Do you know all of your options when you create reports in BigTime? There are a lot. This article explains the settings on your report toolbar when you use BigTime’s pre-built Time Tracking report. That way, you can create a report with the data that matter most.
You’ll learn how to:
- Edit report settings, like adjusting the report date,
- Conduct a quick search to easily and quickly sort through data,
- Filter data in each column,
- Customize the report, and
- Export your report.
To get started, navigate to your report center (ANALYTICS...REPORT CENTER) and choose the time-tracking report.
Your report toolbar settings are at the top of the window.
Next we’ll walk through the settings available, moving from left to right across the toolbar.
Edit Report Settings
On the far left, you’ll see a red arrow titledEDIT REPORT SETTINGS.
Click this arrow and a new window will pop up with three options to update the report:
- Inputting the date range,
- Showing project(s) that you're assigned to, and/or
- Sharing a copy of the report.
NOTE: The options that populate under Edit Report Settings are specific to the report you run. In other words, the Edit Report Settings for a pre-built task report are different.
Adjust the date range by clicking on the textbox(es) with a date, under INPUT DATE RANGE, and a calendar will pop up.
Select your date range from the calendar or type your selection into the box.
NOTE: The report date is also shown next to INPUT DATE, which is to the right of the Edit Report Settings arrow on your report window (see image below).
Update the report further by checking the box to SHOW ONLY THE PROJECT(S) I AM ASSIGNED TO. This selection will populate a report only with your projects, and not other staffers’ projects.
Check the box next to SHARE A COPY OF THIS REPORT USING THESE SETTINGS, in order to share the report. Two additional boxes will populate, so you can specify the report name and the report group (see image below).
If the report group is blank, you’ll need to create one. Click on the red triangle and click EDIT THESE VALUES from the list that populates. Each report group is specified by the User Right groups. That means you can create a report group, like the Everyone user right group, that allows certain user rights groups to access the report.
Click RUN REPORT to run the report based on your selection(s) and update(s).
Magnifying Glass: Quick Search
Save yourself some time from scrolling through data, and use search your report using the magnifying glass. Click on the MAGNIFYING GLASS icon and type in your search term.
In the image below, we typed in a staffer’s name and the number 10 indicates that Mary appears five times in this report. Use the arrows to the right of the textbox to see all five results.
The results are highlighted in gray, as shown below.
Click the small X to return back to your report.
Filter
Add a filter to each column by clicking the FUNNEL icon. It’s a way to customize each column to show specific information.
Doing so will cause your report to look like this (notice the boxes with triangles that appear next to each header):
In the image below we want our “category” column to populate with specific tasks. So we clicked on the filter triangle and selected the categories we want to populate. Then, we’ll click APPLY to apply those selections.
Follow the same process for each column, in order to get the information you’re after.
NOTE: To remove the filter, just re-click on the filter icon located on your report toolbar.
Export
Export the report you created as a PDF, Excel file, or Word document. Click EXPORT and your options will populate in a picklist. Make your selection and BigTime will populate the document.
Customize
Click CUSTOMIZE to customize your report. A picklist will populate with three options, as shown in the image below.
We’ll describe each of these three options next.
Customize
Customize a report by selecting CUSTOMIZE from the picklist. That way you can add and/or edit fields on the report.
Your report window will look like this initially:
Now we can customize each column to include information important to our firm. To do so, click on a column and “column setup” will populate within the column.
Add or edit fields, such as “tasks”, “payroll item”, or “staff member”; adjust the column label; and adjust the text alignment as you make changes to each column.
Here are a few points to keep in mind as you navigate among your columns:
- Click on the left and right arrows to toggle among your columns.
- Hide this column means just that: you can hide the column. However, you can make it visible again by clicking SHOW THIS COLUMN.
- Click on the minus sign (“-”) to remove a column.
- Click on the addition sign (“+”) to add a column. When you click this option, a gray column will appear. Click on a field from this column to add a column to your report.
Once you make your updates remember to click SAVE.