Creating a Report

This documentation is an older version of JasperReports Server User Guide. View the latest documentation.

You can create a report directly from the Jaspersoft Server Home page. This method allows you to select an existing Ad Hoc view and generate a report from it, without going through the Ad Hoc Editor.

To create a report from the Home page:

On the Home page, click Create in the Reports block. The Create Report wizard opens.

Select the Ad Hoc view you want to use as the basis for your report.

If presented with the Generate Report option, select an option. Report Generators and Templates for more information.

Click OK. If asked, enter the input controls needed. See Using Input Controls.

You can now begin working with your report.

Report Generators and Templates

When you create a report, the Create Report wizard may display a number of options for generating the report:

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Default Report Template applies basic layout options to your report. This template is provided with your JasperReports Server installation.

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Custom Report Template allows you to browse to a template previously created (usually by you or someone on your team) in Jaspersoft Studio.

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Report Generator allows you to create a highly customized report design. This option is not often enabled. See your JasperReports Server administrator for more information.

Most commonly, you will choose Default Report Template.

Getting New Perspectives on Data

The report shown in “Output of the Accounts Report” was created using the Ad Hoc Editor. As this type of report runs, you can interact with it in the Report Viewer to visualize the data in different ways. Column formatting allows you to highlight certain columns and fields, and filtering and sorting report output on‑the‑fly can provide timely views of the data that answer your questions. For example, suppose you’re running the Accounts Report and want to know how many accounts have offices nearby. Highlighting the phone number column with red text and filtering it to show only accounts in your area code would reveal this data.