Also called a
report generator, a
program, usually part of a
database management system, that extracts information from one or more
files and presents the information in a specified
format. Most report writers allow you to
select records that meet certain conditions and to display selected
fields in rows and
columns. You can also format
data into
pie charts,
bar charts, and other diagrams. Once you have created a format for a
report, you can
save the format specifications in a file and continue reusing it for new data.