NextReports: Analysis versus Table Widgets

Even if a table widget inside a dashboard seems to be similar to an analysis table, there are many differences between them.

"Analysis" is a special object with following major differences than a widget table:

• Analysis shows raw data (no patterns are used) and that makes the possibility to easily have sortable columns
• Analysis can have a list of sortable columns (sort by column1, then column 2, ….)
• Analysis persists sortable columns
• Analysis has a lot of other features  like selection, grouping, filtering, pagination, freeze.
• Analysis uses local data brought here by an ETL process

"Table Widget" has the following characteristics :

• Table Widget has behind a report with a layout
• Table widget may contain formatted data (if patterns are used like for dates, numbers,..)
• The report behind a table widget may contain different type of values on same column (because report's layout can have more than one detail band). 
• Table Widget may have a style (foreground and background colors)

From version 8.1 of NextReports Server :

• Table widgets will have a header with sorting columns. 
• Sorting is added only to those table widgets that contain only one detail band (the actual database columns). On all others table widgets sorting has no sense.
• Sorting on table widgets is not persisted, so if you will leave dashboard and return or if you do a refresh the sorting will disappear. But if you sort, you are able (before refresh) to Save to Excel with the used sorting.