Report Viewer: Introduction

Created by Erik Åkerlund, Modified on Mon, 20 Feb, 2023 at 2:28 PM by Erik Åkerlund

General


The standard layout of the report viewer is composed of a “Chart Area”, where charts can be added, at the top and the report data at the bottom.

 


1. Main Menu: The main menu allows you to add new charts, print, handle layout files as well as change the visual appearance. See Main Menu section.
2. Chart Area: Added charts will appear in the chart area. If there are no charts this area will not be shown and the Report Data area (5.) will cover the entire Report Viewer window.
3. Chart Menu: Each chart contains its own menu which use can be used to copy, print, edit or delete that specific chart.
4. Divider: Click and hold on a divider with the mouse and drag in order to move it. This allows modification of the size of the chart and report data area. A divider will be shown between each of the charts for changing individual sizes.
5. Report Data: This is where the report output will appear.
6. Sub Total: For each “group”, a subtotal row will appear above the details. The values here will automatically update if the drill-down order is changed. The button with a plus-sign at the far left allows hiding or showing the details for the sub-total.
7. Report Totals: This row contains the grand totals.

Main Menu


1. Open Report: Opens a new report file
2. Add chart: Adds a new chart to the current report.
See: Graphics: Add chart (remember that the default layout must be updated in order to make the save changes persistent)
3. Print: Brings up the printing dialog. See: Sharing reports: Printing
4. Export Layout: Saves the layout of the report to file, the file can then be imported into other reports or set as the default layout for one or more reports. See: Working with layout files.
5. Import Layout: Load and applies a previously saved layout to the report. See: Working with layout files
6. Theme selection: Selects the visual theme for the current report, there are seven different themes to choose from.

Chart Menu

Each displayed chart has its own menu which is found in the upper right corner of the chart.


1. Copy: Copies the chart to windows clipboard so that it can be pasted into other applications such as Excel, Word or PowerPoint.
2. Print: Opens the print preview for the current chart
3. Edit: Opens the Chart Details (See section Chart Details) for modification of the chart.
4. Remove: Removes the chart from the current report (the changes are not persisted unless the default layout file is changed).

Chart Details

The Chart details window is displayed when a new chart is added or when an existing chart is edited. The chart details is used to specify what data to display in the chart as well as details, such as title and type of chart, regarding how it should be presented.

General chart options


1. Title: Specifies the title which should be displayed above the chart
2. Type: Specifies the type (pie, line or column) of chart. Each type of chart is represented by a small image representing the type of chart.
3. Show Labels: Determines if data labels should be displayed for each data point.
4. Use Percent: Determine if the data labels should display the percent of the total value (only valid for pie charts).
5. Disable automatic zoom: When checked the Y-axis will always include zero, otherwise the min and max values of the Y-axis will be set automatically based on the data displayed.
6. X Axis: Specifies which column (if any) should be displayed on the horizontal x-axis (e.g. for something per counterpart, then select “counterpart”). If no column is chosen then the name of each chart series is used.

Chart Series

Each chart displays one or more Chart Series, each with their own color, which can represent different values.

7. Chart Series: This area contains one or more Chart Series, each with its own color and representing a different set of values. The chart in Figure 4 contains 3 series, a red, a green and a blue Chart Series.
8. Add Series: Creates a new Chart Series that represent a set of values
9. Name: Enter the name which should be used by the Chart Series. This defaults to CRM Finance’s name of the value column.
10. Value Column: The value column is the column that specifies the values for the vertical (y-) axis of each Chart Series.
11. Value type: This option determines what should happen if there are several transactions with the same value on the horizontal axis (such as several transactions with the same counterpart). The default action is to sum the values specified by the value column, but it is also possible to select average or count.
12. Remove Chart series: Removes the specific Chart Series.

Chart Series Filtering

In some circumstances not all transactions should be included when creating a chart. Some realistic scenarios are to only chart transactions which are “large enough”, have a positive/negative value or transactions with a specific counterpart/trader or other code.
In order to only include certain values for a specific chart series it is possible to specify a filter that must be true for a transaction in order for it to be included in that specific Chart Series. This creates a Chart Series which only display values for a specific currency, trader or counterpart.

Note: The filter is applied for each row and not for the sub totals.

13. Filter Column: Specify a column which should be compared against a filter value in order for a transaction to be included.
14. Filter operator: Specify how the Filter Column should be compared against the Filter Value.
a. “=”: Only rows where the filter column equals the filter value are included
b. “<”: Only rows where the filter column is less than the filter value are included
c. “>”: Only rows where the filter column is greater than the filter value are included
d. “StartsWith” (no space): Only rows where the filter column starts with the text specified in filter value are included.
e. “Contains”: Only rows where the filter column contains the text specified in filter value are included.
15. Filter Value: Specify a value which the filter value should be compared against in order for a transaction to be included.

Example: If you want to display the nominal amount, per trader and counterpart you can choose to “trader” as x-axis (horizontal axis) and then create several chart series with value column = “nominal amount”, but where each series is filtered to only include transactions for a specific counterpart (e.g. FilterColumn=”Counterpart”, Filter operator=”=” and Filter Value is the name of each counterpart).

Layout files

Since Report Viewer allows changes in real-time of the report data it will not automatically save these changes. Instead it allows saving the look and feel of the report to layout files, which can be reused when the same layout is wanted. A layout file contains information about any displayed charts as well as any changes to the columns (order, visibility, grouping, sorting, any filters, types of subtotals etc.) and added calculated columns.

Working with layout files

It is possible to export a layout for someone else to use it if you choose to save it to file using the Main Menu’s Export button (Figure 2 Main Menu).The file can then be used in another report by either using the Import button (Figure 2 Main Menu) or by setting the layout file as the default layout. In order to be able to use an exported layout all columns used by charts in that layout must be present in the report where the layout is to be used. For example; if there is a report which has a chart showing the nominal amount per counterpart and from which the layout file is exported it is then necessary to make sure that any report which tries to import the layout contains the columns “nominal amount” and “counterpart”, otherwise the layout file cannot be loaded.
Note: As of 6.12.0 CRM Report Viewer it is the name of the column in CRM Finance (which is similar to the name displayed in the design tab of Report Manager) and not the actual caption that is used when saving the layout. So the layout file in the example above will work even if the column counterpart is renamed into something else such as “counterpart”.

Default layout

It is possible to set a layout file as the default report viewer layout for a certain report in CRM Finance. The default report viewer layout is the layout which is used every time a specific report is run.


1. Import report viewer layout: Import a layout-file (which has been exported from CRM Report Viewer) from the local computer and set it as the default layout for the current report so that the layout is used every time the report is run.
2. Delete report viewer layout: Remove the default layout for the report. Resets to the original default layout.

Basic Usage

Change column order

  • Left click and hold down the mouse button on the column header of the column to move.
  • Drag the column to its new position
  • Release the mouse button

Change column visibility

  • Right click on any column header
  • Select “Show Column chooser”, the “Column Chooser” window should appear
  • Left click and hold down the mouse button on the column header of the chosen column.
  • Drag the column into the column chooser window and release the mouse button
  • Optional: Close the “Column Chooser” by clicking on the “X” in the upper right corner

Change Sorting

Sorting is related to Grouping (See Grouping). In contrast to grouping sorting only changes the order of the rows and don’t result in any sub-totals.




 Right click on the column header of any column and choose the desired option from the context menu.

  • Sort Ascending: Sort by the column values ascending (1,2,3)
  • Sort Descending: Sort by the column values descending (3,2,1)
  • Clear Sorting: Stop sorting for this column (this is not possible for grouped columns)
  • Sort By Summary: For grouped columns you can choose to sort them by any of the sub totals instead (e.g. sort by the total nominal amount per trader instead of sorting by trader) of sorting by the column values. When you select this alternative you are presented with a list of summaries which you can sort based upon.

Note: You can also switch between ascending and descending sorting by clicking on the columns header, but that approach doesn’t allow for sorting by multiple columns (“sort by A then by B”).

Sort by multiple columns
If Sort Ascending/Descending is selected using the context menu (as described above) it is possible to sort by multiple columns (e.g. sort first by counterpart, then by trader) by just choosing sort direction in the desired order (first enable sorting for counterpart, then enable sorting for trader).


Grouping

CRM Report Viewer allows dividing the data into several groups which can be drilled down into, this is referred to as grouping.



To show/hide the group panel (Figure 7) you right click on any column header and choose “Show Group Panel”/”Hide Group Panel”.


Use Drag and Drop to change the relative order of the group columns by left clicking on the column in the group panel and moving it around while holding down the mouse button. The groups are applied from the left to the right, so in Figure 7 we have “Legal entity” at the top level and under it are the “Counterpty” groups. Using the plus signs to the left of each group is possible to drill further down until you drill down all the way to the actual row details.

Drag and Drop can be used to group by a new column by left clicking on the column and moving it into the group panel while holding down the left mouse button.

Note: It is also possible to group/ungroup by right clicking on a column header and selecting the “group”/”ungroup”.

Input

Numbers

Numbers that are entered, iex in calculations etc, must be entered in English format “3.24” (without quotes).

Text

Text that is enter should be quoted by single quotes ‘Ok’ => Ok



Search Panel is available by right clicking on a column header



By writing something in the box and pressing enter, all rows that has any column containing that text is shown. The search is case insensible so eur returns the same results as EUR.


Filter

Quick filter

Hover the mouse over a column and a small pin is shown to the right of the column header.

Click on the pin to open the quick filter.To remove a filter either right click and select “Clear filter” or uncheck the checkbox at the bottom.



Simple search is available for all visible columns


Advanced filter

It’s possible to create more complex filter by using the filter editor.



Filter alternatives available by right clicking on a column header

 

The filter uses prefixed notation so to only show Liabilities, one would write



To edit a filter press the edit button at the bottom right (2). To temporary deactivate a filter uncheck the checkbox at the bottom left (1).



Sharing Reports

Copy data to excel or other applications

Data from the grid can easily be copied into other applications (such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint). All columns that are not hidden will be copied so data belonging to a column that is used for grouping but hidden will not be copied.
Once the data is copied it can be pasted into other applications using CTRL+V (paste) or by right clicking and selected paste from a context menu in the other application.
To most common copying scenarios are outlined below:

Copy all rows - Right click on any row and choose “Full expand” followed by CTRL A (select all) CTRL C (copy).

Copy only grand totals - Right click on any row and choose “Full Collapse” followed by CTRL+ A (select all) CTRL+C (copy).

Copy only totals - Right click on any row and choose “Expand only totals” followed by CTRL+A (select all) CTRL+C (copy).

Copy a row - Select the row so that it’s highlighted and press CTRL+C (copy).

Copy a selection of rows - 

Select the row by holding down CTRL and selecting the rows so that the rows are highlighted and press CTRL+C (copy).
Finnish by opening the other application and press CTRL+V (paste).



Printing

To print both a chart and report data click on the print button in the main menu, then select which parts to print by holding down CTRL and selecting each part.



1. Page Setup: Click this icon to change settings such as paper size, paper orientation or margins.
2. Scale: Click this icon to open up the scale window where it is possible to either change the scale by a percentage or scale the contents in order to fit it on a single page which can be very useful for reports with many columns.





See also: Calculated columns

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