Section Topics
Reporting Using InterAction Data
One of the biggest responsibilities for a report manager is to design reports that are valuable to the organization. When creating reports, InterAction provides you with a list of InterAction data fields that you can include in your report. As the report manager, you decide which fields belong on a report. Each time a report is run, the data fields you added tell InterAction which information to extract from the database.
NOTE Only report managers can create or edit reports on your organization’s report list. For more information, see Who is a Report Manager?.
It may be difficult at first to determine which data fields belong on your reports because InterAction provides many options. In addition, many of the data fields can be configured to your needs. For example, for a person’s name you can configure the Name field to display “Last, First Middle,” or “First Middle Last.” You can also include the person’s title or salutation. When you add more sophisticated data fields like relationships and activities, there are a wealth of possibilities.
With each data field that is added or removed, you then add or remove that data field in the physical report layout using the InterAction Report Designer (unless you are exporting to a different format, such as Microsoft Excel or CSV).
Some suggestions:
- Draw out your report on paper first or at least make a list of what information you want on the report. This helps keep you focused on what you are trying to build.
- InterAction includes out-of-the-box reports. If you want to design a new report, the easiest way to do this is to begin with an existing out-of-the-box report and choose Save as New. Then, remove data fields that you don’t need or add new ones.
The following topics can help you get started:
- InterAction Data Fields
- Adding and Removing Data Fields
- Making the Correct Field Selections
InterAction Data Fields
When creating or editing a report, InterAction provides a list of InterAction data fields that you can add to your report. Available fields are listed on the left in the InterAction Fields box. Fields included in the report are listed on the right in the Report Fields box.
Create/Edit Report: Information Tab
[A] The list of available InterAction data fields are located in the left box. By default, all the data fields are collapsed. Click Expand All to expand all fields or Collapse All to collapse all fields.
[B] The list of data fields on your report are located in the right box. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to rearrange the field order. The order the report fields display here is the order in which they display in the export file, if the report is configured to output in an export file format (such as CSV or XLS).
When a field is selected in the InterAction Fields list and moved to the Report Fields list, it is removed from the InterAction Fields list (the exception to this is Additional Fields). Therefore, if you are looking for a field to include in your report and don’t see it in the InterAction Fields list, check the Report Fields list because it may already be included.
Select all the data fields you want to include in your report layout. If you are grouping or sorting your report on fields not included in the physical report layout, also include those fields in the report. For example, you might include Full Name in your report to list contacts in a “First Name Last Name” format, but want to group by Last Name. Add Last Name to the list of report fields to group by this field later on.
NOTE For more information on grouping data in the InterAction Report Designer, see Grouping Information.
Adding and Removing Data Fields
Whether you are editing an existing report or creating a new report, one of the first steps of the report design process is to select fields to add to the report. The most difficult part of this process is deciding which fields you need. See Making the Correct Field Selections to help you get started.
After you have listed the data fields you need for a report, add them to the report layout. If you are modifying an existing report, you may also have to remove fields.
NOTE If your report output is Microsoft Excel (.xls) or a CSV file (.csv), then you only have to select the data fields for your report - you do not have to add those fields to a report layout.
Adding or removing data fields from your report does not physically add or remove them from your report layout. At this stage you are simply choosing the data that will be extracted from the InterAction database each time the report is run. After you add or remove data fields, you must add or remove these fields from the report layout using your report design tool. If you add a data field to the report but do not add it to the physical layout, the data will not display on the report. Likewise, if you remove a data field but do not remove it from the physical layout, that field will always be blank.
For more information on using InterAction’s built-in Report Designer to create a report layout, see Designing Reports Using the InterAction Report Designer.
Adding Data Fields to a Reprt
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From the Windows Client menu bar, choose Tools > Reports.
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Choose Manage.
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Select the report to edit then choose Edit.
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Choose the Information tab.
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Select the field in the left box (InterAction Fields) then choose Add (if you are adding additional fields, classifications, folder-specific notes, news, or custom text, you are prompted for information at this time).
The field name moves to the Report Fields box. Repeat if adding more fields.
You can also add a field to the report by:
- Double-clicking it in the InterAction Fields box
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Dragging the field from the InterAction Fields box and dropping it in the Report Fields box
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Choose OK to save your changes.
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If the field will appear on the report, add the field to your report layout using your report design tool.
If you use InterAction’s built-in report design tool, see Adding InterAction Data Fields to a Report for more information on adding fields to the report layout.
Removing Data Fields From a Report
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From the Windows Client menu bar, choose Tools > Reports.
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Choose Manage.
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Select the report to edit then choose Edit.
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Choose the Information tab.
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Select the field in the right box (Report Fields) then choose Remove.
The field name moves to the InterAction fields box. Repeat if removing more fields.
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Choose OK to save your changes.
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If the field is on your report layout, remove the field from your report using your report design tool.
Making the Correct Field Selections
When creating or editing reports, you may find it difficult to determine which InterAction data fields to include in your report. It may help to first lay out your report on paper and write down all the components that you will need.
You may also find it helpful to look through InterAction’s out-of-the-box reports to see which fields they include. Print out samples to help you determine if you can modify any of out-of-the-box reports rather than create a new report from scratch.
The following table can help you find more information.
| InterAction data you want .... | For more details, see... |
|---|---|
| Marketing Lists/Working Lists (create a report that can be run against any marketing or working list and include folder-specific information for a single marketing or working list) | Reporting on a Current List |
| Marketing Lists/Working Lists for a contact (create report that includes the marketing lists/working lists a contact is on) | Including List Names on a Report (Reporting on Selected Lists) |
| Folders (create a report that can be run against any folder, and includes folder-specific information for a single folder) | Reporting on a Current Folder |
| Folders for a contact (create a report that includes the folders a contact is in) | Including Folder Names on a Report (Reporting on Selected Folders) |
| Relationships (Who Knows Whom, Key Relationships, Board Memberships, etc.) | Relationships |
| Company Personnel | Company Personnel |
| Including the company name when creating people reports | Company Name Fields |
| Including company information on people |
• Including Relationships for Company Personnel • Including Relationships for a Person's Company • Finding Activities/Appointments for Company Personnel • Finding Activities/Appointments for a Person's Company • For information on including matter, opportunity, and engagement information on companies, see the guide for the appropriate related module. |
| Sponsorship | Including Sponsorship Information on a Current List |
| Addresses, Phones, and Email Addresses |
Addresses, Phones, and Electronic Addresses Contact Information: User's Version vs. Organization's Version Including Folder-Specific Information on Reports (on a Particular Folder) |
| Name Options (Person name, company name, salutations, etc.) | Name Options |
| Activities/Appointments | Activities/Appointments (on Contact Reports) |
| Matters, Opportunities, and Engagements | Matters, Opportunities, and Engagements |
| Additional Fields | Additional Fields |
| Profiles | Profiles |
| Contact Types | Contact Types |
| Other Fields |
• Notes |
Contact Information: User's Version vs. Organization's Version
Reports that are run from contacts selected in the Web Client, Windows Client, or InterAction integration for your PIM can display user contact information and your organization's version of contact information.
When choosing the fields to add to the report, most options include the appropriate version of the information for the contacts the user has selected. For example, if you include the Full Name field on the report:
- If the user selects a contact in their contact list, the user's version of the contact's name is included in the report.
- If the user selects a contact that is not in their contact list, the organization's version of the contact's name is included in the report.
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If the user selects a contact that is in both their contact list and the organization’s list, the user’s version of the contact’s name is included in the report.
Note this only applies if the contact is not in the context of a folder or matter, opportunity, or engagement (in that case, the folder-specific or matter, opportunity, or engagement-specific version of the information is used). If no folder-specific or matter, opportunity, or engagement-specific version exists, then the organization’s version is used. The user’s version of the information is never used.
NOTE For more information on reporting on folder-specific data, see Including Folder-Specific Information on Reports (on a Particular Folder).
This behavior applies to all the following information:
- Name & Company Information including Name, Company Name, Job Title, and Department
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Address, Phone, and Electronic Address information including the following items:
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Business Address
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Business Phone
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Business 2 Phone
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Business Fax
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Business Email
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Business Web Site
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Business Mobile
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Business Pager
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Business Assistant Phone
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Assistant Name
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Home Address
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Home Phone
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Home Fax
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Home Email
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- Notes appropriate to selection
Overriding the User Version Vs. Organization Version Default Selection
You can configure the fields included in the report to always use the user's version or always use the organization's version of the information.
If you configure a report to always use the user's version or the organization's version of the information, the field will be blank in the report if it does not apply to the contact. For example, if you specify in the report that you want to always use the user's version of the contact name, the name field will be blank if the report includes a contact that is not in the user's contact list.
NOTE Reporting from the Windows Client returns the same user version or organization version defaults as the Web Client. If you are sure that you do not want user contact information on a report, make sure to override the default selection by selecting the Firm Version. Otherwise you may return your user version of contact information when reporting in the Windows Client.
To access the options where you can choose to always use the user's version or always use the organization's version of the information, expand the Advanced - Override Defaults option under the item you want to add to the report in the InterAction Fields list.
Overriding the User or Firm Version Default
[A] Choose Advanced - Override Defaults to expand the user version and firm version overrides.
Including Folder-Specific Information on Reports (on a Particular Folder)
The folder-specific version of a contact's information can be used in a report instead of the user's version or the global version. This applies to the following items:
- Mailing Address
- All phones, addresses, and electronic addresses of all location types (Business, Home, etc.)
To use the folder-specific version of a contact's information when you run the report, first open the folder, mark contacts if needed, then run the report.
If you are in a folder or Matter, Opportunity, or Engagement (Windows Client or Web Client), InterAction retrieves data by first finding the folder-specific version. If there isn’t folder-specific data, InterAction retrieves global data (user-specific data is not retrieved).
Choosing Specific Versions (Folder-Specific or Global)
In some cases, you may want to only return the global or folder-specific versions of contact information. For example, you are running a report on contacts found through a saved search and you want to include the folder-specific phone numbers for all the folders included in the search.
You can configure some address, phone, and email data fields to always use one of the following:
- A single value that is most applicable (global or folder-specific)
- The global version
- All folder-specific versions from all folders (the current folder or all folders included in a search)
The table below lists the specific address, phone, and email data fields that you can configure using one of the options above. These fields are accessed by expanding the Advanced - Override Defaults option under the item you want to add to the report in the InterAction Fields list.
| Contact Information | Configurable Fields |
|---|---|
| Addresses |
Mailing Firm Version Full Address Business Firm Version Full Address Home Firm Version Full Address |
| Phones |
Business Firm Version Phone Business2 Firm Version Phone Home Firm Version Phone |
| Electronic Addresses |
Business Firm Version E-mail Home Firm Version E-mail |
To include any of the above fields on your report, select the field in the InterAction Fields list then choose Add to add the field to the report. Choose Edit to configure folder-specific or global override options for the field.
Full Address Options Dialog Box
Which Visibility Options Should I Select?
The options you should select depend on what data is typically included in the folders you are reporting on and who will be using the report. For example, it doesn’t make sense to select folder-specific options when reporting on folders that typically do not store useful folder-specific data. Also, if the users who will be printing the report do not have access to the folders where data is pulled from, no data will display on the report for these folder-specific fields (the fields will be blank).
When selecting visibility options, remember that if you configure a report to always use a particular version of the information, the field will be blank in the report if it is not available for a contact. For example, if you configure the report to always use the folder-specific version of the mailing address, the Mailing Address field will be blank if the report includes a contact does not have any folder-specific mailing addresses in the folders that you are reporting on.
| To ... | Then ... |
|---|---|
| Only include a single value in the report and let InterAction’s rules define which value is included |
Select the Let InterAction decide which <address/phone/electronic address> is the most applicable option. InterAction selects the most applicable option by using these rules: • The global version is used unless you are in a folder • If you are in a single folder, the folder-specific version is used • If no folder-specific version is available, the global version is used • If you are reporting on the results of a multiple folder search, the global version is used. If no global version is available, the field is blank. |
| Always include the global version on the report | Choose Always include the following addresses then select Global. |
|
Always include the folder-specific version on the report or Always include the folder-specific values from all folders included in a search |
Choose Always include the following addresses then select Folder Specific. The folder name from which each value was derived can also be included on the report by choosing Always or if multiple folders are printed in the Include Folder Name section of the dialog box. The folder name is displayed in parentheses next to the value. If multiple values exist, they are included in the same column of the report and are separated by the character selected the Value Separator section of the dialog box. To display the values on separate lines, choose Line Feed as the separator between each value. |
| Include all values, both global and folder-specific |
Choose Always include the following addresses then select Global and Folder Specific. When including both global and folder-specific values, it is recommended to also include the folder name (which displays in parentheses next to folder-specific values). This is because you will have no other way to tell the difference between which values are global and which are folder-specific. To include the folder name, choose Always or if multiple folders are printed in the Include Folder Name section of the dialog box. If multiple values exist, they are included in the same column of the report and are separated by the character selected the Value Separator section of the dialog box. To display the values on separate lines, choose Line Feed as the separator between each value. |
