3. BusinessObjects: Running a Report in View Mode

Prompt Status Icons

Prompts can have four different statuses, represented using icons as shown below.

A checkmark in a box indicates that the prompt is mandatory and has been completed.
If the prompt is set correctly, no further action is required.

A lowercase letter "i" in a box indicates that the prompt is mandatory but has not been completed.
The report will not run until all mandatory prompts are complete.

A checkmark with no box indicates that the prompt is optional and has been completed.
Refer to report guide or contact helpdesk to determine when to complete optional prompts.

No icon indicates the prompt is optional and incomplete.
Refer to report guide or contact helpdesk to determine when to complete optional prompts.

Initiate Viewing Report

1: On the row for the report you wish to run, click on the ••• button on the right-hand side to open the options menu for the individual report.
2: In the dropdown, select View to initiate scheduling the report.

Provider & Reporting Group Prompts

Select Provider(s) or Select Project(s)

Most reports will contain a prompt that asks you to select providers (or projects). This is where you will select the project(s) you want to have included in the report. This prompt may allow one or multiple projects to be selected, depending upon the report.

Select Reporting Group(s)

Some reports contain an option to utilize one or more reporting groups. This prompt should only be utilized when instructed by an ICA Team Member.

Important! Unless otherwise instructed by an ICA team member or a report guide, the "Select Provider(s)" and "Select Reporting Group(s)" prompts should never be used at the same time. One should always be blank or set to "none selected."

EDA Provider

The EDA Provider should be set based upon the information entered into the select provider(s) and select reporting group(s) prompts. The EDA Provider is a very important prompt and must be set correctly, as it determines how the data is pulled into the report. If it is pulled using the wrong EDA Provider (or no EDA Provider), the data could pull incorrectly, and you could get an inaccurate report.

If a single project is selected under "Select Provider(s)," then the same project should be selected as the EDA Provider.
If multiple projects have been selected under "Select Provider(s)," then one of the projects selected should be selected as the EDA Provider.
If one or more reporting groups have been selected under "Select Reporting Group(s)," then one of the projects within one of the reporting groups should be selected as the EDA Provider.
The only time an EDA Provider prompt should be left as "-Default Provider-" is when instructed by an ICA team member or report guide.

CoC Code Prompts

In general, CoC Code prompts should be left as "none selected" or blank unless a specific report guide (or instructions from an ICA team member) says otherwise.

Date Prompts

Most BusinessObjects reports will have anywhere from one to four date prompts. The most common prompts are shown below.

Enter Start Date

When entering the start date for the report, just enter the first day of the reporting period. You must include the month, day and year in month/day/year format. For example, if the start of your reporting period is January 1, 2022, you would enter "01/01/2022," "1/1/22," or something along those lines. You can also use the date picker available in BusinessObjects, if you'd prefer to use that instead of entering the date via the keyboard.

Enter End Date PLUS 1 Day

When entering the end date for the report, you must enter the day after the reporting period ends. This is why the end date prompt usually refers to "PLUS 1 Day". Much like the start date, you must enter the month, day and year in month/day/year format. If the end of your reporting period is May 31, 2022, you would enter "06/01/2022," "6/1/22," or something along those lines.

Important! If a report does not say "PLUS 1 Day" for the End Date, you must still add one day to the end of the report period.

Enter Effective Date

Many BusinessObjects reports have a prompt that says "Enter effective date." If the report utilizes a start and end date, then the effective date you should enter must match the date you entered into the end date prompt. If, however, the report does not have a date range, the effective date will typically be the date you are running the report.

Important! If a report has both an End Date PLUS 1 Day prompt and an Effective Date prompt, they must always match in order for the report to generate properly. If they do not match, the report may show a significant amount of data as missing even though the data may have been properly entered.

Picklist Prompts

Picklist prompts are prompts where you are offered a list of options from which to make a selection other than the provider, reporting group, or CoC code. The most common picklist prompt is a yes/no prompt, where the user selects either "yes" or "no" based upon the prompt question, followed by a funding source prompt.

Text & Number Prompts

Number and text prompts are the least common form of prompt in BusinessObjects reports, but they do exist. These are fields where you will enter a number or some free text, depending upon the field. The most common number and text prompts are prompts which ask you to enter the capacity of your project (number prompt) or to enter a grant ID (text prompt), though there are other number and text prompts.

3. Click Run to begin running the report. When the report finishes running, it will open in the Report Viewer.

4: Click Run to begin running the report. When the report finishes running, it will open in the Report Viewer.

Navigating the Report Viewer

The upgraded report viewer utilized by BusinessObjects has had a substantial layout change compared to ART. The screenshot below shows the most commonly used functions.

A: Additional File Options Menu
If you want to save a report so you can use it outside of BusinessObjects, you'll use the ••• button, then go to Export. Step-by-step instructions for exporting reports are available below.
B: Report Refresh
Use this button to bring up the report prompts again, set/change them, and then re-run the report. This does not trigger a rebuild of the BusinessObjects data warehouse.
C: Filter & Input Control Toggle
This button toggles whether the Input Controls are shown.
D: Input Controls
Input Controls are located at the top of the screen. Input controls are utilized on some reports to allow the user to customize/limit the information shown in the report.
E: Report Tabs
Report tabs are located at the top of the screen.
F: Display & Page Navigation
Display settings and page navigation controls are found at the bottom of the screen but show only when your mouse is near the bottom of the screen. If you do not see the controls, move your mouse to the lower center of the screen and the controls should appear.

Exporting a Report

Exporting reports from BusinessObjects while in View mode is a five-step process, outlined below.

1: Click the ••• button in the "File" section of the ribbon.
2: Select Export in the dropdown.
3: Select the format you want for the export. ICA generally recommends Excel or PDF, but any option can be used.
4: Select the report tabs you want to be included in the export. If ICA is troubleshooting your report, please include the "Additional Information" tab in your export.
5: Click Export. Once the report has finished exporting, you may be prompted to save or open the file (depending upon your browser settings).; Warning! If a report contains identifying information (names or initials, dates of birth, entire or partial SSNs, etc.) about clients, it may not be transmitted via email unless encrypted.

Troubleshooting

Error

If you receive the message Internal Error ("Cannot create XML InputForms Element. (Error: ??? 00000)") when attempting to open a report in View mode, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to request assistance. In your message to the helpdesk, please specify the name and location of the report for which you received this error so our reporting team may investigate the issue promptly.

Need Assistance?

If you have any other questions about how to use BusinessObjects or need assistance, please use the "Contact the Helpdesk" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to request assistance.

	A checkmark in a box indicates that the prompt is mandatory and has been completed. If the prompt is set correctly, no further action is required.
	A lowercase letter "i" in a box indicates that the prompt is mandatory but has not been completed. The report will not run until all mandatory prompts are complete.
	A checkmark with no box indicates that the prompt is optional and has been completed. Refer to report guide or contact helpdesk to determine when to complete optional prompts.
	No icon indicates the prompt is optional and incomplete. Refer to report guide or contact helpdesk to determine when to complete optional prompts.