To order reports, you can use one of the three report types: Ad Hoc Report, Standard Report and Condition-based Report. Each of the created Report Definitions is suitable for each of the three report types. Therefore you decide which of the report types is suitable for you according to the project parameters. You can carry out up to four order steps for all three of them, depending on the settings you have made previously under the sub-navigation field Settings. Mandatory are the first and last step, selection of the focus unit and order, while the third and fourth, comparison groups and global filters, are optional. The following order steps differ from each other only in terms of how the focus unit is defined, which is why you get to know the first order step separately for each report type. The others are all common and can be presented accordingly.
Page layout: Ad Hoc Report and Standard Report
There is hardly any difference between Ad Hoc Report and Standard Report when it comes to the page layout of the first order step: the selection of the Focus unit. For both report types, the enterprise hierarchy that has been transferred to the organizational structure appears. The organizational structure can be expanded by clicking on the plus icon. For better handling, you can use a search function if your organizational structure has an unclear size.
However, the following difference can be observed between an Ad Hoc Reportand a Standard Report:
- Mass report ordering, the Standard Report, allows you to order a report for each Focus unit. Click on the units one after the other. Define a Focus unit for the individual report.
- In the case of Ad Hoc Report, the left pane does not simply list the units for which a report will be ordered, but offers you the option of creating a virtual Focus unit. The legend, green doctoral hat, informs you about the available set operators.
Selection of the Focus unit (Ad Hoc Report)
You select only one focus unit for the Ad Hoc Report, for which the report is then ordered. The organizational structure contains the unit that is to function as the focus unit. Then proceed to the next order step if you do not want to create the focus unit as a virtual focus unit.
- A virtual Focus unit is made up of units taken from your organizational structure. First enter a name for the new virtual unit, then click on the units one after the other and select the corresponding quantity operator from the drop-down list.
- You combine several units into a virtual one by creating a set from the two uppermost units, from which a set is formed with the third unit, and so on.
- Because you use one of the four operators for each set formation from two units, the sequence of the units already changes the resulting set.
The following application case can be presented: The employee project used for the Report Manager has two organizational structures. While one organizational structure represents the branches of a company in different countries (e. g.“France“, “England“ and “Germany“), the other organizational structure reflects the functional ramifications of the company. One example is “finance“,“marketing“ and “development“. In this case, the virtual focus unit can be composed of e. g. “Finance“ and “France“,“Marketing“ and “England“ and “Development“ and “Germany“.
Set operators and usage
The following table shows the available set operators, which you use to form a set of the selected units. To create a virtual unit, you form a union set, an intersection, a set difference, and/or a symmetrical difference set.
Operator | Symbol | Bedeutung |
|---|---|---|
| Vereinigung |
| Menge, die zu A, B und zu beiden gehört |
| Schnitt |
| Menge, die zu A und zu B gehört |
| Differenz |
| Menge, die zu A, nicht zu B und nicht zu beiden gehört |
| Symmetrisch Differenz |
| Menge, die zu A und B, aber nicht zu beiden gehört4 |
Selection of the Focus unit (Standard Report)
The great advantage of the report typeStandard Reportis that a report is ordered for one focus unit and for all subunits that are hung under the selected unit in the organizational structure. To do this, just check the box in front of “Include subunits“. For example, you can select the root unit as the focus unit, then check the box so that a report is ordered for all subunits, each of which acts as a focus unit.
Information
If you select the root unit as the focus unit, no more level-up comparison units are found for this unit and all cells of a shape that require a level-up comparison value remain empty in a generated report or are marked with a character that you have defined for this case in the settings of a Report Definition.
Selection of the Focus unit (Condition-based Reports)
For theCondition-based Report, you use filter conditions to specify the focus unit(s) you want to use. The units to which the set filter conditions apply will act as focus units. A report is ordered for this purpose.
- This report category must first be activated in the settings in the report definition.
- The filters are connected by a logical AND, so that each filter that is set must also apply.
- With each filter setting, more units are screened and the selection becomes finer.
The page layout is very different from the other two report types. Each line contains two select boxes and a free text field. Below the three lines you will find a button to check the filter conditions you have selected.
Filter conditions
Structure variables and unit properties can be selected as filters. You use the structure variables and unit properties in the first select box:
- Label
- Metaname
- View_ID
- Level
- Response_anon
In the second select box, you select the relational operator. The available relational operator are listed in the table below.
Operator | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| greater | > | greater than |
| greater than or equal to | >= | greater than or equal to |
| equal to | == | equal to |
| less | < | less than |
| less than or equal to | <= | less than or equal to |
| not equal to | != | not equal to |
| contains | ~= | filtering by words |
After selecting the relational operators, you define a value. For example, if you select a Metaname as a filter and ~= as the operator, you can enter a part of the unit's Metaname as the value to get a checkable record. Label and Metanameallow filtering that targets text elements.
Import of variables
You can also use the structure variables you created in EFS-Employee as filters to select the focus unit in the first step of the Condition-based Report.
You navigate in EFS:
[selected project] → Org Processor → Configuration → Structure variables → Create variable
A newly created variable is imported into the Report Manager after every update of the Data Voyager.
The second order step: Selection of the comparison groups
Once a focus unit has been selected, edit the comparison group selection by specifying members. Each member of the comparison group can also be created as a virtual comparison unit. Perform the following steps:
- Click on the button Edit selection.
- You edit the name of your comparison group by clicking on the pen icon.
- You select a new comparison unit of the organizational structure that is to be the first member of the comparison group.
- To add a new comparison unit to your comparison group, you click on + New virtual focus unit.
- Otherwise, you create a virtual comparison unit directly.
- You do not specify the sequence of the units that you want to include in your comparison group until you do so. In the mapping on the sub navigation field Pages, you select a comparison unit from the comparison group, but this is only a placeholder. Now you define the actual participant. From the organizational structure, select the unit that is used for the placeholder. Make sure that the unit gets the desired position.
- The comparison units are determined from top to bottom. This corresponds to the representation in the inspector on the sub navigation field Pages. The unit elements of the configured comparison unit are counted from 1 to x.
- Next to the pencil you will find the filter icon: the funnel, which allows you to define filter conditions for the members of the comparison group.
- A modal opens for the filter conditions, which helps you to set the filters.
- The funnel is highlighted as soon as a unit has been fitted with a filter.
Comparison group filters
Clicking on the filter icon, the funnel, opens the modal. You add a new filter condition by clicking on the button. The filter conditions are linked to each other by the logical OR, while the filter groups are linked by the logical AND.
- The filter syntax, which is also used in the mapping area of the sub-navigation field Pages, does not change.
- Within a filter group, you define a filter using the left Select-Box, which is specified with the right one.
- A filter group corresponds to a variable, so that the filters cannot be changed within a group.
- The filters apply to the member of the comparison group, which can also be a virtual comparison unit.
Virtual comparion units
You create virtual comparison units, as you create a virtual focus unit. For the virtual comparison unit, you also activate filters.
- You create each member of the comparison group as a virtual comparison unit.
- You create virtual comparison units with set operators: union, intersections, difference and/or symmetrical difference.
- You activate a filter separately for each virtual comparison unit in the comparison group.
- Filtering is performed in addition to the filters set in the Report Definition.
It is useful to explain the virtual comparison unit with reference to the virtual focus unit. If you have created a virtual focus unit (for example, “Development“ and “Germany“), you may want to compare it with the development department in France. You combine your virtual comparison unit from the location and function within the organizational structure and select the required quantity operator. You can also use a filter for the comparison unit. If you select “gender female“ as the filter, the virtual focus unit consisting of “development“ and “Germany“ is compared exclusively with the women of the virtual comparison unit composed of “development“ and “France“. No filter can currently be set for the virtual focus unit.
The third order step: Global filter
You activate this ordering step in the sub-navigation field Settings of the Report Definition. This step allows you to define filters for the entire report. Your procedure does not differ from the previously selected filters.
- Again, add filter conditions and filter groups. Again, the filter conditions are linked by the logical OR. Again, the filter groups are linked by the logical AND.
- The filter settings made for the third order step apply to the entire report and are effective in addition to all filters that have already been set.
The last order step Order provides you with an overview of the settings made for the previous order steps: selection of the focus unit(s), comparison groups and filters. Next, you do the following:
- You assign a report name. Placeholders can be used. These can be found in the legend, green doctor's hat icon.
- Choice of the downloadable file formats: PPTX and/or PDF.
- You check your previous settings. If you want to make a correction, simply use the buttons in the upper or lower area to return to the corresponding step and make the desired changes.
- Sending the order.
After placing the order, you will automatically return to the start page and the ordered reports will be transferred to the report table and displayed. Once the reports have been generated, they are available for download as PPTX and/or PDF files.
Report distribution
There are several ways to access generated reports. You have already learned one in the section on the report table. Among other things, it has the function to make reports available for download. In addition, you distribute the reports generated with the Report Manager to EFS Employee. In the Org Processor you can see the report in the column “Number of reports“ under the tab Report overview, which can be downloaded by clicking on the corresponding unit. This chapter explains how to organize the distribution to EFS Employee. You will also learn how to download the reports from the external view of Portals.