Custom Reports and Analysis Cubes

With Analysis Cubes, you can create Vision custom reports with Microsoft® Excel® 2007 or other report writing software that uses Microsoft Analysis Services, a component of Microsoft® SQL Server™.

Analysis Cubes provides the following data cubes with which you create reports:

  • Project OLAP Cube — For reports that display project, labor, expense, billed, plan, accounts receivable, and time analysis data.

  • General Ledger OLAP Cube — For reports that display financial and general ledger information.

In Excel, you connect to one of the two Vision OLAP data cubes (external source) and display the Vision data in a PivotTable report. Users who are familiar with Excel and pivot table reports can quickly rearrange report information. You can drill down instantly on report information to see the transaction detail. The process to create a report is less complex because you do not need to understand the Vision database structure.

Before you can create custom reports using Vision data cubes, a Vision system administrator must complete the Analysis Cubes configuration as outlined in the Deltek Vision Installation and Configuration Guide for Performance Management (Analysis Cubes). You can download this guide on the Deltek Customer Care Connect site.

Vision data cubes must be refreshed on a regular basis so that the reports you create access current Vision data.

Deltek uses Microsoft Excel 2007 internally to create reports and test the Analysis Cubes software. Vision Analysis Cubes help topics are based on using Microsoft Excel 2007 to create custom reports. Vision help topics cover only some of the many ways you can accomplish an action in Excel.

Related Topics:

  • Measures and Dimensions in Reports
    PivotTable reports in Excel consist of the following types of data - measures and dimensions.
  • Dimension Records that You Can View on Reports
    You can view the Vision records for certain dimensions on a report. You may find it helpful to review the group and subfolders in the Excel PivotTable Field List, where you find the dimensions.
  • Sharing Vision Custom Reports with Others
    Because the Vision Analysis Cubes application does not have Vision role security implemented, consider carefully how you create and share Vision custom reports with other users. If you need to control the report content that users see, you must copy report output from the original report design and share the output, not the original report design, with users.
  • Custom Reports and Multiple Languages
    Vision supports the creation of data cubes in English (United States) and English (International) languages if you purchase the Vision Multilingual module. A system administrator creates separate Vision data cubes for different languages.
  • Empty or Unknown Items on a Report
    An <empty> item displays on a Vision custom report if a Vision field is blank or a row contains subtotals or totals. An Unknown item displays on a Vision custom report if a Vision field contains bad, invalid, or orphaned data.
  • Example of Sharing Vision Custom Reports
    In this example, perform the steps to distribute a Profit by Project Manager report to the manager of each office in your firm. You want each office to see only its own data.
  • Tooltip Pop-Up Windows
    When you rest your mouse pointer on a dimension in an Excel PivotTable report, a pop-up window displays the current attributes for the Vision record.
  • PivotTable Field List Tips
    Vision fields are grouped in the PivotTable Field List. For example, in the Project OLAP Cube, you see group headings such as Values, Accounts Receivable, Billed, Compensation, Expenses, and Labor.
  • Filtering an Excel Report
    You can apply filters to an Excel PivotTable report to exclude information from the report. The filters that you add to a report are cumulative.
  • Excel Help Topics
    There are several Excel 2007 help topics that provide information on creating pivot table reports.
  • How to Find Help Topics in Excel
    You can search Excel's help for related help topics.
  • Troubleshoot Custom Reports Created with Analysis Cubes
    There are some common questions you may have while working on Analysis Cubes.
  • Procedures
    You can create Vision custom reports in Excel, filter by values and dimensions, reorder rows and columns, and more.
  • Procedures - Pivot Table Field List
    You can add, hide, or redisplay the Excel PivotTable.
  • Procedures - Formatting Custom Reports in Excel
    You can modify the layout of custom reports in Excel.
  • Excel PivotTable Field List
    After you connect to a Vision data cube in Excel 2007, use the PivotTable Field List to choose rows and columns for your report, apply filters, and add calculated fields. The PivotTable Field List automatically displays on the right side of the Excel worksheet.
Parent Topic: Analysis Cubes Overview