Report builder, tracking and notes

# Report builder, tracking and notes

The report builder lets you make a report that the built-in reports do not give you. You choose the rows and the columns, save the layout and run it again whenever you like.

What to do

1. Open Reports and choose the Report builder tab.
2. Type a Name. Set From and To dates.
3. Under Rows, press Add account, Add group, add every account of a kind, or Add a total line. Use Up and Down to reorder.
4. Under Columns (up to 12), press Add period for a date range, Add formula, or Add a budget column (not set yet). A formula uses the letters of the columns on its left, for example B minus A.
5. Press Preview to see the result.
6. Press Save. Choose Draft (only you are working on it) or Published (ready to use).
7. To open it later, use Open and pick it from Saved reports.

Good to know

• Amounts are what happened in the dates of each column. They are not balances.
• A column with no dates of its own uses the From and To dates.
• A blank counts as zero in a formula. Dividing by zero leaves a blank.
• A budget column is a placeholder and stays blank for now.
• Add notes that print under the report in the box named "Notes shown under the report".
• The All reports tab lists built-in and saved reports. Search it, and press the star to mark a favorite.
• Saved layouts can be exported to PDF or Excel. See reports-export.

Tracking categories

A tracking category splits a report without changing your accounts. Examples are Department or Project.

1. Open Reports, then Tracking.
2. Add a category, then add its options, for example North and South.
3. Enter the entry number (find it in Accountant, Journal) and press Show lines.
4. Choose an option for each line.
5. Use a column that splits by category in the builder, or the By category tab.

A tag never changes a posted line. Each tag change is written to that entry's history.

Notes and history

Many records have a Notes button, including journal entries, invoices, bills and customers. Notes are add-only. Nobody can edit or delete one. The History panel beside them lists every recorded change to that record.

Not checked yet

• The builder, cash flow and compare screens were checked in a test page with real engine output. They were not checked in a signed-in app.
• The company logo has no screen yet, so a saved layout prints without a way to set one here.
• The cash flow report assumes the standard chart of accounts, where cash is coded 10xx. If you number accounts another way, items may sit in a different section, though the total change in cash is right.