The report wizard step by step
The five steps from a SuiteQL query to a published report, with columns, links, filters, refresh and audience.
The report wizard turns a SuiteQL query into a report that other people can open. Only authors see it. Start it with New Report in the top bar, or with Edit Report on an existing report. The wizard has five steps: Query, Columns, Filters, Details and Audience.
1. Query
- Write the SuiteQL statement.
- Choose Preview. The wizard runs the statement and shows up to 100 rows. You cannot continue until Preview succeeds.
The app accepts one statement that starts with SELECT or WITH, up to 20,000 characters. It rejects a second statement, INTO, and unbalanced quotes or parentheses with a readable message. Give every column a unique alias. For queries that stay correct and fast, see Writing SuiteQL that performs.
2. Columns
The step lists one row for each column the query returns, in the order the report shows them. The arrows in the Order column move a column up or down without touching the SQL. The order survives a new preview, and the wizard adds a column that is new to the query after the ordered ones.
For each column, set:
- Label: the heading viewers see.
- Format: text, number, currency, percent, date, datetime, month (for a
YYYY-MMcolumn), boolean, or dropdown (for a checklist filter). - Visibility: hide helper columns, such as the internal id behind a link.
- Link (optional): pick a record type, then the hidden column that holds the record's internal id. The value then opens that NetSuite record. Administrators maintain the list of record types under Manage, Configuration, Record Types.
- Another report (drill-through) (optional): the same choice can make the column open a detail report. See Drill-through.
One report for month, quarter and year
If the report is stored by month, tick Month / Quarter / Year on the month column and choose the grain it opens on. Viewers then get Group by. Give each number, currency or percent column a Roll-up:
- Sum: the default for numbers and money. It also fits counts of things that each belong to one month.
- Ratio of two columns: for a rate that is one column over another, such as margin over revenue. The app recalculates it from the two sums and never averages it.
- Month only: blank at quarter and year. Use it for a median, a min or max, or a count of things that span months. The app treats a percent column with no rule as Month only.
3. Filters
This step sets the filters the report opens with. Each visible column shows its type and a list of operators that suit it:
| Column type | Operators |
|---|---|
| Text | Contains, Does not contain, Is, Is not, Starts with, Ends with, Is any of, Is none of, Is empty, Is not empty |
| Number | Between, Equals, Does not equal, Greater than, At least, Less than, At most, Is empty, Is not empty |
| Date | Date range, Relative, On or after, On or before, Is empty, Is not empty |
| Month | Pick months, Whole year, Month range, relative ranges, From month, Up to month |
| Dropdown | Is any of, Is none of, Is empty, Is not empty |
| Yes / No | Is Yes, Is No |
Text operators accept several values, with a switch between Any of these (OR) and All of these (AND), and a sentence under each filter spells out what it does. Is any of and Is none of show a checklist of the values in the stored result; after a refresh, use Reload values. Filters on different columns combine with AND. They run in the browser after the query, and viewers can change or clear them.
4. Details
- Name and Description: the catalogue shows them, and search reads them. Say what the report is for and who it is for.
- Category: where the report sits in the sidebar. Admins can create a category here without leaving the step.
- Rows per page: the default page size. Leave it on Account default, or choose All rows.
- Refresh interval: how often the report runs on its own. The choices come from Configuration.
- Refresh mode: Full, or Partial for a large result where little changes between runs. See Refresh and scheduling.
When editing, this step also lists the stored result files, with their sizes, links to their File Cabinet records, and downloads.
5. Audience
Tick Public to make the report visible to every employee. Otherwise, pick any mix of Roles, Employees, Departments and Subsidiaries from searchable lists. Anyone who matches at least one pick can open the report. Departments and Subsidiaries appear only when the account has those features. See Categories, audience and rights.
Saving
- For a new report, Create Report on the last step saves it.
- When editing, Save at the top right saves from any step, and Cancel returns to the report. Cancel asks first only if you changed something.
- View in NetSuite opens the report's own record in a new tab.
- Delete Report asks for confirmation. It removes the report, its result files and its NetSuite dashboard portlets permanently. To retire a report reversibly, archive it instead.
Related: Writing SuiteQL that performs · Refresh and scheduling · Charts on a report · Drill-through