How to Use BI Reporting

Overview

Use BI Reporting to extract specific data from your simPRO build so you can create your own customised reports, dashboards and data visualisations to make more informed business decisions.

BI Reporting pulls data from a saved copy of your database, ensuring that the processing of information is efficient even when retrieving thousands of records. Depending on when the BI Reporting is being used, information presented in the reports can be up to 24 hours old.

You must be logged in to simPRO to display data from BI Reporting.

Also, since BI Reporting extracts information from a saved database and simPRO's pre-generated reports extract information from live data, data records may vary when you cross reference similar reports.

If you have a multi-company simPRO build, BI Reporting extracts data from all companies associated with the build.

In a multi-company build, users with permission to access BI Reporting can access data for all companies, regardless of other security group permissions.

A screenshot of a newly created project quote.

To use BI Reporting, enable it in your security groups:

  1. Go to System A screenshot of a schedule icon with a grey calendar icon and an arrow. > Setup > Security Groups.
  2. Click the relevant security group.
  3. Click the Reports tab.
  4. Select the BI Reporting check box.
  5. Click Save and Finish.

To access the BI Reporting user interface, go to Reports A screenshot of a schedule icon with a grey calendar icon and an arrow. > BI Reporting.

As the BI Reporting opens in a new tab, you need to allow pop-ups from simPRO in your browser.

A screenshot of a newly created project quote.

All questions and dashboards created in BI Reporting are stored either in Our Data, a common collection accessible to all users logged in to the same simPRO build or in My personal collection, accessible only to the logged-in user.

  • Click Browse all items and select the required collection to view a list of the available Dashboards and Questions on separate tabs.
    A screenshot of a newly created project quote.
  • Create New collection to group similar questions and dashboards for easy reference. You can create multiple collections within Our Data or My personal collection based on your requirements.

To understand the basic navigation, refer to the following menu items in the BI Reporting interface:

Collections
  • Edit collection: Click to edit the collection that you are accessing and to archive the collection.
  • View the archive: Click to view archived collections.
  • Archive or Move: Select multiple items on any tab to archive or move them to a different collection. Click the respective check boxes besides an item name or click to select all items.

DASHBOARDS and QUESTIONS tabs
  • Pin this item: Click to pin the selected dashboard on the collection page for easy access.
  • Move this item: Click to move it to a specific collection.
  • Duplicate this item: Click to create a copy of the selected dashboard. You can then edit this copy, as required.
  • Archive this item: Click to archive the dashboard / question.

Learn more about dashboards in How to Manage BI Reporting Dashboards.
Questions page

The filters you apply in the custom reports that you create with BI Reporting are referred to as Questions. Click Questions to view the entire set of questions created by different users.

  • Ask a question: Click to build a new question using the source data and relevant filters. Learn more in How to Create Questions.
  • Edit question: Click to edit the current question. In the edit mode, click to move it to a specific collection, or to archive it.
  • Add to dashboard: Click to add the current question to an existing or new dashboard.
  • Revision history: Click to view a detailed history of revisions on the question.

For additional training, complete an interactive material in the simPRO Learning | Toolbox.