Reports

The Reports module, located in the Reporting group, contains over 180 built-in reports. Fishbowl also offers custom reports and reports from the Fishbowl Store.

Module buttons

Upload allows a report file to be uploaded.

Update allows an existing report to be re-uploaded.

Save will save any changes made to the report.

Delete will delete the report if it is not read-only.

Duplicate creates a copy of the report that can be renamed and modified.

Request opens a window to request a custom report from Fishbowl.

Server Log opens a window with technical information about recent server activity. This information can then be sent to Fishbowl.

Email opens a window to compose an email. If the module's default report is specified, the PDF report will be attached. Email can be configured on the Email tab of the Settings module.

Print sends the default module report to the printer.

How To opens this article in a web browser.

Refresh reloads whatever is currently open in the module.

Module associations

When a report is associated with a module, the report will appear in the Reports menu when the module is open. Below are the steps to associate a report with a module.

1. Open the report in the Reports module.
2. Click the Details tab.
3. Place a checkmark next to each module the report should be associated with.
   
4. Click the Save button on the module toolbar.

The report will now appear in the Reports menu when the associated module is open. Selecting the report from the menu will open the report. Selecting Reports Module from the menu will open the Reports module.

Default module report

Each module also has a default report. The default report is printed when clicking the Print button or selecting Print/Print Preview from the File menu. Below are the steps to set a default report for a module.

1. Open the Reports module.
2. Click the Tools menu and then select Module Options.
3. Click the Search button next to a module, and select the report to be used as the default report.
   

Default printer

If system printing is disabled, the default printer for each report can be set per location group. When a user prints a report, Fishbowl will look at that user's default location group and select the printer specified for that report and location group.

1. To set a default printer, click the Modify Report button on the desired report.
2. Click the Printer tab.
3. Select the default printer from the dropdown for each location group.
4. Click the Save Filters button.

In the scenario shown above, Fishbowl looks at that user's default location group and selects the printer specified for that report and location group.
For any print job, the user can change the selected printer before actually sending the print command.

System printing

System printing can be enabled by clicking the Tools menu, selecting Program Options, and then clicking the General tab.
If Use System Printing is selected, the operating system's default printer will be selected in the printer dialog instead of the default location group printer.

In the scenario shown above, a warning is displayed to let the user know that the Windows default printer will be selected.
For any print job, the user can change the selected printer before actually sending the print command.

Modify report filters

Reports in Fishbowl can be easily modified by using the report filters. Filters are options that control what the report displays such as date ranges, checkboxes, hide/show columns, etc.

Follow the steps below to modify report filters.

1. Click the Modify Report button on a report to see the report filters dialog.
2. Set the desired filters. Most reports have multiple tabs of filters.
3. Click the Save Filters button to save the current parameters so that they will load each time the report is opened.
4. To have multiple sets of report filters, first duplicate the report.

Saving report filters changes the default for all Fishbowl users. Users can customize their own filters by first adding the report to their favorites. Below is a description of the buttons found at the bottom of the Modify Report window.

• The Save Filters as Default Filters button saves the current filters so they will load each time the report is opened.
• The Load Default Filters button reloads the user saved filters.
• The Reset all Filters button temporarily resets all filters to the report's default filters. The filters will be set to how they were when Fishbowl was installed, before the user saved any filters. Next time the report loads, it will revert to the user saved filters.
• The Delete Saved Filters button deletes the user saved filters so that the report's default filters will load each time the report is opened.

Duplicate a report

Reports can be duplicated, placed in new folders, and renamed. There are several ways to make a duplicate copy of a report.

• Open a report and click the Duplicate button in the module toolbar at the top of the module.
• Right-click the report and click Add To Favorites. A copy of the folder will now be in the Favorites folder.
• Right-click the report, select Copy, and then right-click and select Paste in the desired folder. Rename the report as desired.

A duplicated report can be modified independently of the original report.

Create a new folder

New folders can be created in the Reports module. Follow the steps below to create a new report folder.

1. Right-click the parent folder the new folder should be placed in.
2. Select New Folder from the context menu.
   
3. Rename the folder as desired.

Default folders or reports cannot be deleted. However, user-created folders, as well as any duplicated reports or custom reports can be deleted by right-clicking the item and selecting Delete.

Custom reports

Training Videos for custom reports can be found here. If modifying the filters of an existing report is not sufficient, a custom report can be requested.

1. To get a custom report quote, click the Request button, or email reports@fishbowlinventory.com.
2. Describe the report that is needed.
3. After the report is ready, it will appear on the Custom Reports tab, to the right of the Search tab.
   
4. To download and install the report, double-click the report name.
5. Choose a folder for the report, and then click Finish.

The custom report will now appear on the Search tab, with all of the other reports in the selected folder.

In addition, Fishbowl sells pre-built reports in the Fishbowl Store. It is also possible to create or modify reports using a program called iReport. Fishbowl does not offer support for using iReport, but does provide some initial setup help. Please see iReport and iReport FAQs for more information.

Upload a report

When a report is purchased from the Fishbowl Store, or created in iReport, the report files need to be uploaded to the Fishbowl Server. These steps are not required for custom reports from Fishbowl. Follow the steps below to upload a report to the Fishbowl Server.

1. Click the Upload button in the Reports module. This will open the Upload a new report wizard.
2. Click the Browse button and select the report to be uploaded.
3. Click Next.
4. Enter a name and description for the report.
5. Specify the folder the report should be placed in. New folders can also be created.

NOTE: If a report requires subreports, the main report should be uploaded using the above instructions. The subreport files should be manually pasted into the Fishbowl\server\reports\Custom folder on the Fishbowl Server computer.

Update a report

Follow the steps below to update a report that has already been uploaded.

1. Load the report.
2. Click the Update button located at the top of the Reports module or right-click the report and select Update from the context menu.
3. Click the Browse button and select the new report file.
4. Click Next.
5. If necessary, click Yes to overwrite the existing report file.

Server log

The Server Log button on the Reports module toolbar shows the recent activity of the server, including any errors. The buttons in the window allow the data to be refreshed, copied, or sent to Fishbowl.

The report queries are stored in a separate file and can be viewed on the Reports tab.

Included reports

To see a list of the reports included with Fishbowl Advanced, see All Reports.

MODULE OPTIONS

Some aspects of the Reports module can be customized by opening the module, clicking the Tools menu, and then selecting Module Options.

Module Options Select Reports tab

• Each module has a default report. The default report is printed when clicking the Print button or selecting Print/Print Preview from the File menu. The default report for a module can be set by clicking the Search button next to a module.

Module Options Other tab

• Always show Customize Reports dialog

Checking this box will bring up the Modify Report dialog before running any report.

• Price Decimal Place

The number of digits to show after the decimal for prices.

• Total Decimal Place

The number of digits to show after the decimal for totals and subtotals.

• Cost Decimal Place

The number of digits to show after the decimal for costs.

• Qty Decimal Place

The number of digits to show after the decimal for quantities.

• Date Format

The default date format for reports.

NOTE: The formatting of numbers in reports (price, cost, quantity, and date) can be customized even more in the Property module.