To create a new report customized to your firm’s needs, system administrators can use BigTime’s Report Wizard—available from the Report Center. You can also copy an existing report, customize it, and save that as a custom report.
Creating a New Report: Step by Step
1. Go to the Report Center by clicking on ANALYTICS...REPORT CENTER in the navigation menu.
2. Click on the magnifying glass tile from the Report Center. This will take you to the page for creating a custom report.
3. Click CREATE YOUR REPORT. Select this hyperlinked text to open the Report Wizard.
4. Select a report type from the Report Wizard. Scroll and choose a report type from the options listed. Make your choice based on the focus you’re seeking, because that will decide the fields that will be available when customizing your columns. Click NEXT when you’ve made your choice.
5. Build your report by selecting columns. For more detail on a particular field, hover your mouse over the field name. Click the box next to an item to include that column in your report.
6. Click CREATE REPORT. Once you’ve added the columns you’d like and arranged them in the way that best suits you, click the button on the upper right part of the screen to finalize your selections.
7. Select the PUBLISH REPORT button after naming the report and choosing where to publish it in the All Reports section of your Report Center.
Tips and Tricks
Hide Columns
If you don’t want to remove a column altogether but would like to hide it, click the HIDE THIS COLUMN button from within that column. You will see it as a column on the far right of your report and noted as hidden.
Simply click into that column and select the SHOW THIS COLUMN button to make it visible again.
Add Hyperlinks to Columns
To drill down into data without having to leave a BigTime report, select a value from the "Drill Down/Link" drop-down menu for specific columns. This will make it possible to open directly to various detail areas within the system by simply clicking a hyperlink within the report. For example, you could set a task to link directly to and open details about that given item by clicking on the task name.
Customize Report Descriptions
Before you click the PUBLISH REPORT button, you have the ability to provide a customized explanation and details about the report in the Description field.
Doing so will allow any user who has access to the report to view this description by hovering over the QUESTION MARK icon next to the report name.
Decide Where To Publish Custom Reports
Use the PUBLISH TO drop-down menu to choose where to publish custom reports. You can find customized reports underneath the relevant section from beneath the All Reports area on the Report Center. To learn about report viewing permissions, read Setting up Report Security.
FAQ
- WHERE CAN I FIND MY CUSTOM REPORTS AFTER I’VE CREATED THEM? Go to the Report Center from REPORTS...REPORT CENTER in the menu bar, and scroll down to the All Reports area. You can find your custom reports underneath the area you chose to publish them.
- HOW DO I EDIT A REPORT I’VE CREATED? Open the report you’d like to edit from the Report Center, and look for the Customize menu on the upper right side of the report. Click the down arrow and select the EDIT THIS REPORT option.
- HOW DO I REMOVE COLUMNS FROM MY REPORTS? After you’ve opened a report for editing, simply click into the column you’d like to remove and click the minus sign on the right edge of the column. Confirm column removal by selecting the YES button.
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HOW DO I REARRANGE COLUMNS IN MY REPORT? Click into the column you’d like to move, and then use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROWS to shift its placement.
- WHERE CAN I DETERMINE REPORT PERMISSIONS? Report permissions can be set by selecting which users have access according to the security group they belong to and by establishing report groups for sharing. Read Setting up Report Security for detailed instructions on setting up these permissions.
Want to learn more? If you’re a BigTime firm admin, you can access additional courses and videos in BigTime Academy designed to guide you on your BigTime journey. Take a look at the course below to learn more about creating custom reports.
BigTime Academy Course: Introduction to Custom Reports