Report changes new set up when trying to run a report.

Lucille Emmons

Starting Feb 1, I found there have been changes when I am trying to run a report. I am no longer able to see the entire request and need to click on each item to fill in the information. Each category is listed separately on the left side. Example when trying to run the GL detail if I want to change the date I need to click on date it opens a screen for just the date, then I want to change the filter another screen opens, etc.

Has anyone else found this frustrating and more time consuming?

Melissa Glenn

Hi Lucille, Thank you for your feedback! What you are describing is indeed a part of a release of a new report setup screen. The tabbed approach to the report sections (for example, dates as you described) was introduced to limit extra scrolling based on user feedback we received. I am sorry to hear you are finding this less user-friendly in your experience. Please know we are going to be listening to all user feedback and will continue to adjust our report approach in the future.

Lucille Emmons

I understand the scrolling was annoying, but it
would be helpful if we could see the whole screen at one
time. Easy to run a report for wrong dates or other
filters if you can't see the whole thing at once.

Thank you for responding.

--

Lucille Emmons

Staff Accountant

535 Stone Cutters Way
| Montpelier, VT 05602
802-229-2935 (direct)

802-989-5330 (Cell Please use during
stay at home order)

David Lee

Hi Melissa, I bookmarked content that answers your question on my profile page. Here's my profile link: https://community.blackbaud.com/profile/144692

Lisa Stover

We just got updated. I don't know if you are receiving much feedback, but I find the new format to be less than desirable. The fact that I need to drill down to a fourth level on a report to verify the date range is a bit cumbersome (unless I am missing some shortcut).

Steve Harris

I just got blindsided by this new update as
well. I agree. It was easy enough to scroll through the report
format as it was.

I also tried exporting to PDF. It crashes.
Only displays part of the Acrobat window and unable to close
without forcing it to close. Looks like it may be trying to use a
version of Adobe that I do not have set as my default.

Steve
Harris

Chief Financial Officer

Where
Students Learn What Success Feels Like!

(502)
459-6131

Visit us at depaulschool.org

Connect with us on Facebook,
Twitter, &
Instagram

Steve Harris

I may have found the issue. When Blackbaud exports the PDF to a monitor other that the one that it is running in it simply does not work well and partially overlays the screen on that monitor. Once I was able to default my acrobat app to the same monitor as Blackbaud it worked. Needs some more work before it is ready for prime time on multi-monitor systems!

Steve Harris

I really don't believe that extra scrolling was the issue. Often when opening a report format the screen stalled and once it finally opened scrolling was quick and easy. My guess is this change was to limit the need for the load times while costing several extra clicks to get things done.

Steve Harris

I have also noted that when I set a report filter and leave reports, the filter is not retained, as in previous version, and I must reset the filter! Is that by design?

Donella Robb

Hi Melissa,

If you would like some feedback, I did like the tabbed approach. However, I was running some reports yesterday, and noticed some bugs/issues. After selecting "save & run" or "run", the progress/download tabs on the lower right of the screen would only appear after I refreshed the browser. I was also having some intermitent problems with the "download" button after running the Excel data version, where nothing happened after I clicked the "download button". And, the "stickiness" of the view no longer appears to be there -- I usually have the Reports screen set to "my favourites", and every time I clicked on the "Reports" tab or refreshed it, it reverted back to the "All Reports" view.

Sannyasin Siddhanathaswami

Yeah. Not being able to see the dates without "editing column" is a painful step backwards. In a saved report, almost always I edit it to change dates of columns. That really should be the easiest, clearest part of reports.


There also seems to be a bunch of bugs. Maybe it's Safari browser, but previewing a report doesn't work right. It's only in a small ribbon at the top of the page. Exporting doesn't give rapid feedback, so you can't tell if it's working or not. And a bunch more issues.

Twila Moore

I just noticed this today. However, I've been running the same report for months, and it was normal on Friday. I guess we are behind with the updates. It took me quite a bit longer to change my columns to the new info. I agree that this is definitely a step backwards. I found that I can't see the choices until I open each tab. This is extremely frustrating and more time consuming!

Steve Harris

My apologies. I reported an issue with PDF exports on multi-monitor systems. That same issue popped up in another application. I believe it is related to an update of my multi-monitor utility DisplayFusion and its recent update.

Steve Harris

I just discovered that if you refresh your browser (Chrome) while at the reports screen, with filters set, the filters are removed. So, if I have to go to database view to set a tag on a report and return to the NXT reports screen and refresh, I have to set the filter again. Maybe while they are making changes to reporting we could actually get some of the features like tags incorporated in NXT.

Twila Moore

Steve, Are you saying that all filters are removed if you refresh your Chrome browser? Not good.

Steve Harris

You may be referring to the filters on an individual report. If you are the answer is no, they are retained. I was speaking about the Main reports management screen. We use tags extensively to manage work flow when reporting. I filter on various report tags across GL and AP so that I see a list of reports that I can walk through and review in sequence.

LeeAnn Schmidtberger

I agree with Lucille. The new format setup is a step backwards and time consuming. It definitely was faster the old way. And...the favorites tab does not come up automatically like it did before the updates and reverts to all reports. That's very annoying. Please have it revert back to going to the tab we want reports to open up to. Thanks for considering!

Susan Trippe

I still haven't figured out how to change the date on my GL reports.

Lucille Emmons

Susan,

Probably many have answered you but what I have
found.

See screenshot below if you click on dates then the range
should come up.

Edit - LE General ledger
detail - Dates

Headings

General

Content

Dates

Filters

Format

Sort and
break

Number
format

Footers

Include account activity as of this
date

Include all dates <Specific range> <Specific fiscal
periods> <Specific fiscal
year> <Earliest open fiscal
year> This fiscal period Last fiscal period Next fiscal period This fiscal year Last fiscal year Next fiscal year Today Yesterday Tomorrow This week Last week Next week This month Last month Next month Month-To-Date Calendar year-to-date

Start date

End
date

Hope that helps.

I am so glad that others have commented on this because I
have never reached out to the community before and was unsure
if it would amount to anything.

Thank you,

--

Lucille Emmons

Staff Accountant

535 Stone Cutters Way
| Montpelier, VT 05602
802-229-2935 (direct)

802-989-5330 (Cell Please use during
stay at home order)

Susan Trippe

I said the wrong thing in my comment. It's changing the dates on my income statements that I can't figure out.

Paul Wu

I've just now run into another problem. I am unable to download the "Export excel data" file. The report runs and I click the download button and nothing happens. There is a TMP file in my downloads folder but nothing is happening.


I am using EDGE and will be logging out and logging back in via EDGE and Chrome to see if this helps.


This is not the best time for these reports to be acting up.


Update - I logged out an back in and my reports started to download. I now have 5 copies of the same report.

Lucille Emmons

Paul

I am having the same problem today also. As well as the
system running very slowly.

--

Lucille Emmons

Staff Accountant

535 Stone Cutters Way
| Montpelier, VT 05602
802-229-2935 (direct)

802-989-5330 (Cell Please use during
stay at home order)

Sannyasin Siddhanathaswami

I noticed yesterday that Blackbaud now shows the date ranges on the list in the "Content" tab. Thank you so much!


Also, now the previewing a report works in Safari.


Now we need the export to PDF back in the "..." menu.


Thanks for making these fixes.

Paul Wu

Just make sure your export to excel reports are formatted properly. By that I mean that the rows did not change.


My original report had 40 rows, and now it is down to 34. We use these reports to feed into our quarterly reports. March 31 is our year end.


At the rate things are going, we will have to update our quarterly report formatting for Q1. But what's to say another update won't affect my report rows again?