Working with Reports

A Report turns the data in your DatasetA saved, queryable collection of data pulled from one or more Datasources. Datasets are the foundation for reports, dashboards, and AI data analysis.s into something people can read, share, and act on: an interactive dashboard of charts and tables, a quick Ad Hoc QueryA saved, parameterized query in Informer. Together with Datasets, Ad Hoc Queries are the data foundation Magic Reports build on. for exploring a Datasource, or a pixel-perfect document like an invoice or a letter.

The Reports listing page.

Why Reports matter

A DatasetA saved, queryable collection of data pulled from one or more Datasources. Datasets are the foundation for reports, dashboards, and AI data analysis. holds the data; a Report is how you present it. The same Dataset can back a live dashboard for a manager, a side-by-side comparison for an analyst, and a formatted statement for a customer, each one a different Report reading from the same indexed records. Building the presentation as a Report (rather than re-querying every time) means it refreshes with the data, respects who is allowed to see which Fields, and can be shared, scheduled, and exported.

The kinds of Report

The New menu groups Reports into three families, depending on what you want to produce:

Family	Report type	What it produces
Interactive	Dashboard	A layout of DatasetA saved, queryable collection of data pulled from one or more Datasources. Datasets are the foundation for reports, dashboards, and AI data analysis.-backed Visuals (charts, tables, KPIs) you can move, resize, configure, and filter together.
Interactive	Comparison Board	Visuals compared side by side, split by the unique values of a Field.
Interactive	Data View	A customized view for reading and exploring the records of a single Dataset.
Ad Hoc Query	Native SQL	An Ad Hoc QueryA saved, parameterized query in Informer. Together with Datasets, Ad Hoc Queries are the data foundation Magic Reports build on. whose exact statement you write yourself and send straight to the database.
Ad Hoc Query	Query Designer	An Ad Hoc QueryA saved, parameterized query in Informer. Together with Datasets, Ad Hoc Queries are the data foundation Magic Reports build on. you build visually, without writing database code.
Pixel Perfect	Template	A highly formatted HTML document (invoices, letters, certificates), viewable in the browser or exported to PDF.

A Magic ReportA simpler kind of App built on Datasets and Ad Hoc Queries. Magic Reports are available to every Informer tenant; full Apps (with server routes, databases, and messaging) require the Apps license. and full Apps are a separate, code-driven kind of Report; they are covered in the Apps section.

The Report workspace

Open a Report and you get a workspace with a tab for each thing you can do with it:

Tab	What it's for
View	View and interact with the Report
Access	The owner and Teams that have access to this Report
Comments	Discussion regarding the Report
Settings	Configure the settings of the Report

In this section

Chapter	In one line
Overview	The listing page, the three families of Report, and the Actions menu.
Dashboards	Lay out Visuals on a canvas and let viewers filter them.
Visual Configurations	Configure each chart type: line, bar, pie, map, KPI, and more.
Comparison Boards	Compare segments of your data in side-by-side columns.
Data Views	A spreadsheet-style grid and pivot over a single Dataset.
Ad hoc Queries	Temporary, real-time Queries built with SQL or the Designer.
Templates	Pixel-perfect HTML/PDF output, with data injected via Nunjucks.
Access	Sharing, ownership, and the Team role breakdown.
Appendix	Custom aggregates, external links, and public Reports.

Where do I look when...

You want to...	Where
Build a new Report	Creating a Report
Lay out charts on one page	Dashboards
Configure a specific chart type	Visual Configurations
Compare Visuals side by side	Comparison Boards
Read and explore one Dataset's records	Data Views
Write the exact query yourself	a Native SQL Ad hoc Query
Produce a formatted invoice or letter	Templates
Share a Report outside Informer	External Links
Let viewers filter the Report's data	turn on Enable Report Filtering in the Settings tab
Control who can see the Report	the Access tab

Also available through the REST API

Everything on this page is built on Informer's public REST API, the same one the product uses, so your scripts and integrations can do it too. Developer reference: Reports.