How to Create Reports

You must be a Super Admin user or have the following permissions: create reports update reports

Learn how to create automated reports. Track messages with associated data. Schedule reports on a recurring basis. Notify users by group or email address.

Overview

In the eCourtDate platform, creating data reports is an essential feature that allows government agency staff to generate insightful analytics. These reports help track messages, events, cases, payments, and more, facilitating data-driven decision-making. With the ability to automate report exports and customize data fields, this feature is invaluable for court personnel, law enforcement, IT administrators, and probation officers. Users can expect to effectively manage data, streamline communication, and ensure compliance with administrative requirements.

Prerequisites

Before you begin creating reports, ensure that:

• You have the necessary permissions to configure report settings.
• The required data (e.g., client information, case details) is already available in the system.
• All dependent features, such as message records and event tracking, are enabled and configured.
• Sign into your eCourtDate staging or production agency.

How to Import a Sample Report

Importing a sample report is the fastest way to create a new report. You can make changes to the report after importing.

1. Click on the Reports link in the top navigation bar.
2. Scroll down to the Import Sample Reports section.
3. Locate the desired sample report and click on the Import button.

What to expect:

• You will be redirected to the newly created report. 
• The report will be configured based on the sample that you chose.
• The report will send export notifications to your email address.
• If available, you should see results in the report datapoints and datasets.
• Skip to the How to Edit a Report section to learn how to make changes to the report.

 

How to Create a Report Manually

1. Click on the Reports link in the top navigation bar.
2. Locate the Create Report form in the top left of the page.
3. Fill in the Report Name (e.g. Monthly Messages).
4. Click on the Create button.

What to expect:

• You will be redirected to the newly created report.
• The report will default to the last month date range on a monthly export schedule.
• The report will send export notifications to your email address.

 

How to Update a Report

Reports consist of the following elements:

• Settings
• Date Range
• Datapoints
• Datasets

After making any changes, click on the Save button in the top right corner to apply your changes.

Report Settings

• Name: the identifier of the report such as "Monthly Messages".
• Report Description: a description of the report for any recipients .
• Date Field Filter: the field to order results based on.
• Export Frequency: the frequency to export reports based on such as "month".
• Attach Files to Emails: whether or not to attach the file directly directly to report notifications.

Report Date Range

Reports can be configured to use a relative or absolute date range. We recommend relative date ranges unless you are creating a report for a one-off purpose.

The curent date range is displayed in the top left. After making any date related changes, make sure that the preview matches what you expect.

Relative Dates

These date options are based on when the report exports or when you are currently viewing the report.

For example, to generate a monthly report with messages scheduled in the previous month, choose the following options:

• From Date: Start of Last Month
• To Date: End of Last Month
• Date Field: messages.scheduled_at
• Export Frequency: month

To generate a monthly report with messages scheduled in the current month, choose Start of Month and End of Month for the From Date and To Date.

Absolute Dates

This is ideal for running a report based on a specific date and time. 

• Change the From Date field to Custom. 
• Set the Custom From Date and Custom From Time fields to your desired values.
• Change the To Date field to Custom.
• Set the Custom To Date and Custom To Time fields to your desired values.
• Click the Save button.

You should see the Date Range update with your selected values.

Report Recipients

Choose the recipients who will recieve the report when it exports new results. Recipients can be a combination of the following:

• (Recommended) Roles: choose one or multiple roles. Users who are assigned the role will receive the report.
• Users: choose one or multiple specific users.
• Add an Email: fill in this field with an email address.  This field only shows if the "Attach File to Emails" option is enabled.

How to Assign Datapoints

Each datapoint is a different metric that can be included in a report. When the report exports, the current value is calculated and included in the report.

• Locate the Report Datapoints section.
• Click on the Add Datapoint dropdown.
• Click on the desired datapoint.

You should expect to see the datapoint appear in the "selected datapoints" list as well as the current result displayed above.

• Click on the drag-and-drop handle and move the datapoint to change the sort order.
• Click on the X button to remove the datapoint from the report. 

How to Create Datasets

Reports can include multiple datasets of filtered source data. You can customize the title, fields, and filters for each dataset. 

• Locate the Create Dataset section
• Type in your desired dataset name
• Click on the Create Dataset button

You should expect to see the dataset listed below.

How to Update Datasets

• In the dataset that you want to update, click the Edit button.
• You will then see a Edit Dataset screen.
• After making any changes, click the Save button.

Dataset Fields

The fields are used as the column headers for the report. If you don't have any fields set, click on the Set Default Fields button to start quickly.

• Click on the Dataset Fields dropdown to see a list of available fields. 
• Once clicked, the field will be added to the list.
• (Optional) Change the field name to match your desired label.
• (Optional) Click and drag the handle button to change the field sort order in the report.

Dataset Filters

Dataset filters allow you to add conditions to refine report results. You can add any number of filters for each dataset. Multiple filters are combined using the "AND" condition - in addition to the date range filters set in the report settings.

If you don't have any filters, click on a filter in the Sample Filters to get started quickly.

To adjust the filter, click on the Edit button next to any filter. To remove a filter, click on the Delete button.

A filter consists of the following options:

• Field: the field to apply the filter on (such as the "Message Status")
• Operator: the operator to use (such as "Equals")
• Condition: the value to use (such as "delivered")

Notes:

• The condition field is free entry and is based on your data. If you don't see expected results, ensure that the filter conditions match the field values exactly.
• The condition field accepts "null" and "0" if you want to create conditions such as Does Not Equal Null.
• Remember to click the Save button to apply any changes to your dataset.

 

How to Manage Exports

When the Export Frequency is configured, you'll see the Exported Reports section. 

If you just created a report, you may not see any results until the report exports based on the frequency.

If the report has generated at least one export, you will see a "Last Active" badge with the date and time. Otherwise, you will see a "Not Active" badge.

You can click on the Export Now button to generate a one-time export.

When there are exported files, you will see a list. Each result in the list includes the file name and size. The file name includes the date range used.

• To look for a specific file, fill in the Search files field and click the search button. We recommend using the desired month or day in the search field.
• Click on a file to download it to your computer.