Reports
Package: BASIC
1. General
The Reports module enables the analysis of records from brainX. Data at a specific point in time or over a period – e.g. a quarter – is aggregated and analysed, so that data-based decisions can be made and business processes can be adjusted in a targeted manner. Reports allow important KPIs to be tracked and clear strategies to be defined.
By default, Reports present data as tables. Additionally configurable graphics and charts provide a quick visual overview.
The following report types are available:
- Tabular → Simple report with a header row and data rows, optionally with basic calculations.
- Calculations → Calculations based on groupings over up to three fields.
- Calculations with details → Calculations with grouping over one field as well as detail rows for the individual records.
- Matrix → Calculations over up to three groupings, presented in rows and columns with grand totals.
- Report set → Combination of several reports and/or charts into a shared view.
Reports can be exported as PDF or CSV. The CSV export of reports runs in the background. Once created successfully, a notification is displayed via which the file can be downloaded.
Via the scheduling, an automatic, time-controlled dispatch by email can additionally be configured.
1.1. Application examples
Which channels deliver the most leads? Reports show at a glance where leads originate and which sources are particularly worthwhile.
Keep an eye on calls, Tasks and meetings and measure the performance of individual staff members.
Overview of open quotations including the probability of closing – for a reliable pipeline analysis.
Analyse open tickets, processing times and communication volume in order to improve support in a targeted way.
Duration, generated leads and ROI of marketing Campaigns at a glance.
The sales manager wants to receive an overview of revenue, open quotations and closing rates every month. He creates three reports (type Calculations) for the respective key figures and combines them in a report set. Via the scheduling, the report set is automatically sent as a PDF to the Sales group on the last working day of the month.
The support team leader wants to know how many tickets each person in the team has processed and closed in the last 30 days. She creates a report of the type Calculations with details, grouped by the field Assignee, and sets a permanent filter on the status done as well as a date filter on the last 30 days. The result shows the number of tickets per staff member as well as all detail rows.
Frequently used reports can be embedded directly on the home page as a dashboard widget.
2. Report types
2.1. Tabular
Simple report with a header row and the associated data rows. Optional: basic calculations on numeric fields.
In its presentation, the tabular report corresponds to a classic spreadsheet program: a header row names the selected columns, followed below by the data rows.
Optionally, basic calculations can be performed on currency, number and percentage fields: sum, average, minimum value and maximum value.
2.2. Calculations
Calculations based on groupings over up to three fields.
In the calculation report, up to three fields are selected by which the data is grouped. Afterwards, different calculations can be applied to all currency, number and percentage fields.
In addition to the standard calculations (sum, average, minimum and maximum value), counting records is also available.
2.3. Calculations with details
Calculations based on the grouping of one field, combined with detail rows for the individual records.
The type Calculations with details combines the report types Calculations and Tabular. Only one column can be selected for the grouping.
In contrast to the tabular report, all fields of the respective module can be used as calculation columns – they do not additionally have to be present in the detail rows.
2.4. Matrix
Calculations over up to three groupings, presented in rows and columns with grand totals per row and column.
The matrix report allows grouping by two or three fields. In contrast to the report type Calculations, one of the groupings is presented as a column instead of as a row. Grand totals are formed for both rows and columns.
2.5. Report set
Combination of several previously created reports and/or charts into a shared view.
A report set is not a standalone report type in the strict sense: it combines several existing reports and thus enables a holistic view of individual business areas. Beyond mere comparisons, complex analyses can be built up with extensive report sets.
Example report set
With the report set, no fields are configured and no calculations are defined – only existing reports and charts are combined. The creation process therefore differs from the other report types. See section Creating a report set.
3. Permissions
3.1. General rights settings
The permissions concept for the Reports module differs from standard modules. No settings can be made via the global rights assignment.
The rights are applied as follows:
- Create: Any user who may access the module can create reports and report sets. The Reports module can be deactivated per profile.
- View: Administrators can view all reports. Other users see:
- public reports
- reports of users subordinate by role
- reports explicitly shared with them
- Edit: Editing is permitted with:
- administrator rights
- the profile permission Edit all
- reports of users subordinate by role
- own reports (owner)
- Delete: Reports can only be deleted by the owner or by an administrator.
Depending on the profile permissions for individual fields and the allowed picklist values of the user role, it can happen that a report cannot be displayed. This occurs if columns for groupings or advanced filters may not be viewed, or if picklist values are not available for the respective role.
The export options in PDF and CSV format can also be permitted per profile. This setting applies both to exports from the detail view and to the time-controlled email dispatch.
3.2. Sharing
For each report, it can be configured individually via the picklist Sharing who may view the report:
- public – all users and groups can see the report.
- private – only the owner and users with administrator rights can see the report.
- restricted – via an individual share, only selected users and/or groups can see the report.
3.2.1. Configuring an individual share
If the value “restricted” was selected in the editing view, the action icon “Configure access” (gear icon) appears. After clicking it, the “Sharing” popup opens.
Sharing popup
Via checkboxes, the users and/or groups that may view the report are selected.
4. List view
The list view of the Reports module has the usual functions of a list view in brainX. Further information on this can be found in the section Setup/Structure – List view.
4.1. Actions
In the list view – depending on the module – general actions are available. An overview and description of all general actions can be found in the section Actions (list view).
Additionally, the following module-specific actions are available:
| Action | Requirement | Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| Manage folders | none | Create, rename and delete folders. For detailed information see section Manage folders. |
4.1.1. Manage folders
Reports can be stored in a structured way in folders. After clicking the Actions button in the list view, a flyout menu opens with the action “Manage folders”.
Action “Manage folders” in the flyout menu
After clicking “Manage folders”, the “Manage directories” popup opens. It lists all existing directories; in parentheses after the directory name is the number of contained reports.
“Manage directories” popup
The “Standard” directory cannot be edited or deleted. Folders with an identical name cannot be created multiple times.
The following actions are available in the popup:
“Manage directories” popup - rename and delete
4.1.2. Create directory
After clicking the “Create directory” button (“Folder” icon), the search field switches to an input field for the directory name. After entering the name, the directory is created by pressing the Enter key and is displayed in the list.
“Manage directories” popup - create directory
4.1.3. Rename directory
Behind each directory name is the “Three dots” icon. After clicking it, a flyout menu opens with the options “Rename directory” and “Delete directory”.
After selecting “Rename directory”, the name becomes editable. The change is saved via the “green check mark” icon.
“Manage directories” popup - rename directory
4.1.4. Delete directory
After selecting “Delete directory” in the flyout menu (“Three dots” icon), a different popup is displayed depending on whether there are still reports in the directory:
- Directory without reports: A confirmation popup asks whether the directory should really be deleted. The action is completed via “Confirm”.
- Directory with reports: A popup prompts you to select a target directory into which the existing reports are moved. The action is likewise completed via “Confirm”.
“Delete directory” popup
5. Detail view
In the as-delivered state, the detail view of a record has standard fields, which are described below.
5.1. Report details block – fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Report name * | Name of the report. |
| Module * | The module whose records are analysed. Nearly all modules in brainX are available for selection, including Users (not a standalone module, but usable for reports on brainX users). |
| Folder * | Directory in which the report is stored |
| Owner * | User to whom the report belongs When creating a new report, the owner is automatically set to the currently logged-in user. This can, however, also be changed. |
| Show audit-proof data | When activated, audit-proof (archived, immutable) data states are taken into account in the report |
| Limit for number of records | Maximum number of records analysed in the report. No entry means no limit. |
| Limit for grouping | Maximum number of displayed groups for grouped reports. No entry means no limit. |
| Sharing * |
|
| Scheduling | Activates the automatic, time-controlled email dispatch of the report – see section 6.1.2 Scheduling |
*Mandatory field
5.2. Filter block
In the “Filter” block, the filters permanently configured for the report are displayed. In the detail view, temporary filters can additionally be set without having to open and edit the report for that purpose.
Filter block - without configured filter
Filter block - with filter for the “Status” field
Via the “Add filter” button, further single filters are added; via “Add group”, logically related filter groups can be created. After clicking Apply, the temporary filters take effect; “Reset” removes them again.
The way filters work is described in detail in section 6.4 Filter.
5.3. Chart and data block
In the “Chart and data” block – if configured – charts as well as the actual report data are displayed.
Example report “Deals by customer” (type “Calculations with details”) with pie chart
6. Creating a report
After clicking the “Create report” button in the list view, the “Choose report type” popup opens.
“Choose report type” popup
After clicking a report type, the creation view opens. Creation is divided into up to five steps:
The report set report type follows a different creation process, since no new data reports are created, but existing reports are combined. See section Creating a report set.
6.1. Report details
In the “Report details” step, the basic details of the report are defined: name, main module, folder and description. Nearly all modules in brainX are available as the main module.
Creation view - “Report details” step
As soon as a module has been selected in the Report details step and the next step has been called up, the module can no longer be changed. If the wrong module was chosen, there are two options:
- Refresh the browser page – this resets the module selection; all details entered so far (name, folder, description) are lost in the process.
- Use the “Cancel” button and start the creation over.
The “Module” picklist also offers “Users” for selection. Users is not a module that can be opened in its own right, but it enables the creation of reports on brainX users.
A complete description of all fields can be found in section Report details block – fields.
6.1.1. Scheduling
Via the scheduling, the report is automatically sent by email to selected users and/or groups at configured times.
Example 1: The head of customer service has statistics on created customer tickets sent to them weekly.
Example 2: The Sales group automatically receives the current revenue figures at the end of the month.
If the “Scheduling” switch is activated, the “Schedule for dispatch” popup opens.
“Schedule for dispatch” popup
General
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Interval * |
|
| Time |
|
| Format | Format of the dispatched file: PDF, CSV or Both |
| Recipients | Selection of the users and/or groups that receive the report by email |
*Mandatory field
PDF format options
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Page orientation of the PDF file: Portrait or Landscape |
| Header template | Selection of a header template (optional) |
| Footer template | Selection of a footer template (optional) |
CSV format
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Format |
|
| Separator |
|
6.2. Field configuration
In the “Field configuration” step, it is defined which fields of the selected module appear in the report. The available fields are displayed on the left in a list and can be added to the report's column selection via drag & drop or via the corresponding buttons. The order of the columns can likewise be adjusted via drag & drop.
Example creation of report type Tabular - Field configuration step
Depending on the report type, different fields can be selected:
- Tabular: All fields of the module are available as columns.
- Calculations / Matrix: Grouping fields and calculation fields are configured separately.
- Calculations with details: In addition to the grouping field, detail columns and calculation columns are selected separately.
When grouping by date fields (report types Calculations, Calculations with details and Matrix), the following year-independent grouping options are available in addition to the year-based intervals:
- Month, year-independent -> groups all records by calendar month, regardless of the year
- Quarter, year-independent -> groups all records by calendar quarter, regardless of the year
This is useful, for example, for birthday lists, seasonal analyses or analyses of Contracts that are renewed in a certain month or quarter – across several years.
When grouping by date fields with a time of day, the time of day is ignored – grouping is done exclusively by date.
6.3. Calculations
In the “Calculations” step, it is defined for the numeric fields selected in the previous step (currency, number, percentage) which aggregation should be applied.
Example creation of report type Calculations - Calculations step
Available calculation types:
- Sum – total of all values in the group.
- Average – mean value of all values in the group.
- Minimum value – smallest value in the group.
- Maximum value – largest value in the group.
- Count – number of records in the group.
6.4. Filter
In the “Filter” step, the permanent filter rules of the report are configured. Filters restrict the analysed records before the calculations are carried out.
Example creation of report type Calculations - Filter step
Individual filters are added via “Add filter”. Several filters within a group are linked with AND by default. Via Add group, alternative conditions (OR link between groups) can be defined.
For each filter, the desired field, the operator (e.g. equals, contains, is greater than) and the comparison value are specified. For relational fields, the linked records are available for selection.
For date fields, two additional filter options are available:
- In month -> filters by a specific calendar month, year-independent (e.g. all records from January, regardless of the year)
- Custom (year-independent) -> enables filtering by year-independent months and quarters
For the main module, the field Subscribed is additionally available to restrict the report to subscribed records - this also applies to modules available exclusively in the CRM version “brainX APP”, such as Controllix.
If, in the Filter step, you filter on changes to line items (change tracking), only the line items that match the filter criterion are displayed in the report – not all line items of the respective record. Several line item filters can be combined with AND as well as OR.
Temporary filters in the detail view supplement the permanent filters without overwriting them. They are discarded after leaving the view. See section Filter block.
6.5. Chart
In the “Chart” step, a chart for the report can optionally be configured. The chart is displayed in the detail view in the “Chart and data” block above the table and reacts dynamically to temporary filters.
Example creation of report type Calculations - Chart step
In this step, chart type, field selection, calculation type and grouping are configured in a shared view. When creating a chart from a list view or a report, the step for module and view selection is automatically skipped, since this selection is already fixed.
If Count is chosen as the calculation type, field selection is omitted – it is not required in this case. Up to two groupings can be configured.
Available chart types:
- Bar chart (horizontal/vertical)
- Line chart
- Pie chart
- Doughnut chart
If grouping is done by a date field, an interval for the grouping can additionally be set (e.g. day, week, month, quarter, year). In addition, the option for cross-year grouping is available, so that records can be aggregated by calendar month or quarter regardless of the year.
7. Creating a report set
A report set combines several existing reports and/or charts into a shared view. In contrast to other report types, no fields are configured and no calculations are defined - only existing reports and charts are combined.
Example creation of report type report set
With report sets, complete company dashboards can be built up - e.g. a monthly sales report combining revenue, pipeline and activities in a single view.
The creation view of a report set is divided into two blocks:
- Report details → corresponds to the Report details block of a report
- Layout → definition of the layout of the report set
7.1. Choosing a layout
Five options are available for the layout of a report set:
- single-column
- two-column
- two-column, right larger
- two-column, left larger
- three-column
Report set - start layout
After selecting a layout, the creation view appears as follows:
Report set - two-column layout
Each row contains – depending on the chosen layout – a corresponding number of cells. Within a cell, reports and charts can be selected as well as texts entered.
For each further row, a separate layout can be defined via the selection buttons:
Report set - row 1 two-column layout, row 2 three-column layout
7.2. Editing the layout
The layout can be adjusted at any time during creation.
On mouseover of a cell, the following action icon is shown:
- Move cell (“Four-directional arrow” icon) -> in a multi-column layout, the cell can be moved horizontally.
On mouseover of a row, the following action icons are shown:
- Delete (“Recycle Bin” icon) -> the row is deleted.
- Change row layout (“Layout” icon) -> the layout of the row is changed.
- Move row (“Four-directional arrow” icon) -> the row is moved vertically.
Editing the layout - action icons
The entire layout can be removed via the “Delete layout” button in order to start over with a new layout.
7.3. Selecting report/chart/text
Within a cell, the following options are available for configuring the content:
- Choose report (“Report” icon) → opens a popup for selecting a report
- Choose chart (“Chart” icon) → opens a popup for selecting a chart
- Enter text (“T” icon) → opens a popup for entering text
7.3.1. Choose report
After clicking the “Choose report” button, the “Reports” popup opens.
Reports popup
After clicking a report name, a further popup opens in which it is selected whether the report's data or the associated chart should be used.
Selection data/chart
By clicking the respective button, either the data or the chart is added to the cell.
7.3.2. Choose chart
After clicking the “Choose chart” button, the “Charts” popup opens:
Charts popup
The selection is made by clicking the chart name.
After the selection, the action icon “Preview” is displayed in the cell alongside the action icons “Clear cell” and “Move cell”. After clicking “Preview”, a popup with a preview of the chart opens.
7.3.3. Enter text
In a report set, each cell can contain a descriptive text. After clicking the “Enter text” button, the “Edit text” popup opens.
Edit text popup
- Title → cell heading
- Description as list (switch) → if the switch is active, each new line in the “Description” field is displayed with a bullet point.
- Description → text area for descriptions, info or details about the report
Example cell with text
8. Practical examples
1 – Monthly sales reporting as a report set with automatic dispatch
The sales manager of a company wants to receive, on the last working day of each month, a complete overview of revenue, open deals and closing rates – without having to call up the report manually.
First, three separate reports of the type Calculations are created: one for the monthly revenue (grouped by month), one for open deals (filtered by status Enquiry received, Deal sent and Negotiation) as well as one for the closing rate (ratio of won to lost deals). For each report, a chart is optionally configured.
Afterwards, a report set is created that combines all three reports in a two-column layout. Via the scheduling, the automatic dispatch is configured to monthly, last working day, as a PDF to the Sales group. From this point on, the sales team automatically receives the report without manual effort.
2 – Support analysis by staff member with detail rows
The support team leader wants to know how many tickets each person in the team has processed and closed in the last 30 days – including the individual ticket details.
She creates a report of the type Calculations with details on the Tickets module. Assignee is chosen as the grouping field. In the Filter step, two permanent filters are set: Status equals done as well as a date filter on the creation date of the last 30 days. Count is chosen as the calculation column in order to show the number of tickets per staff member.
The result shows, per staff member, the total number of completed tickets as well as all associated detail rows. The report is shared with the restricted sharing only for the team leader and the support group.
3 – Campaign performance with a matrix report and dashboard widget
The marketing team wants to analyse the performance of running Campaigns: how many leads has each campaign generated, broken down by lead source and month?
A report of the type Matrix is created on the Leads module. Campaign is chosen as the row grouping and Month (creation date) as the column grouping. The calculation column Count provides the number of leads per combination. A permanent filter on Status does not equal lost excludes already qualified and discarded leads from the count.
The finished report is then embedded directly as a dashboard widget on the home page, so that the marketing team can view the campaign performance at a glance at any time.
9. Frequently asked questions
Can I change the module of a report afterwards?
No. As soon as a module has been selected in the creation process and the next step has been called up, the module can no longer be changed. In this case, the creation must be restarted via the Cancel button or by refreshing the browser page. In the process, all details entered so far are lost.
What is the difference between permanent and temporary filters?
Permanent filters are configured when creating or editing a report in the Filter step and always apply when the report is called up. Temporary filters, on the other hand, can additionally be set in the report's detail view without changing the report – they supplement the permanent filters and are discarded after leaving the view. Temporary filters also affect PDF and CSV exports as well as charts.
Can a report be sent automatically by email?
Yes. Via the scheduling in the report details, an automatic, time-controlled dispatch by email can be configured. The report can be sent daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or yearly to selected users and/or groups as a PDF, CSV or both. The first dispatch takes place directly after saving, as soon as the background task Reports scheduling is next executed.
Who may see or edit a report?
Administrators can view and edit all reports. Other users see public reports, reports of users subordinate by role as well as reports explicitly shared with them. Users may edit their own reports as well as reports of users subordinate by role – provided no differing profile permissions are set. Only the owner or an administrator can delete a report.
Can I structure reports in folders?
Yes. Via the Manage folders action in the list view, directories can be created, renamed and deleted. Each report is assigned to a folder when it is created. The standard directory Standard cannot be edited or deleted. When deleting a folder with existing reports, these are moved to another directory.
Can I display a report directly on the home page?
Yes. Frequently used reports can be embedded as a dashboard widget on the home page. Detailed information on this can be found in the section Dashboard Widgets.