Have you ever wondered how to remove extra field prompts from the Report Criteria Dialog so that only the prompts that will be used in the report are displayed? Would you like to learn a bit more about creating custom expressions to perform calculations in report columns? Might you want to investigate sending reports out on a scheduled basis, ensuring they are only sent if certain criteria are met? These and other questions will be explored in this three part series on Report Features and Tips.

Report Criteria Configuration

The Report Criteria Dialog that displays each time you run a report displays a broad spectrum of logical field choices on which to filter your report data. The fields that are displayed can be “configured”, removing prompts that will not be used or adding prompts that are desired, but not displayed. For example, an open work order list for a particular shop might be configured to display simple prompts, allowing the user running the report to specify a date range and work order types:

Since modifying Report Criteria is an advanced feature, it is designed for System Administrators and is somewhat “hidden” in the interface. Accessing the feature also requires that the user be a member of an access group with permission to “Access Report Criteria Edit” (new permission in Version 5.0):

Let’s modify the Report Criteria on a sample Closed Work Order Report, removing some fields and adding a new field prompt for the “completed” date:

• Open the Reporter, select the Work Order (Closed) Reports Folder and select the Closed Work Order List.
• Select the Copy Option to create a test report that can be modified.
• Enter a new “name” for your report so you easily find it after copying (e.g. Blog Test Report)
• Click Apply, then find your new report on the Report List and Run it.
• With the Report Criteria Dialog displayed, double click on the label at the top that says “Report Criteria“:

• The “Manage Report Criteria Fields” Dialog will display.
• Since we plan to add the “Complete” date, let’s first remove the Target Date prompt. Click on the WO.TargetDate field prompt in the Display Fields List in the middle of the dialog, and then click the Remove Arrow just to the left of the field:

• Repeat this step to remove any additional field prompts you do not wish to display.
• To add the “Complete” date field prompt, scroll to the WO.Complete field on the list in the left column and then click the right arrow to move it to the Display Fields List. The field will be placed at the bottom of the list, so you will not see it initially.

• Scroll down to the end of the Display Fields List and select the WO.Complete field. Click the Page Up Arrow to the right of the Display Fields List several times, until the field is showing at the top of the list.

• Click Apply to save your changes. Your modifications will not show on the Report Criteria Dialog until you exit the dialog and allow it to refresh.
• Click Cancel to exit the dialog, and then select the report and Run it again. This time, your new field should show at the top of the list and any removed fields should no longer display.
• As one last step, since we added a date field, we must “set” the default dropdown:
  • Change the dropdown to “is”
  • Change it back to “is within” and select a value from the date options on the right (such as Current Month).
  • Click the Save Criteria option and then click Apply to save your settings.

For more information on using this feature, refer to the “Custom Runtime Criteria” Tutorial in the CSP (Customer Service Portal).