Saving, Previewing, and Running Reports

Once a report has been customized with filtering parameters, sorting and grouping choices, and layout preferences, it can be saved as a My Reports report instance for future use/re-use. There are several save options available:

  • Save – saves the report instance, with its parameters and options, to the My Reports tab, using the name provided on the Standard Properties window.

  • Save and Preview – saves the report instance to the My Reports tab and runs a preview of the report, which displays the summary section (unless suppressed) and the first page of detail results (20 records); this allows the user to verify that the report shows the data they want to see; this option does not save the report results for later viewing.

  • Save and Execute – saves the report specification to the My Reports tab and runs the report; the report results are saved to the database and can be recalled from the Report Results tab until they are deleted.

The Save and Preview option lets you modify the report output layout, including rearranging columns, changing the detail sort order, and hiding either the summary or detail section. Any changes made in preview mode can be saved to the report specification, allowing Preview mode to function as an interactive method of reconfiguring the report output. A message at the top of the report prompts the user to choose whether to Save Changes or Cancel Changes when they alter the appearance of the report preview.

When a report is executed (as opposed to previewed), the final results cannot be reordered in the on-screen display of the report. The report can, however, be downloaded as a CSV and manipulated in a spreadsheet application as needed.

A few of the reports cannot be viewed in preview mode; this is because the data in these reports cannot be polled without fully executing the report. For example, the Identity Forwarding Report shows the forwarding user for all Identities who have one specified. Because the forwarding property is not searchable, these cannot be counted up front, and the report cannot be previewed. In some cases, a report can be previewed unless certain options on it are selected. The Manager Access Review Report, for example, can be previewed unless the Show Excluded Items option is selected. In these cases, a message is shown indicating that preview is not available when the user clicks Save and Preview.