• Adding a description
• Saving the report in a shared folder
• Restricting data access through locked filters
• Additional tips

Adding a Description

A description of your report will help other users make quick sense of it. Complete the following steps to add, edit, or view a description of a report.

1. Open the report.
2. Click the Information symbol (i) next to the report name to open the Report Properties dialog box.
3. Use the Description field to add, edit, or view the report description.

Note: You also can view the description on the Report Home page by clicking the Information symbol (i) next to the report.

Saving the Report in a Shared Folder

To let other users access a report you create, save your report into a shared folder. To view which users can access a particular folder, please contact your administrator.

Restricting Data Access Through Locked Filters

You can restrict whether other users can edit or remove the filters you add to a report. For example, let's say you create a report with a filter that restricts data to 2005 and 2006. You know that some users might be confused by some of the data for 2004, so you Lock the Year filter. See Locked Filters.

The lock restriction applies only to users with Report Analyzer permissions. Other users can still modify the filter. See Access to Functionality. To find out which users are set up as Report Analyzers, please contact your administrator.

Additional Tips

• Providing placeholder filters for Report Analyzer users: If some of your audience are Report Analyzers, be aware that these users cannot create new filters on fields that are not already in the report. (They cannot display the Available Fields pane.) To ensure that these users can access all relevant data in the report, you can create filters that initially include all values. These filters will not change the report, but they will appear in the list of filters. A Report Analyzer can then open the filter he needs to adjust and change its values. For example, let's say your report shows data for all product lines. You know that many users want to filter to see only a specific product line. To accomplish this, simply add a filter on product lines, but include all values in the filter.
• Providing extra number fields when users switch to table format: When creating reports for others, it is common to let the final presentation be a standard chart. However, a user can choose to view the data in table report format. As a Report Creator, you can offer extra number fields in this display. See the feature Hiding Fields in Standard Charts.