Running a report

Every report in the system works the same way: choose a date range, narrow it with filters, then read it on screen or take it away as a file. This covers the mechanics once.

Run a report

1. Open the report you want from the menu. They are grouped by subject — sales, purchases, stock, and your accounts.
2. Set the date range. Most reports default to the current month.
3. Set any filters the report offers — a customer, an outlet, an account.
4. Click Generate.
5. Read the figures. Click through a total where the report allows it to see what makes it up.

Which report answers which question

• Who owes me, and how late are they? Sales Reports›AR Aging
• What did we sell, and to whom? Sales Reports›Sales Activity
• What does one customer owe, invoice by invoice? Sales Reports›Statement of Account — this one can be emailed straight to them.
• Did we make money? GL Reports›Profit & Loss
• Do my books balance? GL Reports›Trial Balance — the first thing to check at month end.

Take it away as a file

1. Run the report.
2. Click Export and choose the format you want.
3. A small report downloads immediately. A large one is prepared in the background so you are not left staring at a frozen screen.
4. For a background report, collect it from My Reports when it is ready — an alert tells you.

Reading a report properly

• Check the date basis. Reports work from the document's own date, not the day it was entered. A bill typed today but dated last month belongs to last month.
• Drafts are not included. Only confirmed documents count. A figure that looks too low is often an unconfirmed document — see How documents work.
• Compare like with like. If a total disagrees with another report, check both date ranges and both filters before assuming something is wrong.
• Print the layout, not the screen. The export gives you a page laid out for printing; a browser print of the screen will not.

What can stop you

• If a report is empty, the date range has nothing in it, or a filter is excluding everything. Widen the dates first.
• If the figures look lower than you expect, the documents behind them are still drafts.
• If you see less than a colleague, your account is limited to your own documents or to certain outlets. See Inviting your team.
• If a report is missing from the menu, your role does not include it, or your plan does not. A padlock means the plan; absent altogether means the role.
• If a background report never arrives, check My Reports — a failure is recorded there with its reason.