This topic describes how to configure BrightWork Reporter List Item reports, including how to select the report you want to display.
The most commonly used configuration settings for List Item reports are available via the Shared Settings section on the Reporter ribbon. The Shared Settings section also includes a report filter dialog that is not available on the Reporter settings page.
You can also create a personal report via the Reporter ribbon.
The reports supplied with BrightWork Reporter are setup to report on the lists supplied with BrightWork and SharePoint. If columns are added to these lists you can add these columns to reports using the Report Editor. This will enable reporting on these columns.
Once you have configured your report, you can save it as a web part template to save you having to repeat your effort elsewhere.
To configure a report:
Select a data source of a cache or reporter definition file location.
Tip! Selecting a new Data Source, even temporarily, means that all custom report configuration settings could be lost. To avoid having to repeat any configuration effort, save reports as web part templates.
Work Cache
The Work Cache is primarily designed as an alternative to open work and issue reports that report across multiple sites. By default, all open items in the Work Cache are shown but you can filter the work items by any of the three out-of-the-box views: Open Work, My Work and Issues. This option only appears in the list of data sources if the Work Cache is activated.
Project Cache
The Project Cache is designed primarily to speed up the loading of cross-site Project reports that report across multiple sites. By default, all items in the Project Cache are shown but you can filter the project items displayed by any of the three out-of-the-box views: All Projects, Open Projects and My Projects. This option only appears in the list of data sources if the Project Cache is activated.
Project Status Report Cache
The Project Status Report Cache is primarily designed as an alternative to 'project status report' reports that report across multiple sites. By default, only the current project status report for a list in the Project Status Report Cache is shown but you can change this by selecting the All Project Status Report view. This option only appears in the list of data sources if the Project Status Report Cache is activated.
Reporter Library
The BrightWork Reporter Library is where Report Definition files can be created and modified.
Server Gallery
The BrightWork Server Gallery is a read-only gallery of Report Definition files.
Custom Location
Custom Report Location is where you can reference Report Definition files in locations other than the two above.
Define the target site and specify whether or not to include the target site's subsites in the report.
Current Site
Selecting this option means that only the current site will be included in the report.
Specified Site
This option is for specifying the SharePoint site to report off. Selecting this option enables the Specified Site field. The URL you supply must be server relative, for example: /sites/SiteName.
Specified Site(s)
This option is for specifying a list of SharePoint sites to report off. Selecting this option enables the Multiple Site Locations field for you to enter site URLs.
Note: Use a ; to separate the sites.
The URLs can be server relative (for example: /sites/SiteName) or fully qualified (for example: http://www.contoso.com/sites/SiteName).
Fully qualified URLs must point to sites on the same server as the site the report is running in.
You can also specify a single site here - the Specified Site option above is being maintained for legacy reasons.
Report XML
Selecting this option means the scope is defined in the report file - see Add or Edit a Query Source for more information.
This option is not available for BrightWork Server Gallery reports.
Report Scope Location
Enter the location of the specified web that you want to report off.
This is only necessary if Specified Site is selected from the Report Scope menu.
Select the Report Type:
Note: The Gantt Report and Resource Usage Report types will only appear if valid data exists to render the report. For example, if only one date column exists a Gantt or Resource report cannot be rendered.
Chart Report
Gantt Report
List Item Report
Resource Usage Report
Enter a title for the report.
Chrome types available are: Default, Border Only, None, Title and Border, and Title Only.
Note: The Rendering and Performance section is not available when Project Cache or Work Cache is selected as the Data Source.
Select Enable to switch on the site filters defined in the Report Definition.
Site Filters are a way of excluding certain sites from being queried by BrightWork Reporter (for example, the default site filters ensure that BrightWork project sites that have a Status of (3) Completed and/or where Exclude from Reports is selected on the Project Statement are excluded from most reports).
You should only disable site filters if you need to do so on a case by case basis. If you wish to remove a site filter from all instances of a report, you should do so via the Report Editor.
Select Enable and enter the number of seconds to retain the report's data.
A Retention Duration of 5 seconds for example, means that if the page is revisited within 5 seconds BrightWork Reporter will reuse the data. This is especially useful if there is a lot of data in the report, as it can take a few seconds to render first time. The report is retained on the server on a per user basis, up to a maximum of 3600 seconds (i.e. 1 hour).
Click the Refresh button on the Reporter ribbon to override the Retention Duration setting and display the most up-to-date content.
The captions (column titles) for all columns except the Site Name and List Name are specified in the report definition. If you would like to have a different title for Site Name in the displayed report, enter it here. This will not change the captions in the tool pane. Note: Custom Caption settings in the Columns section override this setting.
The captions (column titles) for all columns except the Site Name and List Name are specified in the report definition. If you would like to have a different title for List Name in the displayed report, enter it here. This will not change the captions in the tool pane. Note: Custom Caption settings in the Columns section override this setting.
Choose whether you want the report description to display: Collapsed, Expanded or None.
Choose whether you want the report errors to display: Collapsed, Expanded or None.
BrightWork Reporter error messages can be very useful for debugging purposes, if you are creating your own reports or adding lists to your sites.
The Report Profiler displays a report on all the sites and lists queried by an instance of a report, including how long individual sites and lists take to query.
Select the columns to be included in the report and the order in which you want them to appear.
For each column, you can also set custom properties:
Note: Custom column properties are lost if the column is removed from the report.
If you wish to use a custom column title for grouping purposes, the column must also be added to the report.
Columns listed here may not exist in all lists.
Enable or disable the link column; when enabled, the following settings become available:
Select the column you want to use to link to the individual list items. When a user clicks on the link the item will open in read mode.
Select how you want the links in reports to behave:
Dialog
Selecting Dialog means links will open items in the pop-up dialog.
This means you can view and edit individual list items and stay in the context of the page or report you are on. Most importantly, this works across sites and lists, meaning you can edit items in different lists and sites from the one location in a site collection.
Select Refresh on Update so that when an item is saved from a Dialog the report is automatically refreshed.
Same Window/Tab
Link will open in the same browser tab (or window) as the report.
New Window/Tab Once Only
Link will open in the same separate browser tab (or window).
New Window/Tab Each Time
Link will open in a new browser tab (or window) every time.
Select the column(s) you want to use to sort the items returned (i.e. the order in which the items are displayed in the report) and the direction you want them to be sorted.
These column-types cannot be used for sorting: Multi-value, URL, Note, and Icon.
Select:
The column(s) you want the items returned to be grouped by (you can use up to a maximum of 4 groups)
Grouping is placed over the link column.
These column types cannot be used for grouping: Multi-value, URL, Note, and Icon.
The direction of the grouping (ascending or descending)
Note: Selecting Collapsed in any group means that all subsequent groups below that group will also be collapsed.
BrightWork Reporter can perform the same totaling functions as a standard SharePoint view.
Select Display Captions to turn the totals captions on. You can also select whether or not you want the caption to display for the selected totals. The caption will still display if you mouse-over the total returned.
Totals Captions On
Totals Captions Off
Select the appropriate total option for the column in question. The available options depend on the type of column.
Function |
Description |
Data Type |
Average |
Calculates the average value for a column. |
Number, Currency |
Count |
Counts the number of items in a column. |
All |
Maximum |
Returns the item with the highest value. |
Number, Currency, Date/Time |
Minimum |
Returns the item with the lowest value. |
Number, Currency, Date/Time |
Standard Deviation |
Measures how widely values are dispersed from an average value (the mean). |
Number, Currency |
Sum |
Adds the values in a column. |
Number, Currency |
Variance |
Measures the statistical variance of all values in the column. |
Number, Currency |
Specify additional settings to change the appearance of the report.