Insights Classic: Getting Started with the Report Editor

Learn how to use the classic Insights report editor to create and edit custom classic Insights reports. For dynamic dashboards, please visit the Using the Report Editor for Insights Dynamic Dashboards article.

 
User Permissions Needed: Account Administrator, Reports Viewer With Cost, Reports Viewer
Insights Permissions: Can Edit

The Insights report editor is where you create and edit custom Insights reports. You can also view report information in the report editor, such as which dashboards the report is on and a list of the data and filters used in the report.

Adding and Removing Data from a Report

The What and How buttons in the report editor allow you to add and remove data from a report.

• What (i.e. metrics)—Metrics are the numerical values and calculations that appear in reports; metrics are the what of reporting and are commonly used for fees, actual hours, etc.

  Tip: See the Creating Custom Metrics for Insights article for information about creating custom metrics.
• How (i.e. attributes)—Attributes are the qualitative, categorical data that is used to aggregate reports; attributes are the how of reporting and are commonly used for dates, project, user IDs, etc.

Use the facts, attributes, and metrics table to find the data you need to create reports you want.

Once you click the What or How button, three columns appear below the buttons.

In the left column, you can select a folder to see only the metrics or attributes within that folder. Our out-of-the-box metrics and attributes are organized by concept—the folders group related items together. For example, all metrics related to fees are in the Fees folder, while metrics related to hours are in the Hours folder.

The center column contains a list of metrics or attributes. You can search for metrics and attributes by name. Our out-of-the-box metrics and attributes use a Category: Name format. Check a metric or attribute to add it to the report.

The right column contains detailed information about the metric or attribute you’ve selected in the center column:

For a metric, you’ll see the name and description, MAQL definition, format, and an option to add a report-level drill-in.

For an attribute, you’ll see the name, description, and—if available—the attribute’s Display Label options. Display labels allow you to control how the attribute is actually displayed in the report. For example, the Project: Name attribute can be displayed as either the project ID or project name in a report.

Adding Report Filters

The Filter button allows you to manually add report-level filters. Report-level filters limit the data in a report when it first loads.

Note that on a dashboard, report-level filters will combine with dashboard filters. However, if a dashboard filter references the same attribute or metric as a report-level filter, the dashboard filter will override the report-level filter.

Changing the Chart Type and Configuration

The chart icons in the report editor allow you to change the chart type of the report.

The most commonly used chart types are:

• Headline report

  Note: When you change a report to a Headline report, any attributes you’ve added to the report will be removed. If you then change the report to a different type, you can re-add the attributes using the How button.
• Table
• Line chart
• Area chart
• Stacked area chart
• Bar chart
• Stacked bar chart
• Bullet chart
• Pie chart
• Donut chart

Other available, less commonly used chart types include:

• Waterfall chart
• Funnel chart
• Scatter chart
• Bubble chart

The Show Configuration link to the right of the chart icons opens a panel where you can configure the chart.

Depending on the chart type you’re using, you’ll see different configuration options. You can switch axes, change the sort order of data, change colors, etc.

Viewing Report Information

Clicking the Show Configuration link opens a panel where you can see report information, in addition to chart configuration options. The Report Statistics section displays when the report was last updated and by whom, as well as the number of filters, metrics, and attributes used in the report.

You can select More Report Info to see the names and descriptions of the metrics, attributes, and filters used in the report. If you renamed metrics or attributes in the report, you’ll also see their original names.

When viewed in the Advanced Editor, you’ll also see a Report Usage section that lists the dashboards the report is on and the scheduled emails the report is included in. This section is helpful when you need to remove a report from dashboards and scheduled emails before deleting it.