Report Writer Introduction
You can use Noosh 5's Report Writer (RW) to design custom reports. You can create basic reports that incorporate access to custom fields, similar report type selection, column selection and column ordering. You use advanced reports that incorporate scheduling, runtime parameter definition, calculated fields, and/or logic.
To create a report, you access the Standard Reports menu and select one of the Data Extraction "buckets" to work with. The term "bucket" is used because when a Data Extraction source is selected, the system retrieves all data that pertains to the selected source. For example, if the report is for Project Orders, you would select the Data Extraction: Orders bucket. This bucket provides data about all projects and orders in your workgroup. The Data Extraction bucket knows to link projects with orders. Similarly, if you want a report about Requests for Estimates (RFEs) that have been sent out, select the Data Extraction: RFE bucket. The Data Extraction source pulls all data from the system. Report Writer allows you to refine the data parameters so that only the desired data is extracted.
To begin developing a report:
- Click the Customize link in the column next to the required Data Extraction source.
A blank RW screen appears, which defaults to the Columns tab.
Use the following tabs to develop your report:
- The Columns Tab
- The Filters Tab
- The Grouping Tab
- The Aggregation Tab
- The Format Tab
- The Preview Tab
- The Sharing Tab
- The Schedule Tab
Note: You do not have to use all of these tabs. All the above tabs are optional in creating a report. You can also customize a standard report, meaning that you do not have to start from scratch each time you want to create a new report.
Hierarchical Reports
Hierarchical Workgroup Reports can include data for all or some of an organizations workgroups (depending on what the user chooses to include in report) in a defined hierarchy. This means that for the first time a single report can be created that will be able to aggregate all related data across all of a company’s workgroups.
To begin developing a report:
- Click the Customize link in the column next to the required source report.
- The Reports page appears with the Workgroup tab selected. The Workgroup tab displays three options:
- report on my workgroup only
- report on workgroups that have the same default currency
- report on my workgroup and any sub-workgroup
Check the option you require.
Note: If you select the second or third option, the page expands to display the hierarchical option.
- Select the options you require and click Save.
- Once you have selected your workgroup settings, the next step is selecting the required columns. For more information on this, see The Columns Tab.
The Columns Tab
The next step in defining your report is selecting the columns to include.
To select the columns:
- Click the Customize link in the column next to the required source report.
A blank Report Writer screen appears, which defaults to the Columns Tab. In this example, the Orders Data Extraction source is used to define the report.
- Enter the report title.
The next step is selecting the database fields that will be printed on the report. The database sources appear as links in the Add columns from section.
- Click the required link. In this example, the Project link was clicked.
All the fields in Noosh containing Project information are displayed.
- Check the projects you want to appear on the report.
The projects are moved to the Selected Columns section.
- Click the Orders link in the Add columns from section.
- Select the order fields that you want to appear in the report.
The selected orders are added to the selected projects in the Select Columns section.
The next step is arranging the order that the selected database fields will appear on your report.
- To move a field up or down in the Select Columns area, highlight the required fields and use the arrows at the bottom on the Select Columns area to move the selected field.
The fields will show on your report, from left to right, in the same order that they are listed from top to bottom on the screen.
- If the above information is all you want to display on your report, click Save.
- The Data Extraction sources pulls in all project and order data in the system. Typically, you will not want all this data. Normally, you will want to filter it down to a manageable number of projects. You use the Filters tab to do this.
The Filters Tab
The next step in defining your report is selecting report filters. The Project and Order Data Extraction sources you define in the Columns tab pulls in all project and order data in the system. Typically, you will not want all this data. Normally, you will want to filter it down to a manageable number of projects. You use the Filters tab to do this.
To select the report filters:
- Click the Filters tab.
- Click Add Filters.
The fields select in the Columns Tab appear in a drop-down list.
- Select the field you want to filter.
A list of conditions that you can apply to the selected field appear in a drop-down list. Report Writer is smart enough to know the types of conditions that apply to the selected field. Where applicable it will provide a drop-down list from which you can select a particular condition
- Enter the required filter.
You can set more than one filter for a report.
- To set another filter, click Add filter and enter the required filter.
The selected filters are displayed on the Filters Tab page.
In addition to setting filters, the Filters tab enables you to setup a runtime prompt.
If you want to add control specifics to your report, click the Grouping tab.
The Grouping Tab
You use the Grouping tab to control how reports are formatted, in terms of grouping specific types of data together. Grouping is also used to create subtotals and other arithmetic functions for the groups of data.
To set the grouping controls:
- Click the Grouping tab.
The Grouping Tab page is displayed.
- From the Grouping by drop-down list, select the group you want to sort by.
- Check the Show Header checkbox if you want a column header to appear in your report.
- You can sort the report by group direction by selecting an option from the Show Direction drop-down list. The available options are Ascending and Descending.
For example, if you select Order: Supplier Workgroup Name from the Group By drop-down list, selecting Ascending will cause the Suppliers to be sorted alphabetically from A-Z and selecting Descending will cause the Suppliers to be sorted in reverse order from Z-A.
- You can use the remaining then by drop-down lists to further sort the format of the groups in your report.
- If the above information is all you want to display on your report, click Save.
If you want to tell Report Writer how to perform various arithmetic functions for computing Sums, Averages, and Smallest and Largest Values, click the Aggregation tab.
The Aggregation Tab
The Aggregation tab is used to tell Report Writer how to total the report, i.e. perform various arithmetic functions for computing Sums, Averages, and Smallest and Largest Values.
To determine how the report is totaled:
- Click the Aggregation tab to view the default Aggregation tab page.
Only the numeric fields that you selected for the report are displayed on the Aggregate Tab since only numbers can be summed.
- Check the arithmetic functions you want to apply to specific fields. The report will automatically give grand totals for the selected fields.
- If the above information is all you want to display on your report, click Save.
The next reporting setting that you can configure is the is report format. You do this from the Format tab.
The Format Tab
You use the Format tab to define how the report columns will look. All the fields selected for your report appear on the Format tab.
The Format tab lists all the fields selected for the report and displays what data type the field is. You can format the fields using drop-down selections according to data type, align the fields, and specify how wide the fields should be. You can choose to include a field on a report, but not show it. This feature is good for hiding fields that are not needed for the report, but are required to do some types of calculations.
The Format Tab is probably the logical point where you give the report a name by typing it into the Report Title field.
Note: The report title can be entered from any tab in Report Writer and the report can be saved at any time.
To specify how the column reports are formatted:
- For each field, accept the default Pos Label or enter your own label name.
- Use the Format drop-down menu to specify the format of each field.
- Use the Alignment drop-down menu to specify whether the field appears on the left, right, or centre of the page.
- In the Width field, enter the width you want each field in your report to be.
- Uncheck the Show checkbox if you do not want a specific field to appear on your report.
- If the above information is all you want to display on your report, click Save.
Add Column Button
If you want to add any further columns to your report, click the Add Report button and you are automatically returned to the Columns Tab page where you can add additional columns.
Add Calculated Field Button
If you want to add a calculated field to your report, click the Add Calculated Field button. A new field appears at the bottom of the Format Tab page.
Enter the values for the calculated field and click Apply. Click Save if you want to save the report at this stage.
Add Calculated Date Field Button
If you want to add a calculated date field to your report, click the Add Calculated Date Field button. A new field appears at the bottom of the Format Tab page.
Enter the values for the calculated date field and click Apply. Click Save if you want to save the report at this stage.
Add Custom Text Field Button
If you want to add a custom text field to your report, click the Add Custom Text Field button. A new field appears at the bottom of the Format Tab page.
Enter the values for the custom text field and click Apply. Click Save if you want to save the report at this stage.
The Chart Tab
The Chart tab allows you to include a chart with the report.
To include a chart with the report:
- Click the Chart tab and check the Include a chart checkbox.
- Enter the chart details and click Save.
The Schedule Tab
You can schedule reports to run and distributed on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annually basis. You schedule reports from the Schedule tab.
To Schedule a Daily Report:
- Check the Schedule this Report checkbox on the Schedule Tab page.
The Schedule Tab page expands to display the scheduling options.
- Check the format radio button you want the report sent in. The available options are HTML, Excel, or CSV.
- In the Copy To field, enter a comma-delimited list of e-mail addresses to which the report will be sent.
- If required, a subject and a message for the e-mail to which the report will be attached.
- Check the daily radio button in the Recurrence area.
- Check the Every day or Every weekday radio button. If you check the Every day radio button, the report runs every day of the week. If you check the Every weekday radio button, the report runs every day from Monday to Friday.
- Select the times at which you want the report to be sent from the at drop-down lists provided. You can schedule the report to be sent at three different times of the day.
- Click Save to save the report.
- Click Run and Send Now to run the report.
To Schedule a Weekly Report:
- Check the Schedule this Report checkbox on the Schedule Tab page.
The Schedule Tab page expands to display the scheduling options.
- Check the format radio button you want the report sent in. The available options are HTML, Excel, or CSV.
- In the Copy To field, enter a comma-delimited list of e-mail addresses to which the report will be sent.
- If required, a subject and a message for the e-mail to which the report will be attached.
- Check the weekly radio button in the Recurrence area.
- Check the required weekday checkbox and select the time of day from the drop-down list next to the selected weekday.
- Click Save to save the report.
- Click Run and Send Now to run the report.
To Schedule a Monthly Report:
- Check the Schedule this Report checkbox on the Schedule Tab page.
The Schedule Tab page expands to display the scheduling options.
- Check the format radio button you want the report sent in. The available options are HTML, Excel, or CSV.
- In the Copy To field, enter a comma-delimited list of e-mail addresses to which the report will be sent.
- If required, a subject and a message for the e-mail to which the report will be attached.
- Check the monthly radio button in the Recurrence area.
- Select the time at which you want the report to run from the Every month at drop-down list.
- If you want to run the report on a specific date, check the first radio button and select the required date from the drop-down list provided.
- If you want to run the report on a specified first or last day of the month, check the second radio button and select first or last from the drop-down list and select the required day.
- Click Save to save the report.
- Click Run and Send Now to run the report.
To Schedule a Yearly Report:
- Check the Schedule this Report checkbox on the Schedule Tab page.
The Schedule Tab page expands to display the scheduling options.
- Check the format radio button you want the report sent in. The available options are HTML, Excel, or CSV.
- In the Copy To field, enter a comma-delimited list of e-mail addresses to which the report will be sent.
- If required, a subject and a message for the e-mail to which the report will be attached.
- Check the yearly radio button in the Recurrence area.
- Select the required month and time at which you want to run the report.
- If you want to run the report on a specific date, check the first radio button and select the required date from the drop-down list provided.
- If you want to run the report on a specified first or last day of the month, check the second radio button and select first or last from the drop-down list and select the required day.
- Click Save to save the report.
- Click Run and Send Now to run the report.
The Sharing Tab
Once you create and test a report, you can chose not to share the report, share the report within your workgroup, share the report with specific users from the Contact List, or share the report with specific roles within your workgroup.
To Choose not to Share the Report:
- Click the Sharing tab.
The Sharing Tab page appears.
The following figure illustrates the Sharing Tab page.
- Check the not shared radio button.
To Share the Report within your Workgroup:
- Click the Sharing tab.
The Sharing Tab page appears.
The following figure illustrates the Sharing Tab page.
- Check the shared with my workgroup radio button.
To Share the Report with Specific users from your Contact List:
- Click the Sharing tab.
The Sharing Tab page appears.
- Check the shared with the following users and roles radio button.
- Click Add.
The Contacts List appears.
- Check the users you want to be able view the report.
- Click Done.
The selected users appear in the Users area.
To Share the Report with Specific Roles within your Workgroup:
- Click the Sharing tab.
The Sharing Tab page appears.
- Check the shared with the following users and roles radio button.
- To share with your workgroup manager, check the Workgroup Manager checkbox.
- To share with a workgroup member, check the Workgroup Member checkbox.
The selected workgroup member appears in the Users area.
The Preview Tab
You use the Preview tab to run your report. You can run the report even before you have saved it.
To run the report:
- Click the Preview tab.
The Preview Tab page appears.
Accessing and Running Saved Reports
Once you have created and saved your report, Noosh 5 stores it for you. You can access and run your saved reports through the Standard Reports page.
To run a saved report:
- Navigate to the Standard Reports page.
- Click Saved Reports.
The Saved Reports page appears and displays all the custom reports that you have access to.
- Click Run beside the report you want to run.
The Run Report page appears.
- You can output the report in the current Window, HTML, Excel, or a CSV file. Make you selection from the drop-down list and click Run.
The report is run in the specified format or window.
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