Easy way to create a List report and include the sys_id

[srphayre]

Hi all,

I'm trying to create a simple List report on cmdb_ci_server with about 10 fields but want the report to include the record's sys_id (the report will probably be updated offline and I want a clear way to track back to the correct record).

I know I could create a database view to accomplish this but wondered if there was an easier way.

Still using Berlin.
Streve

[Mark Stanger]

One other relatively easy way to accomplish this is to create a single-table database view using the table where you need to show the sys_id. A table included in a database view exposes the sys_id as a regular column that can be added as a report column, etc.

[richard_selby]

Mark and Geoff. Thanks for both of your solutions. It's great to learn from your experience. Much appreciated, and I didn't even as the original question.

[bswisshelm]

I did the following:

Added a new string field: sys_id_display
Edited the dictionary value for the new field.
Calculated: True
Calculation: current.sys_id

Now I can add the sys_id_display column to my list view. Seems to work great. I don't have to update any records, or worry about business rules that may not get executed.

I would think that using a calculation field would almost always be preferred over using a business rule to replicate data into a separate field. There may be a slight performance impact, but you never have to worry about data that has gotten out of sync.

[srphayre]

I like the idea of the calculated field because it doesn't require me to go back and populate the historic values - although I wonder about the performance impact given that the sys_id will never change it seems redundant to recalculate it on every read...

[CapaJC]

If the table is a high activity one (lots of reads), calculated fields are the devil. But if the calculation only uses a field from the same table (which sounds like the case here), it might not be too bad.

If the calculation dot-walks through reference fields to get values from a referenced record, that's where you start seeing issues sometimes.