TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACME's Reporting Tool lets you create reports using every piece of information in the ticketing platform. You can modify reports in any number of ways, and can tweak them to meet your venue's unique needs.


To help with Reporting, you can create Custom Fields, which are customizable pieces of data you can collect about your Events or transactions.


A Completed Report:



How Reports Work


There are multiple ways to configure your Reports. First you choose the source of your data, then you can choose to filter that data in any way you'd like. Once you've done that, you can choose to display as many components of that filtered data as you'd like. Let's go over some of the main tools.



Data Source: this is the pool of data your Report will draw on. Different Data Sources give you different sets of data to work with. (Here is a list.) You choose your Data Source at the beginning of the process of creating a Report.


Date Range: Date Range allows you to select data from a specific time period. You can choose some standard options ("last month," "this year", "last year", etc.) or specify your own dates.


Date Field: this allows you to choose what part of the transaction occurred in the Date Range you've chosen. For example, if your Date Range is "last year", the Date Field will decide if the information searched for should be Transactions that occurred last year, Transactions for which payment was due last year (even if the transaction itself occurred outside the Date Range), or Transactions for Events that occurred last year.


Filters: Filters allow you to narrow down the data from your Data Source. For example, you can filter your data so that all results come from transactions where the total was less that $25. You can filter data to show only results where the zip code is "95404". You can filter to show only results where the email is "@acmeticketing.com". And many more. You can also combine filters. See below for more information.


Columns: Columns show you the information from a specific field. The information in a Column is limited by the Filters you select. For example, you may choose "Customer Last Name" as a Column. If there are no filters, the Column will show the last names of all Customers in your Data Source. If you've set a filter for "Gold Members only", however, the Column will show the last names of all Customers who are also Gold Members. You can drag and drop Columns to put them in different orders.


Groupings: Groupings condense the data from a Data Source. They give you all the unique elements of a field, or the unique combinations of the fields you choose. For example, if you set a Grouping to show the zip codes from a Data Source, it will return a list of all unique zip codes in that Data Source, with none repeated. (Example: your customers all come from 3 zip codes: 94114, 94110, and 94112. Your data source has 300 records, split evenly between these three zip codes. A Filter for "zip code = 94114" will show you the 100 records that have zip code of 94114. A Grouping for "zip codes" will return only 3 records, one for each zip code.) See below for more information.



Creating Reports


All reports begin with the same steps.


  1. In ACME Backoffice, click on "Reports" in the left navigation panel.
  2. Click "Create Report" button in the upper right.
  3. In the window that pops up, enter:
    • Report Name: the name you want to give your Report. It can be helpful to use both a description and a date (e.g. "Membership Report, 2/15/2017").
    • Description: further describe your Report, if you'd like. Once set, this field cannot be changed.
    • Data Source: Choose the Source of your Data. Click here to see the information associated with each Data Source.

      Note:Once you choose a Data Source, you cannot change it. The Data Source you choose here will be the one from which all the information in your Report comes. For this reason, it's worth thinking about what Data you'd like to highlight in your Report. Click here for a list of all information associated with each Data Source.

  4. Click "Save".


Alternatively, you can Duplicate any existing report to use as a starting point to then customize and modify to fit a different need. This is the easiest way to create a new report, as it can save you time by using the filters, fields, and structure of an existing report that is similar to what you are looking to build. When you open a report, click Duplicate in the top right to create a copy. We advise changing the name of the new report to differentiate it from the report it was copied from.


Customizing Reports


Once you've created your Report, you can customize it using the tools described below.


Date Field and Range


At the top of the page, you can enter the "Date Field" and "Range".


Date Field: This lets you decide what element in the Data Source should be included in the Date Range. You can have the Transaction Date be the thing that happened in the Date Range, or you can have the Payment Due Date, the Event Start Time, or the Order Creation be the thing that happened in the Date Range.


Range: This lets you choose the time span your Report covers. The drop-down menu offers some common options (e.g. "Last Month", "Last Year", "Today"). You can also specify a date range by clicking on the Calendar icon and setting specific dates.


Filters


Filters are one of the main tools you'll use to create Reports. To add a filter, click "+ Add Filter".


You can choose the item you'd like to filter, then decide how you'd like to filter it. You filter items by applying a Filter Operation to it.  Here's a list of Filter Operations:


Filter OperationWhat it DoesNotes
equalsReturns all records that match entered data exactly* Can be used as a Wildcard
not equal toReturns all records that do not exactly match the entered data* Can be used as a Wildcard
less thanReturns all records that are less than the number enteredNumbers only
less or equalReturns all records that are less than or equal to the number enteredNumbers only
greater thanReturns all records that are greater than the number enteredNumbers only
greater or equalReturns all records that are greater than or equal to the number enteredNumbers only
containsReturns all records that contain at least one piece of entered or selected dataSeparate values using a comma without a space after it. Values entered must match the data for that field exactly (no partial terms). Ex: Greendale Community College,City College
does not containReturns all records that do not contain at least one piece of the entered or selected dataSeparate values using a comma without a space after it. Ex: Greendale Community College,City College
likeReturns all records where data exists in the field* Can be used as a Wildcard; only one term can be entered
existsReturns all records where data exists in the fieldUsed to exclude blank records.
does not existReturns all records where data does not exist in the fieldUsed to include blank records.


Using these Filter Operations, you can sort your data in all sorts of ways. Here are some examples:


CouponName contains "FALLSALE"
Will return only data only for Transactions in which the customer used the Coupon "FALLSALE".



MembershipLevelName exists
Will return only data for which there is a MembershipLevelName (i.e. only Members).


Payment Method equals "CreditCard"
Will return data only for Transactions in which the customer paid with a credit card.



You can add as many Filters as you'd like. This can help you pinpoint data in your system.


To remove a Filter, click the blue "x" on the right side of the Filter.


Columns


Columns are the data categories you'd like your Report to display.

  1. To choose Columns, click "Edit Columns" on the lower right side of the page. You'll see a list of options. Choose as many of these as you'd like, then click "Preview".
  2. To see what your Columns look like with data, click "Run Report".
  3. You can move Columns by dragging them. This lets you put Columns in whatever order you'd like.
  4. You can click on the name of a Column to organize the entire table according to that column. Clicking once will put things in alphabetical order (or numerical order, if the data in the column is numerical); clicking again will put things in reverse alphabetical order; clicking again will return the Report to the condition it was in previously.


Grouping


If you'd like to produce a more high-level, summary-style report, Grouping is a powerful tool.


Grouping returns all unique elements in a Data Source. If you combine Groupings, it returns all the unique combinations of selected elements. This lets you summarize data in an efficient way.



You have three options for Grouping:


Group By: this can hold up to 5 fields.

Summarize By: used for numeric fields only, and allows mathematical processes. The most common is "Sum", which adds the results of all the items in a field.

Count: counts instances of information in a field. For example, if a transaction had a "sale" and a "payment" line, Count would say transaction count = 2.


Running Reports


Once you've set Columns and Filters, you can see what your Report will look like. Click "Run Report". (Clicking "Preview Report" will show you only the first 10 results.)



By default, the screen only shows 10 results at a time. At the bottom left, however, it will show the total number of records that fit your Filters. In the upper right, you can see how many pages (of 10 records each) are in the Report. Click the arrows to search through the pages.


You can also do a number of things to modify your report:

  • You can move Columns by dragging and dropping.
  • You can click on a Column name to put the whole table in alphabetical order of that Column.
  • You can Duplicate a Report if you'd like to create another report that is similar. To do this, click "Duplicate" in the upper right corner. Then proceed as normal.


Note: Reports are infinitely editable.You can add or subtract Filters, change the Date Range, edit the Columns, and run the Report as many times as you'd like. You can move Columns around, or sort information according to any particular Column. Each time, click "Run Report" to see the effects of your changes.


Once you have a Report you'd like, click "Save" in the upper right of the screen.


Printing and Downloading Reports


  1. Click "Print" on the bottom right of the screen.
  2. A Print Summary page will pop up.
  3. Click "Print" in the upper right corner.
  4. If you'd like to save as a PDF, click "Save PDF" (or something similar) on your computer's print page.


Download as CSV

  1. Click "Download CSV" on the bottom right of the screen.
  2. Open the downloaded CSV file.

Duplicating a Report


To duplicate an existing report for use as a base for a new report, click "Duplicate" in the upper right corner.  This will create a new report that can be renamed and adjusted as needed.


Setting up RBAC Permissions on Reports


By default, Reports can be accessed by all users. However, you can restrict access, so that only particular user groups can see the Report. (For more information on user groups and RBAC, read Managing Internal Users.)


Note: To restrict access to a Report, the user must first be part of the "Reports_Restrict_Groups" role.

  1. Click "Restrict user access" in the upper right corner
  2. Select the groups that can access to the Report
  3. Click "Update Selection"