LP#1848524: Docs: Fix sections for Antora: "reports"

[Evergreen.git] / docs-antora / modules / reports / pages / reporter_create_templates.adoc

[[reporter_creating_templates]]
= Creating Templates =
:toc:

indexterm:[reports, creating templates]

Once you have created a folder, the next step in building a report is to create 
or clone a template. Templates allow you to run a report more than once without 
building it anew every time, by changing definitions to suit current 
requirements. For example, you can create a shared template that reports on 
circulation at a given library. Then, other libraries can use your template and 
simply select their own library when they run the report.

It may take several tries to refine a report to give the output that you want. 
It can be useful to plan out your report on paper before getting started with 
the reporting tool. Group together related fields and try to identify the key 
fields that will help you select the correct source.

It may be useful to create complex queries in several steps. For example, first 
add all fields from the table at the highest source level. Run a report and check 
to see that you get results that seem reasonable. Then clone the report, add any 
filters on fields at that level and run another report. Then drill down to the 
next table and add any required fields. Run another report. Add any filters at 
that level. Run another report. Continue until you’ve drilled down to all the 
fields you need and added all the filters. This might seem time consuming and 
you will end up cloning your initial report several times. However, it will help 
you to check the correctness of your results, and will help to debug if you run 
into problems because you will know exactly what changes caused the problem. 
Also consider adding extra fields in the intermediate steps to help you check 
your results for correctness.

This example illustrates creating a template for circulation statistics. This is 
an example of the most basic template that you can create. The steps required to 
create a template are the same every time, but the tables chosen, how the data 
is transformed and displayed, and the filters used will vary depending on your 
needs.

== Choosing Report Fields ==

indexterm:[reports, creating templates, choosing reports fields]

. Click on the My Folder template folder where you want the template to be saved.
+
image::media/create-template-1.png[create-template-1]
+
. Click on Create a new Template for this folder.
+
image::media/create-template-2.png[create-template-2]
+
. You can now see the template creating interface. The upper half of the screen 
is the _Database Source Browser_. The top left hand pane contains the database 
_Sources_ drop-down list. This is the list of tables available as a starting point 
for your report. Commonly used sources are _Circulation_ (for circ stats and 
overdue reports), _ILS User_ (for patron reports), and _Item_ (for reports on a 
library's holdings).
+
image::media/create-template-3.png[create-template-3]
+
The Enable source nullability checkbox below the sources list is for advanced 
reporting and should be left unchecked by default.
+
. Select _Circulation_ in the _Sources_ dropdown menu. Note that the _Core 
Sources_ for reporting are listed first, however it is possible to access all 
available sources at the bottom of this dropdown menu. You may only specify one 
source per template.
+
image::media/create-template-4.png[create-template-4]
+
. Click on _Circulation_ to retrieve all the field names in the Field Name pane. 
Note that the _Source_ Specifier (above the middle and right panes) shows the 
path that you took to get to the specific field.
+
image::media/create-template-5.png[create-template-5]
+
. Select _Circ ID_ in the middle _Field Name_ pane, and _Count Distinct_ from the 
right _Field Transform_ pane. The _Field Transform_ pane is where you choose how 
to manipulate the data from the selected fields. You are counting the number of 
circulations.
+
indexterm:[reports, field transform]
+
image::media/create-template-6.png[create-template-6]
+
_Field Transforms_ have either an _Aggregate_ or _Non-Aggregate_ output type. 
See the section called
xref:reports:reporter_template_terminology.adoc#field_transforms[Field Transforms] for more about 
_Count, _Count Distinct_, and other transform options.
+
. Click _Add Selected Fields_ underneath the _Field Transform_ pane to add this 
field to your report output. Note that _Circ ID_ now shows up in the bottom left 
hand pane under the _Displayed Fields_ tab.
+
image::media/create-template-7.png[create-template-7]
+
. _Circ ID_ will be the column header in the report output. You can rename 
default display names to something more meaningful. To do so in this example, 
select the _Circ ID_ row and click _Alter Display Header_.
+
image::media/create-template-8.png[create-template-8]
+
Double-clicking on the displayed field name is a shortcut to altering the 
display header.
+
. Type in the new column header name, for example _Circ count_ and click _OK_.
+
image::media/create-template-9.png[create-template-9]
+
. Add other data to your report by going back to the _Sources_ pane and selecting 
the desired fields. In this example, we are going to add _Circulating Item --> 
Shelving Location_ to further refine the circulation report.
+
In the top left hand _Sources_ pane, expand _Circulation_. Depending on your 
computer you will either click on the _+_ sign or on an arrow to expand the tree.
+
image::media/create-template-10.png[create-template-10]
+
Click on the _+_ or arrow to expand _Circulating Item_. Select 
_Shelving Location_.
+
image::media/create-template-11.png[create-template-11]
+
When you are creating a template take the shortest path to the field you need in 
the left hand Sources pane. Sometimes it is possible to find the same field name 
further in the file structure, but the shortest path is the most efficient.
+
In the Field Name pane select Name.
+
image::media/create-template-12.png[create-template-12]
+
In the upper right _Field Transform_ pane, select _Raw Data_ and click _Add Selected_ 
Fields. Use _Raw Data_ when you do not wish to transform field data in any manner.
+
image::media/create-template-13.png[create-template-13]
+
Name will appear in the bottom left pane. Select the Name row and click _Alter 
Display Header_.
+
image::media/create-template-15.png[create-template-15]
+
. Enter a new, more descriptive column header, for example, _Shelving location_. 
Click _OK_.
+
image::media/create-template-16.png[create-template-16]
+
. Note that the order of rows (top to bottom) will correspond to the order of 
columns (left to right) on the final report. Select _Shelving location_ and click 
on _Move Up_ to move _Shelving location_ before _Circ count_.
+
image::media/create-template-17.png[create-template-17]
+
. Return to the _Sources_ pane to add more fields to your template. Under 
_Sources_ click _Circulation_, then select _Check Out Date/Time_ from the middle 
_Field Name_ pane.
+
image::media/create-template-19.png[create-template-19]
+
. Select _Year + Month_ in the right hand _Field Transform_ pane and click _Add 
Selected Fields_
+
image::media/create-template-20.png[create-template-20]
+
. _Check Out Date/Time_ will appear in the _Displayed Fields_ pane. In the report 
it will appear as a year and month _(YYYY-MM)_ corresponding to the selected transform.
+
image::media/create-template-21.png[create-template-21]
+
. Select the _Check Out Date/Time_ row. Click _Alter Display Header_ and change 
the column header to _Check out month_.
+
image::media/create-template-22.png[create-template-22]
+
. Move _Check out month_ to the top of the list using the _Move Up_ button, so 
that it will be the first column in an MS Excel spreadsheet or in a chart. 
Report output will sort by the first column.

image::media/create-template-23.png[create-template-23]

[NOTE]
======
Note the _Change Transform_ button in the bottom left hand pane. It has the same 
function as the upper right _Field Transform_ pane for fields that have already 
been added.

image::media/create-template-24.png[create-template-24]
======


== Applying Filters ==

indexterm:[reports, applying filters]

Evergreen reports access the entire database, so to limit report output to a 
single library or library system you need to apply filters.

After following the steps in the previous section you will see three fields in 
the bottom left hand _Template Configuration_ pane. There are three tabs in this 
pane: _Displayed Fields_ (covered in the previous section), _Base Filters_ and 
_Aggregate Filters_. A filter allows you to return only the results that meet 
the criteria you set.

indexterm:[reports, applying filters, base filter]

indexterm:[reports, applying filters, aggregate filters]

_Base Filters_ apply to non-aggregate output types, while _Aggregate Filters_ are 
used for aggregate types. In most reports you will be using the _Base Filters_ tab. 
For more information on aggregate and non-aggregate types see the section called 
“Field Transforms”.

There are many available operators when using filters. Some examples are _Equals_, 
_In list_, is _NULL_, _Between_, _Greater than_ or _equal to_, and so on. _In list_ 
is the most flexible operator, and in this case will allow you flexibility when 
running a report from this template. For example, it would be possible to run a 
report on a list of timestamps (in this case will be trimmed to year and month 
only), run a report on a single month, or run a report comparing two months. It 
is also possible to set up recurring reports to run at the end of each month.

In this example we are going to use a Base Filter to filter out one library’s 
circulations for a specified time frame. The time frame in the template will be 
configured so that you can change it each time you run the report.

=== Using Base Filters ===

indexterm:[reports, applying filters, base filter]

. Select the _Base Filters_ tab in the bottom _Template Configuration_ pane.

. For this circulation statistics example, select _Circulation --> Check Out 
Date/Time --> Year + Month_ and click on _Add Selected Fields_. You are going to 
filter on the time period.
+
image::media/create-template-25.png[create-template-25]
+
. Select _Check Out Date/Time_. Click on _Change Operator_ and select _In list_ 
from the dropdown menu. 
+
image::media/create-template-26.png[create-template-26]
+
. To filter on the location of the circulation select 
_Circulation --> Circulating library --> Raw Data_ and click on _Add Selected Fields_.
+
image::media/create-template-27.png[create-template-276]
+
. Select _Circulating Library_ and click on _Change Operator_ and select _Equals_. 
Note that this is a template, so the value for _Equals_ will be filled out when 
you run the report.
+
image::media/create-template-28.png[create-template-28]
+
For multi-branch libraries, you would select _Circulating Library_ with _In list_ 
as the operator, so you could specify the branch(es) when you run the report. This 
leaves the template configurable to current requirements. In comparison, sometimes 
you will want to hardcode true/false values into a template. For example, deleted 
bibliographic records remain in the database, so perhaps you want to hardcode 
_deleted=false_, so that deleted records don’t show up in the results. You might 
want to use _deleted=true_, for a template for a report on deleted items in the 
last month.
+
. Once you have configured your template, you must name and save it. Name this 
template _Circulations by month for one library_. You can also add a description. 
In this example, the title is descriptive enough, so a description is not necessary. 
Click _Save_.
+
image::media/create-template-29.png[create-template-29]
+
. Click _OK_.
+
image::media/create-template-30.png[create-template-30]
+
. You will get a confirmation dialogue box that the template was successfully 
saved. Click OK.
+
image::media/create-template-31.png[create-template-31]
+
After saving it is not possible to edit a template. To make changes you will 
need to clone it and edit the clone

[NOTE]
==========
The bottom right hand pane is also a source specifier. By selecting one of these 
rows you will limit the fields that are visible to the sources you have specified. 
This may be helpful when reviewing templates with many fields. Use *Ctrl+Click* to 
select or deselect items.

image::media/create-template-32.png[create-template-32]
==========