Overview
This article explains how to use the Reports tab in Appraisal Scope to create and manage reports, generate views, and export results. It also covers permissions, list customization, and report email alerts.
Rearranging columns of data
To rearrange the order of the columns in a report, staff users can click and hold a column header, drag it to a different position among the data columns, and drop it there.
Applying filters
Report filters are rules that focus report information by limiting the data returned from selected data fields. A staff user can create filters to apply to their report in the top right section of the Add new Report page.
Filter data field
To create a filter, staff users will begin by selecting the data field that they want to apply as a filter parameter to the report. This is done in the combo box displaying the text Please select the field (i.e., the Data Field combo box). Users can type in the text box here, if they choose, and the text box will serve as a dynamic search filter, narrowing the choice of fields to those containing the letters typed into the box. Users can also click the drop-down arrow, and the full drop-down list will appear.
The options in the drop-down list will consist of the same data fields available for the chosen Report Type. In other words, they will match up with the data field options that appear in the file directory panel on the left side of the Add new Report page.
Note: The data field chosen here does not have to be one that appears in the body of the report.
Filter Operator
The next step in creating a filter will be to select from the options that appear under the drop-down box displaying the text Please select the operation (i.e., the Operator drop-down box). The operators available here will depend on the chosen data field. For instance, if the data field contains numerical data, the operators will consist of various combinations of =, <, and >. If the data is in the form of text, operators such as CONTAINS or BEGINS WITH will appear.
The following table provides definitions of the operators available from the Operator drop-down box.
Operator | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
= | To select only the data in a chosen data field that has the same value as the created filter condition. | Applied to the Appraisal Form field, can isolate orders that explicitly return the field condition "URAR 1004". |
<> | To select only the data in a chosen data field that does not have the same value as the created filter condition. | Applied to the Property type field, isolates orders with all property types except for the entered field condition (e.g. mobile homes). |
DOESN’T CONTAIN | To select only the data in a chosen data field that does not contain the value given in the filter condition. | Applied to the Process Status field, when “cancelled” is entered in the condition field, returns orders in any status except for ones that have been cancelled. |
CONTAINS | To select only the data in a chosen data field that does contain the value given in the filter condition. | Applied to the Best Person to Contact field and paired with the Empty Data button, returns all orders that have no Best Person to Contact information. |
BEGINS WITH | To select all data in a chosen data field where the information begins with the value given in the filter condition. | Applied to the Branch field, when “commercial” is entered in the condition field, returns all commercial business branches. |
ENDS WITH | To select all data in a chosen data field where the information ends with the value given in the filter condition. | Applied to the Submitted By Email field, isolates all orders where the email address ends with a specific domain (e.g. @corelogic.com). |
IN (Separated by ;) | To return multiple conditions for a chosen data field. Conditions must be separated by a semicolon. | Applied to the Intended Use field, when "Ascertain Market Value" or "Other" are entered into the condition field and separated with a semicolon, the results will be everything that has either or both of those Intended Use values. |
NOTIN (Separated by ;) | To exclude multiple conditions for a chosen data field. Conditions must be separated by a semicolon. | Applied to the State field, when AK and HI are entered into the condition field and separated by a semicolon, jobtype pricing is returned for all states except Alaska and Hawaii. |
Additional operators available for data fields with Date and Time values
When a data field is chosen that references dates (e.g., Order Dates), the following operators will be available to use in the operation field when building a report.
Date and Time Operators.
Next Completed Day
Next Completed Week
Next Completed Month
Last Completed Day
Last Completed Week
Last Completed Month
Month to Date
Year to Date
The term “Completed” as used in the Date and Time Operators listed here determines what counts as a relevant unit of time for reports purposes. Operators that reference the future should be understood to be referencing units of time beginning with the first complete unit of time following the day the report is run. For the Next Completed Day, this would be the day following. For the Next Completed Week, it would be the week beginning the Sunday (or Monday, if weekends are excluded) following the day the report is run. For the Next Completed Month, it would begin on the first of the next full month.
As an example of how these Date and Time Operators referencing the future can be used, we can imagine that a staff user wants a report returning data for orders with due dates over the three days following the day they run the report. They would use Next Completed Day as the operator and enter the number three as the filter condition. The order data returned would be for all orders with due dates over those next three days following the day the report was run.
Operators that reference the past—the Last Completed Day, Week, or Month—should be understood to be referencing units of time ending with the last complete unit of time preceding the day the report is run. For the Last Completed Day, this would be the last complete day preceding the day the report is run. For the Last Completed Week, it would be the week ending the Saturday (or Friday, if weekends are excluded) preceding the day the report is run. For the Last Completed Month, it would be the month that was completed prior to the date when the report is run.
As an example of how these Date and Time Operators referencing the past can be used, we can imagine that a staff user wants a report returning data for orders with order dates over the two months completed prior to the month they run the report. They would use Last Completed Month as the operator and enter the number two as the filter condition. The order data returned would be for all orders with order dates falling within the two months completed prior to the month in which the report was run.
Note: Using a 1 or a 0 in non-numerical fields returns a True or False statement (1 = True, 0=False).
Filter condition
The final step in creating a filter will be to select the condition. The condition might be a date or numerical value, or it might be a specific word that the staff user wants to set as a condition of filter application. In other words, if a staff user wanted data in a report to be limited to only dates falling after a specific date, the condition would be that specific date, and it would be used in conjunction with the operator >.
The condition will be entered in the box displaying the text Please select the condition (i.e., the Condition box). Whether this box acts as a text box or a drop-down box will also depend on the type of data found in the filter’s data field. For instance, if the data field contains dates, the conditional box will act as a drop-down box. When a staff user clicks on it, a drop-down in a calendar format will appear.
To see how a simple filter would function, we can look again at a version of the Scorecard report. In this case, the staff user wants to look at the number of appraisals completed since January of 2022 to which scorecard criteria have been applied. They will drag the Order Completed Month and Total # of Completed Appraisals into the Source-grid area and drop them there. Next, they will want to create their filter. Figure 8.8 shows what the user sees when creating the filter, and the view of report data that results after the filter is applied.
Figure 8.8. Detail of Add new Report page showing a report filter.
After setting the filter criteria, the staff user will click Add filter. This will add the filter to the pane beneath the filter controls. Each filter that has been created for a report will be stored here in a list. Staff users can edit a filter in this list by clicking the Pencil and Paper icon associated with the filter. Users can delete a filter by clicking the Red Minus icon.
The filter list can also be sorted by column. A user can click any column header to toggle between an ascending or descending sort based on that header (i.e., Field Name, Operation, or Condition), or they can point their mouse to the column header and click the drop-down arrow that appears at the header’s right-hand side.
Applying Dynamic Data functionality
Applying the Dynamic Data functionality to a filter will make that filter dynamic. When Dynamic Filters have been applied to a report, a dialog box prompting the user to enter a condition will appear each time before the report is manually generated, or before a Report Alert is finalized for the report. This functionality allows users to create reports that will produce the most up-to-date information.
staff users can apply the Dynamic Data functionality when they’re creating a filter. After the data field and operator choices have been made for the filter, the staff user will click Dynamic Data. The @@DYNAMIC_DATA@@ tag will appear in the Condition box, and the staff user will then click Add filter.
To see how the Dynamic Filter will work on a report, let’s return to the Scorecard report detailed in Figure 8.8. In this case, the staff user wants at the beginning of each month to see the orders that have gone into the scorecard statistics for the month prior. They will use the same Data Field and Operator as they used in Figure 8.8 when creating their filter, but they will select Dynamic Data for the Condition. This will ensure that Appraisal Scope prompts users to add a Condition when generating the report.
The staff user has saved the report, and it is available from the Report list on the List reports page. When the user selects the report and clicks Generate view, the Dynamic filters dialog box will open (Figure 8.9). They will then either enter the month prior in the date text box using the mm/yyyy format, or they will click the Calendar icon and select the month. Using the Dynamic Filter allows them to perform this operation each time they generate the report.
Figure 8.9. Dynamic filters dialog box.
Note: Dynamic Filters applied to a report will also require that a user go through this same procedure when setting up a Report Alert.
Applying Empty Data functionality
staff users can use the Empty Data functionality to create a condition that applies only in cases where the data field has a value of 0, or where it contains no data at all. This could produce reports, for instance, that limit data by the data field parameter to only instances where that data field has a value of 0/empty (in cases where the operator = is used), or perhaps only instances where that data field has a value greater than 0/empty (in cases where the operator > is used).
To apply the Empty Data functionality to a filter, the staff user will click Empty Data as their choice of condition. The filter condition will then display the @@EMPTY_DATA@@ tag.
Note: The IN and NOTIN operators cannot be used in conjunction with the Empty Data condition.
Applying Current Date functionality
The Current Date functionality becomes available when a Date and Time–based data field is selected. The Current Date button will be visible next to the Empty Data button in the Add new Report page when this functionality is available.
Current Date functionality can be used with combinations of the <, >, and = operators. When Current Date is chosen, the report will return data using the date that the report is run as the condition. This can be useful in combination with the = operator, for example, ensuring that a report will return information that corresponds to the day that the report is run each time the report is run.
To apply the Current Date functionality to a filter, the staff user will click Current Date as their choice of condition. The filter condition will then display the @@CURRENT_DATE@@ tag.
Finalizing report
The last tasks that a staff user will want to complete will require a return to Section 1 of the Add new Report page (see Figure 8.1). If a staff user hasn’t yet named their report or given it a description, they will want to do this at this point. The report name and description will accompany the report in the Reports list.
staff users can also apply formatting instructions at this point that will dictate how a report will look when it’s exported. To add a header that will appear atop the exported report file, a staff user will enter information in the Header text box. The user will then click the Header alignment drop-down box and choose whether to show the header aligned Left, Center, or Right.
If the staff user has created the report using the Group functionality, they may want to set page breaks for their exported report. If they click the Page break drop-down box and select After Group, their report will break to a separate, printable page after each group. Figure 8.10 gives a view of these options found in Section 1 of the page.
Figure 8.10. Detail showing selections made that will impact how an exported file is laid out.
The final task is to save the report by clicking Save report in the upper left corner of the Add new Report page. Reports, once saved, will appear in the Reports list and will be editable from the List reports page.
Statistics page
The Statistics page is accessed by clicking the Statistics tab, located just to the right of the List reports tab. The Statistics page provides a selection of commonly viewed statistics for staff users who want an up-to-date view of turn times for the month; a count of the orders placed that day; a count of orders due on a given day, the next day, and within a seven-day time frame; or a running tally of accounting numbers.
Note: The turn-time values can be set to exclude weekends and/or hold time.
Outcome
After completing this article, you will be able to create, edit, copy, delete, and generate views for reports from the Reports tab. You will also be able to set staff and client permissions, export report results, and configure report alerts to email scheduled outputs to recipients.