Chapter 10. Customising the reports
HandiTax 2016 has a powerful Report Writer that allows you to extract information from the data tables and then present it in a format that is custom-designed for your practice. Using HandiTax
2016, you are able to
Copy and then modify existing reports.
Create your own reports from scratch.
Components of a report
Before you can create a meaningful report, you must understand how a HandiTax 2016 report works and where each piece of information comes from.
For information on report components, please refer to the "Advanced Features 2016" manual.
The Report Builder
The new Report Builder provides an easy and intuitive method of creating customised reports.
To create and run a report, all you need to do is open the “Report Builder” window, select the information to be included, and then click Run Report.
The basic report generated by the Report Builder comprises a table listing Client references with the client names and TFNs. You can build on this report by adding filtering and columns containing additional information.
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Creating and running a report
To use the Report Builder to generate a customised report:
1. From the Reports menu, click Report Builder to open the “Report Builder” window.
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Figure 109: The "Report Builder" (Client Selections) window
2. On the Client Selections page, under Report Order, select whether the report is to be ordered by Client Reference, Client Name or the clients’ TFNs.
Note: You can add additional columns and specify another sort order by clicking the Layout
& Sorting and Return Selections tabs and completing the relevant fields.
3. Under Client Range, ID and Other, specify the criteria for clients to be included in reports.
Leave fields blank to include all clients. You can also specify the upper or lower value in a range, and leave the other field blank.
4. If you want to include form types in the report, click the Return Selections tab.
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HandiTax 2016 The Report Builder
Figure 110: The "Report Builder" (Return Selections) window
5. Under Tax Forms, select the form types to be included and displayed in the Form Type column. To include all form types, select the Include all form types check box.
Note: If you have selected any form types, and you want the report to include clients without attached forms, you must select the Include clients with no tax returns check box.
6. Under Agent, Lodgment and Details, select or enter further filtering criteria for forms to be included in the report.
7. To add additional columns to the report, click the Layout & Sorting tab.
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Figure 111: The "Report Builder" (Layout & Sorting) window
8. Under Additional Columns, select the information to be displayed in the report by highlighting the required fields in Available Fields and clicking the button to move them to Selected Fields.
Note: If you select any of the tax form related fields (from Sequence down), the report will only contain information in those columns if you select the relevant form types on the
Return Selections page.
9. If necessary, use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the column positions.
The field at the top of the Selected Fields box will be in the first column on the right of the
Ref, TFN, Name and Form Type (if applicable) columns.
10. Under Sorting, if the report is to be ordered differently to what is specified on the Client
Selections page, select the fields by which it is to be sorted. To reverse the sort order, select the Reverse sort check box.
11. If you want to add further filtering to the report, in the Filter / Expression field, click the selection button to select the required filtering expression from the “Client Expressions” window.
12. Select the Prompt to Tag clients check box if you want HandiTax 2016 to prompt to tag the clients included in the report after the report is run.
13. Click Run Report to run the report and display it in the “Report Preview” window.
14. When you close the “Report Preview” window, if you selected the Prompt to Tag clients check box, HandiTax 2016 will ask if you want to tag the clients.
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HandiTax 2016 The Report Builder
15. If you click Yes, existing tags will be removed, and the clients in the report will be tagged.
Saving and loading Report Builder profiles
Once you have set up a report profile in Report Builder, you can save it for future use. You can load the saved profiles when you want to run the same reports.
To save a report profile
1. Use the Report Builder to create the required report.
2. On the “Report Builder” window, click Save. The “Save Report Builder Profile” window will open.
Figure 112: The "Save Report Builder Profile" window
3. In the top field, type the name that the report profile is to be saved as.
4. Click Save.
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To load a Report Builder profile
1. From the Reports menu, click Report Builder to open the “Report Builder” window.
2. Click Load to open the “Load Report Builder Profile” window.
Figure 113: The "Load Report Builder Profile" window
3. Highlight the profile you want to load.
4. Click OK.
5. On the “Report Builder” window edit the fields, if required, and run your report.
Example report
The following is an example of how you would use the Report Builder to create the existing
‘Client list abbreviated’ report.
1. From the Reports menu, click Report Builder to open the “Report Builder” window.
2. On the Client Selections page, under Report Order, select Client Reference.
3. Under Client Range, select the Include non-current clients check box.
Leave the remaining fields on the Client Selections page blank.
4. Click the Return Selections tab.
5. Under Tax Forms, select the Include all form types and Include clients with no tax
returns check boxes.
6. In the Filter / Expression field, press F2 or click the button to select the expression for the client group to be included in the report.
7. Click Run Report to run the report and display it in the “Report Preview” window.
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HandiTax 2016 Operating the “Report Writer” window
Operating the “Report Writer” window
HandiTax 2016’s reports are managed from the “Report Writer” window.
Opening the “Report Writer” window
From the Reports menu, click Edit reports or press F11.
The “Report Writer” (summary) window will open.
Figure 114: The “Report Writer” (summary) window
Operating the “Report Writer” (detailed) window
To access the “Report Writer (detailed)” window:
From the “Report Writer” (summary) window, double-click on the required report, or
Highlight the required report and then click Edit or View.
The “Report Writer” (detailed) window will open.
Figure 115: The “Report Writer” (detailed) window
Tip: For information on the "Report Writer" windows, press F1 to display the online help.
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Operating the “Report Designer” window
The “Report Designer” window enables you to design a report by displaying the outline.
To access the “Report Designer” window: On the “Report Writer” window, highlight the required report, and click Design. The “Report Designer” window will open. The window displays the report bands with their cells, and provides menus for you to design the report.
Operating the “Report Details” window
To access the “Report Details” window:
In the “Report Designer” window, from the Report menu click Edit.
Figure 116: The “Report Details” window
Tip: For information on the "Report Details” window, press F1 to display the online help.
Operating the “Band Details” window
To access the “Band Details” window:
On the “Report Designer” window, double-click on the required band or click on the band and, from the Band menu, click Edit.
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Figure 117: The “Band Details” window
Tip: For information on the "Band Details” window, press F1 to display the online help.
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HandiTax 2016 Tutorials
Operating the “Cell Details” window
To access the “Cell Details” window:
On the “Report Designer” window, double-click on the required cell or click on the cell and, from the Cell menu, click Edit.
Figure 118: The “Cell Details” window
Tip: For information on the "Cell Details” window, press F1 to display the online help.
Tutorials
To demonstrate how to create your own reports when using Sage Handisoft programs the
"Advanced Features 2016" manual includes a basic and an intermediate tutorial.
Running the reports
Reports that you have created are accessible from the Reports / User Defined Reports menu.
To run the report “Tutorial - Clients List Abbreviated”, simply:
From the Reports menu, point to User defined reports and then click Tutorial - Clients
List Abbreviated.
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