End User Custom Report Request Form

general discussion
1

Greetings,

I’ve been asked to create an End User BOBJ Report Request form to be filled out by all, whenever a custom report is desired. I am wondering what type of data/questions your organization asks for to create custom reports for end users?

Are there any existing forms suggested by BOBJ?

Thank you
Hamid

htaghdiri (BOB member since 2003-05-06)

2

Hamid,

Welcome to BOB. :mrgreen:

Well, IMHO, nothing beats a good conversation with the user. However, I’ve seen a few companies that use Report Request Forms with pretty good success. Things to have on the form might include the following:

:arrow_forward: What is the purpose of the report
:arrow_forward: What is the frequency of publication (Daily, weekly . . .)
:arrow_forward: Who will need to receive the report
:arrow_forward: What system will this report be based on (name of universe)
:arrow_forward: What fields/information should be displayed on the report
:arrow_forward: What criteria/conditions will you need
:arrow_forward: What else would you like included

MichaelWelter :vatican_city: (BOB member since 2002-08-08)

3

Don’t forget:

:arrow_forward: What columns do you want to see?
:arrow_forward: What are the sorts that should be applied?
:arrow_forward: What special calculations need to be performed?

Steve Krandel :us: (BOB member since 2002-06-25)

4

:arrow_forward: Totals and Subtotals
:arrow_forward: Report owner
:arrow_forward: Business Contact

The best use I have seen with request forms is that the user fills it out to the best that they can. The form is used to determine need, if other reports exist that will work, and priority. Then the developer talks to the user for the rest of the details and completes the form.

Lee Drake :us: (BOB member since 2002-08-15)

5

Just stumbled over this topic. There are a few other items you might want to incorporate into a report request form. I wouldn’t call it a form, by the way - sounds like something designed to be difficult to fill out. Call it a Report Request Worksheet or a Report Request Template, and make it clear that it’s a document to be filled out with a report developer, although the users are free to complete what they can on their own.

Anyhow, the other items you might want to include are:

:arrow_forward: (Proposed) Report Title
:arrow_forward: By what date does the report need to be available
:arrow_forward: What (special or conditional) formatting do you need on each column
:arrow_forward: Distribution method (BroadcastAgent, PDF via e-mail, Intranet as HTML file, etc.)
:arrow_forward: Report period (is the report for a single day, a month, a year, does it compare two different periods, etc.)
:arrow_forward: Who are the Users of the report
:arrow_forward: Security
:arrow_forward: Is this a new report, or a modification to an existing report

You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint. Don’t build a report without requirements clearly and explicitly defined and agreed upon by all parties.

sunspot :us: (BOB member since 2003-03-12)

6

Oh, and one more thing - incorporate a table that lists the columns of the report, their format, totals / subtotals / etc., any special calculations, sorts, what database table each report object is sourced from, and what column(s) each report object is sourced from.

And get them to provide you with, or work with them to produce an Excel mockup of the report with sample data in the correct format. You’d be amazed at how the requirements will suddenly change as some users begin to work on their mockup and realize they want something completely different from what they were originally trying to describe. A picture paints a thousand words . . .

sunspot :us: (BOB member since 2003-03-12)