Part One - the records to include
When you run a report, you need to specify which records to include. You do this by performing a query - also known as a search. When you run a query, the system will return a set of records that match your criteria.
You can run queries in every module. The criteria that you can search on will vary from module to module.
After you have your records, you need to decide which data fields to include. That is part two.
Part Two - choose your column set
Database records are considered the rows of the data table, and the data fields, which hold your content, are the columns. You will be deciding which columns to include in your report. You will do this by selecting a column set.
When you run your report, the system will create summaries of your data that is stored as numbers. Typically, your text data will serve as the summary criteria, where your value fields (hours, fees, income, etc.) get summed into totals and subtotals.
Part Three - summing it all up
When you run your report, whether it's a quick or saved report, you can select up to three aggregation criteria. For example, you might report your monthly labor costs summed by Project, Phase, and Staff. For a billing report, you might sum time slips by Project and Billing Rate.
When you run these reports, you can list each data record in an itemized view or collapse the entire report into a simple summary view that displays only the subtotals and the grand total.