Implementation Guide › Implementation › Create Deliverables (Contract Manager) › How to Create Reports

How to Create Reports

Use the following process to create a report:

1. Create all of the report's required folders-all of the folders should be created in advance in order to be available when saving each new saved report. Usually each Contract has its own folder including an executive folder for the high level reports.
2. Define the report filtering criteria using the Report Wizard-each saved report creation starts by generating the report using the Report Wizard. In the Report Wizard, the required filtering criteria are selected and the report is generated. IT administrators can set report parameters designating user-defined fields to be filled in by the report user/viewer, enabling generation of report results specific to that user's interest.

   When generating a report for the purposes of setting it as a saved report, it is very important to define the filtering criteria as flexibly as possible. This prevents unnecessary work as the system grows and evolves. The aim should be to ensure each report always displays current and updated information. For example, if a report currently shows three service components, in the future, when adding new service components, it is important that this service is added automatically to the report and does not require a new report setup. Or, if reporting by month and the report currently shows three months, then in the next month it should show four months including the last month. In many cases the reports should always show the last 6 months worth of data. These types of 'sliding-window' reports are extremely useful as opposed to fixed duration reports since they require no additional attention once created.

The following are a few tips for setting the filtering criteria for saved reports:

Criteria tab

• Using the 'Business Data Only' option limits the displayed data only to that which is related to the tracking period of the Metric.
  • Always give preference to the group by option or report by option rather than selecting the specific Metrics to be reported on
  • Set a dynamic time range. If this is set as a fixed time range the report will always show the same results. (i.e. Last 3 Months is a dynamic range)

Misc tab

• Check whether or not the "incomplete periods" should be presented in the report. If they should be, then select this option from the list. Usually when configuring reports, the incomplete period is excluded because it's not a final result and therefore not a business result.
• Design the report layout-once the report has been generated, it is possible to design its layout using the Design Tool in the Report Page. The design may have specific requirements depending on the intended recipient of the report. It is recommended that a number of design layouts are created, one for each possible scenario and these designs applied to the remainder of the reports to be generated. Hence, when defining the criteria of the report, in the Display tab, choose Design from.

  Note: For tips on how to use the editing tool to design the layout of reports see the next section.

General tab

• Save the report-once the report has been generated and designed, it can then be saved in the relevant folder.
• During the process of saving the report, it is associated with users who have access to it. It is therefore important to have a user group already defined so that it is possible to associate reports with users. Users with the correct permissions can be attached to the report at a later stage by using the folder options.
• Associate the related reports so that the navigation between reports which are similar, or have a relationship to each other are simplified for the users of those reports.
• In the Reports Folder page, one can create reports, report groups, compound reports, free-form reports, booklets, shortcuts and folders as well as search for a report(s).

  From the Reports menu, click Report Folders. The Reports Folder page is displayed, showing a list of saved reports.