Running Reports

This section outlines the process of running reports in the Reports module.

Overview

Reports can be run, configured and re-run as required.

A list of available reports can be found in Built-in Reports.

Reports are numbered with an RPT- prefix and named to make them easier to identify. However the information you’re looking for may not exactly match the description so it may be necessary to check one or more reports for the available options and parameters before running them.

They are generally downloadable in comma separated (CSV) format.

Generating a Report

The general process for generating a report is:

1. Navigate to the Reports module using the main menu

2. Find the report you're looking for, you can use the 'Search Reports' field to filter the list

3. Select the report you wish to run and use the 'Run Report' button to open the report

4. Configure optional report Settings

5. Use the 'Run Report' button to run using the selected options or the 'Back' button to select a different report

Settings

The settings screen is used to configure and customise the report output and uses same process a editing items but instead of being saved, report instances are Run.

An example Settings screen

Search

The Search section is used to filter the data using a Search Query which is a powerful way to limit the Register results to specific conditions. The Search Query accepts is constructed using CQL and the search term supports almost all data fields.

For more information on constructing CQL refer the CQL Reference.

Additional Filters

Reports run with default options may produce a large amount of results.

You can customise your report by entering report parameters in the 'Filter' section which can produce a subset of items for the report.

Filters are configured differently for each report and may include options to select Items by by IDs, Workflow (Dates, Status etc) or Text. You may wish to familiarise yourself with the available options when choosing the right report.

Example Run Report screen filter section with options

Columns

The Columns section defines the columns that appear on the report.

Reports run with a default set of columns. These are defined by the register schema.

You can add or remove columns in the report by expanding this section and ticking or unticking the list of available options.

Example Run Report screen columns section with options

Formatting Options

Reports are usually exported without grouping or ordering.

Sometimes, however, you may wish to see it grouped and/or ordered prior to exporting. These options differ from report to report.

Example Run Report screen with formatting options

Group By

This setting groups the report data by a single key field. The default is No grouping.

Order By

This setting orders the report data by a single key field. The default is No ordering.

Metadata

You can add information to the report using the Metadata section.

The Reports Metadata section

Summary

The Summary helps identify the report.

Information Accuracy

This setting indicates the level of accuracy of this report data. For example, if the report is an incomplete or early snapshot of an unfolding event, set the accuracy low.

Information Credibility

This setting indicates if information has come from secondary or public sources, set the credibility lower. If it has come from direct inspections by authorised officers, set it higher.

Validity

This setting informs the reader as to when this report becomes invalid.

Approval for Distribution

This setting indicates whether the data has been authorised for distribution. Only coordinators and administrators should do this.

Report Results

Reports are queued and may take time to generate. The screen will generally refresh and provide a Completed or Failed result. In either case, you go to the Recent Runs screen using the 'Back' button.

Completed Report

A successfully run report will show a Status with a green tick and a Message field saying 'Completed' and by the person's name who ran it. It will also have information on the time and date run, the number of rows produced and how long it took to execute. If a preview is available, some sample records will be displayed in tabular format below.

Example Report output with tabular data

The following buttons in the footer enable follow up actions.

To re-run the report, use the 'Run Again' button.

To download the results, use the 'Download' button. This downloads the default format, CSV.

To download a Microsoft Excel friendly version use the 'To Excel' button.

Failed Report

A report with a Failed status was not able to be run and there will be no Download button. It may be that the process was not able to complete or that the report did not produce any data. A reason code will be identified in the Result screen Message field and may contain information on the system logs. This message can be quoted for support reasons.

Viewing and Running Previously Run Reports

To view previously run reports:

1. Navigate to the Reports module using the main menu

2. Select the report you wish to View

3. Use the 'View History' button

4. The Recent Runs section displays recent runs including their Status, Run Date, User (you or someone else) and the number of Rows produced in the results.

   1. Use the ID or Status to show the Report Result screen for a specific run (and optionally run again) OR

   2. Run the Report using the 'Run Report' button or return to the Reports menu by using the 'Back' button

An example 'Recent Runs' screen showing previous runs by status, date, user and rows