Creating A Report From A View

Last verified with: 10.8.6.0

Overview #

Reports in LogiSense Billing are built from reporting data sources. A reporting data source is the customer-facing selection that represents an underlying view made available for reporting. The view determines what data can be reported, and the report definition determines how that data is selected, filtered, grouped, formatted, generated, and delivered.

This matters because a report is not just a saved export. It is a reusable reporting definition that can be run on demand, filtered at run time, scheduled for recurring delivery, or attached to other operational workflows when appropriate.

At a high level, creating a report from a view involves:

choosing an available reporting data source,
creating the report definition,
adding the data source to the report,
selecting and configuring the report fields,
adding filters or prompts,
formatting the output,
optionally scheduling generation and delivery,
and then generating the report.

Key Concepts #

Before creating the report, it helps to understand the main pieces that work together.

View #

A view is the underlying data set that makes reporting possible.

In practical terms, the view controls which records and fields are available to the report builder. For example, a view may expose account information, invoice data, payment history, rated usage, bucket usage, or another reporting area.

External customers do not create or edit the underlying view. They work with the reporting data source that LogiSense has made available in the report builder.

Data Source #

A Data Source is the selectable reporting object that points to a view.

The data source gives the view a business-friendly name and defines the columns that can be used in reports. Each column has metadata such as its name, data type, default alignment, format behavior, and whether it can be used for grouping.

External customers select from available data sources when building reports. The setup of the data source itself, including the underlying view, source columns, and source metadata, is managed by LogiSense.

This is the bridge between technical data structure and report design.

Report Definition #

A Report Definition is the saved report setup.

It contains the report name, folder, report type, selected data sources, selected columns, filters, layout, formatting, and schedules.

When a user runs a report, LogiSense uses the report definition to generate the requested output.

Columns #

Columns are the fields that appear in the report output.

When you add a column to a report, you can control how it appears by setting its heading, width, alignment, summary behavior, and format. The available formatting options depend on the type of data in the column.

Filters #

Filters limit which records are included in the report.

A filter can use a fixed value, such as a specific status or date. It can also be configured as a prompt so the person generating the report can provide the value at run time.

Date and date-time filters can use relative dates, which are useful for reports that should always run against a moving period such as today, this month, or another configured relative date.

Schedules #

A schedule lets the report generate automatically.

Scheduled reports can define the output type, start date, frequency, delivery method, and any required filter or parameter values. This is useful for reports that operations, finance, or customers need on a recurring basis.

Before You Start #

Confirm the following before creating the report:

LogiSense has made the view available as a reporting data source.
The data source appears in the report builder when you add a data source.
The available fields are sufficient for the report you need.
You know which folder the report should live in.
You know whether the report should be a standard Report or an Invoice report.
You know which output format users will need, such as PDF, CSV, or JSON.
You know whether the report should be generated on demand, scheduled, or both.

For most user-created reports, choose Report as the report type. Use Invoice only when the report is intended for invoice-related use cases.

If the data source or field you need is not available, ask your LogiSense representative or support contact to make the required reporting data available. Regular report users cannot add or change the underlying view from the report builder.

Confirm The Data Source Is Available #

You can confirm availability while creating the report.

When you add a data source to the report, the data source list shows the reporting data sources available to you. If the expected data source does not appear, it has not been made available for your reporting use.

This matters because report designers can only build from data sources that are available in the report builder. If a field is missing from the selected data source, it will not be available as a report column or filter.

Create The Report Definition #

Open Setup.
Open Extensibility.
Open Reports.
Select the folder where the new report should be created.
Select Add Report.

The report editor opens so you can define the report.

Complete The Report Header #

At the top of the report editor, complete the basic report details.

Report Name: Enter the name users will see in the reports list.
Report Type: Select the appropriate type. For most reporting use cases, select Report.
Active: Enable the report when it should be available for use.
Parent Folder: Confirm the folder where the report should be stored.
Use Reporting Database: If this option is available, enable it when the report should use the reporting database instead of the operational database.

The report type must be selected before data sources can be added. After data sources are added, the report type is locked because it affects how related data sources can be selected.

Add The View As A Data Source #

Use the Data Source tab to attach the view-backed data source to the report.

Open the Data Source tab.
Select Add Data Source.
Choose the data source that represents the view.
Enter a Display Name if you want the data source to appear with a clearer name inside this report.
Save the data source selection.

The selected data source is now part of the report definition. Its fields can be selected on the Columns tab and filtered on the Filters tab.

If the report uses multiple related data sources, add the parent data source first and then add the child data source. The available child data sources depend on the data source hierarchy configured for reporting.

Configure Report Buckets #

Report buckets are optional.

Use a report bucket when you need to convert a numeric value into named ranges or buckets for reporting. For example, a report could group balances, usage quantities, or counts into configured ranges.

To add a report bucket:

Open the Data Source tab.
Select the bucket action on the data source row when it is available.
Select the source column that provides the value to evaluate.
Select the aggregate column when required.
Define the From and To ranges.
Enter the column label for each range.
Decide whether to display an unmatched value.
Save the bucket.

After a report bucket is created, its bucket columns can be added to the report from the Columns tab.

Add Report Columns #

Use the Columns tab to choose which fields appear in the report output.

Open the Columns tab.
Select the Data Source you want to pull fields from.
In Column(s) to Add, select one or more fields.
Select Add.

The selected columns appear in the report column list.

Configure Column Display #

After adding columns, review how each column should appear.

For each column, you can:

change the column heading,
set the column width,
choose left, center, or right alignment,
choose summary behavior when available,
format date or date-time values,
set number precision,
set currency precision and currency formatting,
move the column earlier or later in the report,
or remove the column from the report.

Use clear column headings. The source field name may be technically accurate, but the heading should match what the report reader expects to see.

Configure Grouping #

Some reports can group data by one or two columns.

If grouping controls are available:

Open the Columns tab.
Select a Primary Group.
Optionally select a Secondary Group.

Only columns that are configured as groupable can be used for grouping. Grouping is useful when users need totals or sections by account, status, billing period, service type, region, or another repeated value.

Add Filters #

Use the Filters tab to control which records are included when the report runs.

Open the Filters tab.
Select the Data Source to filter.
Select Add Filter.
Choose the Column to filter on.
Choose the Operator.
Enter the filter Value.
Save the filter.

The available operators and value controls depend on the selected column type.

For example:

a text field may support matching or list-style operators,
a number field may support comparison operators,
a date field may support fixed dates or relative dates,
and a lookup-style field may show selectable values.

Use Prompted Filters #

Enable Prompt User for Value when the filter value should be supplied when the report is generated.

This is useful when the same report definition should support different use cases. For example, one report can be reused for different invoice dates, account statuses, bill groups, or service types.

Use Required when the report should not run unless the user provides a value.

Use Relative Date Filters #

Relative date filters are useful for recurring reports.

Instead of choosing a fixed calendar date, choose a relative date when the report should always evaluate against a moving period. This is especially helpful for scheduled reports, because the filter continues to move forward without requiring manual updates.

Examples include reports that should run for:

today,
the current period,
a recent period,
or another configured relative date window.

Configure Report Format #

Use the Format tab to control the report layout and default formatting.

Common options include:

default font,
default font size,
report title,
whether the title repeats on all pages,
title font size and bolding,
heading font size and bolding,
page dimension,
portrait or landscape orientation,
page margins,
summary row shading,
summary row bolding,
summary caption,
boolean display values,
date format,
number precision,
number separators,
currency precision,
and currency format masks.

Format settings should support readability. Wide reports often work better in landscape orientation, while reports intended for spreadsheet-style analysis may be better generated as CSV.

Add A Schedule #

Use the Schedule tab when the report should generate automatically.

Open the Schedule tab.
Select Add Schedule.
Enter a schedule Name.
Choose the Report Output.
Select the Start Date.
Enter the schedule Frequency and Unit.
Choose an SFTP Transfer Location if the report should be delivered to a file destination.
Configure email delivery if the report should be emailed.
Provide any required report parameter or prompted filter values.
Save the schedule.

Scheduled reports can be suspended if the configuration should remain saved but not actively run.

Save The Report #

After the data source, columns, filters, formatting, and schedule settings are complete, save the report definition.

If the report cannot be saved, review the tabs for warnings. The most common issues are:

no data source has been added,
required report details are missing,
a required filter value is missing,
a selected data source is no longer active,
or the data source hierarchy is no longer valid.

Generate The Report #

After saving the report, generate it from the Reports area.

Open Reports.
Select the report from the report tree.
Review any available filters.
Select Generate.
Choose the output type.
Enter any required report parameters.
Generate the report.

When the report is generated, it appears in the report history. From there, users can download the generated output.

Practical Example #

A finance team wants a monthly invoice balance report.

The process might look like this:

Confirm that the invoice or aged invoice balance view is available as a data source.
Create a new report named Monthly Invoice Balance.
Add the invoice balance data source.
Add columns such as account, invoice number, invoice date, due date, invoice total, balance, and status.
Add a required date or period filter.
Add a status filter if the report should include only open invoices.
Format currency columns as currency and date columns as dates.
Use landscape orientation if the report has many columns.
Schedule the report to generate monthly.
Deliver the report by email or SFTP if needed.

Good Report Design Practices #

Start with the business question the report needs to answer.
Choose the narrowest data source that contains the required fields.
Add only the columns users actually need.
Use clear headings instead of relying on technical field names.
Use filters to keep report output focused.
Use prompted filters when the same report should support multiple scenarios.
Use relative dates for scheduled reports.
Prefer CSV for analysis-heavy reports and PDF for presentation-style reports.
Test the report with realistic filters before scheduling it.
Review scheduled reports periodically to make sure recipients, filters, and delivery settings are still correct.

Summary #

Creating a report from a view starts with the data source and ends with a reusable report definition.

The view provides the available data. The data source exposes that data to the report builder. The report definition then controls which fields are shown, how records are filtered, how output is formatted, and whether the report can be generated manually or on a schedule.

When these pieces are configured carefully, users get a report that is repeatable, understandable, and operationally useful instead of a one-time export that has to be rebuilt each time.

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