Data analytics enables you to analyse your data and display within a variety of views. This is the closest tool that is available to easily create your own reports. Sophisticated filtering, ordering and date ranges of data can be selected and views then saved for easy access by others or to be scheduled to run and emailed out.
When you first open up Data analytics you will be prompted to select two key areas to begin your report: The data type and the dates:
Data type:
From here you have a default list available to chose from. Later on in the process you will be able to add more than one to the same report, but for now you must select just one:
- Time sheets (Use this to report on ‘actual posted time’)
- Time booked (Use this for reporting on time allocated using the calendar bookings)
- Time estimated (Use this for Capacity planning reports)
- Time available (Use this for Capacity reports to view time available in a period)
- Targets (to view targets set within an organisation record)
- Sales invoices (Used to report on actual sales invoice - does not include drafts)
- Further filter Sales invoices to report on Gross Profit/Net profit
- Billing plans (Can be use only Billing plans have been activated in the Company settings)
- Opportunities (Using the “Quoted values” options and the ‘Sales expected Close date’)
- Purchases (can be filtered to show PO Estimates)
- Expenses (Can be filtered to show Expense estimates)
- Purchase invoices
- Materials (if used)
- Tasks
Within each data type you can further filter based on the type of data value. These vary according to the data type selected:
Dates:
In data analytics, unlike the standard reports interface, you either select a date that you wish your filter to begin from by selecting a date from the calendar or use a preset date range, or you can select a date range to run a report up to. Seleting an "up to" date range is used when you want to mix two different data series into a single report, such as sales invoices and billing plans. In this way you can show sales invoices UP TO this month and billing plans FROM this month in the same report. These dynamic ranges will change automatically each month. If you are saving the report to run on a regular basis it may be best to select a preset date range as this will always be relative to today's date, so will automatically move forward in time.
Once you have selected your start date you need to decide if you want to look at your data daily, weekly, monthly or custom (which will give you any periods you have set up to select).
The final set is to define how many units of days, weeks or months you wish to see. This in effect determines your end date (or start date if this data series is using an "up to range"):
You can now 'add entry' which takes you through to the next stage.
For now, just looking at the basics, we will move onto data columns and viewing your data.
Full information is available on Filtering, editing and adding data types, Setting a cross tab as well as Adding new fields in the relevant separate topics.
Choose your data columns:
You now need to select what information you want to see on the data you have selected. So, if you selected timesheets do you want to see the client, staff or the charge code etc. You can select as many as you wish my clicking on the field from the drop down and clicking 'add'.
This default list is ordered alphabetically, but more can be added using the Add new fields feature. You can amend the order of the columns by clicking the radio button and use the move up / down options:
Choosing Add as row means that the field will appear in-line across the row. These fields are typically descriptive, like client, handler, job etc.
Choosing Add as column has the effect of cross-tabbing your databy the field added as a column.
Here is a simple list with client, handler and job added as rows. No field has been added as acolumn so Data Analytics summarises the values based on the date range and number of periods set in the initial stages (weekly in this case).
Now we will add job type as a column and the summary by date is replaced by a job type crosstab of all the values in the date range.
You can add more than one field as a column to give your even greater detail
Creating your report:
You now have several options as to how to generate your report:
Suggested useful reports:
| Data Type | Date range | Columns |
|---|---|---|
| Sales invoices – Turnover or Gross Profit |
This financial year, 12 months or this month |
Client/Handler/Job |
| Billing Plans – Planned value |
6 months in the future | Client/Handler/Job |
| Billing plans – Planned Value Plus Sales Invoice |
This month / 1 month | Add client/job/handler as required. Select data type and set cross tab to show this month’s Billing plan and this month’s sales invoices as side by side columns. |
| Timesheets Plus Time booked |
Yesterday / 1 day This week/1 week |
Add staff/client/job as required. Select Tick data type to show yesterday’s Calendar booking and yesterday’s actual timesheet in a side by side column to compare bookings versus actual time. |
| Opportunities - Use expected close date |
3/6 months This month |
Select Opp. Weighting/Opp. Rating/Opp. Pipeline stage plus client/job/handler as required. Filter by just ‘quote status’, exclude completed. |