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Creating and Configuring BI Reports
Who is this article for?Users who work with BI reports.
BI Reporting access is required.
Another output of the BI tool are reports. A report from the BI tool displays a defined arrangement of components that convey information from the system.
Each time the report is run or refreshed in the browser the visuals contained will retrieve the live data from the system. Therefore, the report provides a snapshot of the data in the system at the point in time it was run or refreshed. This article will show you how to create them.
- Report Components
- Report Design Mode
- Report Settings
- Report Component Settings
- Report Download to PDF
- Scheduling Report Delivery
- Report Scheduling Details
1. Report Components
Reports created within the tool are automatically saved and will appear in the list of items in the users My Items folder on the Home page.
To create a new report, select Author Report from the menu on the left-hand side.
When creating a report, you can use any of the below components in combination.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | You can add in text to be displayed in the report. Various fonts and sizes can be defined. |
| Image | Images such as logos can be uploaded and displayed in the report. |
| Line Space (Add Space) | Blank lines can be added to provide vertical spacing. |
| Link | Links can be added in to reference other reports or web pages. |
| PDF Link | Download the report directly into the PDF format by adding a PDF link in. |
| Split Row | Add empty rows in that divide into multiple columns. Drag additional components into them to have components side by side. |
| Visual | Any visual that has been published into the visual gallery. |
2. Report Design Mode
Under the report title there are options for Design and View, which lets you switch between designing your report to viewing it as an end user.
When in the Design mode, the components of the report will be shown as a series of panels which can be edited and moved as required.
To add a new component in, simply select from the left-hand menu and drag and drop it onto the canvas.
Components can be rearranged by selecting the ‘:::’ icon on the panel and dragging them into a new location. Configure the settings against each component by selecting the Gear icon.
To add split row columns, select the Columns icon. To remove a component from the canvas, select the Remove icon.
When adding a visual to a report the visual gallery will appear allowing one or more visuals to be selected to be inputted into your report.
3. Report Settings
The report settings are configured by selecting the Gear icon next to the report name. Selecting this provides the option to rename the report.
Additionally, there is the option to Duplicate the report. This will copy over all components in the report into a new report and will be saved in the My Items folder.
4. Report Component Settings
Each component has its own settings. These are displayed by selecting the components gear icon.
The settings that can be changed vary from component to component. To simply change the text of a component, hover over the component and the Edit icon will appear, allowing you to make text only changes quickly.
5. Report Download to PDF
If the component PDF Link is included, selecting the link will export the report into the PDF format.
When downloading to the PDF format the internal title of the report, the design and view options and the option to convert to PDF are removed from the report.
6. Scheduling Report Delivery
The BI tool has the option to set a schedule for the delivery of reports via email as a PDF attachment.
Within My Items, it is easy to see if a report has been scheduled. A report that is scheduled will be indicated by the Schedule icon being green. Hover over the icon to see when the report is next due to run.
If the Schedule icon is grey, the report does not have a schedule so it available to be scheduled.
7. Report Scheduling Details
To schedule out a report, the delivery details must be defined. These details include:
- To - The email address of the report recipient. Separate multiple addressed with a semi-colon ";”.
- Subject - Enter a brief subject description, this will appear as the subject of the email.
- Message - Enter the text of the email message, something to describe what the report is about.
- Schedule - Define interval and frequency at which the report is to be sent out from the system. The options for this are described in more detail below.
-
Buttons - To confirm choices:
- Done - To confirm the schedule is correct and schedule the report delivery.
- Run Now… - To run the report immediately to the report recipient.
- Remove - To remove the scheduled occurrence. The panel can also be closed by selecting the ‘x’ icon. This will not save any changes made at that time.
Schedule Options: Once
Selecting the schedule interval of once delivers the report to the recipient once at a set date and time. Define the Start Time and Run On date for the report to run.
- Start Time - Must be in the 24hr clock format. To change the time, select a time from the time picker (the clock icon).
- Run On - The date at which the report will run. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.
Schedule Options: Daily
Selecting this option will run the report every day at the desired intervals. Define the Interval, Start Time, Start Date, and an End Date (If required).
- Interval - If the interval is set to 1, the report will run every day. If the interval is set to 2 the report will run every other day (and so on…).
- Start Time - Must be in the 24hr clock format. To change the time, select a time from the time picker (the clock icon).
- Start Date - The date at which the report will run. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.
- End Date - An optional parameter for stopping the scheduled deliveries. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.
Schedule Options: Weekly
Selecting the option will run the report on a weekly basis at the desired intervals. Define the Interval, Days, Start Time, Start Date, and an End Date (if required).
- Interval - If the interval is set to 1, the report will run every week. If the interval is set to 2 the report will run every other week (and so on…).
- Days - Select which days the report is required to be run on.
- Start Time - Must be in the 24hr clock format. To change the time, select a time from the time picker (the clock icon).
- Start Date - The date at which the report will run. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.
- End Date - An optional parameter for stopping the scheduled deliveries. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.
Schedule Options: Monthly
Selecting this option will run the report monthly at the desired intervals. Define the Interval, Day of the Month(s) OR the nth Weekday of the Month, Months, Start Time, Start Date, and an End Date (if required).
- Day of the Month(s) – Select a number between 1-31 (ensuring that the day exists in that month for report delivery – non-existent days will be skipped).
OR
- nth Weekday of the Month - Select the first, second, third, fourth or last specific day of the week for the report to be delivered on the selected months.
- Months - Select the months for which the report is scheduled to run.
- Start Time - Must be in the 24hr clock format. To change the time, select a time from the time picker (the clock icon).
- Start Date - The date at which the report will run. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.
- End Date - An optional parameter for stopping the scheduled deliveries. Formatted in YYYY-MM-DD, this can be selected by selecting the Calendar icon.