Oracle reporting is a tool that gives real-time access to the information within an organization through a secured setting of already existing data that is stored in an oracle database. Oracle reporting has the following types of columns.

Summary Columns

Formula columns allow calculations of sum and average and the likes of values or data found on other columns.

Formula Columns

Formula columns are created by users and used to do calculations of values in other columns and return some value. They compute data including one from the placeholder column.

Placeholder Column

Columns in which SQL are used to set types of data or values. They hold data or values of calculations that are used in the formula column.

Conclusion

The virtual columns are used in oracle reporting to compute values automatically to produce the final reports accessed by users.