Building a Basic Report

IFS Business Analytics is a tool which gives the user flexibility to design various reports using data sources in IFS Applications in a Microsoft Excel environment. Most of the existing Microsoft Excel features can be utilized within IFS Business Analytics. Apart from the basic formatting capabilities available with regard to cells, rows, columns and sheets, conditional formatting is also possible such as; functions, charts, pictures, group and outline, view options, page setup and fixed text information such as labels, headers. In addition to this, IFS Business Analytics provides features of its own such as repeaters and display items.

Create a Report

Three approaches can be used when creating a report:

• You can start with the Microsoft Excel layout or logic, combine with display items provided by IFS Business Analytics. Thereafter, gradually start using more advanced design features such as Report Parameters, Filter Criteria, Drill Down, Zoom In and Writeback.
• You can start off with the display items and the IFS Business Analytics design before adding the Microsoft Excel layout or logic.
• A combination of both of the above approaches.

The following step-by-step guide illustrates the creation of a report using the second approach:

1. In IFS Business Analytics click Go to Design.
2. Select the information sources that you want to use in the report from Select Information Sources dialog box.
3. Use the drag and drop to insert the appropriate display items that you want to include in your report to any row in Microsoft excel. Note that you need to include at least one measure item or a light item to the same row to make the report work.
4. Select the row which you require to repeat in the report and create a new design row. Use drag and drop and select a dimension from the Display Items pane to use as a basis for the repeater.
5. It is also possible to add filter criteria to the relevant design row. Go to the Filter Criteria tab, and use drag and drop functionality to define a particular dimension or measure/light item as the filter.
6. Select the operator for the filter criteria row by clicking Op. In the resulting Select Operator dialog box choose the required operators.
7. Use List for Values to select a value for the parameter to be used in the report. If the parameter depends on a parent value and if the report is not filtered for the parent value then an Enter Parent Values dialog box will appear. (i.e. Account will require Company and if the report is not filtered for a company)
8. Click LoV and in the resulting List of Values dialog box, select the parent value and then click OK. Then click OK in the Enter Parent Values dialog box.
9. Select the values for the filter criteria you wanted to define and click OK.
10. Click on Execute to execute the report. The pane will shift to the Executed mode and you will be able to see the executed report.
11. Check for further additions or adjustments that you want to perform such as adjusting the column width.
12. Now go back to the design mode by clicking  Go to Design.
13. Apply any required existing Microsoft Excel features.
14. You may shift between the design and executed modes to add advanced design features until you get the report as per your requirement.