Generate a report to share a formatted, multipage representation of data. A report can contain a tabular list of attributes, summary information, or both.
For example, a report could list all the manholes in a sewer network, summarize the sales figures for a chain of stores, or list all the parcels in a neighborhood and provide statistics on property values and tax revenue. Reports are often designed to be generated on a regular basis—such as monthly or quarterly. Reports are used for a variety of decision-making purposes, such as identifying and reacting to trends over time.
Add a new report to a project
When you add a new report to a project, you create a view in which you set up the structure of the report. Use the Create New Report pane to choose which template the report will be based on and to set the report's properties. The Create New Report pane provides a report authoring sequence, or you can accept the default configuration.
The first page sets the template type for the report. There are two options that define the remaining authoring sequence:
- Use a default Esri template—Choose from five standard templates that are included with ArcGIS AllSource.
- Use a custom template—Use a custom report that has been created from scratch or a report that has been shared as a template.
When you use a default Esri template, each page of the pane allows you to configure the following:
- Set the name and data source for the report.
- Filter the data to specify the rows and fields.
- Organize the data using grouping and sorting.
- Design the report using templates and styles.
When a custom template is used, the data organization, styling, and page setup are already defined. For that reason, only the data source and data filtering pages are provided and require input. However, if the template also includes dynamic elements, such as chart or map frames, or supplemental pages, two additional pane pages are provided, when applicable:
- Connect dynamic elements with their source.
- Include supplemental pages using a layout or layout file (.pagx).
The final report is generated when you export it as a PDF. You can share the reports in a project when you share a project package or you can generate a report file or a report template. Reports, like other project items, are listed in the Catalog pane and Catalog view in a dedicated category.
Sections, subsections, and elements
Reports are divided into sections and subsections. When created, a report has a single report section containing subsections. Each subsection identifies a particular area of the report section and helps provide structure. You can add multiple report sections to a report; when this is done, each report section is called a subreport. Common report subsections include Report Header, Report Footer, Page Header, and Page Footer. If optional grouping is defined, Group Header and Group Footer are also included for each grouping level. Subsections control the display of information by formatting the fields used and adding queries or statistics.
The Report Header subsection typically includes the report title, and the Page Footer subsection includes dates or page numbers. You can also add additional groups after you create a report.
Subsections contain elements for text and images. They can be either dynamic or static and have configurable properties including font, size, and background color. You can only edit the selected element or subsection.
Terminology list for reports
The following table lists report terminology and definitions:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Header | The report subsection that contains introductory information. It can be customized to include additional report elements such as images or dynamic text. There are three possible header subsections: Report Header, Page Header, and Group Header. |
Footer | The report subsection that contains summary information and page numbers. It can be customized to include additional report elements such as summary statistics, images, or dynamic text. There are three possible footer subsections: Report Footer, Page Footer, and Group Footer. |
Details | The subsection of a report that contains attribute information. These attributes can be grouped or sorted to organize data. |
Report Elements | Items that can be added to a report to provide context, style, or more information such as attachments, images, or text boxes. Elements can be either dynamic or static. |
Report Template | Chosen when setting the template type, each template dictates the location of elements in a report. |
Report Styling | Chosen when designing the report, each style designates the appearance properties of the report elements. |
Summary Statistics | Calculations that provide an overview of the data in the report include sum, mean, count, and standard deviation. These appear in the Group Footer and Report Footer subsections by default. |
Related Report | A report containing related information that appears below the Details subsection of the main report section. |
Supplemental Page | Additional pages added either before or after a report section to enhance the final product. A layout or layout file (.pagx) can be used as a supplemental page. |
Subreport | An additional report section within a report. Use multiple subreports to convey supportive information in one comprehensive report. A report must have at least one report section. |