Report Generator: Getting Started
Contents
Overview of FW41
Report Generator is a flexible, powerful tool, and configuring the layout of a new report can involve a complex set of tasks. It’s important that you have a good grasp of the basic capabilities of Report Generator and can interpret the shorthand required in order to present financial information in a way that makes sense to your organization.
To access Report Generator:
- From the main menu of DDI-Connect, double-click FundWriter
- Double-click FundWriter Reports
- Double-click Report Generator. You will see a screen similar to this one:
This is the primary screen of Report Generator. From here you can create new reports, edit existing reports, and run your reports.
On this screen, you will see the following:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Reporting period/thru | To set the reporting period, enter the dates in mm/dd/yyyy format or click the calendar icons to select the dates. This applies the date range to all reports on this screen |
| Class to select | If you have configured report classes for your reports, you can filter your report list by a specific class. Type the code here to see only the reports in that class |
| Show reports for all entities | If your organization has multiple entities, you can elect to see the reports for all entities, or just the entity that you have selected |
NOTE: The Report Class code is designated by your organization, and is used only for grouping reports on the main Report Generator screen. Report Class codes can be alpha or numeric, and serves only to link a report to other reports in the same class.
Below these fields, you will see a list of all the reports currently configured for your organization. If you wish to modify the print settings for a report, click the report and then click the Settings button on the toolbar. You will see the Print Options screen:
Print Options
After clicking the Print Options button you will see the following options. Choose the desired options and click OK to return to the report parameters screen.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Printer | Click the drop down arrow to select from a list of available printers. DDI Connect uses your default printer unless told otherwise |
| Format | Click the drop down arrow to select from a list of available formats. Select paper size, number of columns, and number of rows for printing. Each report has built-in format defaults. Select “Use Defaults” to use the built-in report defaults. The number of rows and columns controls the print size and amount of information per page |
| Memo | If you wish, you can add a memo to the output of the report. NOTE: It is recommended that Word documents be saved with the .docx extension |
| View Report | This option generates a pdf file that is displayed on the screen when the report is generated |
| Archive Report | If this option is selected, the system will archive the report in the DDI Connect report archives. For information on working with archived reports, please reference this page: Archived Report Viewer |
| Print Report | If selected, the system will generate the report output to your default printer. NOTE: You will also receive a pdf version of the report, displayed on your screen |
| Print via PDF | Prints directly to your printer. |
| This option allows you to send a .pdf attachment of the report to the indicated users' email addresses. When OK is clicked, a dialog box will open requesting a recipient | |
| Duplex/Top | Prints the report on both sides of the paper in landscape style. The printer must be capable of printing on both sides or an error will occur |
| Duplex/Side | Prints the report on both sides of the paper in portrait style. The printer must be capable of printing on both sides or an error will occur |
| Green bar | Adds shaded, horizontal bars to the report, making it easier to read across columns |
| No dialog | Selecting this option means that no ‘Report Completed’ dialog will display after the report has been generated |
| Extra copies | If you want extra copies of the report generated, type the number in this field |
Running a Report
To run an existing report, click the box to the left of the report, and then click Start on the toolbar:
The report will begin processing:
When it completes, it will display as you selected on the Settings button.
From this screen, you can also use the Actions button to perform the following tasks:
- Copy a report
- Change report number
- Delete a report
- Export report layout to XML
- Import report layout from XML
Copying a Report
To make a copy of an existing report:
- Select the report you wish to copy by clicking the box to the left of the report name:
- Click the Actions button and select Copy report:
The system will make a copy of the selected report, and add it to the existing reports list using the next available report number. You can change the report number at the time of the copy. To change the name of the report, you will have to Edit the report.
Change Report Number
To change a report number, click the box to the left of the report. Then, click Actions and select Change Report Number:
This will activate the report number box, so that you can change the number:
NOTE: The system will not allow you to select a report number if it already exists in the list of reports.
Deleting a Report
To delete a report, click the box to the left of the report description. Then, click Actions and select Delete Report:
This message will appear:
If you are sure you wish to delete the report, click Yes. The report will be removed from the list of reports.
Exporting a Report to XML Layout
The Export function allows you to move reports between environments (such as exporting from Test or Client Test so that you can import into production, or exporting from production so that you can import a report into a test environment). To export a report:
- Click the box to the left of the report that you wish to export
- Click Actions and select Export report layout to XML:
This will launch a window that will allow you to select the location and file name that you wish to use for the export:
NOTE: The report layout MUST remain in XML format. Changing the format will prevent you from importing the report layout
- Once you have selected the directory and named the file, click Save. This will complete the export of the file.
Importing a Report from XML Layout
To import a report layout
- Click the Actions button and select Import report layout from XML:
- The system will open a screen, allowing you to select the file:
- Select the file you wish to import, and click Open. This will import the report. When the import completes, you will see this message:
