Here you will find some information to get started with Reports as well as a link to our main article which includes much more detailed content on Reports.
For a breakdown of report-specific articles please click here.
This article covers the following topics:
- How to enable a report in your user profile
- How to view and edit & run Report Templates
- Efficiency and Timeliness of Report Generation
- Articles to reference for basic report set-up
How to enable a report in your user profile
- Go to Administration, Users.
- Click on the orange edit icon beside your name.
- Verify you have Reporter listed as one of your user roles.
This will give you access to all reports in this application.
How to view and edit & run Report Templates
Please click here for information on creating Templates.
To look at your saved Report Templates:
- Select Reports on the left-hand side when logged into the CACFP/SFSP application.
- Select Report Templates.
- You should now see a list of your saved Templates.
- The list has the following headers:
- Name: The name of your report template.
- Type: The type of report being templated.
- Created At: The time when the template was first created.
- Updated At: The time of the most recent update to the template.
Editing your Template
If you want to edit your template:
- Click on the blue pencil icon button for the template you wish to edit.
- This will bring you to the Edit Template page.
- You will know you are editing the template because the text at the top of the screen will tell you which template you are editing.
- Make the changes you wish to make to the template, then save the changes at the bottom right corner.
- Unsaved changes will not be preserved in your template.
How do I run a Templated Report?
- Select Reports on the left-hand side when logged into the CACFP/SFSP application.
- Select Report Templates.
- You should now see a list of your saved Templates.
- Click on the middle grey Create Report button.
- This will bring you to the New Report page, with the template options pre-filled. You can review and change your settings, and run the report at the bottom right-hand corner of the page.
Important: Changes you make when running a templated report will NOT be saved to your template. If you want to edit the template, see Editing your Template above.
Efficiency and Timeliness of Report Generation
In our report generation process, we understand the significance of minimizing wait times for our users. Currently, the wait time is determined by the number of organizations included in the report and the duration covered. Let's delve into the details of our report queues for a clearer understanding.
We manage two queues: one for regular reports and another for large reports. We allow up to 20 reports to run simultaneously. This setup enables concurrent processing of multiple reports but may result in a slightly extended initial wait time to ensure efficiency.
Report size is determined by multiplying the number of sites by the duration in days, with a limit set at 50 sites x 180 days (equivalent to 9000). Anything exceeding this threshold is directed to the large queue.
Recognizing the complexity and scale of large reports, they are processed in a separate queue, occasionally resulting in wait times measured in hours. We understand the inconvenience and are actively working towards optimizing processing times for such reports in the future.
Conversely, our regular queue processes reports efficiently with a minimum wait time of 6 minutes per report. Multiple reports can run simultaneously, minimizing overall slowdowns. However, there are instances where regular reports may take longer, ranging from 20 to 30 minutes each. It's essential to note that even a quick report may experience delays if queued behind longer reports.
As we strive to optimize report processing times, your feedback is crucial. Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions, these contribute to our ongoing efforts to enhance and streamline this process for an improved user experience.
Articles to reference for basic report set-up
Getting started with reports: Report Setup, Basics, Recurring Reports, Templates & FAQs