Ad Hoc Reporting: Query Building Tyler SIS Version 10.5

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1 Mdule: Tpic: Ad Hc Reprting Ad Hc Reprting Basics Ad Hc Reprting: Query Building Tyler SIS Versin 10.5 Cntents OBJECTIVE... 1 OVERVIEW... 2 PREREQUISITES... 2 PROCEDURES... 3 THE COLUMN LISTING LANDSCAPE... 3 DATA CUBE ORGANIZATION... 4 CREATING A QUERY... 4 USEFUL QUERY INFORMATION... 4 REFINING A QUERY WITH FILTER... 6 REFINING A QUERY WITH OUTPUT... 7 REFINING A QUERY WITH ORDER... 8 REFINING A QUERY WITH AGGREGATE... 8 RUNNING THE QUERY... 9 MANIPULATING QUERY RESULTS PUBLISHING A QUERY WHAT S NEXT? Objective Ad Hc Reprting is a pwerful tl fr extracting custmized infrmatin frm Tyler SIS. Knwing hw t use it will pen drs fr yu and ther Tyler SIS users. This dcument will familiarize yu with the basic peratins fund in the Clumn Listing ptin f the Reprt Designer. This is the first dcument yu shuld review in Ad Hc Reprting. This VIP icn indicates a Very Imprtant Pint in the dcument wherever it appears. This can be a tip, warning, r recmmendatin.

2 Overview Access Ad Hc Reprting thrugh the My Reprts > Ad Hc Reprting Utility prtal. The Clumn Listing ptin is the basis fr mst reprts and extracts in Ad Hc Reprting. It cnsists f a set f data cubes. Each data cube cntains multiple fields f data frm ne r mre Tyler SIS tables. Each data cube has already been linked lgically t ther apprpriate data cubes. This allws yu t use fields frm mre than ne data cube as yu create queries. Queries represent questins yu pse t the data cubes. Fr example yu might want a list f all active tenth grade females brn in March. Yu will learn t create queries by fllwing the steps utlined in this dcument. Other dcuments will cver additinal features f Ad Hc Reprting. Prerequisites In rder t use the resurces fund in Ad Hc Reprting, yu must be given access t the ptin as previusly nted in My Reprts. Yur Tyler SIS administratr can further limit which ptins will be enabled n the abve screen. Optins fr using Ad Hc reprts are fund n the System > My Reprts security settings. Optins fr privileges within the Ad Hc Reprting tl are lcated in the Student > Ad Hc Reprting Administratr security settings. All users will need rights t Ad Hc System functins thrugh security as well t view and run reprts published in Ad Hc Reprting. 2

3 Prcedures The Clumn Listing Landscape Clumn Listing cnsists f a listing f Live Data Cubes (elements f yur Tyler SIS data). Each Data Cube cntains fields when the + next t a Data Cube is clicked. A wrkspace fr dragging, drpping and manipulating data fields defines the remainder f the screen. When yu initially access the Clumn Listing, yu may need t expand the Live Data Cubes windw. This will allw yu t see cube and field names. Data Cubes are rganized int eighteen flders, indicated by the red bk icns Click the arrw next t a flder t (r duble click the flder name) t reveal the Data Cubes (yellw flders) cntained in the flder Click the arrw next t a Data Cube t reveal the data fields cntained in the flder Nte: If yu duble click a data cube name rather than clicking the arrw r icn, it selects all fields in the flder. If all the icns next t the field names are green rather than blue, this is the cause. T reverse this, click a single field. This will select that field and de-select the thers. Six clumns are available when yu add a field t the wrkspace: Clumn This is the name f the field yu add t the wrkspace. Table This is the name f the Data Cube t which the Clumn belngs Output This is a checkbx indicating yu want data in this field t display Order This allws yu the ptin t srt the results by the clumn values Aggregate Data can be summed, averaged, r cunted with these ptins Characters This ptin is usually nt needed but lets yu limit the number t Shw f characters that will display frm the field cntents Filter Use this field t limit recrds accrding t criteria yu select Once a query has been created, clicking the Next buttn runs the query 3

4 Clicking the Cancel buttn t the far left will remve all f yur wrk frm the wrkspace and shuld be used sparingly. Get Template Clumns allws yu t brrw fields frm an existing template t quickly ppulate a query s design view. Data Cube Organizatin Data Cubes are created accrding t cllectins f related data. Fr example, the Student Demgraphics Cube cntains primarily persnal data abut students such as name, gender, language, address, and s n. Mst f the data cube cntents are clearly defined by the data cube names. Data cubes are rganized int a series f tpics represented by the red flders. Knwing this in advance will be useful as yu begin t create queries using multiple data cubes. It is imprtant t nte that (1) nt all data fields in Tyler SIS are currently part f a data cube; (2) sme data elements appear in mre than ne data cube; (3) nt all data cubes relate t ne anther. Fr example, yu wuld nt lgically expect t find a relatinship between data in the Grading Scale data cube and data in the Emplyee Jbs data cube. Just use cmmn sense as yu create queries and use tables frm the same family f data cubes r that likely have smething in cmmn. Creating a Query A successful query always begins with a well thught-ut questin. Translate a request fr infrmatin int the fields needed and whether srting, filtering, r aggregating is required. Once yu identify a field that is needed, lcate the data cube cntaining the field Click the arrw next t the flder name and then the arrw next t the data cube name t reveal the fields as shwn here T include a field in yur query, click the field name and drag and drp it in the wrkspace Cntinue in this fashin until yu have selected all f the fields yu need Useful Query Infrmatin Fllwing are suggestins fr creating quality queries frm the very beginning: When yu select fields fr the wrkspace, chse them in a lgical sequence. Lgic ften is defined in terms f arranging data in certain grups r a certain rder. Fr example, if yu anticipate needing t srt data by schl, grade, and name, select thse fields in that rder. While yu can adjust the rder in the wrkspace, starting with that rder will save time. Generally, the fewer data cubes yu use in a query, the faster the query will run 4

5 As nted previusly, sme fields appear in mre than ne table. If yu find a data element in a data cube yu are already using, use that instance f the element rather than the same element frm anther data cube. This enables the query t run faster. Nte: that the field Student ID and the field Student Number are nt the same. Student ID refers t a recrd number in the Student ID table. Student Number is the lcal ID used t identify the student uniquely and is used mst ften. Many queries invlving student data require adding a field t limit query results t recrds in the current academic year. A number f student-related tables cntain multiple ccurrences f data n students. Each is unique t the academic year assciated with the recrd. Failure t include and filter by this field will result in surplus recrds in yur query result. Current Academic Year is the best data element that will limit recrds t thse in the current year. If yu are uncertain as t a field s meaning r values, add the field and run the query withut filtering t see what values appear in the results. T remve a field yu have added t yur query, click the arrw (circled abve) t the far left f the rw yu want t remve s it is highlighted as shwn. Right click yur muse n the rw and chse the Delete Rw ptin r press the Delete buttn n yur keybard. Answer Yes t the prmpt, Are yu sure yu want t delete the selected rw? Delete several rws by hlding the Shift key as yu click the arrws n cntiguus rws r the Cntrl key as yu click the arrws n nn-cntiguus rws. Right click n any rw in the selected grup, chse Delete Rw r press the Delete buttn n yur keybard, and answer Yes t the prmpt. If yu need t rearrange the rder f a rw, click the arrw n the far right f the rw yu want t mve and drag it up r dwn. When yur cursr is psitined ver the rw where yu want it relcated, release the muse buttn. Occasinally, the same data in a data cube may appear in different frms. This ccurs with names where ne field may cntain the full name and ther fields may cntain the separate name fields. Select the ptin that best meets the purpse f the query. Yu will als want t include a field that allws yu t filter students wh are n lnger active, classes with n students enrlled r nt currently meeting, etc. Each cntent area has ne r mre fields that yu can use t prvide such a filter. Examples include the Student Enrllment Enrllment Status field, Master Schedule EnrlCnt and Term Frm/Term T, etc. 5

6 Refining a Query with Filter Abve is a sample query designed t generate an alpha list f active students by schl and grade. In rder t accmplish this gal, several steps need t be dne. These steps are representative f identical steps yu will take as yu create and refine ther queries. Tw fields need filters applied t exclude recrds frm ther schl years and t include nly active students Click in the cell f the Filter clumn n a rw that needs a filter, Current Academic Year in this example The existing wrd, Apply, will be jined by an ellipsis ( ) and the letter X. Click the ellipsis t pen the filter windw. Click the + t create a filter rw Select an Operatr frm the drpdwn menu. The cntents f this menu vary depending n the type f data used in the field yu have selected: text, numeric, r date. Here are different peratrs yu will encunter: Equals T The field value must equal the entered Value Nt Equals T The field value must nt equal the entered Value Starts With The field value must begin with the entered Value characters Ends With The field value must end with the entered Value characters Cntains The field value must cntain the entered Value Is Null The field must nt cntain a value Is Nt Null The field must cntain a value In List The field value must be equal t ne f the Values entered in the list (separated by cmmas) 6

7 Nt In List The field value must nt equal any f the Values entered Greater Than The field value must exceed the Value entered Greater Than The field value must equal r exceed the Value entered r Equal T Less Than The field value must be less than the Value entered Less Than The field value must equal r be less than the Value r Equal T entered Between The value must be between the pair f Values entered Enter the exact Value yu want t use t filter the data. In this example, use Equals t and Y t restrict recrds t the current schl year. Nte: Text values are nt case sensitive. If yu are uncertain as t the values in a field r hw thse values are actually entered, click the Next icn r link t run the query withut any filters. All pssible values in use will display if yu click the filter icn(circled here) in the clumn in questin. This is lcated in the upper right-hand crner f the clumn heading (shwn circled here). Click the Back buttn t return t the wrkspace and enter an apprpriate value frm the list. Click the icn with the checkmark when yu are dne. Click Clse t return t the wrkspace windw. Yu can hver ver the wrd, Applied, t see the filter yu have created. Click the X t remve a filter frm the selected clumn. Yu can als click in the filter cell again and repeat these steps t edit an existing filter. In this example the Enrllment Status field als needs a filter t limit the results t active students nly. This field has Active and Wdrawn as pssible values. If yu create a filter using the Equals T ptin, enter Active in the field t limit the results t nly active students. Yu culd als use the Nt Equal T ptin and enter Wdrawn t exclude these students. Refining a Query with Output 7

8 Use the Output checkbx t restrict the number f clumns that will display results. This accmplishes tw things. First, the query will run slightly faster, and secnd, the results will be less cluttered. In this example the Current Academic Year and Enrllment Status clumns are needed fr filtering but are unnecessary in the results. Uncheck the Output checkbxes t remve these fields frm the results grid. Nte: Yu may need t display these fields anyway if yu see that the filters n lnger limit recrds fllwing unchecking the checkbxes. Refining a Query with Order Order refers t the sequence in which recrds appear in yur results. Click the cell in the Order clumn n a rw by which yu want t srt Chse Ascending r Descending. All rws are set t Nne by default Whenever yu srt by multiple clumns, yu must arrange thse clumns in the rder f largest srt grup t the smallest t achieve the results yu desire In this example that means that Schl Name must precede Grade Level which must precede Student Name. The clumns d nt have t be cnsecutive, nly in the relative highest t lwest rder. Schl Name is the highest srt grup because it is the largest ppulatin. Grade Level is the next largest ppulatin while Student Name is the smallest, typically ne student t a grup. Refining a Query with Aggregate 8

9 The Aggregate is used nly if yu want t return summarized results. This typically includes a cunt, a sum, r an average. The results grid displays differently when an Aggregate functin is used. Nte the sample here that reflects the Cunt functin used in the Student Number field and the Average functin used in the Age field. Yu can use multiple aggregate functins in a query as in this example where a student cunt has been cmbined with an average age Disregard the $ in frnt f the Average Age. Nte: Yu cannt publish queries with aggregate functins int Tyler SIS at the present time. Hwever, yu can exprt the results in an Excel r text frmat fr frmatting if needed. Running the Query Yu d nt have t wait until yu have refined yur query t run it. At any time, click the Next buttn t view yur query results. This is useful fr revealing unfamiliar values r fr reviewing the results f a filter r srt as an interim measure f success. A traditinal query withut any aggregate functin will display like the abve example. A number f ptins are available t yu with regard t the data in the results grid. 9

10 If this is a query yu will use again, click the Save Query menu ptin. Enter a descriptive Name fr the query and check the Available t Extracts checkbx. This permits yu t exprt query results int ther applicatins such as Excel. If yu decide that yu need t mdify the query, click the Back buttn. Make needed changes, and run the query again. If the results are desirable, click Save Query again. Yu shuld be ntified that the query has been updated successfully. Nte that if yu pen the query by selecting it frm the Saved Queries ptin, any changes yu make t it will be incrprated int the ld query. Yu can als publish a saved query frm the ptin f the same name. This is recmmended because yu can als Un-publish a query, change it, and republish it. When yu chse the Save Reprt ptin, yu are preserving a cpy f the current data. This can be useful if yu need t archive a reprt multiple times, but typically Save Reprt is nt used. Apply Template refers t matching the clumns yu have extracted with an existing reprt frm t prduce a custm reprt. This prcess usually is handled in the reverse rder. The frm is created in the Reprt Template Designer ptin and then used t ppulate the query with the fields used n the frm. Hwever, if yu initially imprted fields frm an existing template, use Apply Template t match the fields with the surce used t prduce the custm reprt. Exprt allws yu t take the query results and mve them t ne f several frmats including Excel, PDF, HTML, Text, and thers. This is useful when yu want t manipulate the results r add ther data t them. Print allws yu t print r the grid results in a number f frmats as well. Nte: If n results are returned, click the Back buttn t return t the design view. This is usually caused by ne f tw factrs. The mst likely cause is using a filter value that des nt exist r effectively excludes all recrds. A less likely pssibility is attempting t use a data view that des nt lgically cnnect t anther that is in yur query. T determine the cause, first try remving filters ne at a time and running the query again t identify the bgus filter value. This als allws yu t review the query results and determine the crrect value. If this des nt prduce results, remve all the fields frm ne data view and rerun the query. Repeat until results are returned. Manipulating Query Results Yu are nt limited just t viewing yur query results. Ad Hc Reprting prvides several features n the results screen fr further filtering and aligning thse results. Nte that this des nt change the query that prduced the results, nly the results. Psitin yur cursr in the upper right crner f any clumn t reveal a filter icn. Click it t display a list f all the values fund in that clumn. 10

11 Click a value t filter the results just t recrds with the selected value Click the Blanks r Nn-Blanks ptin t return recrds meeting ne cnditin r the ther Use the Custm ptin t create a unique filter that incrprates mre than ne value. In this example, the filter is used t search fr recrds with a Race recrd that includes either the wrds asian r black in the descriptin. Nte the % signs surrunding the text allw any ther text t ccur befre r after the desired text fields. Yu have the ptin t make the cnditins additive (And) r mutually exclusive (Or). An additive cnditin means that a recrd must meet bth cnditins while an exclusive cnditin means that if a recrd meets either cnditin, it will be included. Cnditinal statements include the fllwing: Equals Des Nt Equal Is Like Is Nt Like Is Greater Than Is Greater Than r Equal T Is Less Than Is Less Than r Equal T Is Null Is Nt Null Is Blank Is Nt Blank Like and Nt Like can be used with the % as a wildcard. Fr example, if yu wanted t return all student names beginning with Lp, yu wuld enter the cnditin Like and the value Lp%. Yu can als use the wildcard at the beginning f a field value and enter ther characters at the end. Use the underscre character, _, t replace individual characters in a field value. 30 in the Student Number field wuld return all recrds beginning with 30 and cntaining five characters, 30 plus three underscres fr the five-character ttal. Nt all Operatrs will appear n every field as sme are dependent n the type f data in the field T srt results click n a clumn header. Click a secnd time t reverse the rder f the srt. The up r dwn arrw in the clumn heading indicates that the results have been srted by that clumn and the directin f the srt, ascending r descending. If yu want t srt by multiple clumns, press the Shift key and click n each clumn yu want t include in the srt in the rder 11

12 frm largest grup t smallest Remember that with multiple clumn srts, the clumns must be in a largest t smallest grup rder If yur clumns are nt in the crrect rder, yu can click the Back buttn and rearrange them in the query if yu anticipate wanting this arrangement when the query is run in the future. If yu are experimenting with the results, yu can rearrange the clumns by clicking and dragging a clumn heading t a different lcatin. Nte that this nly affects the current results, nt the underlying query s srt structure. When yu drag ne r mre clumn headings t the dark blue area just abve the clumn heading rw, yur results are gruped by the values in the clumn(s) yu have selected In this example, Schl Name, Grade Level, and Age have been mved t the Gruping area. The remainder f the data can be revealed by clicking the + next t a Schl Name, the + next t a Grade Level, and the + next t Age as shwn. T und these changes simply drag the clumn headers back t the header rw in whatever psitin yu desire t place them This functin is als fund in Ad Hc reprts published t Tyler SIS fr use by campus persnnel 12

13 Fr the adventurus clicking the View Query displays the way yur query appears in Structured Query Language, r SQL, frmat. This can be cpied t yur clipbard fr viewing r refining, but des nt serve much purpse unless yu are versed in SQL and want t lk behind the scenes. A sample f the SQL view f the query used fr these examples appears here. Yu can use the Advanced Query Builder ptin t create SQL queries frm scratch r t cpy and paste this view f the data. Publishing a Query Yu can publish a query as well. This prduces a simple results grid in Tyler SIS prtal reprt areas. This is accessible t users with access t the prtal and t Ad Hc reprts. Select the Saved Queries icn frm the main Ad Hc Reprting screen Lcate the query t be published and click the Publish icn circled abve Uncheck the Publish with Template and Publish n Subscriptin checkbxes Select a Reprt Mdule in Tyler SIS fr the Ad Hc reprt t reside. N entry in Filter Clumns is necessary. Click OK t cmplete publishing The Ad Hc reprt will appear in the Reprts ptin f the selected prtal. The wrd User appears in frnt f the reprt name t identify these lcal Ad Hc reprts. 13

14 Fllwing is a published reprt sample Yu can add filter values in the empty white cells just belw the clumn names Use the Actins menu t exprt the query results as a PDF, Wrd, r Excel dcument In additin t the filtering ptin, yu can als drag clumn headings t the Drag a Clumn Header Here t Grup by That Clumn area. The effect is t temprarily grup data accrding t the clumn headings and clumn heading values. 14

15 What s Next? In the abve example Schl, Grade, and Age have been added t this area t prduce the results yu see when the + next t Schl, Grade, and Gender are selected. The remaining fields display fr each grup recrd. If yu exprt filtered rather than cmplete query results, thse filtered results are what yu will see in the utput. Readers are encuraged t practice the skills utlined here t gain cmfrt and experience with this initial aspect f Ad Hc Reprting. Once that has been achieved, yu are encuraged t fllw up with the Knwledge Base dcument, Ad Hc Reprting Reprt Template Design and Use. This will prvide yu with instructins n creating unique reprt frmats that prvide Tyler SIS users with additinal reprts designed t meet lcal, specialized needs. If yu are interested in the data relatinships used t create the data cubes, review the Knwledge Base Dcument, Ad Hc Reprting and Cube Relatinships. 15