This topic walks you through creating a report with the report builder.
After first creating an interface we provide a list of template, examples, and builders that will help you get started in design mode.
The report builder allows you to create basic grids and charts to display data from a record type object or data store entity using an intuitive interface. This page walks through the main components of the report builder.
The report builder can be found from the list of interface templates, under the BUILDERS section.
First, select a constant that points to either a record type or a data store entity. The Report Builder accepts constants only. If you are using a record type object as the data source for your report, you must use a constant to reference the record type object.
This is used to populate the data for the interface. The report builder has access to all data from the source. By default, the grid uses a batch size of 20 to display the data in pages and the charts display all data at once.
Next, select the fields that are used for the grid or chart, as shown below.
You can add new columns by selecting the corresponding field from the dropdown and clicking the Add Field button.
Existing columns can be sorted left and right using the arrows, and deleted using the X. The display name of each data column can be changed by clicking on the Change display name link.
Only fields that are scalar and either a primitive data type (with the exception of Encrypted Text) or an Appian object data type can be used. The text representation of data from Appian object data types will be displayed (such as [Group:1] for a group).
In addition to displaying the data, you can also aggregate data by selecting Group records by common fields. At least one field must set as a grouping field. You can also specify how all other fields are aggregated, as shown below.
To display the data in a Read-Only Grid, select the Grid option in the Choose Visualization section. You can also define the default sort order for the data. A preview of the grid is displayed, as shown below.
To display the data in a chart, select one of the chart options in the Choose Visualization section.
Charts work best when the data is aggregated.
For bar, column, and line chart, you can add multiple data series and the display name for each data series will be displayed in the tooltip. A preview of the chart is displayed, as shown below.
When you've finished the basic configurations for the grid or chart, click the Generate button at the bottom to generate the corresponding interface.
This interface definition includes both the query to return the data and the configuration for the component. You can then modify the interface to format the data or add dynamic behavior.
The generated interface can be modified in design or expression mode for additional functionality. Alternatively, you can choose to safe the interface as a single component interface for greater reusability.
For more information on how to modify a chart generated by the report builder, see the following recipes:
Aggregate Data and Conditionally Display in a Chart or Grid (Reports, Charts, Query Data, Grids): Aggregate data and conditionally display it in a pie chart or grid. In this pattern, we will calculate the total number of employees in each department and display it in a pie chart and a read-only grid. Then, we'll use a link field to conditionally display each component.
Aggregate Data by Multiple Fields and Display in a Chart (Reports, Charts, Query Data): Aggregate data by multiple fields and display it in a stacked column chart.
Aggregate Data from a Data Store Entity and Display in a Chart (Reports, Charts, Query Data): Aggregate data from a data store entity, specifically the total number of employees in a given department, to display in a pie chart.
Aggregate Data from a Data Store Entity using a Filter and Display in a Chart (Reports, Charts, Query Data, Filtering): Aggregate data from a data store entity, specifically the total number of employees for each title in the Engineering department, to display in a bar chart.
Aggregate Data on a Date or Date and Time Field (Reports, Query Data, Grids): Aggregate the total number of employees by date and display it in a bar chart.
Display Processes by Process Model with Status Icons (Grids, Images, Reports): Use an interface to display information about instances of a specific process model.
Display a User's Tasks in a Grid With Task Links (Grids, Reports, Looping): Display the tasks for a user in a Read-Only Grid and allow them to click on a task to navigate to the task itself.
Drilldown Report Pattern (Grids, Charts, Reports): The drilldown report pattern consists of a bar chart and column chart, which each drill down into a grid.
Save a User's Report Filters to a Data Store Entity (Grids, Smart Services, Filtering, Reports): Allow a user to save their preferred filter on a report and automatically load it when they revisit the report later.
Searching on Multiple Columns (Grids, Filtering, Reports): Display a grid populated based on search criteria specified by end users.
Trend-Over-Time Report (Charts, Reports): This report provides an attractive, interactive design for exploring different series of data over time.
Use the Gauge Fraction and Gauge Percentage Configurations (Formatting, Reports): This recipe provides a common configuration of the Gauge Component using a!gaugeFraction() and a!gaugePercentage(), and includes a walkthrough that demonstrates the benefits of using design mode when configuring the gauge component.
Year-Over-Year Report (Charts, Reports, Formatting): This is a feature-rich, interactive report for sales and profits by products over select periods of time.