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Dynamic Reports

Some reports in TicketRx are dynamic reports. These reports allow the user to control not just basic parameters to limit the records included in the report but also:

• the title of the report
• what fields are displayed
• how the data is grouped
• how the data is sorted
• what sub-totals are included
• additional data filters to limit the records displayed in the report

Example

The example dynamic report screen shown here is for the Tickets Received Detail report. This sample demonstrates the elements that are common to all dynamic reports.

With these setting, the following shows a portion of the report that is produced:

Title

The report title is set in the Title field. This text entered for this setting will be printed at the top of the report as the title.

Fields

The control on the screen labeled Fields allows the user to control what fields are included in the report and what order they are in. Different fields are available in different reports, so the specific fields listed will vary. To select a field, check the checkbox next to the field name. Only selected fields are included in the report. Un-check the checkbox to remove a field from the report.

Use the up/down arrows just to the right of the Fields control to adjust the order of the fields on the report. Select a field name in the Fields list and then press an arrow button to move the selected field up or down in the list. The double-up arrow moves the field all the way to the top of the list. The single up arrow moves a field up one entry in the list. The down and double-down arrows behave similarly but move the selected field down in the list.

Group By

The Group By option is used to control how the data is grouped on the report. The specific options vary for each report, but the idea is the same. When a field is selected as the "group by" field then the report will be broken into sections with a different section for each value of that field. From the example, there will be a separate section for each Excavator in the report. This is not a required option, if you leave it blank then the report will be produced without section breaks.

Sort By

The Sort By option is used to control how the data records are sorted in the report. The specific fields available for sorting depends on the report you are running. The data will be sorted after it is grouped according to the Group By setting.

Subtotals

The Subtotals setting is used to control what totals are produced for each section. The available subtotals varies from report to report. In addition to subtotals for each section, the report will include grand totals at the end of the report.

Summary Reports

If only summary data is needed rather than record level details, a useful way to use dynamic reports is to not select any Fields, set the Group By and choose some Subtotal options. In this mode the report will just produce a single, summary line for each section.

For example, running the example report from above, but without any fields selected produces this:

Filters

The Filters section allows the user to specify additional criteria to control what data records appear in the report. Press the Add Filter button to add another filter to the report. This will cause a new row to appear in the Filters box. Complete the filter by choosing a field from the field drop-down. Then choose the type of comparison to perform. The available options for how to perform the comparison are:

• Equals - Only matches if the record matches the value provided.
• Not equals - Only matches records that are different than the value provided.
• Is empty - Only include records that are missing a value for this field.
• Contains - Include records that have the specified value anywhere in the field. (e.g. "JONESTOWN PARK" contains "TOWN")
• Starts with - Include records that start with the value. (e.g. "ELECTRIC" starts with "ELEC")
• Ends with - Include records that end with the value. (e.g. "DARK FIBER" ends with "FIBER"

Finally enter the value to be compared to.

Use the Remove button to remove a filter from the report.

At the top of the Filters section choose either "Match all" or "Match any". If "Match all" is selected then only data records that match all of the filters are included. If "Many any" is selected then any record that matches even just one of the filters will be included.

Output Type

Under the Output Type option the user can select either Portrait or Landscape layout. The Landscape layout is useful if many columns are included in the report.