Running a Report

Every report opens in the same Report Runner. You choose selections, optionally adjust columns, filters, sorting and options, pick an output format, and run the report. Results render either as interactive grids in the page (Web format) or as a downloadable file (PDF, Excel, CSV).

The Report Form

When you open a report the runner shows a form with the report's title at the top and a card containing the report's selection criteria. The title is editable: click it (or press Enter when it is focused) to type a new printed title. Pressing Enter commits the change and Esc cancels it. Clearing the field reverts to the report's built-in title.

The selection criteria are defined by the report itself. Reports with no selections show the message "This report has no selections." For a full description of the selection input types, see Selection Criteria.

Output Format

Format

Choose how the report is produced:

  • Web - Renders the results as interactive grids inside the page (the default). Only this format supports drill-down, in-page filtering, pivoting, and the on-screen Print button.
  • PDF - Generates an Adobe PDF and opens it in a new browser tab.
  • Excel - Generates an Excel .xlsx file and downloads it.
  • CSV - Generates a comma-separated file and downloads it.
  • Tab Delimited - Generates a tab-delimited text file and downloads it.
  • Quoted CSV - Generates a comma-separated file with quoted values and downloads it.
Note: The Options button (report rendering options) applies only to the rendered formats (PDF, Excel, and the other file formats). It is disabled while the format is set to Web, because the in-page renderer ignores those options.

Actions

The toolbar below the selections offers four buttons that open configuration dialogs, plus the Run button.

Customise Columns

The Customise Columns dialog controls which columns appear and how they behave. When a report has more than one dataset, each dataset has its own tab. A search box filters the column list by field name or label.

Visible

Show or hide the column. Use the Select menu (top of the dialog) to set All or None visible at once.

Display Label

Override the column heading shown on the report. Leaving it unchanged keeps the report's built-in label.

Group

A group level (a number, 0 = no grouping). Columns sharing the same group level are combined into a single group break. Grouped rows are summarised with a subtotal row beneath each group.

Total

Total this column. Available only on numeric columns (currency, float, integer, decimal); the checkbox is disabled for other column types.

Blank Zero

Leave the cell blank instead of showing a zero. Available only on numeric columns.

Columns can be reordered by dragging. The Reset button restores all columns to the report's metadata defaults. Click Save to apply your changes.

Filters

The Filters dialog builds filter conditions per dataset. Reports with more than one filterable table show a tab per table. Each condition has a field, an operator, and one or two values.

The available operators depend on the field's data type. Text fields offer the most operators: Equal to, Equal to (literal), Not equal to, Not equal to (literal), Less than, Less than or equal to, Greater than, Greater than or equal to, Containing, Does not contain, Starts with, Ends with, Inside range, and Outside range. Numeric and date fields offer the comparison and range operators. Boolean fields offer only Equal to with a True/False value.

Tip: The "(literal)" text operators treat the value exactly as typed, so a * in the value is matched as a literal asterisk rather than as a wildcard. The plain Equal to / Not equal to operators interpret * as a wildcard.

For equality conditions on a coded field, the value box becomes a code lookup or a dropdown of valid values where the field's metadata provides one. When a dataset has more than one condition, a switch toggles between Match all conditions (AND) and Match any condition (OR). Add Filter adds a condition, the delete icon removes one, and Clear removes all conditions on the current dataset's tab.

Sort

The Sort dialog sets the sort order per sortable selection. Reports with more than one sortable table show a tab per table. Each sort row has a field and a direction (Ascending or Descending). Add Sort Field adds a row, the delete icon removes one, and Clear removes all sort rows on the current tab.

Report Options

The Report Options dialog sets rendering options that apply to the rendered output formats (PDF, Excel, etc.). The available options are:

Start new page on main group break

Begin a new page each time the main group changes.

Double Spacing

Add extra vertical spacing between detail rows.

Hide Filters

Omit the filter description from the report output.

Include records with empty detail

Include parent records that have no detail rows.

Shade Alternate Rows

Apply alternate-row shading to the output.

Hide Sorting

Omit the sort description from the report output.

Totals only

Print only the total rows, suppressing detail rows.

Suppress Grand Totals

Omit the overall grand-total row.

Hide Selections

Omit the selection description from the report output.

Label group totals

Add a descriptive label to each group's total row.

Enable Clickable Fields

Make supported fields clickable in the output.

Freeze Excel Headers

Freeze the header row in Excel output so it stays visible while scrolling.

Include Created/Modified in Footer

Add created and modified information to the report footer.

Viewing Results (Web Format)

When you run a report in Web format the page switches to a results view. The report is rendered as a "sheet" with a banner at the top showing the category, the title, and the date and time the report was generated. A Selections / Filters line beneath the banner summarises the criteria that produced the run; Hide info / Show info toggles this line.

Each root dataset renders as its own collapsible grid section, with the row count shown in the section header. Reports configured with grouping show full-width group-break bands with a subtotal row below each group, and a grand-total row in the grid footer. Currency totals that span more than one currency show FX Mixed rather than a single summed figure.

Note: The selection criteria shown in the banner reflect the values that produced the current results, not any edits you make afterwards. They only update when you re-run the report.

Working with Results

Saved Layouts

A layout is a saved configuration of a report, including its selections, column settings, filters, sort, report options, format, and printed-title override. Saved layouts appear under Reports in the navigator and can be added as dashboard shortcuts. See Layout Reports for managing layouts.

When the runner is showing a layout, a Layout menu appears next to the Run button:

Some reports are server-defined (desktop) layouts. When viewing one, a refresh icon at the top of the form reloads the layout from the server, which resets your selections, columns, filters and sort. You are asked to confirm before this happens.