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Custom Report FAQs |
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Summary: Tips and frequently-asked questions
about creating, editing, and printing custom reports from the Clients
& Profits report writer.
Q. When I choose Custom Reports from the Setup menu, nothing seems to happen? This is a common complaint from users who use the report writer for the first time. The only change will be a Reports menu added to the menu bar at the top of your screen, between the Edit and View menus. From the Reports menu, the options to add a New report or Open an existing report will be available.  Q. The error message, "Unable to create new report because file Report templates not found", means a file is missing? The Report Templates file (which is called TEMPLATE.REP in Windows) contains basic layouts for several different types of custom reports. This file must be in the same folder or directory as the Clients & Profits Player. If it is in a different location, or not installed (or has been removed), a new custom report can't be created. (However, existing reports can be edited and printed, since the Report Template is only needed for new reports.) The Report Template can be found on the Clients & Profits Installation CD. Q. Custom reports created in Clients & Profits Pro 1.0 can be converted and used with Clients & Profits Pro 2.0? In most cases, your existing Clients & Profits Pro 1.0 reports will be converted automatically the first time they are opened with Clients & Profits Pro 2.0. The report's layout, fields, and queries will be converted intact. Sometimes an old custom report can become corrupted during the conversion--and won't print properly. If this happens, you'll need to recreate the report in Clients & Profits Pro 2.0. Once a custom report is converted, it cannot be used with Clients & Profits Pro 1.0.
Q. Calculated fields will not sub-total on custom reports in Clients & Profits Pro 2.0? There is a bug in the Clients & Profits Player that prevents calculated fields from appearing in sub-total sections on custom reports. This worked in Clients & Profits Pro 1.0. If you have old custom reports that used calculated fields, these totals will not appear when printed from Clients & Profits Pro 2.0. It is uncertain whether this can be fixed. Q. Custom reports can be created on a Macintosh then printed on a PC, and vice versa. All the custom report needs is a DOS-compatible file name, something like REPORT.AHR. The .AHR stands for "ad hoc report," which is what the custom reports are technically called. Copying from a Mac is easy: Insert a blank high-density disk, then let the Mac format it as a DOS-compatible disk. Then drag the custom report to it like you normally would. The Windows version of Clients & Profits will recognize this report when it is copied to the PC.
Q. Reports can't be copied from Clients & Profits Pro into the custom report writer. If you want a report similar to one in the program, you will need to create the report from scratch in custom reports. However, there are sample custom reports that can be downloaded from our web site. The address is: /support/custom_reports.html. These reports can be used as-is or customized as needed. Q. A custom report probably won't replace the A/R invoice, estimate or check forms printed from Clients & Profits. The custom report writer is designed to provide lists and summaries, not forms. It most likely won't have the flexibility you'd need to format an estimate, invoice, or check form. You'll need to use the built-in forms printed from Clients & Profits instead. Q. How do I add subtotals to a custom report? 1.) Select a report template that supports sub-totals: List w/1 subtotal , List w/2 subtotals , or List w/3 subtotals . 2.) Add all the fields and calculations to your report. 3.) From the Fields/Query window, highlight the field where you want the subtotal. In this example, a subtotal will be created for each job number. 4.) With that field highlighted, select the option to Sort First from the Sort menu, then select the option to Subtotal from the Sort menu. Note, in the diagram above, a "1" and an upward arrow indicate the Job field is being sorted first and the "S" indicates that field is being subtotaled. The Estimate Hours and Actual Hours are Totaled. This will add up the records in these fields so a total will appear at each subtotal. 5.) Next click on the Design Button in the tool bar. From the Design window you will create the subtotal level. 6.) Decide what fields you want to appear in the subtotal level of your printed report. Hold down the Option key (for PC's hold down the CTRL key) on your keyboard and drag a copy of the fields from the Record Level to Subtotal Level 1.
Q. Can information be printed from two different files using a lookup field? Yes. For example: You want to create a job list report that shows the client name and address, but the client information is not in the JOB file, it is only in the CLIENT file. The JOB file and the CLIENT file can be linked together, by setting a query that makes their two common fields equal to each other. From the example, on the custom report set CLIENT_NUM = JOB_CLIENT_NUM. Then from the Query menu turn off the Automatic Connections option. Q. Can a custom report show totals only, instead of showing record-by-record detail? Yes. For example: You need the time report to show totals by task, not each time entry for each task. First, create a custom report using fields from the COSTS file, such as COST_VENDOR, COST_DATE, COST_HOURS, COST_NET_AMT. Enter a query to select some records, then print the report to check your work. Once the report seems to show the correct information, choose Parameters from the Reports menu then click the Print Totals Only option. When the report is reprinted, only the values in the sub-total and total sections will print. You won't see each cost record. Q. I created a report, but when I print it some records are missing that should appear on the report. Check the queries that you have set on the report one-by-one. Is there a date range setup that is excluding some costs or a range of production status codes that are excluding some jobs? Find the individual records that are missing from the report in your database and verify that they meet all the queries you have set on the custom report. If you setup connections between some of the files, then turn off the Automatic Connections option under the Query menu. If you are still unable to find the problem, recreate the report adding one field at a time and printing the report after each field and query is added. This will help isolate the problem. Q. Where can I get help with programming my own custom reports? The Clients & Profits Installation CD contains examples of many different kinds of custom reports. These reports can be duplicated then modified, which is much faster than creating a report from scratch. Additional custom reports can be downloaded from the Clients & Profits web site. Independent Clients & Profits consultants can create custom reports for you to fit your exact needs, as well as provide on-site training, so you can design and program you own reports. NOTE: These consultants are not Clients & Profits, Inc. employees and they set their own fees and terms. Clients & Profits, Inc. is not liable for their supervision or performance. Custom reports programming is available from: Rebecca Cox (678) 294-3799 Robert Roll (415) 775-9395
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