Summary Reports

Summary reports are like spreadsheets. They provide a numerical break down of the state of your project. Use Summary reports to answer questions like: "How many of the open issues are urgent?" or "Is there a relationship between department and issue priority?"

You can view Summary reports in HelpDesk Admin.

Adding Rows

Each row corresponds to a possible value of a choice-list field (single or multi). For example, you can add rows for all users in the Owner list, or just for the help desk analysts in the list.

A row is different in each type of report.

Text (cross-tab) reports

Each row is a row in the cross-tab table.

Bar charts

A bar chart shows bars for each row. That is, the rows define the horizontal axis, while the column defines what the bars represent.

If you don’t include a column, then there is one bar for each row. This bar represents the total number of issues for the row. If you include a column, side-by-side bars are displayed for each row.

Pie charts

Each row is a slice of the pie. To ensure that the slices add up to 100%, select <All> in the Rows column.

Adding Columns

Each column corresponds to a possible value of a choice-list field (single or multi). For example, you can add columns for all possible priority values, or just for the highest priorities.

Like rows, columns mean different things in the different report formats:

    Text (cross-tab) reports

Each column is a column in the cross-tab table.

    Bar charts

The column specifies what bars to display for each row.

    Pie charts

Columns are not used in pie charts.

Calculating Totals

You can insert rows to calculate the totals of columns of numbers. Choose <Total> from the Field Name list, then choose the groups for which you want a total.

A group is the set of rows for a given field. The Group column displays the group ID. When you add a total row, use these IDs to specify which groups of rows you want to total.

A Total row sums only the numbers in the selected groups. So, each group of rows can have its own subtotal. To add a grand total, choose <ALL>.

To add a column that calculates the totals of rows of numbers, select the Total check box.

Using Totals and the Show Setting

Suppose you want to break down the open issue count, not by individual owner, but by groups of owners. For example, you might want to see the distribution of open issues between the analysts group and the group leaders group.

For both groups, add a group of rows and a total row. The group of rows (for example, row 1 below) contains a row for each help desk analyst. The total row for analysts (row 2) totals up the individual numbers to give a group total.

Showing Totals for Groups

graphics/Totals-Show.png

To hide the rows for the individual owners in a group, clear the Show check box.

Customizing Row and Column Headings

Use the Title fields to enter the heading text for rows and columns.

Controlling Column Width in Text Reports

Use the Column Width box to set a maximum width for all columns in a report, including the column headings.

Examples

Text (cross-tab) report

A Summary report can break down the open issue count by owner and by priority.

graphics/summary-text-defn.png

This example includes a row for each help desk analyst, and columns for the priorities ASAP, Next 4 Hours, Today, and Tomorrow. The report also includes totals.

graphics/summary-text-rpt.png

Bar chart

Bar charts show data as vertical bars. If you have no columns (in the Columns list, click <None>), the bar chart shows a total for each row.

graphics/summary-bar-1.png

If you add columns, the bar chart shows a series of side-by-side bars for each value of the horizontal field. For example, to show an issue breakdown by priority, enter Progress = New.

graphics/summary-bar-2.png

Pie charts

A pie charts shows a percentage breakdown of the issues with each slice of the pie corresponds to a row. Since a whole pie represents 100%, select <All> in the Rows list.

graphics/summary-pie.png

In a pie chart, columns are ignored, and you cannot have more than one group of rows or a total row. If the report defines more than one group of rows or a total row, clear the Show check box before you view the pie chart.

 

Related Topics

About Reports

Viewing Reports

Selecting Issues to Include in a Report

Defining Listing Reports

Defining Time Reports

Defining Report Pages