For comparison, we published the companion to this article, “The Top 5 Worst Reporting Practices“. That post is intended to help you evaluate your existing WORST reports. This post provides the top 5 BEST report practices to use when you are starting a new report.
What TO DO when designing reports
1. Report purpose is obvious, highlighting important information
When we collaborate with clients on business intelligence needs, we review reports are currently in use. In many cases, reports are “dumps” of information for the reader to wade through. With hundreds of numbers per page, it’s a challenge to find specific information.
One of the key performance indicators (KPIs) of a report is how many numbers you are putting on a page. Simply multiply the number of columns by the average number of rows per page for the result. For example, a 8.5″ x 14″ report with 15 columns and 30 rows has 450 numbers per page!
Consider reducing the number of columns to make the report easier to read. Also consider using red/yellow/green conditional indicators or a bolded font on key columns to give the information visual emphasis.
2. Intuitive sorting, possible multiple sorts
When you design a report, consider how the viewer will look for information. Would they know job numbers if there are hundreds of active jobs? Or, would they know unit numbers if there are hundreds of tenants in a property?
If users have to flip through multiple pages of a report to find a particular job or tenant the effectiveness of the report is reduced. Not only that, the productivity of the reader is decreased. Consider what data field the report should sort by, then add that sort option to the report parameters. Now, you are empowering the user to make intelligent selections for how the report functions.
3. Concise report title
A full title immediately tells the user what the report is for. Without a useful title, you are requiring the user to spend time reviewing the columns to interpret the report’s purpose. A report that is sorted by ‘AR balance over 60 days’ titled “Delinquent Tenants” or “Delinquent Customers” indicates exactly what the report is designed for — “AR Report” does not.
4. Beautiful Design
The majority of time spent building reports is in formula creation and testing to ensure the numbers are correct. Generally, users publish a report as soon as it is working. Add a step to the report building process by including intentional formatting. It takes just a few minutes to add sections to a report, bold the totals and section headers, put page breaks in, add your logo, and use a nice font. Users appreciate a nicely formatted report and you can take pride in a beautifully designed report.
5. Add Date / Time Stamp
Ensure all of your reports have a date/time stamp. Otherwise, users may rerun a report many times not knowing if the information is current enough for a decision. For example, a commitment status report ran yesterday afternoon is often okay to review today. However, an AR listing ran two days ago isn’t current enough to review.
Bonus tip!
Did you appreciate The Top 5 Best Reporting Practices? Learn how other AnterraBI™ leveraged our features and functions in these Customer Success Stories!