Feel Empowered with Ad Hoc Reports Tim Borntreger, Director of Client Services

Agenda

Introduction to Ad-Hoc Reports

Database Views & Table Joins

Creating Ad-Hoc Reports

Questions

Introduction toAd-Hoc Reports

Ad Hoc Reporting is Self-Service

• Build reports yourself; no need to rely on IT resources• Reports grow as your

organization grows• No more static pre-defined

data snapshots• Allows for an enhanced

interactive end user experience

The Right Tool Will Give You…

• Real-Time Analysis• Self-Service Business

Intelligence• Client Management

Insight• Optimized Decision-

Making

Understanding the Tool

• Rich Reports and Dynamic Dashboards

• Great Looking 3D Charts, Flexible Grids, Visual Grouping

• Summaries, Subtotals, Calculations, Formats

• Flexible & Dynamic Smart Filters

• Interactive Linking & Drill-Downs

• Exports to All Popular File Formats

Click To Zoom In

To Sum It Up!

• Ad Hoc Reporting allows companies to have the access it needs to the data it manages in a user friendly interface.

Understanding the Data Structure• To get the most out of Ad Hoc Reporting you need to

have a sound understanding of databases • How relational databases work• How data is stored, i.e. Text, Decimals, Date, Bits• How foreign key relationships work• How table JOINS work• How to properly present data as more than just a list

• Many free resources can be found on the Internet to help better understand databases

Understanding the Data Structure• It is also important to know YOUR data• Take time to learn the ClientSpace tables and how they

are structured• Learn how each table can relate to another table• Learn what fields belong to which table• The more intimate you become with your data, the more

powerful it becomes and the more powerful YOU become

Database Views &Table Joins

What is the Purpose of a View

• Views are pre-built data relationships• Data Aggregation

• Hide columns in tables• Use functions and

manipulate data

• Performance• Simplifies JOINS for

frequently accessed tables

Primary Keys & Foreign Keys

• Primary Key (pk)• A column that uniquely identifies a

row/record in a table.

• Foreign Key (fk)• When you have a column in a table that

stores the Primary Key of another table.• Column names don’t have to be the

same but they have to have the same values.

Table Joins

• Linking Tables and Views together is done through Table Joins• Inner Join• Left Join• Right Join

Inner Join

Inner Join

pkFruitListID FruitName

1 Apple

2 Grape

3 Banana

4 Orange

pkColorListID ColorName

10 Red

20 Green

30 Orange

40 Purple

pkMyFruitID fkFruitListID fkColorsID

100 1 10

200 1 20

400 2 10

500 2 20

600 4 30

Fruit Color

Apple Red

Apple Green

Grape Red

Grape Green

Orange Orange

ResultsA

B

Inner Join between My Fruit (Left) and Colors (Right) Tables

Records from the left table will be returned only if there is a match to the right table.

Left Join

Fruit Color

Apple Red

Apple Green

Grape Red

Grape Green

Orange Orange

Banana

Left Join between My Fruit (Left) and Colors (Right) Tables

Records from the left table are returned regardless of whether or not there is a match with the right table. Null is returned for the right table if there is no match.

pkFruitListID FruitName

1 Apple

2 Grape

3 Banana

4 Orange

A

B

Left Join Results

pkColorListID ColorName

10 Red

20 Green

30 Orange

40 Purple

pkMyFruitID fkFruitListID fkColorsID

100 1 10

200 1 20

400 2 10

500 2 20

600 4 30

Right Join

Fruit Color

Apple Red

Apple Green

Grape Red

Grape Green

Orange Orange

Purple

Right Join between My Fruits (Left) and Colors (Right)

Records from the right table are returned regardless of whether or not there is a match with the left table. Null is returned for the left table if there is no match.

pkFruitListID FruitName

1 Apple

2 Grape

3 Banana

4 Orange

A

B

Right Join Results

pkColorListID ColorName

10 Red

20 Green

30 Orange

40 Purple

pkMyFruitID fkFruitListID fkColorsID

100 1 10

200 1 20

400 2 10

500 2 20

600 4 30

Dataform Specification Report

• Assist with learning tables• Help find related

information that may cross several tables.• Provides Element Types

to aid in report building

CreatingAd-Hoc Reports

Add Report

• From the Ad-Hoc Reporting Module• click the Add button

• Start with the end in mind and do some analysis• What fields are needed? This will determine your tables.

• Work through the tabs starting with the Data Sources

• Preview often and then Save

Data Sources Tab

• First, pick the table or view that represent your primary data best• Second, join additional tables using Primary & Foreign

Key relationships• Optionally, use the Control Icons to Delete or Insert lines

Fields Tab

• Select your fields• Manage how the data should look and feel• Easiest to use the Quick Add button

Filters Tab

• Filters help exclude unwanted data• Operator value vary based on the

Filter Field• Be selective about using auto-

populated values

• Filters are cascading• Check Blank to include null

values• Check Param to include this field

as a parameter in the report view

Preview Tab

• Preview after adding some fields• Preview

often• Its easier to

find mistakes

Save Report & Outputs

Save Report

• If you like your work so far; don’t forget to Save.

• Click the Save button.

• Give the report a name and select a Category.

Report Output Options

• Print (PDF)• Created a Web

Page for printing• Save a SQL

Statement• Export a CSV• Export to

OpenOffice

• Export to Excel

• Export to Word

• Export as an XML file

• Export as Rich Text File

Run Report in Viewer Mode

• Design Button• Hide Filters• Add Field• Delete Field

• Update Results Button• Add, Delete, Modify

Filters

Fields Tab: Advanced Field Settings

• Column Group• Hide this field• Sort (z-a)

• Expressions: AVG, CAST, COUNT, DISTINCT, MAX, MIN, SUM, LENGTH, ROUND

• Examples• [FinanceChargePct]/100• [LastName] + ‘, ‘ + [FirstName]• COUNT(DISTINCT OrderID)• AVG(Freight)

• Bold & Italic• Justification• Subtotal Function

Click the Gear icon to access Advanced Field Setting

Summary Tab

• Used to summarize data from the Fields tab• If using the Count function, use a primary key or a

required field

Chart / Chart 2 Tab

• Trend• Pie• Plot

• Bar• Funnel

Gauge Tab

• Charts measure what is done• Gauges help measure what’s not done

Misc Tab

• Here you can edit the Report’s:• Title• Description• Header• Footer• Set Report-Level

Security

• User must have access to all data to be able to run the report

Style Tab

• Further adjust look and feel of report• Color selection• Print Options• Preview Options• Visual Group

Styles• Section Ordering