Run a Custom Report Writer report—CRW

For Custom Report Writer (CRW) reports you use regularly, you can run them from the Reports center or an application menu. For example, a report designed for the Projects application can be run from either the Projects menu or the Reports center.

Subscription Customization Services or Platform Services
Regional availability

All regions
User type Employee, Business, or Admin
Permissions

Custom reports: List, Run, View, Edit, Add, Delete

Permission to access the data in the report

Run a CRW report

A custom report can be added to an application to make it available from the application menu. You can also access custom reports from the Reports center and the custom reports list.

You can run a custom report in the following ways:

  1. Go to All > Reports section of the application navigation menu.
  2. Select Custom reports and find the report in the list.
    For example, if the report was added to the Projects application, go to the Projects > All > Reports > Custom reports, and find the report name.
  3. Select the link for the custom report.
  4. Choose report options as needed:
    • Select View to view the report in HTML.
    • Select Print to view the report as a printable PDF file.
    • Export the report in another format, such as Excel, by choosing the format from the dropdown menu and selecting Go.
  1. Go to Reports > All > Reports center and select the Custom reports tab.
  2. Find the desired custom report in the list and select the report link.
  3. Choose report options as needed:
    • Select View to view the report in HTML.
    • Select Print to view the report as a printable PDF file.
    • Export the report in another format, such as Excel, by choosing the format from the dropdown menu and selecting Go.
  1. In Reports > All > Advanced, select Custom reports.
  2. Select Run next to the desired custom report.
  3. Choose report options as needed:
    • Select View to view the report in HTML.
    • Select Print to view the report as a printable PDF file.
    • Export the report in another format, such as Excel, by choosing the format from the dropdown menu and selecting Go.

Choose a report format

You can view and output a custom report in several ways. Some output formats, such as graphs, have prerequisite steps.

Custom report output formats
Format Description

HTML

HTML is the most common format. The report is displayed in a new window in your browser and retains the ability to drill down on select fields.

Printable

The printable view option displays the report in an Adobe® Acrobat file. This option is good if you want to print the report or share it in a locked format. You cannot drill down on any fields in a printable report.

Word

When you choose to view your report in Word, you receive a prompt to download or open a dynamically created Microsoft® Word document. Choose the Word format if you want to incorporate the data into a text authoring tool.

Graph

Choosing a graph generates a chart that's displayed in a new browser window. The chart format is based on the parameters that you chose in the Define Chart Output step of the custom report writer. A print button is included in the chart to make printing the chart quick and easy. A chart can be useful when you want a visual snapshot of your report.

CSV

CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. The CSV format is often used to get data in and out of flat file databases and can be a useful development tool. It's heavily dependent on the order of the fields.

Excel

Excel is becoming an industry standard for analyzing tables of data. Exporting to Excel provides you with an organized accessible format for additional number crunching.1.
Text When you export a report to text, the report information appears on the page instead of being presented as a file you download. Use the Copy and Paste feature on your local machine to copy the text and save it as the file type you choose.

XSD

XSD stands for XML Schema Definition. It specifies how to describe the elements in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. This description can be used to verify that each item in a document adheres to the description of the element for the content. An XSD represents the interrelationship between the attributes and elements of an XML object. Although this file does not contain the actual report data, your report in this way can help in developing integration tools for external systems.

XML

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language and is the main format used for communicating data between the data server, the web server, and your interface. The XML version of your report can be used to communicate structured data to an intranet page or another application that uses XML.

1 Changes to Microsoft security can cause issues when exporting to Excel. See Can't export a report to Excel for details.

How do I edit a CRW report?

You must have the correct permissions to be able to edit a CRW report.

You can edit a custom report by opening the report, selecting Edit, and making your modifications. For more information, see Add or edit a custom report.

With the correct permissions for Customization Services or Platform Services, you can add, edit, and run reports from the Customization Services or Platform Services menu.