Create custom reports with Destiny's Report Builder

With Report Builder, you can create a variety of reports. Just choose the information and format you want, and Destiny builds the report for you.

Quick steps to build a custom report:

  • Select areas of the product to report on, such as library, patron, or general.
  • Select an array of information, such as barcode, status, category, or author.
  • Group information by selecting the sort order.
  • Determine column order sort.
  • Use limiters, such as totals and sub-totals.

More things to do after generating a report:

Build the report

To access Report Builder:

  1. Select Reports > Report Builder.
  2. Click New Report.

    Report Builder page to add a new report.

  3. In the first drop-down, select your report type. Depending on the permissions and which Destiny product(s) you have, choose from the following:
    • Resource
    • General
    • Library
    • Patron
  4. From the second drop-down, select a specific topic.
  5. Click Next button..

Complete the following steps to build the report. When you complete each step, click Next button. to move to the next step. If you change your mind about any selections, return to the previous step by clicking Previous button..

Step 1: Choose the information to include in the report

In Step 1, choose which fields to report on. You can select all fields, but you must select at least one field to proceed to the next step.

  1. If running the report at the district for a site, in the Site Information section, choose Site Name and/or Site Type.
  2. If you selected Resource above, you can choose specific Resource Types to include in your report. In the Template section, click Update. The Select Resource Types page appears.

    Report builder step 1 of 7 for Resource Manager.

    Select the resource types that are to appear in your report, and click OK to return to Report Builder.

  3. In the Information sections, select the fields you want to include in the report.

    Report builder step 1 of 7 for a patron report.

  4. Click Next button..

Step 2: Group the information

In Step 2, you can arrange the information selected in Step 1 into groups. Grouping is not required, but it helps make your report easier to understand. If you just need a simple list of statistics, you might decide not to group the information.

  1. In the first Group by drop-down, select your primary grouping option.
  2. In the second Group by drop-down, choose whether the information should be in ascending or descending order.
  3. If you selected more than one field in Step 1, you can select a second field from the ...then by drop-down and a third in the ...and finally by drop-down; then choose an ascending or descending order.
    Step 2 of 7 of Report Builder.
  4. Click Next button..

Step 3: Arrange the columns

Step 3 lets you set the order of the remaining fields in your report. The fields in this step display as columns from left to right. The field at the top of the list is the first column on the left. By default, the remaining fields are arranged alphabetically in columns.

  1. Select a field, and then click Move to Top, Move Up, Move Down, or Move to Bottom.
    Step 3 of 7 of Report Builder.
  2. Once you arrange the information in the way you want, click Next button. to go to the next step.

Step 4: Sort the information

In Step 4, you can specify the sort order for the information in each of the report’s columns. The fields available to you in this step are the fields you selected in Step 1, excluding the fields you grouped by in Step 2. By default, reports sort in ascending order.Step 4 of 7 of Report Builder.

  1. Select the primary sorting option from the Sort by drop-down.
  2. In the drop-down next to Sort by, choose whether the information should be in ascending or descending order.
  3. If you selected more than one field in Step 1, you can select a second field from the ...then by drop-down and a third in the ...and finally by drop-down; then choose an ascending or descending order.
  4. Click Next button..

Step 5: Summarize the information

Step 5 lets you perform calculations on any numeric fields or count records in your report. The options you select appear at the end of the report and at the bottom of each primary group column.

To indicate how you want the information in the report summarized:

  1. Select the appropriate checkboxes from the following options:
    CheckboxDescription

    Count

    Provides either an overall count of records in your report or a count of each specified field group.

    Total

    Calculates the total sum of records in the report.

    Average

    Calculates the total value of entries in a column divided by the number of entries in that column.

    Smallest Value

    Presents the lowest value of a given column.

    Largest Value

    Presents the largest value of a given column.

    Step 5 of 7 of Report Builder.

  2. Click Next button..

Step 6: Limit the information

Step 6 helps give your report more focus by limiting for selected criteria. For example, if you are running a patron report, you can limit it to patrons added/updated within a date range. You can set up to 10 limiters.

Step 6 of 7 of Report Builder.

  1. From the first drop-down, select a limiter. An operator list and a value option for the selected field appear. For example, when you select Date Added/Updated, the operator list for limiting the date range and a value field for choosing the date appears.
  2. In the Operator drop-down, select an operator.
  3. In the Value field, type a value.
  4. In the drop-down next to the value field, select one of the following:
    • AND: Includes all records that meet every limiter
    • OR: Includes all records that meet at least one of the limiters
  5. Repeat the previous steps to add any additional limiters. You can set up to 10.
  6. Click Next button..

Step 7: Save the report

In Step 7, you can run and save the report setup for later use.

  1. In the Name field, type a name for the report.
  2. If this is being created at the district, use the Available for drop-down to choose district users, site type, or school the report is for.
  3. In the Description field, you can type notes about the report.
  4. There are two options for saving the report:
    • To save the report and run it immediately, click Save & Run.
    • To save the report setup for later use, click Save.

    Step 7 of 7, saving a Report Builder report.

  5. If you selected Save & Run in the previous step, Report Manager displays your report at the top of the list and automatically updates its status. When the status is Completed, do one of the following:
    • To view the job summary, select View.
    • To view your report online, select HTML.
    • To download the report as an XML file, which can be exported into Microsoft Excel, select XML.
    • To open or save a spreadsheet file in Excel, select Excel®.

If a report is created at the district for a site, it appears in the list of reports with the district icon (District icon.) next to it.

Edit a saved report

You can edit a saved Report Builder report at any time.

  1. Select Reports > Report Builder.
  2. Next to the report you want to edit, click Edit icon..
  3. Follow the Report Builder steps to review and make any changes to the report.
  4. Save the report.

Duplicate a report

You can duplicate any saved Report Builder report. This lets you modify a complex report without affecting the original, or set up a report with slightly different settings.

  1. Select Reports > Report Builder.
  2. Next to the report you want to duplicate, click Duplicate a report..
  3. Follow the Report Builder steps to review and make any changes to the report.
  4. Save the report.

Related Content

For information – including Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) and videos – about custom reports and Report Builder, see Using Reports & Fines (Library Manager) and Reports (Resource Manager).