Cascading user reports are created the same way any other user report is, via the system or company reports configuration screens. Any report can become a prerequisite report by being added to the prerequisite section of the user report you want them to flow into.
In the "Edit Details" mode of the User Report Details screen, enter the number of prerequisite reports to add, then click on
in the Prerequisite User Reports section.
Next, select the user report(s) that feed into the main user report, then click
. To view details of a selected user report, click
to the right of its name. The User Report Details screen will open in a new browser tab.
To run a prerequisite report within a user report, click
. This icon only appears when reports have been saved in the Prerequisite User Reports section.
Once a report has been linked to a subsequent report by being added as a prerequisite, the fields in the prerequisite report are listed in the available data sources and data fields so they can be added to the new report. This includes any custom SQL or calculation fields. This means that you can calculate a value in a prerequisite report and pull that into your next report to be used in a subsequent step.
You can add multiple prerequisite reports to a final report, depending on the data you are trying to gather. As prerequisite reports will only ever return the first row of data for use in any subsequent reports, it may be that you will need multiple prerequisite reports to get the outcome you are looking for. Prerequisite reports can also be used to cascade data.
Important Things to Know About Cascading User Reports
Cascading user reports will only ever return the first (top) row of data in a query. This means that if you have a many-to-many data relationship, cascading user reports are unlikely to be the right solution. It also means that they should not be considered as a replacement for a “view”, which the Equus development team build when there is a need to compare and sort complex data.
Filters and prompts will pass from your prerequisite reports into any subsequent (child) reports, however they still need to be added to the filters in your subsequent reports. An example of this is that your prerequisite report may filter on the assignment ID and prompt for this when it is run. You add this prerequisite to a child report and when you run it, it prompts on the assignment ID as expected. However it is prompting on the filter for the prerequisite report, not the subsequent report, and so you need to add this filter to you subsequent report as well otherwise you will not get the results you are expecting.
Equus Platform will not allow circular dependencies and a company level report cannot be a prerequisite for a system level report. However a system level report can be a prerequisite for a company level report.
If using integer math in a custom calculation field that references a value that comes from a prerequisite report, the value must be converted from a string to an integer using the CONVERT() function. It is recommended that for FLOAT value to be converted to a DECIMAL/MONEY from the pre-requisite report BEFORE being passed on the calling report.
We expect prerequisite reports to be useful in creating widgets and merge documents on a per assignee bases. For example to calculate and collate all the data points for an assignee into one widget.
If a prerequisite report is referenced by another user report, the report cannot be deleted.