Home > Dashboard > Dashboard ReportsDashboard Reports
Follow these steps to create a report panel:
Select the appropriate option to Create a New Report or open a Saved Report. Each report you create can either be "run" once or saved to a reports list to be used again in the future. All saved Dashboard reports will also be displayed on the main Reports > Dashboard Reports menu in the software. Note: Any reports you want displayed on a Dashboard must also be saved to the Saved Reports list.
Check Lock these Properties to protect this report from changes. Only those users with the appropriate security clearance will be allowed to lock/unlock the report to modify it.
Also take a look at the bottom right corner of the window. A blue notice will be displayed if the report you're modifying is currently in use, either on the company Dashboard or any individual user Dashboards. This message lets you know ahead of time if the report you're modifying or deleting is currently being used.
A default Report Title is provided for you. The software will automatically update the default title if any of the report options are modified (e.g., changing the date range from month-to-date to year-to-date will automatically be reflected in the title of the report). You can choose to override the default title and replace it with your own custom title. Note: If you choose to replace the default report title with your own title, it will not be automatically updated if the report criteria is changed in the future – you will be responsible to maintain it. To reset the report title back to the default, simply delete the existing title and the software will take over maintaining the report title.
Choose a Data Type (also called Key Performance Indicator) you want to track.
Choose the Criteria to add extra specifications to the report without needing a filter. Note: The Criteria options available on the drop-down list will vary based on the Data Type selected for the report.
Choose the Chart Type.
Personalize the chart by choosing the Chart Color.
Use the Group By feature to break down your information into even smaller, more defined sets of data. Note: The Group By options available on the drop-down list will vary based on the Data Type selected for the report.
Choose a Data Comparison option if available. Every report will print the “Actual” data for the date range and criteria you have selected. You may also have the option to compare the actual data against data from the previous year or your budget numbers. Note: If your report is based on a filter (see step 12 below), you will not be given a data comparison option.
Select the Date Range. By choosing a named date range, like “This Year-To-Date,” the software will automatically determine the start and end dates for you. You may choose to enter your own From and To dates.
Apply a Filter to the report. This can be done in addition to choosing a date range or instead of choosing a date range. Note: If you are applying a filter and a date range, do NOT include any date criterion in the filter. This could cause a potential conflict with the date ranges being applied by the report. To select a filter instead of selecting a date range, simply select Filter from the Date Range combo box and then choose a filter from the Filter combo box as shown in this screenshot.
Finally, set how often you want the report to automatically refresh when it is open on a Dashboard.
Click View Report to open a Dashboard report window displaying the chart and data. This report window provides the tools you need to print, export, modify, and customize your report. See the Running a Dashboard Report section below for more details.
Click Add to Dashboard to display this report panel on your Dashboard. Or use the Subscribe button to receive automated email delivery of this report on scheduled days or date. See also Saved Reports and Subscriptions
Use one of the following methods to modify an existing report:
Click the down arrow in the upper-right corner of the panel to open the Report Options menu.
To temporarily change the report, simply make changes to the list of options shown on the menu. Note: Any changes you make this way will NOT be saved.
To make permanent changes to the report, click Saved Properties to open the properties window and make the necessary changes there.
Open the report window.
To temporarily change the report, simply make changes on the ribbon. Note: Any changes you make this way will NOT be saved.
Click Create New Report on the Dashboard toolbar.
Select the Saved Report from the drop-down list.
Modify the report.
Go to Reports > Dashboard Reports and click Add/Modify Report.
To print a hard-copy of your report, click Page Setup to define your print properties and then click Print. Use the Print Preview button to preview exactly how the report will look before you actually print it.
The Export group of the ribbon contains tools for exporting your data – either to an Adobe PDF document or to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Note: When exporting to Excel, the first worksheet in your Excel workbook will contain the chart and the second worksheet will contain the data.
Click the Show Chart checkbox to toggle the chart section of the report window on or off.
Click the Show Grid checkbox to toggle the data grid section of the report window on or off.
Click the Show Details checkbox to toggle the data grid section between two different views. No Details will simply provide you with the summary numbers that are represented by each element in your chart, while the Detail View will list every record in the database that meets your reporting criteria and is used to build your report.
The Properties group of the ribbon allows you to make on-the-fly changes to a report. Changes made on the ribbon are meant to be temporary changes and won't be saved with the report. To permanently alter the report, click Saved Properties and make your changes.
See "Creating a Dashboard Report" (above) for more details on changing the report properties.
The Dashboard data grids include some great customization tools to help you analyze your data. Use the tools in the Customize group of the ribbon or right-click on any column header and choose from the following features on the displayed menu:
Sorting - Clicking Sort Ascending or Sort Descending is the same as single-clicking on a column header. Use either method to sort your data by the desired column.
Summary - Add summary capabilities to any column on the report. Summary features include: totaling a column, averaging a column, finding the maximum or minimum value in a column, or calculating the total count of a column. The summary information is displayed in the report footer as well as in the footer section of each group.
Group By - The report data grids also have grouping capabilities. For example, to group all invoice records by the Invoice Type field, simply right-click on the Invoice Type column and select Group By This Field. Another option is to click Group By Box on the ribbon (or right-click and select it from the menu). The Group By Box will be displayed above the data grid. Simply drag-and-drop one or more columns to this box and your data will be divided into separate groups.
Filtering - Use the filtering feature to narrow down a large set of data to a smaller set that you really care about. To start filtering your data, click Filter the Data on the ribbon (or right-click and select it from the menu). You will notice a new funnel symbol appear in the header of each column. Click one of those symbols to see the options that can be used to narrow down your data. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, try selecting the Custom option from the list. You can then build your own custom filters for each column. When you’re done filtering your data and are ready to return to the original full data set, simply right-click the column and select Clear All Filters from the menu.
Column Chooser - To change which columns are displayed in the grid, click Column Chooser on the ribbon (or right-click and select it from the menu). In the Column Chooser, select the columns you’d like displayed in your grid layout. After closing the Column Chooser, drag-and-drop your column headers to rearrange the data. Columns can also be resized by either dragging and dropping the splitter bar between two columns or selecting Best Fit from the pop-up menu.
Show On Dashboard - Quickly add this report to your Dashboard as a report panel.
Saving Data Grid Customization - Any customization you make to the data grid is automatically saved with the report. The next time the report is opened, the data grid will be displayed with the last customization options you chose.