Before you begin: Creating a report in Report Studio is very similar to creating a PowerPoint presentation. Unlike PowerPoint, where you usually just add visuals, Report Studio lets you add both visual elements and live data.
There are three ways to create a report in Report Studio:
- Design Template
- Freehand
- Report Template
With a Design Template, you'll provide the data and choose a pre-designed template to work from. With Freehand, you'll design your report from scratch. With a Report Template, TapClicks will provide the data and the design.
Add a New Report in Report Studio
1] On the left side menu, under Reporting, click Report Studio.
2] Report Studio appears.
3] Click Add Report (plus sign) icon in the upper-right corner of the page.
4] The Choose a report type page appears.
Jump to the report type you want to create:
How to Create a Report Using a Design Template
How to Create a Freehand Report
How to Create a Report Using a Report Template
How to Create a Report Using a Design Template
| Note: Design Templates are pre-loaded presentations that speed up the process of crafting your data story. When you select Design Template, you will be shown a list of several themes to choose from. Just like creating a presentation from a previous deck, all you will need to do is connect your data sources and build out the story, adding or removing elements as you see fit. |
5] Click Design Template.
6] Ensure the Predefined header is selected.
7] The Select a Design Template page appears.
8] Either scroll through the list until you find a Design Template you want, or enter the name of the Design Template in the search box (results appear automatically).
9] When you locate the Design Template you want to base your report on, click it.
10] The Report Studio workspace appears pre-loaded with the Design Template you selected.
11] On the left side of the screen, you will see the pages in the template, each showing the pre-loaded elements. When you select a page to edit, you can add or remove any element to help tell your story.
12] On the right side of the screen, you will see the Page Styling Menu. This helps you control the look and feel of your report.
| Note: To learn more about the specific controls, see the section below How to Create a Freehand Report. |
13] Across the top of the page are controls for doing things like controlling access, saving, publishing, and exporting your report.
14] When you have the report the way you want it, click Save at the top of the page then navigate to the How to Share Your Report section.
| Note: You can also save a report before you are finished and return to work on it at a later time. |
How to Create a Freehand Report
| Note: When you select the Freehand option, you will be asked to create a report from scratch. This will open Report Studio into a blank canvas where you can add and customize elements. This is similar to building a PowerPoint presentation from scratch. |
15] Click Freehand. The Report Studio workspace appears with an empty workspace and a single, untitled page.
Control Display Options
16] To turn on the workspace grid, click the View button.
17] From the dropdown menu, select Grid. You may also toggle this on using the G key on your keyboard. The grid is a graphical assist that helps place elements in the report in an organized way.
18] Click Presentation, or the P key on your keyboard, to view the report like a PowerPoint presentation.
19] More display options can be found in the Report Settings menu, which can be accessed by clicking the Down Arrow next to the report title.
20] Use the Report Format dropdown to choose between the two available aspect ratios for your report: 16:9 or 4:3.
21] Use the Toggle Buttons in the Orientation section to change the orientation from landscape to portrait.
Set Report Styles
22] Click Background to set the background color of the report pages. Select the color you want.
23] Click the small, medium, or large font to set the report's font size.
24] Click on any of the 10 circles in the Report Color Palette to set the report's color scheme.
25] Choose the desired options from the Report-wide widget styling sliders.
Add/Edit Pages
26] To edit a page's title, click the Page Name on the left side.
27] Enter the page's title in the Title textbox.
28] To add a page to the report, click the Add Page button on the left side of the page.
29] To change the order of pages in the report, hover your mouse over the page you want to move, then click and drag it to the desired position and release the mouse.
Add Elements to a Page
30] To add an element to a page in the report, use the buttons at the top of the page to add the element you desire.
31] Choose one of the five options to add by clicking it:
- Widget: Add a data visualization, media file, or admin widget
- Text: Fill in the textbox
- Variable: Company name, date range, recipient name, page title, page number, or created on date
- Image: Search for an image on your local machine
- Shape: Square or circle
| Note: Creating widgets is quite complex. To learn how to do that step-by-step, see How to Create Widgets on a Report. |
32] To edit the element, start by clicking it. The border becomes a dotted line and your mouse pointer becomes a cross.
33] To move it, click and drag the element where you want it on the page.
34] To change its style or settings, choose your desired options in the right side menu.
35] To delete an element, press the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard.
Specify the Data Source for Your Report
| Note: When specifying data during report building, you have two choices. You can use "real" data or you can use sample data. The advantage of using sample data is that it improves performance and lets you preview your new report sooner. Using sample data is recommended. |
36] To specify using sample data, use the toggle button at the top of the page.
37] To show comparison data, slide the Compare data to prior period? slider to the right and click in the textbox below it. A calendar appears.
38] On the right side of the calendar, choose either Prior Period, Prior Year, or Custom Range.
39] If you chose Custom Range, click the first date you want to use for comparison and then click the second date you want to use for comparison. All the days between the two will fill in.
40] Repeat the same process for the date range by clicking in the Date Range textbox.
41] To filter your report, click the Filter button.
42] To choose which Client, Client Group, Business Unit, or SmartCampaign you want to filter your data by, click in the appropriate textbox.
43] From the dropdown list that appears, locate the desired data source and click it.
44] Repeat the above steps to add pages/elements as needed until you get your Freehand report the way you want.
45] When you have the report the way you want it, click Save in the upper right then go to How to Share Your Report.
How to Create a Report Using a Report Template
| Note: Report Templates are one step beyond Design Templates. With Report Templates, TapClicks provides the design AND the data. Report Templates come in handy when you need to quickly tell a story for a given data source or marketing activity. These pre-designed reports are organized by channel (YouTube, Facebook Ads, etc.) and/or activity (SEO, email, etc.). If you are new to a channel and want to see best practices in reporting, you can quickly set up a Report Template and deliver your value to stakeholders. |
46] Click Report Template.
47] Ensure the Predefined header is selected.
48] The Select a Report Template page appears.
49] Either scroll through the list of templates, enter the template name in the search box (results appear automatically).
50] The Report Studio workspace appears with the Report Template you just selected, pre-loaded with sample data.
51] At this point, you can leave the template as is or make changes to tailor it to your needs.
| Note: To learn more about your options for tailoring a report, see the section above How to Create a Freehand Report. |
52] When you have the report the way you want it, click Save at the top of the page.
How to Share Your Report
Once you have saved the report, you'll want to share it with stakeholders. You can share a report with stakeholders by publishing it or exporting it.
Publish Your Report
53] To publish the report, click Publish in the upper right of the page. Publishing a report produces a Template that can be used to make future reports.
54] In the Publishing Options popup that appears, enter a title for your report in the Title textbox.
55] Enter a description for your report in the Description textbox.
56] Select the appropriate template type: Design Template or Report Template.
57] Optionally, enter tags in the Tags textbox. If the tag you want to enter already exists, it will show up as you type it. Just click it to add it. If it does not exist, you can add it by typing it in and pressing Enter.
58] When you have everything the way you want, click Publish.
59] To find your newly created template, click Report Studio under Admin.
60] Depending on the Template Type selected in step 57, the new template will appear under Report Templates or Design Templates.
Export Your Report
61] To export the report as a file to your local machine, click Export in the upper-right of the page. You can export your report as a PDF (for email) or PPT (for presentations).
62] The Select Report Format popup appears.
63] Click either PDF or PPT to export the report in that file format.
64] The file will download to your computer, typically in the Downloads folder of your device.