PICS AdHoc Reporting. Document Version: 1.27 Release Date: 20/10/15

Transcription

1 PICS AdHoc Reporting Document Version: 1.27 Release Date: 20/10/15

2 I N T R O D U C T I O N T O P I C S A D H O C R E P O R T S The AdHoc reporter is the most powerful reporting tool in PICS. It may take a little while to learn but it will be time well spent. This guide, along with our dedicated training events, introduces you to both the basic operation and some of the advanced features. With bit of practice you'll soon be more confident and able to design your own reports. BE CREATIVE WITH PICS ADHOC REPORTING In AdHoc Reporter you build your own queries to show almost any piece of data for any learner in the system. You define what criteria you want to search for and choose what information is output in the final report. Then you can export it to a spreadsheet or run a mail merge. Reports can be saved for reuse. In AdHoc Express you are able to run saved reports more quickly whilst changing dates where required. Through this introductory training guide and the associated PICS help file, you should discover the AdHoc reporting options and how to use them. We hope that you find them straightforward to run - you don t need to be an expert to run these reports. However, we recommend that you are familiar with what data is entered to PICS and how, in order to better understand the contents of your reports. Finally a quick reminder that PICS has many pre-defined Standard Reports. Running these may save time rather than building your own AdHoc query. The standard reports are more fixed in their design but have a small range of selection criteria and output settings. Standard Reports include: Ofsted and Success Rates reports. Funded items & events, error checking, learner status. Diary of forthcoming learner events. Learner review monitoring. Learner Progression, qualification tracking and VQ/Unit lists. Occupancy lists. Employer/Placement-based reports. Analysis for Equal Opportunities and general MI. Page 1 of 15

3 CONTENTS: I N T R O D U C T I O N T O P I C S A D H O C R E P O R T S... 1 Be creative with PICS AdHoc reporting... 1 PICS Training and Events... 2 SECTION 1. AIMS FOR PICS ADHOC REPORTS TRAINING... 3 Using the guide... 3 Prior knowledge for PICS AdHoc reports training... 3 SECTION 2. USING ADHOC REPORTER... 4 About AdHoc reporting... 4 Starting AdHoc... 4 ENTERING YOUR SELECTION CRITERIA... 5 Types of selection criteria... 5 DEFINING AND CREATING YOUR OUTPUT... 8 Selecting fields to output... 8 Running your report... 9 Mail Merge... 9 SAVING & LOADING REPORTS Saving queries Saving output field lists EXPORTING & IMPORTING QUERIES AND FIELD LISTS EXERCISES IN ADHOC REVIEW ON ADHOC QUERY SECTION 3. ADHOC EXPRESS REPORTS What is AdHoc Express? Prior knowledge for this training USING ADHOC EXPRESS Creating an AdHoc Express report Running an AdHoc Express report SECTION 4. REVIEW ON PICS ADHOC REPORTS Reporting in Excel and Access PICS TRAINING AND EVENTS Pellcomp organises regular training events on most aspects of PICS throughout the year at different locations. We run introductory courses for new staff, basic and advanced reporting, funding and financial management, learner tracking courses; we can also deliver bespoke training on-site at your premises. Please see our website for full details or call us on Page 2 of 15

4 SECTION 1. AIMS FOR PICS ADHOC REPORTS TRAINING Learning to use a computer system takes time. This guide won t make you an instant expert in PICS AdHoc but it should give you a good introduction. With time, and especially by using the reports, you should be able to reinforce what you learn and add to that knowledge. The main topics covered in this guide are: Define report criteria & output. Saving reports. Spreadsheet and Mail Merge outputs. Create quick queries for AdHoc Express. Examples and exercises. USING THE GUIDE The guide makes reference to sections of the PICS help file for further details - please use this facility as the help file will inevitably be more up to date than this guide. Examples of some outputs are shown, but not all - please experiment! By working through this guide you should be able to: Define reports to identify what values to find and what information to show for them. Produce spreadsheet and mail merge outputs Save and reuse reports in AdHoc or the Express facility. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE FOR PICS ADHOC REPORTS TRAINING Basic knowledge of relevant data capture and funding for your programme(s) is very useful. You should be familiar with the range of standard forms for the programmes. Data entry experience for PICS will be useful but not essential. How to use the PICS help file (simple - just press the [F1] key!). Experience of using a spreadsheet package is very useful if not essential. Page 3 of 15

5 SECTION 2. USING ADHOC REPORTER By the end of this section, you should be familiar with the basics of AdHoc, able to create and save simple reports, and specify the appropriate type of output. ABOUT ADHOC REPORTING AdHoc is a powerful reporting tool that enables you to build reports from scratch. It has two main aspects: 1. Selection Criteria defines which learners, applicants or organisations will be found by the report, e.g. those in learning or starting between certain dates; 2. Output defines what data you want to show for them (name, address and other personal data, training dates, qualifications, reviews etc). Most PICS data can be output, sometimes in different formats. Features of AdHoc include: User-friendly screens to choose the criteria by which you want to report. The facility to report across all learners, applicants, organisations funding organisations and training programmes in PICS with one report. Options to save the report search criteria and output format settings so they can be reused. Output to two different spreadsheet formats, giving the facility for filtering, sorting and totalling. Creation of mail-merges (separate instructions are available for this). A facility to create AdHoc Express reports, using saved search criteria and output lists (separate instructions are also available for this). The really good news is that you don t need to be a computer whizz to use PICS AdHoc Query, just have some experience of database reporting and a bit of time to play with it. We also recommend that you are familiar with the data held by the system, in order to understand the contents in your outputs. STARTING ADHOC From PICS main screen click the main menu button [Reports Switchboard]. From the switchboard click on the [AdHoc Query] button to open the report screen as below. You access the two main operations in AdHoc, Selection Criteria and Output, through the two buttons at the top of the screen or by using the navigator bar. Note the features common to both in the diagram below. Access criteria or output screens Tabs to access pages for each screen. Optional navigator bar for selecting pages. Turn on/off from main menu bar Main - Options. Table of stored queries or field sets. Save current report values for a stored query / field list, load and delete stored values. Import and export stored queries and field lists. Buttons to find, show or clear current selected values. Page 4 of 15

6 ENTERING YOUR SELECTION CRITERIA Selection criteria determine which learners are found by the report, e.g. people in training or starting on a certain date, or those that belong to a particular age band or programme. Once you have specified the criteria you can select the details you want to output for each learner and then generate the report. The screens and button labels mimic the PICS main screens where possible, making it easier to navigate through the pages. Of the other screens, a General tab contains high-level selection values such as training status, programme and funding organisation. The Miscellaneous page lets you report on Claim History information. You also have a Stored Queries page to load and save your queries more on this later. Within each page may be further tabs (e.g. in Personal Details you have Personal, Completion, Additional pages etc). Click the button [Selection Criteria]. Look through the pages and tabs in turn, to get a general feel of where all the fields are located. Select the Database Type to identify what aspect of PICS you want to report. Learners is the default and use that here. Other options include the various aspects of CRM data and system user information (e.g. to identify who did what). It is sometimes necessary to select more than one type but in this case just select Learners. Your selection through these pages determines the learners that appear in your report. You have 4 ways to specify search criteria: Free text. Dates. Checkbox. Pick-lists. Each of these is explained further below together with some advice on advanced querying. A couple of useful features to note: You can display your currently selected criteria at any time by clicking on the [Describe Selection] button. There are many selection screen and it s easy forget what has been selected. You can remove all Selection Criteria entries using the [Clear Selection] button. This ensures you start your next query from a clean sheet, without including the remains of a previous query. TYPES OF SELECTION CRITERIA Free Text: Free text boxes refer to highly variable items such as Surname and Postcode. You can search by any character(s) and apply various conditions and wild card values. Wildcard values can be useful in any free text or pick-list field, to select precise criteria to report on in each field. * represents any number of any characters, % represents one occurrence of any character.. The best way to explain its use is to see the examples below/next page. Say that you want to report only those learners with a postcode beginning with PL. Page 5 of 15

7 Click the [=] symbol at the end of the postcode field, change the setting to Exactly then click in the text box. You could enter: PL* in the postcode field to list all learners whose code begins with the letters PL. PL1* would find all learners whose code begins with PL1, e.g. PL1, PL10, PL11. PL1 * - Note there is a space between the 1 and * values so it lists learners whose postcode falls only in the PL1 area. PL10, PL11 etc are excluded because they have another number after 1 rather than a space. In each case the * indicates that other characters may exist after the text entered without it only codes PL or PL1 would match The Condition Function lets you specify how to treat a value you have specified in a field. For example you might want to report all learners that either have, or do not have, a particular SOC or special needs status. This option is available on any text field where you see the button: To use the function, click on the button next to the appropriate field. There are 5 options but it. Contains - Default option when your start AdHoc or [Clear selection]; finds records containing the criteria anywhere in the field. Use with care! The example shown might appear to report learners where the postcode begins with PL with any characters after BUT there is a slight flaw in the criteria - can you think why? The answer is at the bottom of this page. Doesn t contain - Will find values that exist but are NOT equal to what you have defined. You could find all learners where the postcode begins with anything except PL. Exactly. Will find values that match exactly the entered value, so postcodes that are PL1 and nothing else, not even the second part of the code. Be sure that the value you enter here is correct or no learners will be found. Wildcards are especially useful with this setting. Blank - Used to find blank values, i.e. no selection criteria are defined. For example, if the postcode field is left blank, this finds all learners with a blank postcode. Not blank - Used to find non-blank values, i.e. where any value exists. For the example, if the postcode field is left blank, this finds all learners with any value in the field. Date Selection: The date fields are set via a browse button: Click [ ] for the date selection screen. You can view the dates either by period or date and have buttons to either re-set the dates to Today or Clear both values. Specify how the date range is to be used. If you select 'Dates are...' = 'As entered' then the range of dates you select below will be used. If you select another option, e.g. Blank, the Future, Tomorrow, Next Month, then this will be used in preference to any other date range specified. In this way a saved or scheduled report can be run for a 'relative' range of dates rather than a specific range, requiring less user intervention to adjust the dates each time If selecting specific dates, ensure Dates are = As Entered. Change dates using a calendar from the browse button [ ] next to the date. Click and to scroll the calendar; click on the month or year to select a different value. When viewing by Period the drop down boxes give an easy way to change period dates. In the main date screen click for a list of pre-defined reporting periods (e.g. last 12 months). Report on blank date fields by setting Dates are = Blank. For example if you want to see which learners had not achieved a qualification, you could use this option to search for a blank date in the Achieved field. The setting to 'Use dates from Switchboard' relates to AdHoc Express. When this box is selected and the date criteria included in a query used by AdHoc Express, the latter will prompt to accept or change the date (see page 14). We recommend selecting this in most cases, just in case you want to use it later. (The flaw in the text criteria: If you look for a postcode that Contains PL, it will find codes where they could be the first 2 OR last 2 characters in the postcode. Assuming you only want codes beginning PL, you would set the condition to Exactly and the criteria PL* then it looks for no characters before PL but any characters after it. Page 6 of 15

8 Check Boxes: Many of the fields in the Selection Screen are check boxes. Click once in the box next to the required field (a tick is displayed) to ensure that it is included in your selection. Another single-click removes the tick. Certain fields only allow only one check box to be selected at a time, mainly those with a true/false option. Multi-selection items have further options if you right-click in the field, to specify if your selections should be treated as: Equal, Value Starts, Not Equal, Empty. For example this allows you to report records with no (empty) Ethnicity or Funding Organisation 'not equal' to SFZZ. Picklists: You ll find that if the field has a pick-list selection option when entering data in PICS, it is normally available as a pick-list in AdHoc, for example qualifications, SOC codes and Placements. A double-click in the white box displays the pick-list. Items can be selected one at a time by highlighting them and clicking on the Add button. You can also report over multiple items. When the pick-list is displayed hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and click on each item you want to select in the list. You can either add the newly selected codes to the previous list or replace the original list with this one. Take the list on the right for example, currently with 3 qualifications selected. To also report on , hold down the CTRL key, click on that line so all four codes are selected, release the CTRL key and then click on the [Add] button. All pick-lists have a flexible search facility within them. From the pick list menu bar run Search - Find to display a box like the one on the right. In this example the search is for codes containing the word carpentry anywhere in the description. You also have the option to search on whole or part words. For example, by entering Eng as the value and selecting the option Match at beginning you can find all values that only contain Eng at the start of the description, e.g. Engineering technicians. PICS selection lists Rather than entering a set of selection criteria to AdHoc you can use several filterable selection lists to generate your criteria: Create AdHoc criteria from the PICS client selection list Filter your list to the people required. From the Client Selection menu bar run 'Tools - AdHoc selected learners'. This gives a table of learners shown in the list. If required, click the box against each learner to include/exclude them from the report. Click [Done] to proceed and start AdHoc reporter. Add other selection criteria as required in the usual way. Create AdHoc criteria from the CRM main selection lists Filter your CRM list to the Organisations, Contacts, Applicants etc required. Right-click the list and and select the option 'AdHoc > These Records'; this opens AdHoc reporter with the relevant database type selected and the list values applied in the 'Code' criteria. Add other selection criteria as required in the usual way. Page 7 of 15

9 DEFINING AND CREATING YOUR OUTPUT Once you have chosen who or what you would like to report on from the Selection Criteria screens you need to decide what information you want the report to display. Just about any piece of data you enter for a learner, applicant or organisation can be included in an output, from name and address through programme information to placements. You can then create the output as a text file, export it to a spreadsheet or create a mail merge. SELECTING FIELDS TO OUTPUT To define your output, click [Define Output] at the top of the screen. The Output screen is displayed and you can select the fields you wish to see in the report. The content reflects the screens and pages of PICS as much as possible, grouping items together as they are found in PICS. The Stored Field Lists page lets you load and save your output fields this is explained later on. Some fields are checked as default including: Surname, First name, Training group and Funding Organisation. These can be de-selected if not required. Again look through each page in turn to familiarise yourself and see where items can be found. All field selection is done through check boxes. Fields with a tick against them will be included, blank ones are not. Click once in a box to add or remove a tick and again to reverse the action. Linking Output to Selection Criteria AdHoc can output items in two ways related to search criteria: either to find the learners matching the criteria but show all items for them or find the same learners but only show the items meeting the criteria. For example if you run a report to show everyone expected to achieve a qualification this month: in the first scenario you might want to find this month s expected achievers but still show all of their aims (i.e. including those previously achieved); in the other case you might find the same learners but only want to show their aims with an expected date this month. By default PICS will run to the first scenario; to enable the second you need to select a box in the relevant Output screen to limit the output according to the criteria. So in the above example, if Selection Criteria - Achievements - All Qualifications has the qualification expected end date selected, then selecting the limit option in Output - Achievements - Qualifications will only show those aims with an expected date. Page 8 of 15

10 RUNNING YOUR REPORT Once you have selected the fields to be included click on the [Main] [Alternate] or [Text] button at the bottom of the screen - we ll look at [Mail Merge] shortly. Main and Alternate are both spreadsheets [Alternate] is usually the better option, as explained in the PICS help file in the section How to define and produce outputs for AdHoc Reports. [CSV] sends the output to that file format. The information retrieved is then available in the selected format. As with Selection Criteria you can display your currently Output values at any time by clicking on the [Describe Selection] button. There are many screens and you can sometimes forget what has been selected so this is an easy way to check. You can also remove all Output entries you have made using the button [Clear Selection] at the bottom of the screen. MAIL MERGE You can run a Mail Merge from AdHoc but should already be familiar with AdHoc in general and also with the mail merge process in MS Word (not explained here). A separate guide on PICS Mail Merges, available from the Pellcomp web site gives more details on the process. A brief explanation is given below. First you need to create a template document to which AdHoc can export data. Select your [Output] values as usual. Go to the <Tools and Options> tab & set the Mail merge type = Letters. Click [Make Mail Merge Template]. You will be given a library of existing templates (if any) with a default name for the new one. New templates are automatically added to the library - you can also manually add, edit or delete them. For this exercise we ll just create a new basic template - please see the separate PICS Mail Merges guide for full details on using the template library. PICS allocates a default name and location for the new template in the field to Specify a file name for the new template. We ll use this for now but make a note of the full file name so you can find it later. Click on the [Create] button. This opens a new MS Word document, possibly with some guidance text for MS Word 2000 or earlier. Note and then remove (or cut and paste to another document) the guidance text from the template. Enter or copy in the text for the letter. To insert the output fields from PICS click the toolbar button [Insert Merge Fields]. Word should enable the button automatically; if not you may need to call our helpdesk for guidance on how to enable it manually. This displays a list of all the fields you selected for output, so you can insert them as required. Finally, save the document and close Word. Back in the AdHoc Output screen, click on the [Mail Merge] button at the bottom of the screen. You will be prompted to specify the template document. Double-click on the relevant line in the library to start the merge process. Your merged document will appear with each letter on a separate page. Note: once you have created a template file you do not need to manually select the output fields when reusing it.- simply selecting an existing template and running the merge process should do that for you. Also, if you run a mail merge through AdHoc express, the template selected will also automatically identify the fields to be used without any manual selection. This is also explained in the PICS Mail Merge guide (link above). Page 9 of 15

11 SAVING & LOADING REPORTS Just as reports are created through two separate processes (entering selection criteria and selecting fields for output), so they must be save separately. The two files can then be joined in Adhoc Express (see page 13) SAVING QUERIES If you re likely to use a particular query frequently you can store it future selection, making it easier to run the same report on a regular basis. Take care if saving date-based criteria as you may need to change them next time. Remember that any date criteria will be saved to the values that exist at the time of saving and must be checked and updated when using the query in the future. You may find it useful to set the date range to a relative value (e.g. the past, the future, last month, next month) which will continue to be relevant, rather than specific range (e.g. 01/01/2015 to 31/01/2015) which will be outdated sooner or later. This is particularly important if the saved query is going to be used as part of a scheduled AdHoc Express report. To create a stored query: Select the criteria to report on as usual. Go to the tab Stored Queries. Click [Save Current Selection]. Enter a suitable name and description for the Query and click [OK]. The list is sorted by the file name - you may find the file easier to locate in a long list by putting your initials at the beginning. So John Smith s first query might have a file name JSQUERY1. The query is added to the table. To load a stored query: In the Selection Criteria screen, go to the Stored Queries tab. Double-click on the relevant query. This prompts you to confirm the action and then shows the values that will be loaded. When you click [OK] after the second prompt this populates the screens within the Selection Criteria with the options selected in your stored query. You can add, change or remove details as you wish. To delete a stored query: Single-click the relevant query then click [Delete] and follow the confirmation prompt. Page 10 of 15

12 SAVING OUTPUT FIELD LISTS This follows the same principles as the Stored Queries from the Selection Criteria screen. Field Lists can be stored for later use, so you can recall set lists of fields you wish to see in the report. This also saves time and effort if certain reports are to be run regularly. Go to the Output screens. Define the field list by selecting the items required. Select the <Stored Field List> tab. Click [Save Current Selection]. Enter a suitable name and description for the list (note the comments above on file names). Click [OK] to add the query to the table. As with Stored Queries you can use your Stored Field List by double-clicking on the relevant line in the table. Once loaded, you can add, change or remove fields as you wish. To delete a stored field list: Simply highlight the relevant field list then click [Delete] and follow the confirmation prompt. EXPORTING & IMPORTING QUERIES AND FIELD LISTS You can transfer individual queries and field lists between PICS databases. The process is the same for both the stored queries and field lists. It can be used by larger providers who maintain several databases at different sites. It s also a useful way to keep the lists safe in case they are deleted or changed by mistake. To export a query / field list: Highlight the stored query / field list you want to export. Click the [Export] button, then specify the Drive & Folder to save the file in. Also specify the actual Filename to use usually the name you ve given the query / field list. Then click [Save]. If you make a mistake or change your mind, you can always click [Cancel] and start the process again. To import a query / field list: Click [Import] and select [Import an Exported Stored Query / Field List] as appropriate. You are prompted to select the file (normally named to end in.ahq or.ahf ). Locate it and click [OK]. The table will be updated to include the new value. Page 11 of 15

13 EXERCISES IN ADHOC The best way to become familiar with AdHoc is to experiment with it. Try the exercises below, noting that you may need to adjust them to work for your particular dataset. 1. At the Selection Criteria screen, click on [Clear Selection] to remove any existing settings. Go to the General tab and select the In Training option - it should default to the current date. Select Advanced Apps and Apprenticeships as the generic training groups and the LSC as the Funding Organisation. Go to the Status/Qualification page. Click the browse button [ ] next to Learning Started. Set the start on and end on dates to 01/08/2013 and 20/10/2015 respectively (or use more current dates if these are inappropriate - the guide may be a little old!) and click [OK]. Save the query by selecting the Stored Queries tab, then click [Save Current Selection]. Save the query with a suitable name, one that easily identifies the contents of the report, perhaps ITFWKST and a description similar to Framework Starts from 01/08/2013 to 20/10/2015. Your new query will now be displayed on the right hand side of the screen. Click the [Define Output] button then the [Learner Details] tab. In the Main page, select the following fields for inclusion: Date of birth, Episode start, Expected End of Episode, Programme Area, Postcode, Sex, Ethnicity, SOC code. Save the field list by selecting the [Stored Field Lists] tab and clicking on [Save Current Selection]. Give the list a suitable name and description and click [OK]. Click on the [Main] button. Your report should now be displaying all apprentices who started between 01/08/2013 and 20/10/2015 (or the dates you used) and are still in training. Close AdHoc reporter. 2. Start AdHoc as usual. From the Stored Query tab double-click the query you created in exercise 1 above. Go back to the Personal Details page and you will see that the options included in that query (ITFWKST) are now restored. From the Stored Field List tab double-click the field list in exercise 1 and click on [Load Field List]. You can now view the fields you selected and amend them if necessary. Add a couple of extra fields, perhaps Age band, SSA or ALI code and Employment status, then run the report as before. 3. Create and save a new report to show all the learners on one of your programmes/contracts who are expected to leave in the next 6 months. You need to show their programme, start date, planned end date, postcode, gender, ethnicity and advisers/officer with responsibility and any other information that will help you to monitor the learner episode concerned. Try showing all of their qualifications and using the Alternate spreadsheet. 4. Your manager has asked for a report showing how many of your learners have achieved an NVQ from the beginning of this contract year. They want to see the target VQ reference, level, title and achievement date and would like to view the report in order by programme start date. Have a think about what you might include in the last two exercises, both for the selection criteria and the output fields, then build and save the reports. REVIEW ON ADHOC QUERY Now it's up to you to practice what you ve learnt so far. This really is the best way to get familiar with the AdHoc Query package so experiment with some reports of your own. If you re unsure on anything, please ask the trainer for advice. After the course, please contact Pellcomp for assistance. Page 12 of 15

14 SECTION 3. ADHOC EXPRESS REPORTS WHAT IS ADHOC EXPRESS? It s a facility for making reports that are created and saved in the main AdHoc reporter available for any user to run quickly and easily. AdHoc Express is similar to other standard report screens run from the Report Switchboard. It presents a more consistent front end for people who need information but don t use PICS, or at least AdHoc, very often. The settings made by the user in Express can override some of those defined in the selection criteria, primarily in the Personal details-general page, e.g. Training status and Generic Programme Groups. However, they may not replace the majority of your other selection criteria, e.g. start dates, achievement dates, gender, ethnicity, SOC, leaving codes. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE FOR THIS TRAINING Before you undertake this training you must have previous experience of using PICS AdHoc reporter. You will need to know how to enter and save AdHoc selection criteria and output field lists. USING ADHOC EXPRESS CREATING AN ADHOC EXPRESS REPORT The basic process has actions as detailed below. There are two main processes: 1. Create and save the report criteria and output files as usual. 2. Create a new Express report and link the stored query and field list to it. NOTE ON DATES: When creating a stored query for use in an AdHoc Express report, you can identify if a date value should be adjusted to those entered when running the Express report. For example, if you save a range of start dates in the stored query, then you might want to update these if running the Express report at a later time. In the date range screen (where you specify the range of dates/periods to use), you can tick a box under AdHoc Express to Use date from switchboard. From the Report Switchboard click on [AdHoc Express]. Click the button to [Maintain AdHoc Express Queries]. Page 13 of 15

15 This displays a list of existing AdHoc Express queries, plus buttons to Create or Delete them or go Back to the main screen. Click [Create]. Note that you can move forward and back through the process using the buttons [Back] and [Next]. A list of your Stored Queries will appear. Single-click on the query required to highlight it and then click [Next]. A list of your Stored Field Lists will appear. Single-click on the query required to highlight it and then click [Next]. A final screen prompts you for a name and description for the Express query (defaults to the stored query used). Enter as required and click [OK] to finish the process. You will return to the Express Query list and your new query will be shown. Click [Back] to return to the Express Query selection screen. That completes the report creation process. The report will now be available in AdHoc Express. RUNNING AN ADHOC EXPRESS REPORT Just to satisfy yourself that the Express report is present and working correctly, experiment with running it. The Express Query selection screen is similar to others in the switchboard. You can define the report period, funding organisation and report groups. Whatever you select here will override certain settings in the AdHoc Express report as explained at the beginning of this document. Remember, however, that it does not replace date criteria, e.g. start date or achievement dates, unless your original stored query had the AdHoc Express option to Use date from switchboard selected for these values (see note on previous page about dates). Your new query will be shown in the list. You can expand or contract this list box by pressing [F2]. To run an Express report, select it from the list of available queries, adjust the other settings as required and select your output option. These are the same as for AdHoc: Main and Alternate Spreadsheet, Printed Report and Mail Merge. If your report has date criteria where the option to Use date from switchboard is selected you should be given a list of those dates and be able to accept or change them. If so then do this and click [OK]. The report should run as normal. Page 14 of 15

16 SECTION 4. REVIEW ON PICS ADHOC REPORTS That completes the training on PICS AdHoc reports. You ve looked at the many options and facilities available, how to create and save reports and generate different outputs. We always recommend that you set aside time to study some of the reporting options in more detail and practice their use further. Remember that just running reports doesn t affect the data at all so do have a play - it really is the best way to learn! For further assistance: if you are on a course please ask the trainer; otherwise, contact your PICS Administrator or the Pellcomp support desk. REPORTING IN EXCEL AND ACCESS Many of the PICS reports export data to spreadsheets. A separate document on our website explains how to use Excel facilities such as pivot tables and filters on these (or any) spreadsheet. These can be particularly useful for identifying totals and interrogating the sheet like a small database. We also have a facility to export data from PICS into Microsoft Access. This allows experienced Access users to create more advanced reports to meet their particular local requirements. A reasonable knowledge of Access is needed to make use of the facility and training may be available. For further information on this please contact Pellcomp or download the training guide from the library. P I C S The PROVIDERS INTEGRATED CLIENT SYSTEM from Page 15 of 15