Reporting essentials

The Reporting tools found in the Advanced Accounting Console can be used for a wide range of tasks. Reports span a broad range of outputs for all of the iMIS modules, including rosters, status summaries, letters, badges, and statistical reports. This section covers essentials such as:

  • Creating reports from IQA
  • Using and running reports
  • The Generate reports window and its options
  • Secondary reports windows with field definitions
  • Output categories and Report Destination options
  • Overriding report margins and sort orders
  • Cloning reports

The standard reporting functions available across all iMIS modules include the following:

  • Run a report
  • Modify a standard report
  • Enter search selections, including ad hoc searches
  • Clone report specifications
  • Run daily and month-end financial reports
  • Export report data
  • Generate and manage mass report activity records

The reporting features all require knowledge of some basic aspects of iMIS. You will need familiarity with these associated parts of the system:

  • The report and output categories
  • The Report Destination options
  • The process for overriding report margins and sort orders
  • The process for cloning a report
  • The record selection options for various output types

To learn about authorization levels for reports, see Authorization levels: Continuum.

Key concepts for determining the required report options include the following:

The report format is the physical layout (appearance) of the report, which involves both the design and the content (what fields or data elements appear on the report). In a columnar detail report, each line contains certain data elements, such as a contact name, company name, city, state, and join date. The format also specifies column headings, the order in which data elements display on the line, the space allowed for printing and between elements, and so on. The format does not control which records are queried (selected) in the report.

Some reports allow the selection of customer records to be used to generate the report. Selecting records does not control the format or the sort order. In a columnar detail report, the record selection controls the lines that print on the report, not the columns; each line typically corresponds to a specific record, while a column relates to a field in a record. Selections are generally based on field values; records are included in a report run if its contents match the selection criteria. Search criteria may be simple, such as “All Members,” or complex, as in an ad hoc search.

Dictates the order in which the details print on the report. Like the selection criteria, it is normally based on field values. However, it applies only to the records that were selected based on the search criteria, so you can specify a different field set for sorting the output. For example, you can first select records by customer type and then sort the results by ZIP code.

Includes preset iMIS report formats, which include rosters, labels, letters, and statistical reports. Most standard reports give you significant control in selecting the records and allow sort order overrides. However, pre-built standard reports have more limitations on the format or layout of the report.

Omnis facility used to build custom reports. The Ad Hoc Report Writer gives you total control over the entire report, including the format, record selection criteria, and sort order. Any customized report can be added to the Available Reports selection lists of any iMIS module.

You can make certain changes to the appearance or the order of the report output by making selections from the Options drop-down list on the Generate reports window. The list contains several options, and their availability varies from report to report.

  1. From the reports window, select a report type from the Report Types list.
  2. Select an available report from the Available Reports list.
  3. Click Options. The options available for selection will appear bolded. Use the Options list to make a one-time change at runtime, or you can save the report under a new name with the same parameters.
  4. Click Run.

The Margins option allows you to control the layout of your report or other output. You can perform the following tasks:

  • Adjust margin settings to suit your printer.
    • Top, Bot, Left Margin - The actual print area and built-in margins vary among laser printers, so these settings may need to be adjusted. Margins are critical for output that must fit in a target area, such as labels.
  • Specify a repeat factor to generate multiple reports for each address.
  • Enter measurement settings (widths, space between, and margins) in decimal fractions of inches (for example, if you want 1-1/2 inches, enter 1.5 without units).

To make adjustments to the margins:

  1. From the reports window, select a report type from the Report Types list.
  2. Select an available report from the Available Reports list.
  3. Click Options and select Margins. Use the Options list to make a one-time change at runtime, or you can save the report under a new name with the same parameters.
  4. Change the margins and click OK.
  5. Click Run.

The field format for entering data is Table.FIELD. The table name appears first in title case, followed by a period separator and the field name in all caps, for example, Name.FULL_NAME. The Alternate Sort Fields window allows you to enter the Table.FIELD name for a maximum of four sort fields. To specify a multiple-field sort, enter the first-order sort field in the first text box, working down to the lowest-level sort field in the fourth text box. The sort fields you enter must be selected from the tables used for the report.

Note: For some report types, the Sort option is grayed out (unavailable) on the Options list.

  1. From the reports window, select a report type from the Report Types list.
  2. Select a report from the Available Reports list.
  3. Click Options and select Sort Fields. The areas you can change appear bolded. For example, using the data in the following window, your report sorts in the following order: last name, ID, and product code.
  4. Change the alternate sort fields to new sort fields selected from the tables to be included in the report.
  5. Click OK to change the sort order.