Create a Quick Report (AV 2018 and prior)
One of the most important tasks in data management is report generation. The Quick Report Editor is one of the tools used to design reports. You use the Quick Report Editor to create reports based on a selection of records. These can be ad-hoc reports intended only for one-time use or they can be save to be used perpetually.
With Quick Reports you can:
- Produce a list of records.
- Create breaks and subtotal lines.
- Compute calculations such as sums and averages.
- Apply formatting such as fonts, font styles and borders.
- Export the report as a file that can be imported into spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel®.
The Quick Report Editor will produce a report from a current selection of records. Before you print a Quick Report, set the current selection to the list of records to be included in the report using one of the query methods described here. The following is an example of a Quick Report.
An Example of a Quick Report
Keep reading for the steps used to create this report.
1. Select a list of records to report on.
2. Add a new Quick Report.
3. Enter the Report Info.
4. Add Fields to appear on the report.
This example report is being generated from the Sales Orders & Quotes window. The Master Table for this window is the [Sales_Document] table.
*The Master table of your Quick Report must coincide with the table where you are selecting records to report on!
The fields in this report are:
- [Sales_Document]Client_Name
- [Sales_Document]ShipTo_State
- [Sales_Document]Invoice_Date
- [Sales_Document]Invoice_Number
- [Sales_Document]Sale_Taxed
- [Sales_Document]Total_Tax
- [Sales_Document]Total_TaxFreightIncluded
5. Determine the Sort Order.
You can sort by any field in the report (ascending or descending). Just drag the field(s) to the Sort Order box in the order you want them to be sorted by.
6. Change headings & format rows.
By default the column headings will be labeled as the field name that is selected. The wording can be changed to reflect something more meaningful.
7. Add a number format.
The Quick Report Editor has a list of out-of-the-box number and date formats. You are free to use any of these or build your own formats based on the same logic as these.
8. Sub Totals and Grand Totals.
In this screenshot you can see I've added Sum calculations to each of the Taxable Amount, Tax and Invoice Total columns.
- I added a Sum to each of the columns in the Grand total row.
- I also added a Sum to each of the columns where the Client Name changes. This will add a subtotal for each individual Client who appears on the report.
9. Remove Repeated Values.
Quick Reports can be formatted so that any Repeated Values are hidden. For example, if a selection of records includes the same Client Name repeatedly, it can be displayed only one time so as to not clutter the report. Any field where you don't want to show a Repeated Value must also be included in the Sort Order section
10. Add a Header and/or a Footer.
10.1. Format the header and/or footer.
11. Save the completed Quick Report.
Here is what this Quick Report looks like in the Quick Report Editor when completed. Save the report (to the desktop) when you are done and close the Quick Report Editor.
12. Link the Quick Report.
Once the Quick Report has been created and saved in the Quick Report Editor, you'll still need to Link the Report to your AcctVantage data file. Click the Link Report button to proceed.
13. Select the report file to link.
Quick Reports have the file extension *.4qr. (This is the file that should be on your desktop.)
14. The report has been linked...
15. The Quick Report can now be run from the Reports window.
See the beginning of this lesson for an example of what this Quick Report will look like when it's printed.
