SkyNet Reports

What SkyNet Reports does

SkyNet Reports lets you make your own reports from your company's data, without asking a developer each time. You choose the columns, add filters, and get the result on screen, as an Excel or CSV file, or by email.

A developer prepares views (ready-made lists of data with friendly column names). A Manager connects them as a data source. From there, everything is done on screen by you.

Signing in

1. Open the address your Manager gave you.
2. Type your username and password and choose Sign In.
3. The first time, or after a reset, you are asked to set your own password.

Finding your way around

• Left menu: Dashboard, Reports with your data sources listed under it, and Configuration (Managers only).
• Dashboard: lists your data sources. Click one to open its reports.
• Tabs at the top: every area you open stays open as a tab, so you can switch back and forth.
• Your name (bottom left): My profile, change password, sign out.
• Help: opens this manual.

The report list

Building a report

1. Choose + New report.
2. Pick a data source and a view. If you have only one, it is chosen for you.
3. Untick the columns you do not need. Use the small arrows to change their order.
4. Look at the Preview on the right. It shows the first 50 rows and updates after every change.
5. Choose Save, give the report a name, and you are done.

Filters and sorting

A filter keeps only the rows you want. Choose + Add filter, pick a column, pick a rule, and type a value. Several filters work together: a row must pass all of them.

Sorting: choose + Add sort, pick a ticked column, and choose low to high or high to low. You can sort by up to 5 columns.

Totals and groups

To summarize instead of listing every row, choose a total next to a number column: Sum, Average, Smallest, Largest or Count. The other ticked columns become groups.

Running a report

1. In the report list choose Run on a report, or Run inside the builder. A new report must be saved once first.
2. If you want, type email addresses to receive the file.
3. Choose Excel file or CSV file.
4. You are taken to History. Keep working; a big report may take a while.

Filter values in the Run window

When a report has filters, the Run window shows them with the values used last time. Change the values if you want, for example the two dates of a date range, then choose the file type. The values you run with become the preset for the next run.

History and downloads

• Download gives you the stored file again, exactly as it was made.
• Run again makes a fresh file with today’s data.
• Cancel stops a waiting or running report.
• Delete removes the run and its file.
• To delete several runs, tick them (the box in the heading ticks all on the page) and choose Delete ticked. A window lists exactly the runs that will be deleted.

Emailing a file

1. In History, choose Email on a Ready row.
2. Type one or more addresses, separated by commas (up to 10).
3. Add a short message if you like and choose Send.

Schedules

A schedule runs a report by itself and can email the file, for example every Monday at 7:00.

1. Open Reports > Schedules and choose + New schedule.
2. Pick the report.
3. Choose how often: every day, every week (pick the days), or every month (pick the day).
4. Set the time and the file type.
5. Optionally type who should receive the file by email, then Save.

• Turn off pauses a schedule without deleting it.
• Scheduled files also appear in History.
• For a monthly schedule, day 31 means the last day in shorter months.

Data sources

A data source is one database, or one web API, your users may report on. Open Configuration > Data sources.

1. Fill in the form and choose Test connection.
2. When it says Connected, choose Save.
3. Use Views on the list to check which views and columns users will see.

Web API data sources

A web API data source lets users report on data that another system gives out as JSON over the web, in the same way as a database view. Users pick a list, tick columns, sort, add totals and run, the same way as with a view. Only the Filters section is not there.

1. Add the data source

1. Fill in the form and choose Test connection. A result window opens with the status, the time it took, the size, and the answer.
2. Choose Create.

2. Add the lists

A list is one address of the API that returns rows, for example the orders. Choose Lists on the row of the data source, then + New list.

1. Choose Test. The result window opens on Rows and shows the first rows with the columns and their kinds (text, number, date, yes/no).
2. If the rows are not the right ones, open Body and choose Use as rows on the part of the answer that holds them.
3. Choose Save list. The columns are remembered; save the list again when the API gets new columns.

Preparing views (for developers)

Users never see tables, only views in the schema of the data source. Give every column a friendly name; that name is what users see.

CREATE SCHEMA rpt;
GO
CREATE VIEW rpt.[Sales Orders] AS
SELECT o.ord_no   AS [Order No],
       o.ord_dt   AS [Order Date],
       c.cust_nm  AS [Customer],
       o.amt      AS [Amount]
FROM   dbo.orders o
JOIN   dbo.customers c ON c.cust_id = o.cust_id;
GO
CREATE LOGIN report_reader WITH PASSWORD = '...';
CREATE USER  report_reader FOR LOGIN report_reader;
GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA::rpt TO report_reader;

• Join and clean the data inside the view, so users do not have to.
• Leave out columns users must not see.
• A new view appears to users right away; nothing has to be set in SkyNet Reports.
• If you rename or remove a column, reports that use it show a message asking to save the report again.

Users and data sources

1. Open Configuration > Users and choose + New user.
2. Enter the name, username and email and choose Create.
3. The person gets an email with a link to set a password. The link works for 24 hours.
4. The new user gets the role User. Change the role if needed and tick the data sources this person may use, then save.

• If the email was lost or the link ran out, open the user and choose Send link again.
• If the server cannot send email, type a temporary password when you create the user and give it to the person. They must change it at the first sign-in.
• At least one active Manager must always remain, and the Manager role cannot be deleted.

Roles and permissions

Two roles are ready to use: Manager and User. Most companies never need more.

• Roles: add a role if some people need a different set of rights, for example users who may run but not build reports.
• Permissions: tick the pages, tabs and actions for each role.
• The Manager role always keeps full access, so you cannot lock yourself out.

Settings

Amazon S3 (optional)

Report files can be saved in an Amazon S3 bucket instead of the folder on the server. Fill in the Amazon S3 box once; all data sources share the one bucket.

1. Choose Test. It writes a small test file, reads it and deletes it again.
2. When it says Connected, choose Save.
3. Open Data sources, edit a data source and tick Save report files in Amazon S3. Data sources without the tick keep using the folder.

• Files are saved in the bucket as UserId / DataSourceId / file name, the same way as in the folder.
• Users notice no difference: download and email work as before. A download always goes through SkyNet Reports; nobody gets a link to the bucket.
• Deleting a run, and the automatic clean-up, also delete the file in the bucket.
• To switch S3 off, empty the bucket and both keys and choose Save.

Activity log

Configuration > Activity shows who signed in and what was changed. When a report could not be run, the technical reason is written here for you, while the user only sees a plain message.

The report service

Reports are made by a small program on the server, the SkyNet Report Service. It starts with Windows and keeps working when nobody is signed in.

• Finished files are saved in the report files folder (see Settings), in one folder per user and data source. The database keeps only the history.
• An icon near the clock shows its state: green = running, grey = stopped.
• Click the icon for its settings: database, encrypt key, mail server, how many reports run at the same time, and the longest time one report may take.
• Right-click the icon to start, stop or restart the service, or to open its log folder.
• Exit closes only the icon. The service keeps running.

If something does not work

Keeping data safe

• You only see the data sources your Manager gave you.
• Private reports stay private. Make a report public only when it is meant for everyone on that data source.
• A downloaded or emailed file leaves the system. Treat it like any company document.
• Sign out on shared computers.
• Changing your password signs out your other devices.