Running Reports

Reports in Prime are dynamic

What that means is they have a set format (certain fields, the way they look, etc.). However they can be filled with different data. For example, dates opened, dates closed, offices, funding codes, etc. can all be used to change the data that is used by a report. It also means that if you run a report today it might differ from one tomorrow if data has been added or changed.

The word ‘Report’ is a term of art in Access

1) A Report is an object like a form or query.

2) A report is also used to mean any object that is used to get information out of Prime. It could be a form, a report or a query.

When discussing reports, we will mean the later definition. The reports we discuss could be a Report, a Query or a Form.

Reports get their data to run four different ways

1) A Criteria (QBF-Query by Form) screen

2) A custom input screen, such as that used by the Status reports

3) A prompt that asks for specific data

4) A report that just runs with no interaction such as some error checking reports

Criteria Screens (QBF-Query by Form) Reports

The Criteria or QBF screen, allows you to enter the criteria you want to use to fill your report. Criteria screens exist for all of the major tables in Prime. If the report you select gives you a Criteria screen, you must: 1) Make sure the report name you chose shows up in the Report Name in the Report Control Panel section

2) Enter the criteria for the records you are looking for. There are several steps for entering criteria

i) Use a dash for a range (e.g., 1/1/05-6/30/05)

ii) Use a comma for a list, e.g., 32, 63 for divorces and landlord tenant.

iii) Exceptions to the use of dashes and commas

(a) Note: If what you are searching for contains a DASH, such as a case number, the system gets confused and thinks you want a range. The Criteria screen will interpret the dash as a range (e.g., 13-2002541 will cause the system to look for cases between 13 and 2002541 instead of case number 13-2002541).

When requesting a range of case numbers or the records for a single case such as time records, go to the Character to Show box on the screen and change Range to COLON (:).

(b) The same applies if the data you are looking for has a COMMA in it. Select something other than the comma from the Character to Show – List box

(c) Remember, this only applies if what you are searching for contains a dash or a comma (e.g., case # 96-70001 or Jones, Jr.)

3) Use the word NULL to indicate no entry (e.g., NULL next to Date Closed gives you open cases)

4) Use < > and = signs (e.g., > 65 with age or < $8000 for income)

5) Use the * sign as a wildcard for an unlimited number of characters (e.g., Sm* gives you Smith, Smoot)

6) Use the ? as a wildcard for a single character, J?n gives you Jan and Jon, but not Jane or John.

7) Criteria are cumulative (e.g., an F with Gender and 59 with Age gives you 59 year-old women)

8) Select Choose other below to choose fields that aren’t mentioned specifically on the Criteria screen. For example you could use it to choose Adults since it isn’t listed on the form.

9) Choose Sort (Forms) and use the menu to choose how you want the report sorted. Indicate if you want the sort to be ascending (A to Z) or descending (Z to A). Forms and Queries can be sorted but the Report object can’t because the sort order is part of its setup.

10) Select Prepare Report and Produce Report to get a print preview

11) Print and/or output the report to a HTML, RTF, Excel or other format file

12) To determine how many pages the resulting report is, check the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Use the arrows to go from one page to another on multiple page reports

13) Save and Load Criteria – It can be difficult to remember the criteria used to run a report when that action is only performed monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or yearly. Using the Save & Load Criteria feature can greatly reduce the strain on your memory when it comes time to run the reports.

i) In order to save your criteria, setup and run your report as normal. After ensuring you get the results you want, close the print preview so you are back on the Criteria screen

ii) Click the Save Criteria button. The Save and Load Criteria box will pop-up

iii) Enter a unique name for the criteria, e.g., VeteransOv65

iv) Enter a brief description in the field labeled Description, e.g., Veterans over 65 years of age

v) If you check the box labeled Save for General Use, it will be available to everyone, otherwise only you will be able to see it

vi) The next time you need to run the report using this criteria, choose the report, go to the Criteria screen, then click on Load Criteria

vii) Criteria can be applied to reports other than the one they were developed for.

viii) Find the name of the criteria you saved. If you are running criteria that another staff member created, click on Display General Criteria and you will be able to see a list of criteria that was saved for general use.

Note: If a staff member said they saved criteria and you do not see it, they probably didn’t save it for general use. It is stored under their staff number and can only be run by them

ix) Once you find the criteria, click on the Load button

x) All the criteria you saved will populate the Criteria screen and you can click on Prepare Report and Produce Report to see your report.

Note: You will probably need to change the dates, but otherwise you’re ready to run the report. Be aware that sort options do not store with the Save Criteria feature, so you may also need to choose the sort order

Custom Criteria Screens

Some reports can’t run under a full QBF screen but do work with a custom criteria screen that limits the choices you can make. The Status reports are one such group of reports. Here is the custom criteria screen.

Non-QBF (Prompt) Reports

Some reports are limited as to which criteria can be applied to them. To run these reports, you are usually prompted for criteria such as a beginning and ending date. Non-QBF Reports are generated by pushing a button and entering information when prompted, such as Start Date, End Date, etc.

Reports that just run without input

The Error Alert that runs on startup is a good example of such a report. The Administrator decides what criteria and tests are to be used. The user just runs it with no interaction.