Creating and Editing Reports

Crystal Reports 2008 or newer is required to edit existing reports or create new reports to add to the Astra Schedule system. A new Crystal Report file (.rpt) can be uploaded to Astra Schedule and made available to users through the application. (See below for instructions.) Please consult Crystal Reports Help for more information on generating and editing report files.

Reporting on Astra Schedule data is supported through the generation of reporting-specific database views. These report views (typically labeled using the suffix “...ReportView”) combine data from various database tables to provide access to application data in a more report-friendly way.

Report data security is achieved through the use of special report views that include the list of events, sections, and resource records that can be viewed by individual users. By linking these “accessible” report views to their respective report data views in the report and embedding a “User ID” parameter, user security is applied to the report. This specific parameter is intercepted by the Crystal web viewer and the user’s ID is passed into the report automatically. See the Astra Schedule default report list for example.

Connection to the Astra Schedule database with Crystal Reports is not permitted for cloud-hosted clients.  To receive a copy of your database, please submit a software support ticket.

Upload Reports

New reports may be added to the Astra Schedule system at any time to restore or replace standard reports or add to your report library using reports you have created or that have been provided by Ad Astra or another institution. The process of uploading a new report saves the report in a central location, makes the application aware of the report, and adds it to the report list for use.

Add Reports

1. Click the Reporting tab.
2. Select Reports.
3. Click Add a Report.
4. Enter Name.
5. Enter the Description for the report that will help identify its purpose.
6. Select a Report Group to which the report belongs from the drop-down list. 
7. Click Select File.
8. Browse to and select your file and click Open. Your report path will appear in the Report File field.
9. You may change the Report Visibility option if Normal is not desired.
   
   Normal reports are visible to all users that have access to view reports. Featured reports are flagged for filtering purposes and may be highlighted in certain areas of the application (i.e. the homepage). Private reports are available only to those users that have access to view private reports.
10. Click Save to return to the Report List. Your report will now appear on the list.

The Report View Documentation file has more detail on each report view and table descriptions.