Create Custom Reports

The video below provides detailed information about the custom reports functionality in CommunitySuite. The information in the video includes report types and fields, viewing report data, and applying aggregates, filters, and groupings.

Creating a custom report begins by selecting the type of data you want to analyze and choosing which fields to display as columns.

1. Navigate to the Reports page and click Create Report in the left-side menu. 
2. Click the custom report Object for which the report will be created. 
   
    
3. Click edit next to Current Fields to begin adding fields to the report.
   • This step appears in this order if a default custom report is selected. If an object was selected in the previous step, then skip to step 4.
     
      
4. Click the box next to the field's name to add fields to the report, and then click Save.
   • Using the search function is recommended to efficiently locate fields.
   • Click [All] to select all fields within the corresponding section. Click [None] to deselect any selected fields within the section. 
   • The field type is listed in [brackets].
     • Array - A collection of variables.
     • Boolean - A field that can be one of two values, yes/no, or 1/0.
     • Date - The date associated with a piece of data, formatted as YYYY-MM-DD.
     • Integer - A whole number.
     • Numeric - A field with numbers. This can include IDs and amounts.
     • Varchar - A variable character field with an indeterminate length. These are fields that contain non-standardized text. 
       
        

Selected fields appear in the Current Fields section.

After adding fields to your report, you can rearrange columns to match your preferred viewing or analysis order. By default, columns display in the order they were added to the report.

1. Click a field name and drag it up or down in the list to change the column order.

Sorting organizes report data by the values in one or more columns, making it easier to identify patterns or locate specific records.

1. Click a field name.
   
    
2. Click Ascending or Descending next to Sort.
   • The selected option is indicated in green.
   • Click the selected option to remove the sort criteria.
      
3. Add additional sort criteria as needed. 
   • Additional criteria applies within the existing sort criteria. 
   • Click and drag criteria under Column Sort Priority to reorder
     
      

Controlling how many results display per page helps manage large datasets and improves page load performance. Custom reports default to 20 results per page.

1. Enter the desired number in Results Per Page.
    
   • Alternatively, check the box for Show All to display all results.
      

Filters narrow report results to records meeting specific criteria, and can be applied to any field in the report whether or not that field displays as a visible column. A report can have filters applied to multiple fields, but no more than one filter can be applied per field.

1. Click Filter. 
   
    
2. Click a field name. 
   • Use the search bar to easily locate fields.
     
      
3. Set the filter options, and then click Apply Report Filter.
   • Filter options vary by the type of field selected.
     • For example, numeric fields include minimum, maximum, and range options. 
   • Modifier - Select IS to only include results that match the filter options. Select IS NOT to only include results that do not match the filter options.
   • NULL - Indicates a blank value in the field for which the filter is being added.
     • For example, the filter below could be built with IS NOT and NULL selected to filter out any results without a grantee.
   • Match Type - This corresponds with text entered in the Character Value field. Filter for the exact match, results containing the text, or results that begin with the text.
      

Modify Filter Columns

After applying filters to a report, you can adjust filter criteria or remove filters entirely without rebuilding the report.

• Click the X icon to remove a filter.
  
   
• Click the linked text to modify a filter.
  
   

Adding totals to numeric columns displays summary calculations at the bottom of the report.

1. Click a field name.
   
    
2. Check the box for Total Column. 

Grouping organizes report data into sections based on values in a single column, with each unique value becoming its own section header. A report can only be grouped by one column.

1. Click a field name.
   
    
2. Check the box for Group By.
    

Click the X icon to remove the grouping.

Several aggregate options are available to convert data formats and consolidate report data. Not all aggregate options are available for each field type. 

Count - The number of rows.

Dcount - The distinct number of instances of data.

Sum - The total of the numeric data.

Avg - The average of the numeric data.

Min - The minimum amount.

Max - The maximum amount.

Apply aggregate options to a report to summarize the data.

1. Click a field name.
   
    
2. Click an aggregate option.
    
3. Repeat steps 1-2 to add aggregate options to other fields as needed.
   • In the example below with aggregate options added to three fields, the report now displays one row per grantee with the sum and count of grants and earliest grant date for each.
      

After adding an aggregate option to a field, the original field can be added again to the report.

• A different aggregate option could then be applied to the original field.
  • For example, the Grant Amount field could be added again to the report shown above. The Avg aggregate option could then be applied to the field to also display the average grant amount per grantee.

If an aggregate option is added to a report and it does not produce the desired change, it is likely that a column exists with many unique values that each require their own row. In the image below, for example, if Grant ID did not have the Count aggregate applied, it would prevent the other aggregates from consolidating the report because each Grant ID is unique and would require its own row.

Add an ID number field to custom reports to enable bulk actions like adding profiles to campaigns, editing fund records, and setting custom fields. Available bulk actions vary by reporting object —not all custom reports have them.

Enable Bulk Actions in a Custom Report

Add the object area ID field to enable bulk actions in a custom report. These steps apply to all custom report object areas with bulk actions.

1. Add the ID field to a custom report to access Bulk Actions from the left-side menu. See Run a Custom Report for steps to add fields.
   • Example shown is for a profiles custom report.
      
2. Click Bulk Action in the left-side menu. 
   • If Bulk Action does not appear in the left-side menu, the report does not support bulk actions.
3. Click an action from the Bulk Actions list.
   
    
4. Select options or records to be included in the bulk action. 
   • Options will vary by object area and custom report.
      

Commonly Used Custom Report Bulk Actions

Listed below are some of the more commonly used custom reports and related bulk actions. Many reports include the option to bulk set custom fields, the Import and Bulk Edit Custom Reports article covers this workflow.

Fund Bulk Actions

Fund-specific bulk actions include setting custom fields, opening or closing funds, and sending funds to 990 reports.

1. Add the Funit Id field to a fund custom report to access Bulk Actions from the left-side menu.
    

Donations Bulk Actions

Donation-specific bulk actions streamline processing tasks like posting donations, marking them as reviewed, and generating tax receipts.

1. Add the Donation Id field to a donations custom report to access Bulk Actions from the left-side menu.
   
    
    

Grants Bulk Actions

Grant-specific bulk actions enable approving grants, managing award letters, and posting grants across multiple records.

1. Add the Grant Id field to a grants custom report to access Bulk Actions from the left-side menu.
    

• Profile bulk actions are also available in a grant custom report when the Profile Id field is added. Profile bulk action options are shown in the next section.

Profiles Bulk Actions

Profile-specific bulk actions include adding profiles to campaigns or groups, managing designations, and setting custom fields across multiple records.

1. Add the Profile Id field to a profiles custom report to access Bulk Actions from the left-side menu.