Using the Report Generator

[Audio] Welcome to the DAD 3 Report Generator training. Today, we'll walk through the Report Generator, commonly referred to as the RG, and learn how to create, customize, view, and export reports. The Report Generator is a powerful tool that allows users to analyze data entered into DAD and generate reports that support monitoring, case management, time tracking, and program reporting needs. Let's begin by reviewing our learning objectives..

[Audio] Slide 2: Learning Objectives By the end of this training, you will be able to: Access and log in to the Report Generator. Create a new report and select the appropriate report type. Use selected fields, filters, and sorted fields to customize report results. View reports using Summary, Detail, Question, and Cluster views. Export report results for further analysis. Generate reports that summarize time recorded by project or service request. These skills will help you retrieve meaningful information from DAD and present it in a format that supports your work..

[Audio] Slide 3: Open Report Generator To access the Report Generator, begin by logging into DAD. From the DAD Control Panel, locate and select the Report Generator link. Selecting this link will open the Report Generator in a new window or tab, depending on your browser settings. Once opened, you will have access to create, edit, run, and export reports. Key Tip: Make sure pop-up blockers are disabled if the Report Generator does not open automatically..

[Audio] Slide 4: Creating Reports After logging into the Report Generator, select Create New Report. You will be prompted to: Enter a report name. Select a report type. For time-reporting purposes, choose either: Project Time Service Request Time Selecting the correct report type is important because it determines which data fields will be available for reporting. Take a moment to name your report clearly so it can be easily identified and reused later. For example: FY26 Project Time Report Monthly Service Request Hours Staff Time Summary.

[Audio] Slide 5: Important Reporting Limitation Before continuing, it is important to understand a current limitation within the Report Generator. Project Time and Service Request Time data are maintained separately. This means: Project reports can only report on project-related time. Service Request reports can only report on service request-related time. At this time, there is no way to combine project and service request time into a single report. If you need information from both sources, you will need to generate separate reports and combine the results outside of the Report Generator, such as in Excel..

[Audio] Slide 6: Selected Fields Once you've chosen a report type, you'll begin building the report by selecting fields. Selected Fields determine what information appears in your report results. Examples may include: Employee Name Project Name Service Request Number Date Hours Worked Status These fields become the columns displayed when the report is generated in Detail View. Think of selected fields as the information you want to see when reviewing individual records. Best Practice: Only select fields that are necessary for your analysis. Too many fields can make reports difficult to read and slower to generate. Remember, project and service request reports remain separate and cannot be combined..

[Audio] Slide 7: Selected Filters Filters allow you to narrow the data returned by a report. Without filters, the Report Generator will return every record available within that report type. Common filters include: Date ranges Employee names Project types Service request statuses Specific projects or service requests Filters help ensure that your report focuses only on the information you need. You may also use logical statements such as AND and OR when creating more complex filters. When using OR statements, parentheses are used to indicate where the OR condition begins and ends. For example: Employee is John OR Jane Status is Open OR Pending Using filters effectively can greatly improve report accuracy and performance..

[Audio] Slide 8: Sorted Fields After selecting filters, you'll determine how the report results should be organized using Sorted Fields. Sorted Fields control the order in which data is displayed. For example, you may sort by: Employee Project Date Service Request In addition to sorting, the Report Generator allows you to apply totals. The Total feature can calculate summary information and is particularly useful when working in the Questions View. For example, you might total: Hours worked by employee Hours by project Hours by service request Proper sorting and totaling make reports easier to analyze and interpret..

[Audio] Slide 9: Viewing Reports Once your report is configured, generate the report and review the results. The Report Generator offers four viewing options: Summary View Provides high-level aggregated information. Detail View Displays individual records and all selected fields. Questions View Presents data organized around selected questions and allows totals and grouped information to be displayed. Cluster View A preformatted report designed specifically for time reporting. Cluster View displays: Time records by employee Billable hours Totals based on billing rates, when applicable Each view serves a different purpose, so choose the one that best supports your reporting needs..

[Audio] Slide 10: Exporting Results After reviewing your report, you may export the results for use outside the Report Generator. To export: Generate the report. Select the desired export option. Choose the preferred file format. A common export format is Microsoft Excel, which allows for additional analysis, formatting, and sharing. Exporting is especially useful when: Creating management reports Conducting data analysis Combining information from multiple reports Preparing information for presentations or audits Always review your exported data to ensure it contains the expected records and formatting..

[Audio] Slide 11: Questions and Closing This concludes our overview of the DAD 3 Report Generator. Today we covered: Accessing the Report Generator Creating reports Selecting fields, filters, and sorting options Viewing reports in multiple formats Exporting results for further use Thank you for participating in this training. If you have questions or need assistance with DAD reporting, please contact: [email protected] Thank you for your time, and we encourage you to practice creating reports using the Report Generator to become more comfortable with its features and capabilities..