Sometimes a report column displays duplicate values in consecutive data rows. When the duplication is unnecessary or makes the report difficult to read, you can suppress consecutive duplicate values in a regular or grouped column. For example, a report that lists customer orders, grouped by customer, shows some data values such as the address, contact information, customer number, and so on, multiple times for every order placed by the customer. You can prevent the duplicate occurrence of these values by moving data rows from the column to the group header.

In addition, as you modify a report, you can collapse groups to display only the column headings and summary data, such as aggregate data rows.

In the report shown in Figure 7‑18, the Location column shows the city name each time the name occurs.

As Figure 7‑19 shows, the report appears neater and more organized when duplicate values are not repeated. If a column extends across multiple pages, the first row on each page displays a value, even if duplicate values are suppressed for that column.

Select and right‑click the column containing duplicate values. Choose Column➛Do Not Repeat Values.

Select and right‑click a column that does not repeat duplicate values. Choose Column➛Repeat Values.

The example report in Figure 7‑20 displays the values for Customer Number, Credit Limit, and Product Line columns multiple times for the same customer. By moving the data row values to the group header, you limit the appearance of these fields of data so that they only appear once.