SirsiDynix Reports Tips & Tricks

1. SirsiDynix ReportsTips & Tricks Presented by: Charles Schmiesing & Bonnie Blachly

2. Scheduling Reports:“Let’s start at the very beginning”Setting Properties • From the reports menu, right click on any of the three options (Schedule New Reports, Scheduled Reports, or Finished Reports) and select the “Properties…” option. • Use the report properties to • Define the application used to view / print the report. Do not type it in, but rather

4. Scheduling Reports:Setting Properties Use the report properties to: • Define the application used to view / print the report. • Do not type it in, but rather use the gadgets to locate the appropriate application (Microsoft Word, WordPad, or Excel). • We will see an example where setting up the Excel as the application for printing reports can be advantageous.

5. Scheduling Reports:Setting Properties Use the report properties to: • Define the page length and width. Below is a table with typical settings:

6. Scheduling Reports:Report Tabs • Use “Select Tab” icon to get a list of all available tabs and quick access to the tabs • You can also use arrows (ex: >>>) or the “F2” and “F3” keys to navigate the various tabs • The Custom and INFOhio tabs are reports developed specifically for INFOhio Users.

7. Scheduling Reports:Report Tabs • Typically, the All libraries groups are reports that may need to be run by the district library or school administrators. • The My library groups are reports that are useful at the individual school level. • See the Handbook for a summary of commonly used reports found under the various tabs.

8. Scheduling Reports:Getting Help • When you have selected a report, the online help will frequently display help for the selected report, including sample output. • Us the online help before running a report for the first time to help determine if it will generate the desired report.

10. Scheduling Reports:Basic Information • While it is not necessary to change the Report name, Description, Title, or Footer, we encourage you to change these when testing new reports that you might run multiple times. Altering these will allow you to identify your reports more quickly on the finished reports list.

11. Scheduling Reports:Basic Information • Report Name displays in the finished or scheduled report lists. It is also the name displaying in the new report or template list, if left unchanged. • Description describes the report results. The default value describes the report if it is run without making any changes to the selections or output options. • Title displays on the first line of each formatted page of the printed report. The date and time that the report was produced follows the title. • Footer, when used, displays on the last line of each formatted page of the printed report. It can be used to record a date or range of dates that a report covers. Footers are optional.

12. Scheduling Reports:Selection Criteria • Rule #1 – Specify only those fields that need to be specified to get the desired results. Don’t overdo it!

13. Scheduling Reports:Selection Criteria - Using Gadgets • Whenever possible, use the “gadgets” to the right of the field to enter selections rather than hand entering them. Doing so will reduce frustrating errors due to typos. • Using the gadgets will often reveal interesting options! Make note of the different options that are available. On the next screen, you will see that you can specify “Contains” or “Not contains”, a feature that is frequently overlooked.

15. Scheduling Reports: Selection Criteria - Using Gadgets • The “Date” gadgets are particularly powerful! The “Date Range” gadget allows the user to specify a specific date, a date range, report only those with a date before or after a specified date. Even this gadget has a gadget!

16. Scheduling Reports: Selection Criteria - Using Gadgets • The “Date depends on the report run date” helper (top of the screen) is encouraged when you want to schedule reports to be run on a regular basis. • On the following images, the date entry will be report any title cataloged since one month ago. If scheduled to run on the first of the month, you can produce a list of new titles to be distributed to faculty and staff.

18. Scheduling Reports: Selection Criteria - Using Gadgets

19. Scheduling Reports: Sorting Criteria • The INFOhio reports have additional sorting options not available in the SirsiDynix delivered reports. • Is there a sort option you would like but it’s not currently available? Contact your ITC (formerly known as DASite) so it can be provided as an enhancement request. • Your feedback is important! We will be soliciting your comments at the conclusion of today’s presentation.

20. Scheduling Reports: Output Options Tab • Several of the the INFOhio reports have many output options available so the report can be provided in a Brief format, Long format, or Spreadsheet format. • The various formats will allow you to check which fields to be included in the output. • The Spreadsheet format allows you to specify the delimiter between fields, so the data can be easily imported into other applications (like Microsoft Excel) or provided to a company generating ID cards. Make sure you have your administration’s permission!

23. Scheduling Reports: Options when finished • After you have made the desired selections and are ready to run the report, you have the following options: • Schedule • Run Now • Save As Template • Cancel

24. Scheduling Reports: Options when finished

25. Scheduling Reports: Options when finished

26. Scheduling Reports • Options to run: • Once • Daily • Weekly (certain days of the week) • Monthly (certain days of the month) • Do NOT use “Send to printer” • Use multiple email addresses if multiple users need the results (cannot share finished reports)

28. Scheduled Reports:Basic Options • New 1 – clicking here will take you to the Schedule New Reports screen. • View 2 - The View option allows you to view a scheduled report's basic information, selection, sorting, and formatting options in a text format.

29. Scheduled Reports:Basic Options • Modify 3 - The Modify option allows you to make modifications to the scheduled report. You can then schedule it or save it as a template. Saving a report as a template removes it from the scheduled list and displays the report in the Templates list instead. Be careful -- it’s easy to delete the scheduled report using this option if you indicate that you want to “Run Now” • Duplicate 4 - The Duplicate option creates a copy of the existing scheduled report. You have the option to schedule it or to save it as a template. The original report remains in the scheduled list. Use this option if you want to run a scheduled report at a time other than originally scheduled, but also want to retain the originally scheduled report.

30. Scheduled Reports:Basic Options • Remove 5 - The Remove option removes reports from the schedule. • Advanced 6 - The Advanced option enters the Advanced Management function which allows you to make changes to scheduling or to suspend the report. (Suspended reports are in bold on the scheduled reports list). Note that only ITC staff can change the ownership of a report. • Close 7 – Exit Scheduled Reports.

32. Scheduled Reports:Using the Filter • Filter by Next Run Date • Sort scheduled reports by: • Report Name • Next Run Time

34. Finished Reports • Includes Filter, Report Schedule Status, and, and Refresh buttons similar to Scheduled Reports. • Options to: • View – open with application like Microsoft Word, WordPad, etc. • Email – send the report via email to yourself or colleagues • Print – open with application like Microsoft Word, WordPad, etc. • Remove – reports are automatically removed after a period of time, typically 31 days • Ownership – only ITC staff can change report ownership. Use the “Email” option to share with colleagues • Close the Finished Reports Window

36. Finished Reports:View • Options to: • View log – reviewing the log can help you determine why a report did not run correctly. • View result – if you only are interested in “counts”, you can sometimes get these from the log without viewing the result. • Format report – Do not use the “Format report” option when generating files for barcodes/spine labels or when generating a report using the “spreadsheet” option

38. Spreadsheet Option • Some of the new INFOhio reports have a “Spreadsheet” output option so the content of the report can be manipulated in Excel • Example of uses: • List of new titles for the administration or faculty • List of patrons to be shared with a photographer or ID company • Please share other ideas…

40. Notice that the application to print reports has been changed to Microsoft Excel

41. The “Print” option was selected rather than view. The “Print log” and “Format report” options have been de-selected. When “OK” is selected, it will open up directly in Microsoft Excel

43. On our “to do” list • Complete overdue reports / notices (already in testing) • Generate barcodes/spine labels without Excel spreadsheet • View reports using different format options (PDF, RTF, Plain Text, HTML)?

44. What do you think?

45. Documentation The INFOhio Handbook for the Sirsi K-12 Library Automation Software, which includes report documentation, can be found at: http://www.infohio.org/Documents/SirsiManual/SirsiManualU2003/SirsiHandbookU2003.html Contact your ITC for access!!! Now, onto custom reports!