Using Reports

This section of the guide provides step-by-step tutorials for running reports. In general, the following concepts apply:

  • Reports are normally provided as Excel templates. When you double-click on an Excel template either via Liberty Reports Desktop or via Windows Explorer, a new Excel workbook is created based on the template. The original template is therefore not opened or modified.
  • The sequence of steps to open a report or create a report from a template may differ slightly from one report to the next:
    • Some reports may proceed immediately with establishing a connection to your data so that information can be queried. This may result in a prompt to select your database and enter your login credentials right away.
    • Other reports may delay the process of connecting to your database in order to allow you an opportunity to first specify parameters for the report (such as an account number, date range, or other selection criteria).
    • When opening a report that was created previously and saved, the report might proceed to establish a connection to your database in order to query current information -OR- (depending on the design of the report) it might display information that was saved with the report. In the latter case, a connection to your database (which may prompt you to long) would not be established unless you click the Refresh button to see current information.
  • Since the report is Excel-based, you are free to augment it with your own formulas, formatting, and other information that may be of benefit. Changes that you make can be saved and not lost when the report data is later refreshed.
  • Reports that have been saved can be re-opened at a later time and refreshed to show current information. Alternatively, a report can be saved as a regular Excel file so that it can be opened by any Excel user without any dependency on the Liberty Reports software.