People Intelligence - Reports

In the People Intelligence - Overview article, we went over the differences between the Reports tool and the Dashboards tool. Now, we'll do a deep dive on Reports.

The Report List allows the user to navigate and take actions on existing reports, as well as create new reports. The report list can be sorted by clicking on the headers in the table for Name, Visualization type, Product, and Last Edited date. Below, we'll break down and explain each of the main features of the Report List.

• Search Existing Reports

Search for existing reports by keyword. This will search reports by name only.

• Report Sorting

Sort reports using the column headers. Reports can be sorted by all headers except for Owner.

• Report Actions
  There are several actions that you can perform with each report from the report list: Edit, Duplicate, Add to Dashboard, and Delete (only visible if you have the admin/report owner).

• • Edit
    
    Make changes to an existing report using the Edit function.
    
    
  • Duplicate
    
    If you would like to create a report without having to start from scratch, choose Duplicate on a report that already offers close to what you need. Make whatever changes necessary and save the report.
    
    
  • Add to Dashboard
    
    Clicking Add to Dashboard will produce a side panel window that allows you to append the report to an existing dashboard. You can select from a list of your most recent dashboards, or search for another existing one.
    
    
  • Delete
    
    A user may delete a report using this action. Note that only the owner of a shared report may delete it. A deleted report cannot be recovered.
    

    When selecting the Delete action, the user is given a prompt to confirm that they wish to delete the report, which they may then delete the report or cancel the action.

• Edit
  
  Make changes to an existing report using the Edit function.
  
  
• Duplicate
  
  If you would like to create a report without having to start from scratch, choose Duplicate on a report that already offers close to what you need. Make whatever changes necessary and save the report.
  
  
• Add to Dashboard
  
  Clicking Add to Dashboard will produce a side panel window that allows you to append the report to an existing dashboard. You can select from a list of your most recent dashboards, or search for another existing one.
  
  
• Delete
  
  A user may delete a report using this action. Note that only the owner of a shared report may delete it. A deleted report cannot be recovered.
  

  When selecting the Delete action, the user is given a prompt to confirm that they wish to delete the report, which they may then delete the report or cancel the action.

When selecting the Delete action, the user is given a prompt to confirm that they wish to delete the report, which they may then delete the report or cancel the action.

• Create New Report
  

Click the Create Report button to start building a new report. Upon clicking the button, you are taken to another screen to choose a report template. Select the module you would like to run a report on.

After choosing the module to run a report on, choose from a variety of out-of-the-box reports, or opt to build your own report from scratch. Creating a report from scratch will display all data unfiltered and you are able to apply filters, edit the format, apply groupings and pivots, and even create visualizations.

Select a report from the Manage Reports list to open and view a report. Here, you can view all data returning for the report, as well as view the current configuration used to generate the report. You can also make changes and save updates the report.

• Viewer Tools
  The Report Viewer has a number of tools that the user can engage with. At the top are buttons to navigate back to the report list, to download reports, and to take the standard report actions. 
  
  Viewer tools may be present underneath the report title depending on the type of report that is being viewed.
  
  
  • Add/Edit Columns
    The Add/Edit Columns button is shown when it is possible to add or remove columns to a Table reports only. This option is always present when the user is viewing an Attributes report type metric. It may also be present for specific Number and Average metrics when grouped by a field with known attributes.
    
    For example, if you group a Number of Goals metric by Employee Name, and view the data as a table, you will see the Add/Edit Columns button appear. This button would then allow the user to add columns to the report based on the Employee Name such as the employee’s Department, Location, and custom attributes.
    
    The add/remove columns ability is not available for metric configurations where it wouldn't be logical. For instance, when looking at the total number of review assignments in a cycle. If you see "total = 3000", there are no attribute columns which you can logically append to that report. Attributes like "location" don't make any sense alongside the number 3000.
    
    
  • View As
    View as functionality is available for admins only, and mirrors the view as functionality of the existing reports section in Reflektive. By default, an admin views a report as themselves, but may decide to view the report as if they were another user beneath them in the company hierarchy. The View As functionality is only available for specific Product and Report Type combinations such as Review tables.
    
    
  • Cycle Selector
    When viewing a Review based metric, there is an option to select a Review cycle for the report. This selector defaults to show data from the “Latest” review chronologically. Changing the cycle will update the data in the report to show only the Review data from the selected cycle.
    
    
• Table Specific Tools
  There are a number of features in Table reports that the user can interact with.
  
  
  
  • Rearrange Columns
    The user may click and drag column headers in a table right to left in order to reorder the columns. Importantly, groupings of the data, and the metric being analyzed is locked on the left-hand side of the table. Only attributes that can be added and removed from a table can be rearranged.
    
    
  • Column Options
    Clicking on a column header may present options to the user if applicable given the metric being viewed. On an attributes field, the user may take the following actions by tapping on the column header:
    
    
  • Add column left/right
    These two options open a modal which allows the user to choose a single field to add to the left or right of the selected column on the report. These options are only be available when the add/edit column button is also available and it is feasible to add an attribute column in the relevant direction of the report. For instance, you cannot add a column to the left of a metric column, because metric columns are locked on the left-hand side of the report.
    
    
  • Remove column
    This option removes the field from the report. This option is only be available when the add/edit column button is also available. You cannot remove a metric column from a report.
    
    
  • Sort ascending/descending
    These two options are available anytime there are more than one row on the table.
    
    
  • Pagination
    The table defaults to showing the first 100 rows of the results. If the result has more than 100 rows, then the option to click back and forth between pages of results is given in the bottom right corner of the viewer. Due to the database logic, there is no option for going to a specific page of the results.

• Add/Edit Columns
  The Add/Edit Columns button is shown when it is possible to add or remove columns to a Table reports only. This option is always present when the user is viewing an Attributes report type metric. It may also be present for specific Number and Average metrics when grouped by a field with known attributes.
  
  For example, if you group a Number of Goals metric by Employee Name, and view the data as a table, you will see the Add/Edit Columns button appear. This button would then allow the user to add columns to the report based on the Employee Name such as the employee’s Department, Location, and custom attributes.
  
  The add/remove columns ability is not available for metric configurations where it wouldn't be logical. For instance, when looking at the total number of review assignments in a cycle. If you see "total = 3000", there are no attribute columns which you can logically append to that report. Attributes like "location" don't make any sense alongside the number 3000.
  
  
• View As
  View as functionality is available for admins only, and mirrors the view as functionality of the existing reports section in Reflektive. By default, an admin views a report as themselves, but may decide to view the report as if they were another user beneath them in the company hierarchy. The View As functionality is only available for specific Product and Report Type combinations such as Review tables.
  
  
• Cycle Selector
  When viewing a Review based metric, there is an option to select a Review cycle for the report. This selector defaults to show data from the “Latest” review chronologically. Changing the cycle will update the data in the report to show only the Review data from the selected cycle.

• Rearrange Columns
  The user may click and drag column headers in a table right to left in order to reorder the columns. Importantly, groupings of the data, and the metric being analyzed is locked on the left-hand side of the table. Only attributes that can be added and removed from a table can be rearranged.
  
  
• Column Options
  Clicking on a column header may present options to the user if applicable given the metric being viewed. On an attributes field, the user may take the following actions by tapping on the column header:
  
  
• Add column left/right
  These two options open a modal which allows the user to choose a single field to add to the left or right of the selected column on the report. These options are only be available when the add/edit column button is also available and it is feasible to add an attribute column in the relevant direction of the report. For instance, you cannot add a column to the left of a metric column, because metric columns are locked on the left-hand side of the report.
  
  
• Remove column
  This option removes the field from the report. This option is only be available when the add/edit column button is also available. You cannot remove a metric column from a report.
  
  
• Sort ascending/descending
  These two options are available anytime there are more than one row on the table.
  
  
• Pagination
  The table defaults to showing the first 100 rows of the results. If the result has more than 100 rows, then the option to click back and forth between pages of results is given in the bottom right corner of the viewer. Due to the database logic, there is no option for going to a specific page of the results.

For those administrators who are interested in manipulating all the information gathered within the Reflektive platform in the search for specific data-driven insights, we encourage you to utilize our Report Builder functionality. From the Reports List, click on the "New" button near the top right of the list to begin creating a new report.

You'll see the following screen. To the right-hand side of the Report Viewer is the Report Builder. Here the user can see and edit the report configuration. The Report Builder is split into 2 tabs, Data and Style. It also has a Save button in the top right.

• Data Tab
  
  The Data Tab is where the user can see and edit the data being presented in the report. The user is meant to navigate this section from the top down in order to understand the report and make changes.
  
  
  • Product Selector
    The first selection is for what product the report draws data from. The dropdown shows options to select any product that is available with the Analytics tab, and that the user has permissions to draw data from.
    
    
  • Metric Selector
    The next selector is for what metric the report will present in the viewer. The metrics in the dropdown are determined by which product is selected in the product viewer.
    
    
  • Filter Selector
    The filter selector allows the user to drill down into a subset of the data. After clicking the Add Filters button, the user is presented with a modal that lists the fields by which the user can filter the data. These fields are determined by Product and Metric being viewed.
    
    Once a filter is selected, such as “Location = New York City”, a blue Filter Chip is added to the filter list and the data in the viewer updated to only show data matching the new filter. The user may add multiple filters by repeatedly clicking the Add Filters button. The user may also remove filters by clicking the X next to a filter name in the blue Filter Chip.
    
    Filters chips operate with AND logic. For example, if there are two filters, “Location = New York City” and “Department = Engineering”, both conditions must be true for the data to show up in the report. Within an individual filter, the chips operate with an OR logic. For example, a filter for “Location = New York City or Los Angeles” will return results where either condition is true.
    
    
  • Grouping Selector
    The grouping selector allows the user to break down the analysis by a selected field. For example, if a user is viewing a report on the Number of Goals metric, they may group the analysis by department to see how many Goals exist in each individual department. Note that grouping the data is not an option for Attribute metric reports.
    
    Selecting the Add Grouping button opens a modal with fields that the user can select to segment the analysis by. The user’s selection is added as a blue Grouping Chip.
    
    Whereas the order of filters applied with the Filter selector does not matter, the order of groupings does. A maximum of 3 groupings can be added to a report, and the are given the designation of 1st Grouping, 2nd Grouping, and 3rd Grouping. These groupings can be reordered by clicking and dragging a grouping up and down the list.
    
    The order of the groupings effects the presentation of data in the report. The 1st grouping will always be the left-most column on a tabular report, and the 2nd will follow. If the user desires to create a pivot table via the Style tab, the last grouping will be used to pivot the analysis. See View Last Grouping as Columns for more on this.
    
    
  • Visualization Type Selector
    The visualization type selector lets the user chose what report type they wish to use to view the data in. The options are bar, time series, pie, table, and number. Depending on the Report configuration selected above this option, various Visualization types will be possible. For instance, it is not possible to select a pie chart for a double grouped metric, so that option will be greyed out upon the application of a second grouping to a report configuration.
    
    
• Style Tab
  
  By clicking on Style Tab in the Report builder, the user is taken to a set of options that configure how the report presents in the viewer. None of these options change the data being presented. The style options available are dependent on the Visualization Type selected.  
  
  Table Presentation Options
  The first section of the Table Style table is the Table Presentation Options. These options alter how the report is presented.
  
  
  • Wrap content in cells
    The Wrap Content In Cells option is always available. The default is for this selection to be off, and for content in cells to cut off with an ellipsis (…) if the full content cannot be presented on one line. If the Wrap Content In Cells option is turned on, the table will dynamically change the height of each row in order to show the full contents of every cell.
    
    
  • Show Percentages
    The show percentages option is shown only on numerical metrics and is defaulted to off. When selected, the report will update to show the % of the whole for that column represented by the number. For example, if the user has grouped a Number of Goals metric by location, they may see a row indicating 160 goals in New York City, and 40 goals in San Francisco. Selecting the Show Percentages option will update the number of goals column to show “160 (80%)” and “40 (20%)”, respectively.
    
    
  • View Last Grouping as Columns
    The View Last Grouping as Columns style option allows the user to pivot the table based on the last grouping in the Data tab. This option is only available on non-Attribute metrics where there are more than 1 groupings applied.
    
    For example, if the user has applied a 1st grouping for Location and a 2nd grouping for department, they may then chose to “View Last Grouping as Columns”. This will alter the report to show a separate column for each department.
    
    Any attribute columns that have been added to a table via the Add/Edit columns button are shifted to the right when applying the View Last Grouping as Columns style option.
    
    
  • Description
    The description field is always available in the Style tab and is defaulted to empty. This provides a space for the user to write a sentence or two describing the report’s purpose and configuration as a reminder. The saved description will show up on the Report list via the information icon.
    
    
  • Show Description on Report
    The Show Description on Report option allows the user to visualize the description on the bottom left of the Report Viewer. This allows the user to see the description even if they are on the Data tab. This option is always available, and defaulted to off.
    
    
  • Save Button
    The Save button is located at the top right of the Report Builder. The button is grey when no changes have been made to a report. It turns blue when a change has been made that can be saved.
    
    Saving a previously unsaved report will save to the user’s Private Report list immediately upon clicking the Save button. When making modifications to an existing Private or Shared Report, clicking the save button brings up a model that alerts the user as to the nature of the save. Clicking the Save button after making modifications to an existing private report gives the user the option to save the report as a new private report, or to update the existing report.
    
    Clicking the save button after making modifications to a shared report or a report that is on a shared dashboards shows different options for the Owner of the report and non-owners. If it is a shared report, the Owner of the shared report will be given the option to save the report as a new private report, or to update the existing shared report. If the report is on a shared dashboard, the owner is notified that updates to the existing report will be reflected on the dashboard. Non-owners will only have the option to save their changes as a new private report.

• Product Selector
  The first selection is for what product the report draws data from. The dropdown shows options to select any product that is available with the Analytics tab, and that the user has permissions to draw data from.
  
  
• Metric Selector
  The next selector is for what metric the report will present in the viewer. The metrics in the dropdown are determined by which product is selected in the product viewer.
  
  
• Filter Selector
  The filter selector allows the user to drill down into a subset of the data. After clicking the Add Filters button, the user is presented with a modal that lists the fields by which the user can filter the data. These fields are determined by Product and Metric being viewed.
  
  Once a filter is selected, such as “Location = New York City”, a blue Filter Chip is added to the filter list and the data in the viewer updated to only show data matching the new filter. The user may add multiple filters by repeatedly clicking the Add Filters button. The user may also remove filters by clicking the X next to a filter name in the blue Filter Chip.
  
  Filters chips operate with AND logic. For example, if there are two filters, “Location = New York City” and “Department = Engineering”, both conditions must be true for the data to show up in the report. Within an individual filter, the chips operate with an OR logic. For example, a filter for “Location = New York City or Los Angeles” will return results where either condition is true.
  
  
• Grouping Selector
  The grouping selector allows the user to break down the analysis by a selected field. For example, if a user is viewing a report on the Number of Goals metric, they may group the analysis by department to see how many Goals exist in each individual department. Note that grouping the data is not an option for Attribute metric reports.
  
  Selecting the Add Grouping button opens a modal with fields that the user can select to segment the analysis by. The user’s selection is added as a blue Grouping Chip.
  
  Whereas the order of filters applied with the Filter selector does not matter, the order of groupings does. A maximum of 3 groupings can be added to a report, and the are given the designation of 1st Grouping, 2nd Grouping, and 3rd Grouping. These groupings can be reordered by clicking and dragging a grouping up and down the list.
  
  The order of the groupings effects the presentation of data in the report. The 1st grouping will always be the left-most column on a tabular report, and the 2nd will follow. If the user desires to create a pivot table via the Style tab, the last grouping will be used to pivot the analysis. See View Last Grouping as Columns for more on this.
  
  
• Visualization Type Selector
  The visualization type selector lets the user chose what report type they wish to use to view the data in. The options are bar, time series, pie, table, and number. Depending on the Report configuration selected above this option, various Visualization types will be possible. For instance, it is not possible to select a pie chart for a double grouped metric, so that option will be greyed out upon the application of a second grouping to a report configuration.

• Wrap content in cells
  The Wrap Content In Cells option is always available. The default is for this selection to be off, and for content in cells to cut off with an ellipsis (…) if the full content cannot be presented on one line. If the Wrap Content In Cells option is turned on, the table will dynamically change the height of each row in order to show the full contents of every cell.
  
  
• Show Percentages
  The show percentages option is shown only on numerical metrics and is defaulted to off. When selected, the report will update to show the % of the whole for that column represented by the number. For example, if the user has grouped a Number of Goals metric by location, they may see a row indicating 160 goals in New York City, and 40 goals in San Francisco. Selecting the Show Percentages option will update the number of goals column to show “160 (80%)” and “40 (20%)”, respectively.
  
  
• View Last Grouping as Columns
  The View Last Grouping as Columns style option allows the user to pivot the table based on the last grouping in the Data tab. This option is only available on non-Attribute metrics where there are more than 1 groupings applied.
  
  For example, if the user has applied a 1st grouping for Location and a 2nd grouping for department, they may then chose to “View Last Grouping as Columns”. This will alter the report to show a separate column for each department.
  
  Any attribute columns that have been added to a table via the Add/Edit columns button are shifted to the right when applying the View Last Grouping as Columns style option.
  
  

• Description
  The description field is always available in the Style tab and is defaulted to empty. This provides a space for the user to write a sentence or two describing the report’s purpose and configuration as a reminder. The saved description will show up on the Report list via the information icon.
  
  
• Show Description on Report
  The Show Description on Report option allows the user to visualize the description on the bottom left of the Report Viewer. This allows the user to see the description even if they are on the Data tab. This option is always available, and defaulted to off.
  
  
• Save Button
  The Save button is located at the top right of the Report Builder. The button is grey when no changes have been made to a report. It turns blue when a change has been made that can be saved.
  
  Saving a previously unsaved report will save to the user’s Private Report list immediately upon clicking the Save button. When making modifications to an existing Private or Shared Report, clicking the save button brings up a model that alerts the user as to the nature of the save. Clicking the Save button after making modifications to an existing private report gives the user the option to save the report as a new private report, or to update the existing report.
  
  Clicking the save button after making modifications to a shared report or a report that is on a shared dashboards shows different options for the Owner of the report and non-owners. If it is a shared report, the Owner of the shared report will be given the option to save the report as a new private report, or to update the existing shared report. If the report is on a shared dashboard, the owner is notified that updates to the existing report will be reflected on the dashboard. Non-owners will only have the option to save their changes as a new private report.