Reports - Future Reports

LegalServer provides a tool for new clients to identify all of the reports they have in their current system that will need to be recreated in LegalServer. Current LegalServer clients can also use it to create new reports in their systems. The tool allows clients to upload a sample version of the report, provide descriptive information, link it to programs, offices, and grants. It also provides a verification process for the client prior to implementation.

TIP: Future reports should generally be used for highly specialized reports that your organization is required to provide to funders. For management oriented reports, please see the base reports already provided with your system. Base reports can be customized to meet your organization's needs. Please see the Reports Manual for further information.

Administrative Setup

Site administrators can enable the future reports tool by following these steps:

• Click the Admin tab at the top of the page.

• Click on User Management on the left side of the page and select User Roles (Permissions) from the list in the resulting screen.

• • Optionally, you can type "permissions" in the Search Admin Options box and select User Roles (Permissions) from the list of results. (This feature is only available in the new interface.)

• Select the user role for which you want to enable the future reports tool. In this example, we're using the Administrator user role.

• Make sure the box next to Show Future Reports is checked.

• • Enabling this permission will allow this user role to see the Future Reports tab in the Reports module as well as enable the Add New Future Report process in the Reports module.

Creating New Future Reports

If your site administrator has given your user role permission to do so, you can create a new future report by following these steps:

• Click the Report tab at the top of the page.

• Under the Actions menu, select Add New Future Report. (Actions links appear on the right side of the screen in the classic version.)

• Complete the following fields in the new future report form:

  • The Name and Description fields are required.

  • Fields and Additional Variables are not required, but including this information will help PSTI determine how the report should be set up.

    • In Fields, include the fields used in the existing report.

    • In Additional Variables, include any fields in the existing report that are being used as filters.

  • For grant reports, select a funding code to link the report to the grant.

• NOTE: The following fields are for PSTI use only:

  • The Reports field is used by PSTI to identify the report that is built based on your existing report.

  • The Is this report complete? field is used by PSTI to indicate when the new report is ready for you to test and verify.

• After you have run the new report and verified that it is working properly, you will indicate this by checking "yes" next to the Has this report been verified by the client? field. See the Completing & Verifying a Future Report section of this page for details.

• Click the Continue button in the lower right corner to save your new future report.

• You will now see the profile for the new future report.

• Now you can upload a brief sample of the report you want to replicate in LegalServer.

  • At the bottom of the future report profile page, you can select a file to upload.

  • To upload more than one file at once, select a file and click the Upload File and Add Another button.

  • When you are finished selecting documents, click the Continue button in the lower right corner of the screen.

Managing Future Reports

You can manage all of your future reports from the Future Reports list view:

• Click the Report tab at the top of the screen.

• Click the Future tab on the right side of the screen.

• You will now see the Future Reports list view.

  • You can sort the list by any of the columns (except the Grouping column).

• You can also limit the number of future reports included in the list by using the filters.

  • Click on Show/Hide Filters and select the filters you want to apply.

  • Click the Filter button in the lower right corner of the screen to apply the filters.

• By default, the future reports list view only displays active future reports.

• To make changes to a future report, click on the name of the report in the list to open the report's profile.

• Add fields, filter variables, and sample documents as appropriate for this future report.

• NOTE: It is not possible to delete a future report. However, you can "hide" a future report from the list view by marking it as inactive in the future report profile.

Completing & Verifying a Future Report

• PSTI will indicate that a future report is complete and ready for verification after the new report has been created and all of the fields and filter variables have been added to the new report.

• If you see that PSTI has marked "yes" in the Is this report complete? column for a future report, that means it is time for you to run the new report to verify that it is working properly. Here's how to do this:

• Click on the name of the future report to open its profile.

• Look in the Reports field to find the name of the report that PSTI built based on this future report. You may have to scroll through the list to find it. It will be highlighted in the list.

• When you have found the name of the new report, make a note of it and click the Report tab at the top of the screen to return to the main future reports list view.

• Click on the Base Reports tab.

• TIP: You can find the new report quickly by using the search box at the top of the base reports list view, as shown below.

• Click on the name of the base report to open the report.

• Review the fields and filter variables by clicking on the Filter Options and Data Options tabs in the report screen. For details about using these tabs, please refer to the Reports Manual.

• Depending on your system configuration, the report might run automatically when you open it. If it does not run, just click on the Run Report button.

• If, after testing the report, you find that it is working properly, click on the Report tab at the top of the screen.

• Then click on the Future tab and locate the future report you want to verify.

• Open the future report's profile and check "yes" next to Has this report been verified by the client?. This will tell PSTI that you have tested the new report and are satisfied that it is working properly.

• Click the Continue button in the lower right corner of the screen to save your changes.