Using MegaReport

From PikaDocs

Mega Report is a powerful reporting tool that can be used to display a customized set of data on your Pika system. All data for your organization is available in MegaReport.

The data available is sorted into three sections: case fields, client fields, and activity fields. The case fields column contains case-related data such as case number, LSC problem code, and office code. You may select as many case fields as you'd like to see in the report. Similarly, you can choose an unlimited number of fields in the "client fields" section, which contains client-specific data such as first and last names and client contact information, and in activity fields, which contains data specific to case activity, such as number of hours worked on a case and whether a case is currently open or closed.

After you select the fields you need in the three top columns, you can narrow down your data under the "Select report parameters" header. The fields you selected in the top columns will now be available as selections in the drop-down menus, and you can isolate data using the drop-down box that has "=" listed as the default value. For example, if you are looking for case numbers between 1 and 99, you would select "Case Number" from the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu, you would select "between," then enter the parameters separated with a comma. In this example, you would enter "1, 99" in the text field next to the second drop-down box. Repeat this process for each field for each field in which you want to narrow data.

In the "Change the order of fields on the report" box, you can change the way data is displayed on your report. For example, if you have selected "Case Number" and client "last_name" and you want the clients' last name to appear first on the report, click on "last_name" and click the "Move Up" button until the "last_name" field is at the top of the list. Use the "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons in the same way until all the fields are ordered as you like.

You may also choose to narrow results based on staff. The "Report only on these staff" menu lists all staff for your organization. Click the checkboxes next to each name you want to include in the report. If you want to include all staff, just leave all names unchecked.

The "Calculate sum of" feature allows you to add numerical data on the report. For example, if you are running a report in which you want to know the total number of hours spent on a particular group of cases, you could add the "hours" field to your report, then choose "hours" from the "Calculate sum of" menu. This will total all hours and list the total at the bottom of your report.

The "Calculate totals of" feature counts number of records rather than adding numerical data. Using the same example above, if you wanted to count the number of cases produced by the report, you could select "Case_Number" from the case fields menu and then select the "Case_Number" from the "Calculate totals of" menu. If the report found, for example, 75 cases with your report parameters, 75 would appear at the bottom of the report under the "Case_Number" column.

If you are running a report that you think will yield a great number of records, you may choose to limit the number of records returned under the "Maximum results returned" feature. This is useful if you don't need all the data in the report you're running, but in instances where you are looking for a general idea of the kind of data that exists in the database. Limiting the number of choices in this instance is a good idea, because it puts less strain on the Pika system. Please note that running a report that yields a massive amount of results can cause system slowdown.

The "Order report results by" options allow you to select the way the report is sorted. This is like the "primary key" feature in many database programs such as Microsoft Access. If you want the report, for example, to be ordered alphabetically by client last name, you could select "last_name" from this drop-down menu.

The "Show SQL code" checkbox will produce a line of programming code at the bottom of your report. In most instances, this is used only in troubleshooting. If you are working with your Pika administrator or Pika support to troubleshoot a problem, you may be asked to check this box to assist with technical support.

Lastly, decide how you want your data to be displayed. If you want to see your report as an HTML file (which will show results in a new web browser window), choose "Normal." If you want the results to be imported into an Adobe PDF document, choose "PDF." If you want the results to be able to be imported into a Spreadsheet, choose "Spreadsheet." If you choose "Spreadsheet," your data will be exported as a comma-delimited (.csv) file, and you will be prompted to save the file on your computer. Once done, you can open the file using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel.

After you've defined all your parameters and preferences, click the yellow "Run Report" button to see your data.

Next: System Settings