Creating Reports

Overview

Reports are customizable lists of records that meet the criteria you define during the creation process. As a System Administrator, you’ll use reports to help your team track client portfolios, monitor compliance requirements, analyze business performance, and support data-driven decision-making across your firm. This article outlines the steps for creating and modifying reports and report folders.

For a comprehensive understanding of report types, functionality, and how reports integrate with dashboards, please consult our Understanding Reports & Dashboards article.

• Report Folders
  • Creating a New Report Folder
  • Editing Folder Access
• Reports
  • Creating a New Report
    • Filtering Reports
    • Adding and Removing Columns
  • Saving and Editing Reports
  • Grouping
  • Adding Charts
  • Subscribing Team Members
  • Exporting

Report Folders

Report folders control how reports are accessed and determine who can view, edit, or manage them within your organization. Proper folder structure and access controls ensure that sensitive client data remains secure while making reports easily accessible to the teams who need them.

Creating a New Report Folder

1. Click the caret button next to the Navigation menu and select the Reports option from the drop-down menu.

   

2. Click the New Folder button located in the upper right-hand corner of the Reports page.
3. In the Folder Label field, enter the name of the report folder. Choose a name that clearly indicates the folder’s purpose or the team it serves (for example, “Compliance Reports” or “Advisor Performance Metrics”).
4. Click on the Folder Unique Name field. This value will auto-populate based on your folder label.
5. Click Save to finalize the creation of this folder.

Editing Folder Access

Controlling folder access ensures that reports containing sensitive information are visible only to the appropriate team members. You can share folders with individual users, roles, groups, or combinations of these entities.

1. On the Reports page, click the All Folders tab on the left-hand side of the screen.
2. Locate the report folder you would like to edit access for and click the caret button for that record, located on the right-hand side of the table.

3. Select Share from the drop-down menu.

   

4. In the Share With field, select the style of sharing. The options available are as follows:

   • Users
   • Roles
   • Role, Internal, and Partner Subordinates
   • Role and Internal Subordinates
   • Public Groups

   Please note: If you are unsure which option to select, please contact your CSM.

5. For the Name field, enter the name you want to match. The name must match the category selected in the Share With field. For example, if you select User as the category, specify the user’s name.
6. Select the access level from the Access drop-down field. The options available are as follows:
   • View: Users can only view the reports within the folder.
   • Edit: Users can edit and view reports saved to the folder.
   • Manage: Users can edit and view reports and modify permission access to the report folder.

7. Click Share. The change will then move the sharing settings to the Who Can Access list. Continue adding entries following the steps above as needed. You can share with users, groups, roles, divisions, or a combination.

   Please note: The highest permission is granted when a user is assigned to multiple entities. For example, a group is added with view-only permissions, but a user in that group is also added with edit permissions. In this case, the edit permissions apply to that user.

8. To delete a Who Can Access entry, click X to the right of the entry. To modify the access level for an entry, select a new access level from the drop-down option beside the name in the Who Can Access list.

Reports

Creating a New Report

The report creation process begins by selecting a report type, which determines which fields and records are available for your report. Report types serve as templates that define the relationships among data objects in your system (such as Contacts and Accounts, or Actions and Services).

1. If not already within Reports, use the Navigation menu and select Reports from the drop-down menu.

2. On the Reports page, click the New Report button on the screen’s right-hand side.

   

3. Choose the report type that the report should reference from the list of report types. The report type will be highlighted to show it has been selected. Click Start Report to finalize the selection. 

Filtering Reports

Filters allow you to narrow your report results to specific records that meet defined criteria. This functionality is essential for creating targeted reports, such as viewing only clients with upcoming review meetings, accounts above a certain asset threshold, or tasks assigned to specific team members.

Upon entry to the Report Builder, limited or no information will be displayed due to automated over-filtering. To update this, click the Filters tab.

To adjust the already populated filters:

1. Check the filter’s box within the Filters sidebar. This will generate a pop-up with the information settings related to the filter displayed in drop-down menus.
2. Click Apply to complete the change once the drop-down menus have been modified to create the correct filter. Typically, the Created Date standard filter needs its Range changed from Custom to All Time when the report is created.

Please note: Updating the filter does not automatically rerun the data in the Preview Window; you must click the Run button after each change. If you would like this change to occur automatically, click the Update Preview Automatically radio button to ensure these changes occur without requiring the extra selections of the Run button.

To add new filters:

1. Use the Add filter... search bar to search for and select the field name from the drop-down menu.
2. Set the Operator from the drop-down list to the appropriate function.
3. Beneath the Operator field, enter the Filter Value.

4. Click Apply to add this filter to the report.

   

5. If no other users should be able to modify the filter, check the Locked box, then click Apply again. This will lock the filter, allowing only the report creator to edit or unlock it.

Adding and Removing Columns 

Columns determine which fields appear in your report and in what order. You can add columns to display additional information or remove columns to streamline the report for your users.

Select the Outline header on the sidebar located on the left-hand side.

To add a column:

1. Use the Add Column... search bar to search for the field name you want to add to the report.
2. Select the field name from the drop-down list to add as a column in the report.
3. If looking to see all fields available, select the Fields section on the left-hand side of Outline. This opens a section that is hidden by default and displays all fields, separated by the Salesforce object. Double-click or drag fields from this list to add them to the report as a column.

To remove a column:

1. On the Columns list in the sidebar, locate the field name of the column you would like to remove.
2. Click the X icon next to the field name. This will remove it from the columns list.
3. Fields can also be removed by clicking the caret icon next to the field name in the column header, then selecting Remove Column from the drop-down options.

Saving and Editing Reports

Once your report preview displays the correct information, you’ll save it with a descriptive name and assign it to a folder. Well-named reports with clear descriptions help your team quickly identify the right report for their needs, saving time and reducing confusion.

1. Once the report preview displays as intended, click the Save button. This will generate a pop-up to specify the report's properties.
2. In the Report Name field, enter the name of the report. Choose a name that clearly indicates what the report shows (for example, “Active Clients with Upcoming Reviews” or “Q1 Revenue by Advisor”).

3. Click on the Report Unique Name field. This value will auto-generate from the information entered into the Report Name field.

   Please note: Each report must have a unique value in this field. If two reports have the same report name, you may need to edit this auto-generated value to prevent duplication.

4. In the Report Description field, enter a short description of the report and its purpose to help your team easily identify the report. While this information is not required, it is highly recommended.
5. Click Save to finalize the creation of this report.

Once a report has been saved, it can be continually edited by selecting the Edit button, which allows users to review the report's settings, determine whether filters should be added or replaced, and potentially change the fields displayed in the report. Once changes are completed, click Save to overwrite the current settings or click Save As to save it as a new report.

Grouping

Grouping organizes your report data into sections based on a specific field, making it easier to analyze trends and patterns. For example, you might group a client report by advisor to see each advisor’s book of business, or group tasks by status to identify bottlenecks in your team’s workflow.

To add grouping:

1. Navigate to the Outline section in the report builder.
2. In the Groups section, use the Add Group... search bar under Group Rows or Group Columns to search for the field name you want to group by.
3. Select the field name from the drop-down options.
4. Groupings can also be added by locating the column for the grouping field and selecting the caret icon beside the field name in the column header. Then select Group Rows by This Field or Group Columns by This Field from the drop-down options.

Adding Charts

Charts provide visual representations of your report data, making it easier to identify trends, compare metrics, and communicate insights to stakeholders. Visual elements can transform raw data into compelling stories about your firm’s performance and client relationships.

Please note: The report must have at least one grouping to support the addition of charts.

1. Click the Add Chart button next to the Save and Run button in the Report Builder.

2. Click the cog icon on the right-hand side within the chart to open the chart properties.

   

3. Set the Display As section to the report view you would like displayed. Chart types available are as follows:
   • Bar
   • Column
   • Stacked Bar
   • Stacked Column
   • Line
   • Donut
   • Funnel
   • Scatter Plot

Please note: Depending on your grouping settings, certain chart type options may be grayed out and unavailable for selection.

4. Under Chart Attributes, set the Title for the chart as you would like it to display within the report. This field is not mandatory and can be left blank if a title is not desired.

5. Set the Y-Axis, X-Axis, or Sliced By fields to the field names you would like the chart’s information to be based upon.

6. Click the cog icon again to have the chart properties options disappear. Once the chart is complete, click Save and Run to finalize the addition.

Subscribing Team Members 

Report subscriptions allow team members to receive automatic email updates with report data on a regular schedule. This ensures that advisors, compliance officers, and leadership stay informed about critical metrics without manually running reports, supporting proactive client service and informed decision-making.

1. After running the report, click the caret button next to Edit.

2. Select Subscribe from the drop-down options. This will open the Edit Subscription window to build all the relevant settings.

   

3. Set the Frequency to either daily, weekly, or monthly. This selection determines how often the subscriber will receive a report subscription email.
4. Select the Days options to designate which days the email should be sent. When selected, the value will be highlighted. If you would like to remove a day from the selection, click the day again to deselect it. Multiple day options can be selected for one subscription.
5. Set the Time field to the time the email subscription should arrive. This will be based on the individual user’s time settings, not your organization’s locale settings.
6. Click Attach File to choose how the report is sent to your user. Under the Attach File option, select either a Formatted Report (.XLSX) or a Details Only (.CSV) file option. If attaching a details-only (.CSV) file, optionally choose an encoding. Typically, users select the Formatted Report option to send through subscriptions. Once the option is chosen, click Save to finalize this choice.

7. Click the Edit Recipients button and then search for users. Click Add to add the user to the recipient list. They will now be displayed under the Subscribers section. To remove a subscriber, click the X icon to the right of their name.

   Please note: The report must be saved in a public folder to add other users as subscribers.

8. The Run Report As field determines who the report’s default user should be. Normally, the best practice is to keep it as your user unless you are building the report for another team member (for example, you are the assistant to an Advisor and want to ensure the report is focused on their user).
9. Check the Add conditions to this report box if you want to add criteria to determine when this report is pulled outside the standard date settings. Adding conditions lets you skip the report email update when there is no new data or data to review.
10. Click Save to finalize this subscription.

Please note: Users can set up subscriptions for up to seven reports. Subscription recipients are not listed on the report subscription emails.

Exporting

Exporting allows you to share report data outside of Practifi or perform additional analysis in spreadsheet applications. This flexibility supports collaboration with external partners, custom data manipulation, and integration with other business tools.

1. In the run report, click the caret button on the right-hand side.

2. Select Export from the drop-down options.

   

3. Choose an Export View, either a formatted report or details only.
   • Formatted Report exports the report as it appears in Salesforce, with the report header, groupings, and filter details. Because formatting is retained, you cannot select encoding, and the only supported formatted export file type is .xlsx.
   • Details Only exports each detail row without formatting and is useful for doing further calculations in a spreadsheet.
4. If exporting as Details Only, select Excel Format .xlsx, Excel Format .xls, or Comma Delimited .csv as the format. For .xls and .csv, select the encoding option appropriate for your language and locale. The encoding option will likely not need to be modified, as it defaults to your user settings.
5. Click Export, and if prompted by a browser dialog, select a location and save the file.