Reports

From AgileApps Support Wiki

Reports function like Views to organize your data for display and analysis, and provide a visual representation of your data, customized to present Performance Indicators as a Dashboard view of your business.

Unlike Views, where data is restricted to a single object, Reports can present data from any Object or from multiple objects (Database Views).

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Note: For the new AgileApps UI, see Reports for New AgileApps User Interface.

About Reports

The platform's reporting engine provides a full set of options for users to dissect and refine into the format needed to make strategic business decisions or to monitor key performance indicators. Data can be filtered, ordered, color-coded, grouped (computed), and charted to create management reports that give you visual insights into your business.

Each application in the platform includes a group of standard reports. You can modify an existing report, or build new custom reports on an ad hoc basis. In addition, these presentation features are included:

  • Build a tabular or matrixed report and optionally group information by rows and columns
  • Provide basic computation functions with optional row/column count
  • Color coding
  • Chart data in a variety of graphic styles
  • Email reports to team members
  • Join and present data from multiple objects to form ad-hoc reports (Database Views)
  • Display reports on the Dashboard as a Widget (chart-based widgets are especially powerful)
  • Export the report to PDF or to CVS file
  • Build ad hoc fields that support complex data modeling and analysis with Computed Fields and Summary Computed Fields

Charts

A variety of chart formats are available:

  • Pie
  • Funnel
  • Line
  • Bar Chart
  • Meter Gauge

When you click on a chart segment, several options appear:

  • Filter - See how the chart appears for selected records.
  • Drill Down - Select a record field and use it to subdivide the chart segment.
  • Group - Collect records that share the same value for a selected field.
  • Reset - Go back to the original chart.

Learn more: Charts

Tabular Reports

Tabular reports display data in rows and columns, as a table, with optional Color Coding to highlight significant rows.

Table of Orders by Customer

Matrix Reports

Matrix reports are used to organize and summarize your data, and are exceptionally well-suited for chart and dashboard views.

Orders by Source (Internet, Store, or Catalog) and by Offer (Discount, Purchase Incentive, or None).

The Matrix Report has a familiar format that you may know as a cross tabulation report (cross tab) or a pivot table. The resulting data is organized into a two dimensional grid which summarizes data (by total $, row count, or %).

The Matrix Report shows only summary information, based on the selected Row and Column Groups.

To create a Matrix Report, add one or more Row Groups and one or more Column Groups.

Reports in PDF Format

A Single Record can be printed as a PDF file.

Learn more: Print a Record

Working with Reports

This section describes how to run, modify and create new reports.

About [Save] and [Save As]

Considerations:

  • The [Save] and [Save As] actions allow reports to be saved to these folders:
  • My Report
  • Unfiled Public Report
  • Folder(s) created by the User
  • Folder(s) the User can access, as determined by Folder Visibility settings
  • [Save] replaces the original report
  • [Save As] makes a copy of the report to the selected folder

About Report Folders

Reports in Folders can be designated as visible to specific teams, roles, or users. See Report Folders for more information.

If a User has the viewing rights to a specific report, but does not have rights to view all the data, the report will only present the data that the user has permission to access.

Run a Report

To run a report:

  1. Click the Reports tab to display the list of available reports
  2. A series of options are available for each report
    Edit
    Modify the report and Save it, or Save As a new report
    Delete
    Delete the report
    Report Name
    Run the Report
  3. Click the Report Name to run the report

Report Actions

When a report is viewed, a series of action buttons become available:

Run Again
Rerun the report
Customize
Edit report options
Save
Save the report
Save As
Save the current report with a new name
Excel Print
Save the report as an Excel .xls file
HTML Print
Display the report in a browser window; it can then be printed or saved from the browser
Export
Save the report as a .csv file. Only summary or overview of the report is available but not the record details.

Add or Edit a Report

  1. From any application, click the Reports tab and choose one of the following options:
    • Add a new report, click [New Report]
    In the Category tab, select the desired Report Category
    • Navigate to an existing report and click the Edit link
  2. Specify the Report Settings, described below.
  3. Click [Preview] to see how the report will appear
  4. Click [Run] to generate the report
  5. Click [Save]
  6. Select the Visibility option to specify who can view the report.

Repeat the process to create new reports from existing reports, building on the established data.

Report Settings

Fields

Click the Fields tab and select the fields to include in the report.
In this tab, click New Formula to define a calculation for this report. Use the Formula Builder to create it, and take advantage of Formula Functions.
Note: To create a formula that is part of the record, use a Formula Field.

Order

Optionally, click the Order tab to select the order of the columns in a tabular report, and/or to define the sort order for records in the report

Filter

Optionally, click the Filter tab to filter the records used for the report
Click Show Quick Filter Layout Configuration to give the user the ability to select the data that appears in the report. Then define the user's options in the Quick Filter tab.

Quick Filter

This tab appears when Show Quick Filter Layout Configuration is selected in the Filter tab.
When that option is chosen, a "Quick Filter" section is displayed at the top of the report. In this tab, you specify the number of columns that appear in that section, and the fields shown in each column. The user can then specify data in those fields to select the records that will appear in the report.
For example, assume you want to summarizes sales by region. If you have 12 regions, you could make 12 separate reports. Or you could create a single report and include region as a quick filter. The user can then select each of the regions in turn, and see the summary data for that region, because only records that have a matching region are included.

Color Code

Optionally, click the Color Code tab to create conditional color-coding of report rows

Group

Optionally, click the Group tab to group records into collections based on the values in selected fields. Use these options to create both tabular reports and matrix (cross tab or pivot table) reports.

Compute

Use the Compute tab to summarize data for records included in the report. Record counts can always be produced, but other options like total, average, max, min, mean, median, and standard deviation can be calculated for numeric and currency fields.

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Note: Summary compute feature is currently available in the legacy user interface only.

Chart

If Grouping options were selected, click the Chart tab to select charting options

Move a Report

Moving reports involves not only modifying what data is included or excluded from the report, but may involve changing folder properties to include Visibility rights to those reports.

For example: If you have granted visibility rights to Everyone to view a certain report, you cannot move that report into a folder that restricts rights to a certain Team.

To move a report:

  1. From any application, click the Reports tab
  2. Click the Edit link next to the report you want to edit
  3. Optionally, change the type of information that is generated by this report by modifying the Fields, Filter, Group, Compute, or Chart options
  4. Finish:
    • Click [Save] to save the existing report
    • Click [Save As] to save the changes as a new report, with a new name
  5. Select a Folder
    • If you save an existing report in a new folder, that report is moved to the new folder
  6. Click [Save]

Delete a Report

Editing or moving reports involves not only modifying what data is included or excluded from the report, but may involve changing folder properties to include Visibility rights to those reports.

For example: If you have given visibility rights to everyone to view a certain report, you cannot move that report into a folder that restricts rights to a certain team.

To delete a report:

  1. From any application, click the Reports tab
  2. Click the Delete link next to the report you want to remove
  3. Click OK in the confirmation. The report is removed from the Reports page.

Report Schedules

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Users that have the Manage Global Views/Reports permission can schedule reports. 

If you have reports that you run on a regular basis you can have the platform do the work for you and automatically email the reports to specified users.

Considerations
  • The Schedule Title is used as the email subject
  • Scheduled reports are submitted for processing at the time you request. However, processing and delivery of the reports depend on the current system load, so response time may vary. Please schedule reports well in advance of your need.
  • Multiple reports can be selected for scheduling
  • Reports can be sent to groups of Users, Teams or users based on their Role
  • At least on recipient must be specified.

Working with Report Schedules

  1. Click the Reports tab
  2. Click [Schedules]
    A list of report schedules is displayed.
  3. Click an existing schedule or click [New Schedule] to create a new one.
  4. Fill in the schedule settings.
  5. Click [Save].
    A confirmation message appears in the list of report schedules.

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Warning:
When you click [Delete] to remove a report schedule, there is no confirmation dialog,
and no way to undo the action.

Schedule Settings

Schedule Information

Schedule Title
The name for this report schedule.
Select Reports to Run
Click the Lookup Lookupicon.gif icon to select the reports to run
Click the remove Deleteicon.gif X to take a report out of the schedule
Print Format
Choose one of the following formats:
  • PDF (the default setting)
  • HTML
  • CSV file
  • HTML with link
Styled like the HTML report, this print format includes clickable links to records in the platform.
Send Empty Reports
Choose whether or not to send reports for which no data was found.
Message Comment
Add a comment to include when recipients are sent an email notification.

Select Users

  • Click the Lookup Lookupicon.gif icon to select the email addresses of the recipients
  • Recipients can be groups of Users, Teams, or Roles
  • If a Team is selected, an Include Subteams checkbox option appears
  • Unchecked by default
  • When checked, includes Subteams (Child Teams)
  • Duplicate email addresses are automatically omitted
  • At least one User must be selected, in addition to any Teams or Roles.

Copy All Reports To

  • Specify email addresses of additional recipients, separated by commas
  • Specify "blind copy" addresses, separated by commas
  • Specify management recipients (1st level management or 1st & 2nd levels)

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Note:
For security reasons the Email address and BCC options are deprecated. On saving the configuration of existing reports, these Email address will no longer receive messages.

Schedule Reports

Run Date
Enter a date or click the Calendar button to select a date on which to run the report(s)
Recurrence
How often you want to run these reports; The default option is Does Not Recur
Run Time
Select the hour and minutes when to start running the report(s)
Stop Date
Select Until and select an ending date to run the reports at the designated time and recurrence interval, or accept the default No End Date to run the report(s) at the selected time and recurrence interval endlessly

Views, Reports and Object Inheritance

When creating Views or Reports in objects that are part of an Object Inheritance model, it is important to consider the following:

A Report or View that has no Filters will return all records from the designated object, including records from all parent object(s) in the hierarchy (following the path up to the root level).

To restrict the View or Report to only the desired objects, include the Object Name field in the Selected Fields list, and create a Filter on Object Name field to select only the objects of interest.