Creating a Report Object for a Report

When a report has been created (for more information, see Creation of Reports and the Required Software), it can be retrieved for use in M-Files Desktop.

For the reports to be displayed in M-Files, .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 or .NET Framework 4.0 must be installed on the computer of the user viewing the report. .NET Framework Client Profile is also a suitable solution. When necessary, M-Files will suggest installation, if the installation is possible.

Follow these steps to create a report object:

Steps

In M-Files, right-click on the listing area and select New > Report... from the context menu.
The New Report dialog is opened.
In the Name or title field, enter a name describing the report.
For example, if the report is used for calculating yearly revenue, the title of the report object could be Revenue by Year.
In the Report URL field, enter the URL to be used for retrieving the report from the reporting services to M-Files. The URL must be in the form http://servername/instance?/report_path.
The same URL can be used to retrieve the report in the browser. Note, however, that this address will not be displayed in the browser address field after opening the report. For more information, please contact M-Files customer support at [email protected].
Optional: To define the placement of the report in the M-Files user interface, click Add property and select Report placement from the drop-down menu, and the select an appropriate value for Report placement using the drop-down menu.
Click Create to create the report object.

Results

The report object you have created is added to the vault. You can view the report by selecting the object in M-Files.

What to do next

You can attach a report object to a specific view. For instructions, see Attaching a Report Object to a View.

Attaching a Report Object to a View

You can attach a report object to a specific view, such as Sales by customer or Proposals by salesperson. Do the following steps to attach a report object to a view:

Steps

In M-Files, navigate to the view to which you want to attach a report object.
Optional: If you want your settings to be applied for all users, right-click on an empty area in the view and select Properties from the context menu.
1. In the Properties dialog, check the Common to all users option check box, if it is not already checked.
2. Click OK to close the Properties dialog.
Press Alt and select one of the following options from the context menu:
1. View > Reports > Attach Report to This View (full view)...: Select this option if you want the report to be displayed in the full view mode, covering the listing area and the right pane.
  or
2. View > Reports > Attach Report to This View (right)...: Select this option if you want the report to be displayed in the right pane.
  or
3. View > Reports > Attach Report to This View (bottom)...: Select this option if you want the report to be displayed at the bottom of the listing area.
The Select Report dialog is opened.
Select the report object that you want to attach to the selected view and click Open.

Results

The selected report is attached to the selected view. When you navigate to the view, the report is displayed automatically.

Associating the Report Object with Other Objects

You can associate the Report object with other objects, such as Customers. You can display the report data by customer by selecting a customer from the list if you so specify in the reporting services settings (see Creation of Reports and the Required Software). Then M-Files will show the data (for instance sales by month) for only this specific customer in the report. When you select another customer, the report will be updated with data related to the second customer.

Bringing the Report Up to Date

The data in the report is based on the latest data from M-Files to the reporting service. The data can exported either manually or on a scheduled basis. If a separate update link is created for a report in the reporting services, the report can be updated whenever desired via M-Files Desktop. For more information, please contact M-Files customer support at [email protected].