TeamDynamix (TDX): Create and Manage Reports

TDX comes with some pre-built reports which you can run right away. It also has many report templates that you can copy and modify to pull results for your own purposes. You can also start from scratch and build your own report to meet your own needs.

Understanding the Reports Navigation Menu

Reports and report folders appear in the left-hand Navigator menu with the Standard Reports folder at the top. The folders are then organized by favorites, Order (a setting that can be changed when editing a folder), and finally alphabetically by name. The report folders in the Navigator are named according to the data the report is sourced from (i.e., tickets, knowledge, problems, changes).

• Newly created reports that you make or are shared with you will also appear under their respective categories in the left navigation menu. 
• Click on the report folder title to open up a submenu of all reports available in that folder.
  

Using Standard Reports

The reports listed in the Standard Reports category are pre-built reports that are not modifiable. These report on all data in the U of M Tickets application in TDNext.

1. Select the name of the report in the Report Menu. The Standard Report will load in the main page area.
2. Select Refresh or Run Report at the top of the main page. The report results will load in the main page area.

Using Reports Titled "My …" and "My Groups …" 

There are a number of pre-built reports you can run to get current information based on your user name. 

• These reports will be titled either "My …" or "My Groups …." 
• Reports titled "My Groups …" will include a report of items from ALL groups of which you are a member.
  

To run these reports, 

1. Select the name of the report in the Report Menu. The report will load in the main page area.
2. Select Run Report at the top of the main page. The report results will load in the main page area.
   • These report results are based on your user name and ALL user groups that you are a part of in TDX.

Making Your Own Reports

There are two ways to get started with making your own reports in TDX:

1. Start by making a new report from scratch.
2. Copy an existing report and then modify that report for your specific needs.

All pre-built and customized reports can be placed on dashboards, downloaded, and shared with others. See the Create and Manage Reports Self-Help Guide for more information.

All technicians have the ability to make reports in TDNext. These reports can then be shared with other groups or kept visible only to yourself. With the number of reports being created and used, please follow these recommendations for naming reports that you create:

• Start your report title with one of the following:
  • Technology
  • Service
  • Responsible Group (or common shortened name for your group)
  • Your initials or Internet ID
• Finish your report title with a concise phrase indicating the content or purpose of the report. For example:
  • OIT Service Desk New Ticket Count
  • OIT Service Desk Reopened Tickets
  • Canvas KB Article Inventory

Use the description field to include any additional details or instructions on how to use the report, change filters, etc. For example:

• Title: Editors: Check KB Article Links 
• Description: Use this report to search for articles that link to another article. Copy and paste an article URL into the Body Like field, and click Run Report.

You can make a new report in TDX if none of the existing reports meet your needs. See Understand the Reporting Function in TDX for details on how to find existing reports in the tool.

Making a new report

1. Go to the U of M Tickets application, click on the +Report button, then click on Report.
   
2. Select the type of report you would like to make.
   Note: Different report types provide different filters and parameters.
   
3. Name your report. Keep in mind best practices for naming conventions.
4. (Optional) Add a Description for your report.
5. Select the columns you would like to see displayed in the report results. 
   • You may add, remove, and reorder the columns to your liking.
6. Add filtering to your report. Modify the following fields as needed:
   • Column: Select a parameter you wish to report on.
   • Operator: Select an option to act on the data. The options available may change depending on the parameter you selected.
   • Value: Enter a specific value. The options available may change depending on the parameter and operator you selected.
   • (Optional) By default TDX will use ALL the filters you add into the filtering section. Click on the green Show Advanced button to set conditional filtering using AND/OR expressions.
     • For example, you want your report to filter on Filter 1 OR Filter 2 AND Filter 3. In this case the expression would be "(1 OR 2) AND 3".
       
7. Order your report.
   • You can select to order by any of the display columns you selected above in step 5.
8. Set the maximum number of rows to retrieve.
   • Depending on your data, you may need to adjust this number higher or lower than the default value.
9. (Optional) Choose a report folder (see Organize Reports in Folders).
10. Set the visibility of the report.
    • By default, reports you create will only be visible to you.
    • At your discretion, you can instead allow specific groups to view the report, or everyone in TDX.
11. (Optional) If you do not want the report to appear in the left-hand Navigator menu then check the Do not show this report in the navigator (desktop module only) checkbox.
    • The report will still appear in the Reports  section.
    • Important: Selecting this option means that other users of the report will not be able to change this setting for themselves. If you decide at a later time that you want to allow the report to show in the left-hand Navigator then the Owner of the report will need to uncheck this box.
12. (Optional) Add a chart.
13. Click Save and Run.
14. Review the results to confirm the report meets your expectations. If it doesn't, continue editing the report as necessary.

There are many existing reports already available to you in TDX that might generate the type of information you need. You can copy one of these reports and modify the report for your own needs.

Copying an existing report

1. Navigate to the U of M Tickets tab at the top of the page.
   
2. Go to the left hand navigation menu and select the name of the report you'd like to view.
   • You can choose a report that someone else has made.
   • If the report name contains the word Group's or Group, that report serves as a template. You will need to copy and modify the report with your own group's information before running it to get any usable data.
     
3. Click Actions and select Copy from the drop-down menu. The Copy Report window opens with an editable title field. 
4. Enter a New Name that signifies this is your own report. Keep in mind best practices for naming conventions.
5. Leave the Copy Visibility Permissions? box unchecked so it is not automatically shared with everyone and is visible only to you. (You will be able to share your report to specific groups later.)
   
6. Click Save at the top of the window. Another window opens asking if you want to view the new report, make another copy, or close the window.
   
7. Select View the New Report. The report settings will open in a new tab.

You will need to modify your report for your own purposes to make it useful to you.

After you have copied an existing report, you will need to modify it for your own needs. You can also use these instructions to modify any original report you created. 

Modifying your report

1. Go to the report you have copied or created.
2. Click on the Actions button, and select Edit from the drop-down menu.
3. Scroll down to the Add filtering to your report section. 
4. Find the row that has the Resp Group field in it.
   • Click the X next to the current Value(s) field to delete the current setting.
   • Type the name of your own group, or use the Lookup Field to find the applicable Group name(s) for your report.
     
5. Make any other filter changes to customize the report for yourself.
6. Scroll down to the Set the visibility of this report section to make the report visible to other responsible groups. 
   • Note: you cannot add individual names in this field. 
7. (Optional): Add a Chart to your report, if desired.
   • Click into the Type field and select the desired chart type. Note: Based on the chart type you select, there will be additional fields to customize the chart. 
8. (Optional): Choose how you want the report to appear on your desktop: Grid or Chart.
9. (Optional): Email Report Results to other Users
10. Click Save and Run (at top) to see the results of your customized report.
11. Go back to the U of M Tickets app and press Refresh.
    • Scan the left navigation under the ticket reports lists. The customized report you just made should be listed with the title you gave your report. 
    • Click your customized report and run it to see updated results.

You can organize reports into folders in the U of M Tickets app for quick access to your commonly used reports. This article is part of the Create and Manage Reports self-help guide.

Reports and report folders appear in the left-hand Navigator menu with the Tickets and Standard Reports folders at the top. The folders are then organized by favorites, Order (a setting that can be changed when editing a folder), and finally alphabetically by name.

Creating Report Folders

1. Navigate to the U of M Tickets tab at the top of the page.
   
2. Click on +Report and select Report Folder from the drop-down menu. The New Report Folder window opens.
3. Enter a Name for your report folder. Keep in mind best practices for naming conventions.
4. (Optional): Enter a Description of your report folder.
5. Set the visibility of your report folder.
   • Just Me (default) means only you will see your report folder.
   • (Optional): Me and people in these Groups to allow specific responsible groups to view the folder.
6. Click Save.

You can add a report to a Report Folder while you are in the report.

Adding a report to a Report Folder

1. Go to your report.
2. Click the Actions button, and select Edit from the drop-down menu.
3. Scroll down to the section titled Choose a Report Folder.
4. Choose the desired Folder name from the drop-down menu.
   
5. Click Save.

Favoriting a report folder will raise the folder to the top of the reports section in the Navigator, directly below the Standard Reports. Multiple favorited folders will be organized alphabetically. This article is part of the Create and Manage Reports self-help guide.

To set a folder as a favorite there are two methods:

1. Setting a new folder as a favorite.
2. Setting an existing folder as a favorite.

Setting a New Folder as a Favorite

1. Click the +Report button . A dropdown menu will appear.
2. Select Report Folder.
3. Fill out the report name in the Name textbox.
4. (Optional) Add a description to the report in the Description textbox.
5. (Optional) Change the Order for the report folder. 
   1. Order defaults to 0 for all folders.
   2. Report folders appear in the left-hand Navigator menu first by favorites, then Order, then name.
6. (Optional) Check the Favorite checkbox to add the folder to your favorites.
   
7. Click Save.

Setting an Existing Folder as a Favorite

1. Click the Reports button.
2. For the folder you want to favorite, click the Favorite  button. 
3. To unfavorite a report, click the Remove Favorite  button.

You can choose which reports appear in the left-hand Navigator menu. This article is part of the Create and Manage Reports self-help guide.

Choosing Which Reports Appear in the Navigator

1. Click the Reports  button.
2. Check the Show in Navigator checkbox to show the report in the Navigator. 
   
   • In this example image:
     1. The First Example Report's box is unchecked so the report will not show in the Navigator.
     2. The Second Example Report's box is checked so it will show in the Navigator. 
     3. The Third Example Report's box is unchecked and grayed out. This report will not show in the Navigator, and to allow it to be shown in the Navigator the Owner of the report will need to edit the report and uncheck the Do not show this report in the navigator (desktop module only) option. 
3. Click Save.

You can easily search for reports that you or others have created.

Searching for a Report or Report Folder

1. Navigate to the U of M Tickets tab at the top of the page.
   
2. Click Reports  in the top menu bar. The Reports page appears listing all the available report folders and reports. 
3. Enter search criteria by keywords or report Owner.
4. Click Search in the top left.
   • Only reports that match the criteria will show in their respective folder(s). You will still see all the other folders but they will be empty.
     
5. Click the report's Name to access it. The page refreshes. Except for the report option buttons at the top, the page will be blank.
6. Click the Run Report button.
   
   The page refreshes and displays records that meet the report's criteria.

Before a report can be exported to Excel, you must first run the report.

Exporting report results

1. Run the report. 
2. Click the Actions button.
3. Select Export to Excel. The report will download to your computer.
   
4. Click the file download to open the report in .xlsx format.

You can share a report with other Groups or individuals. Sharing a report with other groups allows technicians within the group to run the report you created. Sharing a report with an individual allows that individual to run the report you created. Anyone who has access to the report can make a copy for themselves to modify and use. However, only the report owner can modify the original report.

Sharing a report

1. Go to the report you want to share.
2. Click the Actions button, and select Edit from the drop-down menu.
3. Scroll down to the section titled Set the visibility of this report.
4. Select the radio button for Owner and these People/Groups. A text box appears.
   
5. Enter the name of the Group or individual person(s) you want to share the report with.
6. Click Save.

You can email report results to other people, whether or not they have access to TDNext. You can also set up the report to run on a specific schedule and email the results to users with that schedule.

Emailing report results to other users

1. Go to the report.
2. Click the Actions button, and select Show Details from the drop-down menu. A Report Details window opens.
3. Click Actions in the Report Details window, and select Add Delivery Schedule from the drop-down menu. The Delivery Schedule window will open.
4. Click on the Lookup icon next to the Recipients field.
5. Click the Both radio button next to the search field.
6. Search for the user you would like the report to be emailed to. 
7. Check the recipients' name in the search results and click Insert Checked. The search box closes and the Add Delivery Schedule window will have the user you selected listed in the Recipients field.
8. Set the report Interval, Time, and Format fields for what you need to send.
9. Select Save.

You can change the ownership of any report you own.

Changing ownership of a report you own

1. Click the Actions button, and select Show Details from the drop-down menu. A Report Details window opens.
2. Click Actions in the Report Details window, and select Change Owner.
3. Remove your own name and enter the name of the new report owner.
   1. If an individual, enter their Internet ID
   2. If a group, enter the group name (available after TDX Release 11.6, 12/3/22)
4. Click Save.

Changing ownership of a report owned by a former employee

If an employee who owned a report is no longer with the University, you can request to have the report ownership changed.

1. Submit a TDX Service Request Form.
2. Under the Request Details section, select the Other option. A text box will appear where you can enter additional details.
3. Enter the following information:
   • Name of the report
   • New owner
     • If an individual, provide both Name and Internet ID
     • If a group, provide the full name of the group (available after TDX Release 11.6, 12/3/22)

When you are creating or managing a desktop, you may want to add a report. Some existing reports may meet your needs. Others you may need to modify to generate data relevant to your Group.

Adding a Report to a Desktop

1. Go to the Desktop tab. See Create and Manage a Desktop.
2. Click Edit Desktop. A new window opens for that Desktop.
3. Click U of M Tickets in the Available Content column. A list of available reports appears.
   
4. Find your desired report.
   • You can do a page find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) for the name of the report.
   • You can also scroll through the list. 
   • You will find existing reports and those you have modified and renamed.
5. Drag the report to the desired column in the desktop window being edited.
   
6. Click Save before exiting the Edit Desktop tool.
   
7. Click Refresh on the Desktop page. The report will populate.