Is it just me or is the report builder the most unintuitive part of Daylite?

The fact that there are no 'standard' reports to build on has made this much touted feature a major pain in the butt.

I've watched the videos, and tried to create some basic reports but it seems beyond my beginners' ken.

Is there a step by step 'dummies guide to report building' somewhere?

Thanks - apart from this, great product!

quote:

Originally posted by Grant Simmons:
Is it just me or is the report builder the most unintuitive part of Daylite?

The fact that there are no 'standard' reports to build on has made this much touted feature a major pain in the butt.

I've watched the videos, and tried to create some basic reports but it seems beyond my beginners' ken.

Is there a step by step 'dummies guide to report building' somewhere?

Thanks - apart from this, great product!

I'm standing on the exactly same spot. While the videos definately got me going in the right direction, I'm quite lost in the Dynamic Texts. Understanding how many "parent.parent.etc" is needed is totally beyond me, as is the "Average/Maximum/Minimum/Sum" part.

I've been ready to believe its some small bug that throws us off (ie. the Task minute/hour Sum), but that doesn't really help me understand the syntax any better.

Still, the Report engine is not totally unintuative. I've built a report and a couple of lists, but I've never felt completly under control. Making things work almost (but not quite) like I want them to has been my way to this point.

And yes, a great product still

I am in total agreement about how unintuitive the Report Engine is. Yet, it's one of the most powerful features of Daylite. Suggestion: that the Report Engine interface be revamped to function just like FILEMAKER layouts: choose a template, drag a field, format the layout and you're done. Much more user friendly, and would speed the adoption rate of the program by a huge factor.

Dave

Making it like Filemaker would not solve the issue. Filemaker and other apps have essentially flat data models. Daylite has a multi-directional and deep data model. There in lies the issues. It is why no standard report engine will work and why we have to make our own.

We are working on more documentation. Here is a preliminary and incomplete
Report Engine Guide

This should help a little more in your understanding of the system. We hope to finish the document soon.

I agree that it is far more complecated than I would have hoped. The problem is that this has thrust me, a small business owner, into a whole world of new nomenclature for database design and reporting, when all I wanted to do was get decent reports. I can see myself throwing away a great deal of time trying design reports for my business.

The Report Engine Guide looks like it will be helpful, but probably even more helpful would be far more templates to start from. This new forum will help, hopefully, as people contribute to the design aspects.

What kind of report are you wanting? Do you want something like a simple printing of a list or something more complicated?

We will try to make things easier for simple, list type reports (print layouts to be exact). For more complex requirements, we expect people will ask the more technical consultants to create those custom reports.

quote:

Originally posted by AJ:
Making it like Filemaker would not solve the issue. Filemaker and other apps have essentially flat data models. Daylite has a multi-directional and deep data model. There in lies the issues. It is why no standard report engine will work and why we have to make our own.

We are working on more documentation. Here is a preliminary and incomplete
Report Engine Guide

This should help a little more in your understanding of the system. We hope to finish the document soon.

AJ Just reviewed the Report Engine Guide. Whatever you do, don't let anyone who hasn't purchased DL see it. It will scare them off. (and I want many many more people to buy)

Yikes!! I can make Filemaker reports do unnatural acts that would make a bargirl blush, but that Guide was Greek to me. Add me to the chorus that can't make hide nor hare of your report engine after multiple viewing of your videos.

I agree with another poster that the solution "for the rest of us" is for many more stock reports. There are problably many more like me who would rather have no reports than hire a consultant who never goes away, or leaves me with a mess I can't figure out.

That document is meant to for a technical audience and definately not for end users.

You should look at some of the stuff that is possible: Cynthia's Reports

Click on the few different samples.

First of all AJ, I'm glad to see MarketCircle staff works 24 hrs a day!!! 2:09 AM? I thought only I was up at that time!

Thanks for the link to Cynthia's reports. That is exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking to do. Guess I'll have to ramp up my expertise by just taking the time...

I can see from Cynthia's work that if I do DL will go from GREAT to UNBELIEVABLE. Thanks.

PS Hey, how about seeking the top 25 "stock reports" users would like to see via nomination and vote and then having Cynthia do a purchasable "suite" of reports we could download. Extra money for her, less work for us, at a reasonable cost. Just a thought. Go back to bed!

quote:

Originally posted by AJ:
What kind of report are you wanting? Do you want something like a simple printing of a list or something more complicated?

We will try to make things easier for simple, list type reports (print layouts to be exact). For more complex requirements, we expect people will ask the more technical consultants to create those custom reports.

Thanks for the link to report engine guide. I like the power of the report engine but feel there just needs to be a lot more basic reports to get started with.

Robert King

quote:

Originally posted by Greg Bachand:
First of all AJ, I'm glad to see MarketCircle staff works 24 hrs a day!!! 2:09 AM? I thought only I was up at that time!

Thanks for the link to Cynthia's reports. That is exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking to do. Guess I'll have to ramp up my expertise by just taking the time...

I can see from Cynthia's work that if I do DL will go from GREAT to UNBELIEVABLE. Thanks.

PS Hey, how about seeking the top 25 "stock reports" users would like to see via nomination and vote and then having Cynthia do a purchasable "suite" of reports we could download. Extra money for her, less work for us, at a reasonable cost. Just a thought. Go back to bed!

that´s a great idear, DO iT!!!!!!

The question has been posted.

Top 25 Reports

I have to resoundingly agree... the report engine as-is is totally unintuitive. I am going crazy trying to get some useful reports put together, and waste an inordinate amount of time in the process.

Stock reports and some better instructions are a must!

It seems the majority of people want easy list creation - so we've added a feature in the upcoming 3.1 that makes that process super easy. We will also have a 'live table' layout which automatically reflects the current columns you have displayed.

Hopefully this will help. If not, we will have to keep tweaking.

quote:

Originally posted by AJ:
That document is meant to for a technical audience and definately not for end users.

You should look at some of the stuff that is possible: Cynthia's Reports

Click on the few different samples.

WOW!! This is EXACTLY what I need:

Contact report: with open Opportunities

Task report: "today's" created and completed Tasks with NOTES

This is my "Hand Over" or "End Of Shift" reports I am trying to do!!!!

DL, please.... provide a easier way to accomplish designing such reports.. I get how to use printed.. Reports and working with the DB is what we need.

If I could make a report based upon cynthia's reports examples with form varibles... LOOK OUT