wonderful dinner late on Saturday night, and a great bonus from the organisers which was totally unexpected. So a HUGE thanks to Simon, Chris, James, Darren, Martin & Allan. You have pulled off (another) great conference and I am sure that I am not alone in saying that I can’t wait for the next one.

The People I met

Meeting more sql folks was one of my goals for the conference and I think I did pretty well. What remains to be seen is if I managed to leave a good enough impression. Over the two days I was at SQLBits I had the privilege of meeting and chatting to a number of people, some for just a brief few minutes, others for good enough chunk of time to get to know them a little better. Here’s a few of those awesome folks:

• Allan Mitchell (Site)
• Andre Kamman (Blog | Twitter)
• Andrew Fryer (Blog | Twitter)
• Ashwani Roy(Blog)
• Bob Duffy (Blog)
• Brent Ozar – finally! (Blog | Twitter)
• Chris Alcock (Blog | Twitter)
• Chris Testa-O’Neill (Blog)
• Chris Webb (Blog)
• Darren Green (Site)
• David Baker (Site)
• Derek Neighbour
• James Rowland Jones (Blog | Twitter)
• Jamie Thomson (Blog | Twitter)
• Jenifer Stirrup (Blog | Twitter)
• Marcus Ford (Twitter)
• Martin Bell (Blog)
• Phil Carter (Site | Twitter)
• Rachel Clements (Site | Twitter)
• Rob Farley (Blog | Twitter)
• Simon Sabin (Blog | Twitter)
• Vivek Sekrou (Blog | Twitter)

A fantastic group of people, all knowledgeable in their own sphere of SQL Server, and great personalities. I found I had the best conversations later in the evening once things had quietened down a bit. I think it would be great if there were more opportunities for quiet times like these, as sometimes they are of the most benefit. I believe that some others actually forego sessions when they’re having a great conversation with a new (or indeed old) acquaintance.

It would be nice to see a little more time (and possibly structure) attributed to mealtimes during the conference. These are times that could be used to great benefit for that all important networking. I have a few ideas that I’d like to pass around and will possibly write another post about it later. At the very least I’ll pass them along to the organisers (or possibly something that I could organise???). For those that were lucky enough to go to the PASS Summit, what opportunities did you have for catching up with old friends & getting to know some new folks?

So, what did I learn at SQLBits?

I have mentioned previously the sessions that were my highlights and have gone into some details there. This is a list of other things

• Arrive early – to the conference and to each session. You’ll get the lay-of-the-land and you get to meet a few people before it begins to get crazy. At the very least, get to your sessions on time. Speakers have a set time to give their presentations and need to have some time for questions. Your questions. If they have to start late due to interruptions, there’s less or no time for questions.
• Leave late – Stay over on the last evening. I found this to be the best time for conversations with speakers, MVPS, organisers and attendees (that also stayed over). The stress of the sessions and the conference has abated and people are much easier to talk to and get to know.
• A book/laptop/netbook/napkin/whatever – Bring something to take notes. Anything. Just ensure that you take notes for things that spark your interest. The sessions can be fairly intense (speakers try and pack in as much as they can) and your brain will be overflowing pretty quick (well, maybe I only speak for myself here), so taking notes enables you to revisit the key points at a later date when you have the time.
• Business/Contact cards – get some made and hand them out. I met many more people than those on my list but due to my overflowing brain, just couldn’t keep track. Go get some cards people! If you weren’t on the receiving end of one of mine (care of moo.com), here’s an electronic copy:
• 
• Ask questions – if you don’t you’re missing out on some valuable first-hand information from some of the brightest sql folks around. It also helps to prepare some ahead of time. The sessions and speakers are listed well ahead of time, so take a note of those sessions you would like to attend and write down the questions you may have.
• Time to digest – set aside some time, even just an hour, during the day to digest what you’ve learned and who you may have met. You’ll be surprised how easily this information will escape you if you if don’t. So, got get your favourite beverage, find a quiet spot and go through your notes, you may find that you have a few questions, which you can now go pose to the speaker of the session, or indeed any others.
• Attend a Donald Farmer presentation. ‘nuff said.
• PowerPivot, Excel 2010, Reporting Services in 2008 R2 – are all pretty awesome. I can’t wait to get my hands on these and building some mind blowing data analysis and reporting solutions.

Some Suggestions & Ideas

• Better information about sessions – I found that while most of the sessions were well described (in the schedule), there were some that held little or not information about the session, and one or two that had misleading titles. This makes it pretty difficult to know what to expect when you are attending. Given that feedback is so valuable to speakers (and organisers), I would have though that if someone’s expectations were not met then the speaker might receive poor feedback. Ambiguity about the session also leads to more disruptions – people will leave during the session if they feel that it’s not quite what they expected. Personally, I would like to know exactly what the session is about before I make a decision to attend. Most of the speakers I saw had an agenda slide. This is perfect for the session description.
• Several screens in the foyer (TVs/projectors/etc) with any important announcements (room updates, next sessions, etc)
• Live Twitter stream in each session room – which could be managed by a room monitor perhaps.
• More time to mingle – I know that the sessions are the core of the conference, but wouldn’t having more time to get to know people and ask the MVPs/Speakers/other attendees questions help too? There was barely enough time between the sessions to get a cup of coffee & a biscuit (or cookie for our US readers) let alone meeting and having a meaningful conversation. I am not sure how much of a nightmare it would be to start sessions earlier and finish later in the day, but it might make the day easier to handle – from an attendee point of view.

Did you attend SQLBits? Do you have any comments on any of the above Suggestions & Ideas (or indeed anything else I’ve mentioned)? Let’s hear from you!

You’re still reading this??

This has been a fairly epic post, so if you have made it all the way down here I applaud you. Thanks for sticking it out!

This has been my experience. I hope it provides a good summary of what SQLBits is about and if you weren’t already thinking about going to the next one you should definitely make plans to do so. It’s worth it.

See you at SQLBits VI!

What it does: Returns an Integer containing the specified part of a given date

Syntax: DatePart(interval, date[,firstdayofweek[,firstweekofyear]])

There are two ways to use this function:

• Using the DateInterval collection
• Using a string expression

Using the DateInterval Collection

Let’s start with an example:

To return the current month: =DatePart(DateInterval.Month, Today())

Now, in the expression builder (in BIDS), it will look like there’s something the matter with what we have just written:

You can ignore this, the expression will work. An important point to note when using the DateInterval collection, is that you must use a date that is of type Datetime. If you use a string representation of a date (“2009/11/13”), then you’ll need to convert this to Datetime using CDate(“2009/11/13”) before the expression will work. Thus:

This will work:  =DatePart(DateInterval.Month, CDate(“2009/11/13”))

This won’t:  = DatePart(DateInterval.Month, “2009/11/13”)

When you use the DatePart function to identify the day of the week you can specify what the First Day Of The Week is (defaults to Sunday if this is not specified). You can do this by accessing the FirstDayOfWeek collection. Example – To Return the day of the week, specifying Monday as the first day of the week:

DatePart(DateInterval.Weekday, CDate(“2009/11/13”), FirstDayOfWeek.Monday) returns 5 (Friday)

All the possibilities for using the DatePart() function with the DateInterval Collection:

The following table shows all the possibilities for the DatePart Function using the DateInterval collection. All expressions use a Parameter called MyDate (type = Datetime), which has a value of “2009/11/13 12:34:23”

Using a String Expression

Again, let’s start with an example:

To return the current month:  =DatePart(“m”, Today())

Using a String expression for your interval enables you to use a date that is of datatype String:

=DatePart(“m”, “2009/11/13”)

All the possibilities for using the DatePart() function with a String Expression:

As noted previously, using a string expression for the interval allows you to use a date value that is of the String datatype. You can of course use a Datetime value if you wish to.

This table shows all the possibilities for the DatePart function using a String Expression for the interval. All expressions use a Parameter called MyDate (type = String), which has a value of “2009/11/13 12:34:23”

Is there a preferred method?

Ultimately, no. At the end of the day, all the results are the same. What is my preference? I use the DateInterval collection, mainly becuase I like that fact that you can’t get confused about which date part you are using (w/ww, y/yyyy, n….). It’s very clear to anyone who is reading the code that (for example) DateInterval.WeekOfYear refers to the week of the year and nothing else. It also forces you to use a Datetime Value, which safeguards against invalid dates (sort of).

I hope this clears things up a little!

Preparations

So I’ve been reading a lot in the last few weeks. As the PASS Summit has just come and gone, there are a multitude of blog posts out there about conference preparation, travelling tips, ways to cut costs, what type of questions you should and shouldn’t be posing to speakers/vendors/other attendees, starting conversations with others, making new acquaintances, as well as those about the actual conference.

My preparations have be slow and steady. Research has been the main focus, with understanding what sessions are on offer, who the speakers are and what events will be taking place ‘after hours’. The first two items here are easily accomplished by venturing over to the sqlbits website where you will find a description of each of the intended sessions, the speakers and their bios with links to their websites and other web presences (twitter) if any exist – most do, but there are a few who seem to be ghosts on the information super-highway (ha! when was the last time that you heard that phrase…). Say what you like, but I believe that if you are a speaker then you should at least have a spot on the intertubez where people can find out more about you and download your slides.

I’ve ordered a bunch of business cards from moo.com. They’re of the mini variety and hold all the vital contact info as well as a mug shot of yours truly – so you can remember who to avoid look for at the next meet…

I’ve started to put together a few questions for key people that I’m aiming to stalk find, meet and get to know a little better. I’ll bribe them with whatever they need to persuade them to stick around long enough find out who I am and to answer my questions – I find beer works pretty well in most cases.

What to do, Where to go

In terms of sessions that I’m thinking of attending, it depends on the schedule. I’ve been informed however, that although the schedule for the sessions has been done, ‘technical difficulties’ have meant that they are not yet available for the rest of us. Let’s hope they fix the issue soon… wink wink nudge nudge. Once I know when the sessions are to take place I’ll post a list that I’ll be attending.

On to the important stuff. Social Events! I have been searching for a while now, but have still to find any reference to the ‘after hours events’ – think organised dinners and karaoke sessions at the PASS Summit. This is due to the fact that either there are no events (yet) or they haven’t been adequately advertised. So, if any of you readers do have knowledge of any planned social events, please let me know. If there aren’t any planned events, well…, we’ll have to change that. Pronto.

I’ll see you there. SQLbits 2009.

You’ve created your data driven subscription (File share) for your reporting services report, and everything is as it should be. The subscribers table has been created, populated and correctly mapped to the required fields in the subscription (FileName, Path, Format, Parameters, etc), the schedule is set. And then you test your subscription.

The Error Message Status

The schedule has run and you find this very helpful error message status beside you subscription in Report Manager. Scratching your head you dive into the Error & Event logs searching (in vain) for those few lines that will shed some light on the question “Why did those 2 errors occur?” Nothing.

Found ‘em!

Hidden away in its own folder are the Reporting Services Log Files:

*C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.3\Reporting Services\LogFiles

*This may be different depending on your installation

More specifically, you’ll need to look at the ReportServerService__mm_dd_yyyy_hh__mm_ss.log files. These files will list, among other things, any errors encountered in your Data Driven Subscriptions. Here’s mine:

From this I could deduce that there was a problem with the filename that was being used for one of the reports. Once I had reviewed all the filenames being used and had updated those that contained the special characters (2 of them), the subscription ran without a hitch. Problem solved.

So the bottom line here is, if you have any issues with you reports look in the reporting services log file.

Sometimes, just having the right information in a report doesn’t completely fill the requirement. You can enrich the content by formatting items in your report using some simple formatting codes. Follow these steps:

- Right-click the field(s) you want to format
- Choose Properties & navigate to the Format tab. **
- Click on the ellipsis (…) on the right of the Format code text box.

- Click the Standard radio button and select a basic format from the list available – an example will be provided in the right-hand box.

If you need to further tweak the format, click on the Custom radio button and enter you can use the following codes to do so:

Formatting Codes and examples

Example below:

** Or select the cell you want to format and then edit the Format property in the Property pane (usually located on the right of the design environment).