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Report Fields and Settings Reference

Updated

The SmartSimple reporting system includes a range of fields, columns, and settings across its list views, builders, and export tools.

NOTE  SmartSimple is transitioning from the classic syntax using "@" to a new syntax using curly braces. Both syntaxes are currently supported.

It is recommended that global administrators enable the new syntax. Locate the System Options section in Global Settings, and toggle Enable New Variable Syntax on.

Report List View Columns

Column Description
Report Number (#) Index of the report on the page. Page length is determined by Personal Settings, Number of Records Per Page.
Report Name Name assigned to the report. An asterisk (*) before the name indicates a built-in report.
Report Description Narrative description of the report's purpose.
Roles Lists the roles that have access to the report. Users with manager permissions for reports can see all reports even if this field is empty.
Last Updated Date and time the report was last updated.
Modified By Name of the user who last modified the report.
Created By Name of the user who initially created the report.
Internet Enabled Blank if not internet-enabled. Displays a black dot if the report is internet-enabled.
Report ID Unique ID assigned to the report. Read-only.

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Report List Action Buttons

Button Function
Run Report Runs the report and displays results.
Custom Export Opens the custom export configuration to export data to MS Word, MS Excel, or QuickBooks.
Export File Exports the report to a standard file format such as MS Word, MS Excel, PDF, or HTML. Less configurable than Custom Export.
Edit Report Opens the report editing view. For built-in reports, changes cannot be saved. Copy the report first to customize it.

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New Report – General Tab Fields

Field Description
Report ID Unique ID assigned to the report. Read-only.
Builder Type Neo or Classic. Neo is recommended. Cannot be changed after the report is saved.
Name Name displayed to users who access the report.
Description Narrative description of the report's purpose.
Category Category for the report. Entering a new category name creates a new entry in the category drop-down menu. Entering an existing name adds the report to that category.
Lock (Do not rebuild report) When toggled on, indicates the report should not be rebuilt. Triggers an alert if the Report Builder button is clicked on a report with a custom Report Template.

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Report Tabs (Classic Builder)

The following tabs are available when Classic Builder Type is selected.

Tab Function
Recordsets Attaches recordsets to the report.
Advanced Configures advanced display and caching settings.
Security Sets role-based permissions. The Allow View Report field controls which roles can view the report.
Sub-Reports Creates a nested report within the main report. Not available in Neo.
File Export Configures default export settings for the report.
Custom Export Creates custom export settings.
Scheduled Export Schedules a recurring export to a folder or SFTP location.
Report Template Controls the layout and formatting of the report output.
Charts Creates one or more charts associated with the report.

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Advanced Settings Tab Fields

Field Description
Criteria Text Text used to prompt users when criteria values are required. Labels for custom fields are defined using a hyphen prefix, for example First Name, applied in the order entered.
View Mode
  • List View – all records appear in a list.
  • Single Record View – each record is displayed one at a time.
External Access – Internet Enabled Generates a URL for public access to the report without requiring a system login.
OData Connector Enables the Open Data Protocol for data sharing across applications. Available for Neo reports only.
Disable Global Template Disables the Global Report Template (HTML header/footer) for this specific report.
Interactive View Display

Options:

  • None
  • Display Link to Interactive View
  • Open Report Directly in Interactive View
Total Label Custom label for the Total column.
Enable Translation Allows report headers and associated charts to use translation options in the Language Library.
Enable Straight Join Enables straight join query behavior.
Enable Pivot View Enables pivot functionality to aggregate and pivot grouped columns across the x/y axis when grouping by two different columns.
Merge Sub-Reports Merges two Classic builder type reports.
No Name URL Parameter Suppresses the name URL parameter.
Hide Custom Export Hides the Custom Export icon from users.
Hide File Export Hides the File Export icon from users.

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Caching Settings Fields

Field Description
Report Caching – Enable Activates caching to improve load times for complex or frequently accessed reports. Do not enable for reports that require user-entered criteria.
Report Caching – Cache By User Required when report criteria filter by the accessing user, for example =@userid@.
Cache Life Span Duration in minutes that cached results are retained. Data changes during this window are not reflected until the cache expires. Sub-reports should generally not be cached.
Field Caching – Frequency

Options:

  • Disabled (default)
  • Daily (every morning)
  • Weekly (every Sunday)
  • Monthly (first of each month).
Field Caching – Identifier Column Column that uniquely identifies the record to be updated. Acts as the match field.
Field Caching – Column Field Value Column Column whose values will be stored in the custom field. Acts as the source field.
Field Caching – Custom Field Dataset-specific custom field where the cached data is stored. Acts as the destination field.
Last Run Date and time the field caching or scheduled export last executed.

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Internet-Enabled Report Fields

Field Description
Access Key Optional password for the report. The key is appended to the report URL and can be changed to revoke access.
URL Standard URL that displays the report results in a browser.
Export URL URL that triggers a file download of the report when entered in a browser.
Export URL-XML URL that downloads the report in XML format.

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Classic Report Builder – Column Settings

The Classic Report Builder was deprecated in the March 2020 upgrade. Existing Classic reports continue to function. New reports and copies of reports must use Report Builder Neo.

Setting Description
Column Heading Text displayed above the column. Defaults to the field name. A button to the right of the field resets it to the field name.
Recordset The recordset selected in the Recordsets tab. If multiple recordsets are selected, choose which to use as the table source.
Type Type derived from the selected recordset. Category, role, template, or type depending on the recordset.
Field Field to display in this column. All fields from all selected tables are listed alphabetically by table and field name.
Date/Time Translation Extracts day, month, week, or year from a date field for comparative analysis.
Group By Used in summary reports to group, sum, count, or calculate averages. Also provides Total Group options.
Sort By Sort order – Ascending or Descending.
Align Alignment of column header and values. Left (default), Center, or Right.
Calculated Field Supports mathematical operators, concatenation, and MySQL syntax.
Show When enabled, displays the field data in the report. Disable to use as criteria without displaying the data.
Show Total When enabled, displays a total for all data in this column.
Criteria Establishes which records appear in the report. Five columns available, each separated by an OR operator.

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Classic Report Builder – Bottom Buttons

Button Function
Build Query Builds the report based on selected fields and criteria. Closes the Report Builder and returns to the Edit Report page. Also rebuilds the Report Template. Save any custom template changes before clicking.
Clear All Clears all fields, calculated fields, and criteria in the Report Builder.
More Columns Adds 25 more columns to the Report Builder. Maximum of 50 columns for Classic reports.

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Classic Report Builder – Help Panel Tabs

A Help Panel is available at the bottom of the Classic Report Builder. Click the upward arrow to reveal the following tabs.

Tab Content
Overview Descriptions of all components in the top panel, including column fields.
Comparison Operators How to establish basic criteria for logical tests.
Wildcard and Like Operators How to set partial criteria.
Special SmartSimple Criteria Values How to set criteria based on user prompts and user attributes such as user and company identifiers.
Date Comparison How to set date- and time-based criteria.
Calculated Field Valid mathematical expressions, string functions, and logical statements for the Calculated Field section.

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Report Builder Neo – Column Settings

Setting Description
Number of Columns Add or remove columns as needed, up to a maximum of 60.
Dataset Click the [+] icon to add the primary dataset. The primary dataset is marked with a star in the dataset list. Multiple primary and secondary datasets can be added.
Field Field to display in this column.
Column Heading Text displayed above the column in the report.
Date/Time Extracts day, month, week, or year from a date field for comparative purposes.
Group Options Used in summary reports to group by sum, count, or average. Includes Total Group Options for configuring groupings and retrieving total rows.
Sort By Sort order – Ascending or Descending.
Alignment

Alignment of column headings and values.

  • Left (default)
  • Center
  • Right.
Formula Supports mathematical operators, concatenation, and MySQL syntax.
Display When selected, displays the column data in the report. Deselect to use as criteria only without displaying the data.
Show Total When selected, displays the total of all data in the column.
Criteria Establishes which records appear in the report. Five columns available, each separated by an OR operator.

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File Export Fields

Field Description
Export Format Drop-down menu of file formats for export.
Folder Type Destination folder type. SmartFolder or System Folder.
Folder Subfolder where the exported file is saved.
Data Position

Starting position of list view results in the export. 

  • Syntax: worksheet;column;row. 
  • Default: 0;0;0 (first worksheet, cell A1).
Meta Data Position Starting position of report criteria in the export. Blank if the report does not use criteria.
Export File Name Filename for the exported file. Defaults to "Book" if left blank.

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Scheduled Export Fields

Field Description
Export Type File Export (uses File Export tab settings) or Custom Export (uses Custom Export tab settings).
Export File Name Filename including optional timestamp tokens: [YYYY], [YY], [MM], [DD], [HH], [mm]. Do not include a file extension here.
Do Not Export File When No Record Found When toggled on, no file is exported if the report returns no records.
Export with Linked Reports Extends column count beyond the standard limit by joining multiple reports. Available for File Export format only.
Activate Must be toggled on to enable scheduled or on-demand export.
Run Type
  • On Demand – triggered by an autoloader.
  • Scheduled – runs on the selected frequency.
Frequency Every Day, Every Week, Every Month, Every Year, or Custom.
Hours Time of day for the scheduled export.
Start Date Start date for the scheduled export.
Export to Folder – Folder Type Configuration Folder or SmartFolder.
Export to Folder – Folder Subfolder where the exported file is saved.
Export to SFTP – Integration Key Select an existing integration key or create a new one.
Export to SFTP – SFTP Folder Path SFTP folder path where files are delivered, for example, /in, /out, /Payments/inbound.
Encryption – PGP Encryption Key PGP key used to encrypt the exported file.
Encryption – Encrypt file exported to selected folder Enable to encrypt the file sent to the SmartFolder or Configuration Folder.
Encryption – Encrypt file exported to SFTP Enable to encrypt the file sent to the SFTP location.
Process On Every Record – Update Status Updates the status of each record after export. Status changes trigger associated workflows.
Process On Every Record – Trigger Workflow Triggers the selected workflow for all records after export. Runs after Update Status.
Link Report Export Links another report for processing after this report completes.
Notification On Completion – Email Template Email template for completion notifications.
Notification On Completion – Roles Roles to receive the notification email.
Notification On Completion – Select Users Individual users to receive the notification email.
Notification On Completion – Attach Exported File Attaches the exported file to the email. Available when exporting to a SmartFolder or Configuration Folder.
Notification When Export Failed – Users Users to notify when an export fails.

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Scheduled Export – History Log Columns

Column Description
# Item number.
File Filename of the exported file.
File Size Size of the exported file in kilobytes.
File Export Export status: Success, SFTP Failed, Save to Folder Failed, Saved to Folder; SFTP Failed, Save to Folder Failed; SFTP Failed, Empty Report; No File Created, or Saved to Folder Failed; SFTP Sent.
Start Time Date and time the file was processed for export.
End Time Date and time the export completed.
Status Started, Completed, Failed, or Interrupted. For example, due to a server restart.
Run By Name of the user who initiated the export.
Error Error messages, if applicable. For example, SFTP error: Permission denied.
Process ID Unique identifier for the export process.

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Report Template Variables

Report Template variables display report details, such as user-entered criteria and the run time, and set the position of report elements. Variables are added to the Header and Report Template sections of the Report Template tab of a report.

Template Section Description New Syntax Old Syntax
Header Displays the criteria entered by users when the report is run. {{arg1.id}}, {{arg2.id}} @arg1.id@, @arg2.id@
Header Displays the date and time the report was run. {{runtime}} @runtime@
Report Template Sets the position of the header element in the report. {{header}} @header@
Report Template Sets the position of the rows element in the report. {{rows}} @rows@
Report Template Sets the position of the totalrows element in the report. {{totalrows}} @totalrows@
Report Template Sets the position of the navbar element in the report. {{navbar}} @navbar@

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ReportProperty2() Function

ReportProperty2() is a SmartSimple reporting variable used in report templates and custom scripts to retrieve or manipulate properties associated with a report.

Syntax

@ReportProperty2(reportid,property,,"@criteria1@::@criteria2@")@

Parameters

Parameter Description
reportid The system ID of the report.
property
  • recordcount – count of records in the report.
  • csvdata – report data with fields separated by commas.
  • exportdata – report data formatted per the Advanced Export settings.
criteria1, criteria2, etc. Responses to the ??? prompts in the identified report. criteria1 matches the first ??? prompt from left to right, criteria2 the second, and so on.

Notes

Note Detail
Quotation marks Use double quotation marks, not single, to enclose criteria.
Performance When used in a custom field, the report executes each time the record is opened. Place ReportProperty2 on a web page view of the record to execute on demand rather than on every record open.
List views Read-only fields using ReportProperty2 must never be included in list views.

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Helpful Links