Help: Reports

Search

Locate existing cemeteries by searching for all or part of the Report Name or Description. Searching with no value in the search box will find all cemeteries in your database.

Your search criteria for this page will be remembered until you click the Reset button, which restores all default values and searches again.

Actions

The Action buttons next to each Report allow you to edit, delete or preview that Report. To delete more than one Report at a time, click the box in the Select column for each Report to be deleted, then click the "Delete Selected" button at the top of the list. Use the Select All or Clear All buttons to toggle all select boxes at once.

Top

Adding or Editing Reports

A TNG Report is a custom-built listing of people in your database. You decide which fields to display, which people to put in the report, and how to sort them. You can use the report builder interface, or you can include your own SQL query instead.

To add a new Report, click on the "Add New" tab, then fill out the form. To make changes to an existing Report, use the Search tab to locate the record, then click on the Edit icon next to that line. When adding or editing a Report, take note of the following:

Report Name

You must give your report a name. This will appear as the title when the report is displayed.

Description

Give your report a short description. This will appear under the title when the report is displayed. It should explain briefly what the report shows using what criteria.

Rank/Priority

Reports will normally sort alphabetically according to name, unless you give each one a ranking or priority. Lower numbers sort first. No rank sorts before any number.

Active

Your new report will not be visible to regular site visitors until you indicate here that it is active. It's a good idea to save and test your report to make sure the output looks as you expected it before making active.

Choose Fields to Display

Indicate which fields to display in your report by copying them from the lefthand box to the empty box on the right. You can do this by selecting a field and then clicking the Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

You can remove a field from the display list by selecting it in the righthand box and then clicking the << Remove button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

Fields at the top of the display list are displayed at the left of the report when it is displayed. To change the order of the display fields, select a field in the righthand box and move it up or down within the list by clicking on the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Choose Criteria

Indicate which people to include in your report by choosing criteria. People who do not match the criteria will not be included in the report. Criteria statements are well-formed when they include a field name and a condition. For example, "Last Name = 'Lythgoe' " or "Birth Place contains 'England' ". Multiple criteria must be joined with an AND or an OR statement. Precedence is indicated by using parentheses.

Begin any statement by choosing a field name from the upper lefthand box and adding it to the righthand box. You can do this by selecting a field and then clicking the adjacent Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

NOTE: All date fields except Last Modified Date are treated as strings and not as true dates UNLESS they are labeled as 'True'. Comparing dates using text or string fields is best done by comparing date components, such as the year only or the day only. To isolate a date component in this manner, first select Month Only From:, Day Only From: or Year Only From:, and then select the date field from which the component will come.

When working with a true date field (like Last Modified Date), you may compare the field directly to other true dates or true date fields. A predefined true date you may use is the Operator 'Today'. You may also use the operator 'Convert to Days' when relating two true dates. For example, find all records in which the Last Modified Date is less than 30 days old, you could choose for your criteria:

Convert to Days
Today (true date)
-
Convert to Days
Last Modified Date
<=
30

After choosing a field name, next choose a comparision operator from the Operators & Special Values box. These include "=, !=, < > <=, >=, contains, starts with, ends with". Copy the operator to the righthand box by selecting it and then clicking the adjacent Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the operator name (IE only).

Finally, complete the statement by selecting a field or value to compare to your original field. You may also select one of the following Special Values: Current Month, Current Year or Current Day. To select a constant string value, enter the string without quotes in the Constant String field and click the adjacent Add >> button. To add a blank string, leave the field blank before clicking the button. To select a constant numeric value, enter the number in the Constant Value field and click the adjacent Add >> button.

You can remove any item from the righthand box by selecting it and then clicking the << Remove button, or by simply double-clicking on the item (IE only). To change the order of the items in the list, select the item and move it up or down within the list by clicking on the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Choose Sort Order

Indicate how the matching records should be sorted by choosing one or more fields to determine a sort order. If the first field in the list can not determine the order of any two matching records, the next field in the list will be used, and so forth. If no sort order is indicated, matching records will be displayed in the order they were added to the database. Select fields to be in the sort order by copying them from the lefthand box to the right. You can do this by selecting a field and then clicking the Add >> button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only).

By default, all fields sort in ascending order (i.e., A-Z or 0-9). To sort a field in descending order, use the pseudo-field 'Descending (Prev)'. The 'Prev' in parentheses means that this designation must follow the field it modifies. In other words, if you want to sort by Last Name, choose this for your sort order:

Last Name
Descending (Prev)

Miscellaneous

You can remove any field from the righthand box by selecting it and then clicking the << Remove button, or by simply double-clicking on the field name (IE only). To change the order of the fields in the list, select a field and move it up or down within the list by clicking on the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Custom SQL Query

If you know structured query language (SQL) and you're familiar with TNG's table structure, you may leave the Display, Criteria and Sort areas blank and instead enter your direct SQL SELECT statement in the box at the bottom of the screen.

Save Report vs. Save and Exit

When you're ready to save your report, click "Save Report" to save and stay on the same page and continue editing. Click "Save and Exit" to save and return to the Reports menu.

To see some sample reports, please visit http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/demo.php, choose the Administrative Demo, and browse the Reports section there.

Top

Deleting Reports

To delete a Report, use the Search tab to locate the Report, then click on the Delete icon next to that Report record. The row will change color and then vanish as the Report is deleted.