About Report Builder

Use the Dimensions CM Report Builder to create and modify end-user GUI client reports.

In this topic:

Report Builder overview

The Report Builder tool is available in the Dimensions CM web client and desktop client.

You can use the Report Builder to create the following end-user GUI client reports for all object types:

• Listing report

• Distribution table

• Pie chart

• Pie chart (3D)

• Bar chart

• Bar chart (2D depth)

• Bar chart (stacked)

• Bar chart (stacked 2D depth)

You can group client reports depending on the report type, by one or two attributes. The attributes depend on your process model settings. Typical examples are:

• Product

• Type name

• ID

• Title

• Originator

• Status

• Last updated by

• Phase

• Action date

• Creation date

• Update date

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Report categories

The following report categories are available.

Category	Description
Private reports (My reports)	Private reports are reports that you create in the desktop or web client, either from scratch or by adopting or modifying public or standard reports. Such reports are located in the My Reports folder and are not visible to other users. If you have favorite private reports, you can add them to your Favorite Reports folder for easy access.
Favorite reports	Favorite reports are private or public reports that you have added to your Favorite Reports folder for easy access.
Public reports	You need the Manage Public Reports privilege to create, modify, or delete a public report. Public reports are reports created by privileged users for general access and use by all users. Such reports are located in the Public Reports folder. If you have favorite public reports, you can add them to your Favorite Reports folder for easy access. Non-privileged users cannot create, modify, or delete the details of public reports. But they can use the Edit tab in the Report Builder dialog box to access the details of a public report and clear the is public option. After that, they can edit and save the report as a private report, even using the same name.
Standard and demo reports	Standard and demo reports are special categories of public reports located in the Public Reports folder at installation of Dimensions CM. A standard report is independent of the Dimensions CM process model, whereas a demo report is not. Consequently, a standard report cannot refer to user-defined attributes or to relationships (except server keywords), but a demo report can. Standard report names start with "Standard:", and demo report names start with "Standard demo:" to distinguish them from other public reports. In all other senses they are simply public reports. You can add standard or demo reports to your Favorite Reports for easy access. For more details, see Standard and demo reports.

Standard and demo reports

Object class	Report type	Report name	Description
Item	Listing report	Standard: All items checked out or locked by me	Items extracted by the current user.
Item	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Items that I created since ...	Items created by the current user, grouped by status. Query at runtime for creation date.
Baseline	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Active baselines	Baselines with Phase != CLOSED and Phase != REJECTED, grouped by status.
Baseline	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Baselines in my inbox	All pending current user baselines grouped by status.
Baseline	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Baselines that I created	All baselines that the current user created (closed and rejected included), grouped by status.
Baseline	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Closed or rejected baselines	Baselines with Phase == CLOSED or Phase == REJECTED, grouped by status.
Project/Stream	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Active projects	Projects with Phase != CLOSED and Phase != REJECTED and which are not locked.
Project/Stream	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Closed or rejected projects	Projects with Phase == CLOSED or Phase == REJECTED or Locked == true, grouped by status.
Project/Stream	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Projects in my inbox	All pending current user projects, grouped by status.
Project/Stream	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Projects that I created	All projects that the current user created, grouped by status.
Request	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Active requests	Requests with Phase != CLOSED and Phase != REJECTED, grouped by status.
Request	3D pie chart	Standard: Active requests chart	Requests with Phase != CLOSED and Phase != REJECTED, 3D pie chart by status.
Request	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Closed or rejected requests	Requests with Phase == CLOSED or Phase == REJECTED, grouped by status.
Request	3D pie chart	Standard demo: Active CRs chart by severity/priority	Pie chart of severity for non-closed or non-rejected PRODUCT:CR requests.
Request	Stacked column chart	Standard demo: Active CRs chart by status and severity/priority.	Column for each status, stacked severities for active requests.
Request	Distribution table	Standard demo: Active CRs table by status and severity/priority.	Column for each severity, row for each status, active requests.
Request	Stacked column chart	Standard demo: Closed or rejected CRs chart by action date and severity/priority (year to date)	Column for each month, stacked severities for closed or rejected requests actioned in the past year (up to 13 columns).
Request	3D pie chart	Standard demo: Closed or rejected CRs chart by severity/priority	Pie chart of severity for closed or rejected PRODUCT:CR requests.
Request	Stacked column chart	Standard demo: Submitted CRs chart by creation date severity/priority (year to date)	Column for each month, stacked severities for all requests (active or not) created in the past year (up to 13 columns).
Request	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Requests in my inbox	All pending requests for the current user, grouped by status.
Request	Listing report (group by)	Standard: Requests that I created	All requests that the current user created, grouped by status.

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Recommendations for using Report Builder

Follow these recommendations when using the Report Builder:

• If you require advanced reporting, use SQL-based reports (utilizing Published Views), user reports, or Crystal Reports.

  Note: Published Views enable you to write your own programs to extract information from the database. You can set up your own reports in the Administration Console > User Reports Administration. You run these custom reports using the Dimensions CMRUR command. For details, see Command-Line Reference.

• The graphical client reports are not intended to be as flexible in formatting fonts, text sizes, and colors as other external charting tools like, for example, Microsoft Excel. If you find that your data is not displayed clearly in the graphical client reports, you can export the reports as a comma-separated value (CSV) file and then import them into such external charting tools.

• Only one run-time variable can be specified for client report filtering criteria.

For more details, see Reports and published views.

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See also:

• Web client: Run reports
• Desktop client: Run Report Builder