P E O P L E S O F T 8 . 4
PS/NVISION DOCUMENTATION
University of British Columbia
T A B L E
O F
nVision Reporting
PeopleSoft V8.4
C O N T E N T S
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................ 3
Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Terminology to be familiar with ............................................................................................................. 3
Version 7.01 to Version 8.4 .................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................ 5
Layouts........................................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................ 6
Creating a Report Request........................................................................................................ 6
Creating a new report request ................................................................................................................. 6
Finding an existing report request .........................................................................................................11
Chapter 4 .......................................................................................................................... 12
Creating a Scope ...................................................................................................................... 12
Creating a new Scope ............................................................................................................................13
To Find and View an Existing Scope ....................................................................................................18
Scope Maintenance ................................................................................................................................19
Chapter 5 .......................................................................................................................... 20
Running an nVision Report .................................................................................................... 20
Accessing your report ............................................................................................................................22
Chapter 6 .......................................................................................................................... 24
Drilldown .................................................................................................................................. 24
Available DrillDowns ............................................................................................................................24
Using Drilldown ....................................................................................................................................25
Appendix 1 ........................................................................................................................ 28
nVision Variables ..................................................................................................................... 28
Appendix 2 ........................................................................................................................ 30
PeopleSoft Trees....................................................................................................................... 30
Appendix 3 ........................................................................................................................ 33
Troubleshooting ....................................................................................................................... 40
Index ................................................................................................................................. 41
2
C H A P T E R
1
OVERVIEW





PS/nVision is an Excel based program.
It is used to generate reports from the Financial Management System (FMS)
It uses familiar Excel commands as a key element to building reports.
It is considered to be a powerful and flexible spreadsheet-based financial
reporting tool.
Data can be manipulated (ie. add, subtract, multiply, divide) and formatted to
create reports.
Terminology to be familiar with
There is terminology that is used in PS/nVision that is specific to this reporting tool. It is
helpful to be familiar with the terminology, as it will assist you when you are using the
tool as well as when you are troubleshooting.
Layout: This is the backbone of your report. It is an Excel worksheet with special
coding in Row 1 and Column A. This coding specifies what values to download from
the FMS database. A layout is saved with the extension .XNV. When using nVision on
the Web, you will only need to know the name of your layout – you will not see the
layout directly. To see what the layout looks like, please refer to the Reporting section of
the Finance website.
Report Request: Each report request is a collection of report-specific information,
examples of which are mentioned previously. A report request is required in order to run
a report. A report request specifies the layout and scope to be used to run the report, the
Report Manager folder to save the output file etc. In a report request, you can use the
Scope feature to create multiple instances of a report from a single request.
Scope: Allows you to create multiple instances of a report from a single report request.
Each instance uses the same layout but contains information unique to a specific fund,
deptid, program code, project/grant or combination thereof.
3
Criteria: This is coded information that is placed in your layout, which PS/nVision uses
to retrieve data from the various PeopleSoft tables.
Version 7.01 to Version 8.4
The most noticeable change from version 7.01 (UBC’s current version) to version 8.4 is
the ability to run nVision reports using your web browser. In the past, you needed to
have nVision installed on your computer to be able to run reports.
The advantage of this is that everyone with a PeopleSoft user ID will now have the ability
to run reports. This gives you, the user, the ability to run month-end type of information
at any time.
4
C H A P T E R
2
LAYOUTS
The layout is the template that is used to define what a report will look like and what type
of information will go into the different cells of the spreadsheet. It is just an Excel
spreadsheet that contains the structure of the report – criteria, formatting, formulas, etc.
At UBC, we have created a number of layouts that are designed for use by users across
campus. When you combine the layout in a report request with (or without) a scope, you
will create a report or reports that contain information specific to your fund, department,
program code and/or P/G.
Once you have created the report request, you can continue to use it every month (or
more frequently), to run your reports without worrying that other people have changed
the layout.
For a list of the layouts available for use, as well as detailed descriptions of each layout,
please refer to the Reporting library section of the Finance website.
5
C H A P T E R
3
CREATING A REPORT REQUEST
A report request is what is used to generate your report. It brings together all the
information nVision requires to run a report.
Before you create a report request to generate a report, you will need the following
information:
 Exact layout name
 Name of scope (if applicable) – discussed in Chapter 4
 As of Date of your report
Creating a new report request
Navigate to Reporting Tools  PS/nVision  Define Report Request
6
To create a NEW Report Request:
1. Click on Add a New Value.
2. Business Unit = UBC
3. Report ID: Enter a name for your report request – use your initials to differentiate
your report request from other report requests. For example, if your name is Joe
Smith, your report request should begin with JS_. The maximum length of the
Report ID is 8 characters.
4. Click on
nVision Report Request Page
7
The following fields need to be filled in:
Report Title: Name your report. This description appears on the prompt lists allowing
you to select a report. Thus, use a name that is descriptive enough for you to be able to
identify what information it gives you.
Layout: Specify the report layout (the .XNV file) to use for this report. You must type
the name exactly as it appears on the listing (without the .XNV extension). However, the
field is not case sensitive. For a list of layouts that have been created already, refer to the
nVision library which can be found in the Reporting section of the Finance website.
As of Reporting Date: There are four options to choose from – “Business Unit Reporting
Date”, “Default”, “Specify”, “Today’s Date”. Choose “Specify” if you want to run your
report as of a date that is different from today’s date. Otherwise, choose the default,
“Today’s Date”. You will most likely choose “Specify” as you will likely want to run
your report as of a specific date. We do not use “Business Unit Reporting Date” or
“Default” at UBC.
Example
If Today’s Date is June 5, 2004 but you want your report to be as of March 31, 2004,
choose the “Specify” option and type in the date using the format “DD/MM/YYYY” in
the Date box . If you want your report to be as of June 5, 2004, leave the As of
Reporting Date at its default value of “Today’s Date”.
Tree as of Date: Choose “Use as of Reporting Date”. There are two other options in this
dropdown – “Default” and “Specify”. You may use “Specify” if you want to use a tree
that is a different date than the As of Reporting Date for your report. We do not use
“Default” at UBC.
Type: Web is the default. This will give you output in HTML file format. Choose either
Web or File. DrillDowns, which are discussed in Chapter 6, can only be done if you
choose Web as the Type.
Format: The default is HTML Documents. If you chose File under the Type option
above, choose Microsoft Excel Files as your Format option.
Next click on the Enter Delivery Template Options hyperlink.
8
This page shows the options that you need to specify for the particular type of output you
have chosen. The page above shows the fields you would need to fill out having chosen
Web as the output. This is the option you will use most.
Report Scope: Use
to search for the appropriate Scope. Defining a Scope is
discussed in Chapter 4.
Folder name: Choose General from the drop-down menu.
Directory Name Template: This is the folder where your report will be saved. In version
8.4, reports can only be initially saved to folders that output to the Report Manager. They
can be saved to your hard drive or network drive once you open the report and choose the
“Save as” option.
Example
If you enter REPORTS, it will create a folder called Reports (which can then be found
under the Report Manager, Explorer tab – discussed later in the material). You should
name your folder using your name to begin with.
You can also use nVision variables to create subfolders within your main folder. The
most commonly used variables can be found in Appendix 1. The variables are always
surrounded by % signs.
9
Example
Assuming an As of Date of March 31, 2003, if you specified USER\%FY4%-%ASD%,
this would create a folder called USER with a subfolder called 2003 – 03/31/2003.
Content Description Template: Enter a description of the report instances so you can
easily find them in the Report Manager. Use variables to create descriptions. (Variables
are discussed in Appendix 1.) The default in this field is %RTT%, which is the variable
for Report Title. If you leave the default value in, your file will be named the same as
your Report Title as defined on the nVision Report Request page.
Example
If the Content Description Template = %RTT% - %ASD%, this would then translate to
“Report Title – As of Date”. This is the name that would appear in the Report Manager.
Security Template: Use this field if you want to send your report output to other people.
You will need to enter a list of e-mail addresses or user id’s. If you are going to use this
field, you will also need to specify your own user id in order to receive the report. To
enter a user id, type in U: followed by the user id. To send the report to more than one
person, separate each user id with a semicolon. It doesn’t matter which order you type
the user id’s in (that is, you do not have to type your user id in before all the others).
Once you have filled in the relevant information, click on
. This will take you
back to the Report Request page.
There is no need to click on the Advanced Options tab as you will leave all defaults as
they are.
The default screen is shown below for your information.
Remember to
your Report Request!
10
You are now ready to run your report!
Finding an existing report request
If you want to run a report that you have run previously, all you have to do is search for
the report request you originally created for this report. Make any necessary
changes/modifications, save it, and you’re ready to run your report!
To find an EXISTING report request:
1. Navigate to Reporting Tools  PS/nVision  Define Report Request
2. Click on Find an Existing Value.
3. Business Unit = UBC
4. Report ID: Enter the name of the Report ID you are searching for. Partial
matches are supported.
5. Description: This is equivalent to the Report Title that is found in the Report
Request. Partial Matches are supported. If you leave it blank, PeopleSoft will use
the Business Unit and Report ID criteria to search for matches.
6. Click on
7. Your search results will be displayed.
8. Once you have identified the Report ID that you’re looking for, click on the
hyperlink. This will take you directly to the Report Request.
Instructions on how to run your report once you have created or found your Report
Request are discussed in Chapter 5.
11
C H A P T E R
4
CREATING A SCOPE
A scope allows you to create multiple instances of a report using a single report request.
Each instance contains data for an individual chartfield value such as Dept ID or
Project/Grant (PG), or for a combination of field values, such as a tree node summarizing
all Funds combined with a tree node summarizing all Dept Ids.
Example
A scope is useful if you want to run a Statement of Funding and Expenses for more than
one P/G. You can specify a scope based on P/G that would process the multiple
statements at once, instead of having to create multiple report requests for each P/G
statement that you want.
If you want to run a P/G statement for a particular combination of Dept ID and P/G, you
would create a scope based on these two chartfields.
When you use more than one ChartField in a scope, it will generate a separate report for
each possible combination, even if there are combinations with no data in them. If you
list 2 Funds and 5 DeptIds, you will get 10 reports.
Scopes use PeopleSoft Trees thus, it is important to know the basics around trees and
how to access and understand them. For a basic overview of trees, please refer to
Appendix 2.
12
Creating a new Scope
Navigate to the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reporting Tools  PS/nVision  Define Scope
Click on Add a New Value
SetID: Enter UBC
Report Scope: Name your scope. Use your initials and an underscore as the first
three letters in your scope name. If someone across the campus has the same two
initials as you, include your middle initial to differentiate your scope from the
other user. The Report Scope name can be a maximum of 10 letters.
5. Click on
or hit Enter.
13
You will then be taken to the following screen.
SetID and Report Scope: These will default in automatically based on information
entered on the previous screen.
Business Unit: Enter UBC.
Description: Enter in a description of your scope. Try and be as specific as possible so
that it will be easy for you to identify the purpose of your scope when you have to search
for it at a later date.
Field Combination Table: Leave blank.
Business Unit Keyed Tree: Leave blank.
Field Name: Type the ChartField name you wish to report or click on the drop-down
arrow to select from the options listed.
You must determine what field you would like your scope to be based on. Examples of
fields at UBC are Fund, Account, DeptID, Program Code, and Project/Grant.
Most commonly used ChartFields at UBC:
Chartfield
Project/Grant
Fund
Program
Account
DeptId
Equivalent Field Name in nVision
PROJECT_ID
FUND_CODE
PROGRAM_CODE
ACCOUNT
DEPTID
Field Long Name
PROJECT_ID
FUND_CODE
PROGRAM_CODE
ACCOUNT
DEPTID
14
How Specified: There are 7 options from the dropdown. The relevant options to choose
from at UBC are Selected Detail Values and Selected Tree Nodes.
Select Selected Detail Values if you want to report on a specific ChartField. You will
get one report for each ChartField selected. If you choose this option, you will be
prompted to specify the Values table as well as the ChartField’s values (discussed
below).
Select Selected Tree Nodes if you want to report on a series (or group) of ChartFields.
This amalgamates everything in the selected tree node into one report. If you choose this
option, you will be prompted to specify the ChartField’s Values table (discussed below).
Selected Detail Values
Once you have chosen Selected Detail Values, type in the Value Table or click
search for the appropriate value table.
to
The commonly used Value Tables are:
Field
Account
DeptId
Fund
Project/Grant
Program
Value Table
GL_ACCOUNT_TBL
DEPT_TBL
FUND_TBL
UBC_PROJ_STATUS
PROGRAM_TBL
Select Value: Once you have chosen the Value Table, enter the detail value you wish to
report. For example, choose Value 932200 if you wish to report on DeptId 932200. If
you are unsure of the ChartField, click on
for a list of valid values. However, note
that the search returns a maximum of 300 rows so it may be necessary to refer to the
related tree or FMIS on the Web for further details.
15
If you want to choose more than one detail value, click on the
button beside the
button and repeat the steps above to choose another detail value. Note that each value
will generate its own separate report.
Selected Tree Nodes
Once you have chosen Selected Tree Nodes, you need to choose the appropriate Tree
Name from which you want to choose your tree nodes. Type in the Tree Name or click
on
to search for the Tree you are looking for.
The most commonly used trees at UBC are:
Field Name
Account
Fund
DeptId
Tree Name
ALL_ACCOUNTS
ALL_FUNDS
ALL_DEPTIDS
There is no tree for Program Code or PGs. These are entered as individual detail values
as they are just a listing. Thus, if you want to run a report that uses PGs or program
codes, you will always choose the Selected Detail Values option when creating your
scope.
Refer to Appendix 2 for a basic overview of trees and how to use them in relation to
nVision reporting.
Level: Leave this blank. We do not use this at UBC.
Select Value: Select the Tree Node value you wish to report on. If you are unsure of the
Tree Node, click on
for a list of valid values. Examples of tree nodes at UBC would
be Fee For Service Funds, VP Finance and Admin, and Revenues.
16
Note: You may find it useful to have a printout of the tree in front of you while you are
building your scope. Refer to Appendix 2 for an overview of trees.
If you want to choose more than one tree node, click on the
button beside the
button and repeat the steps above to choose another tree node. This will add another line
to the Select Value box. Note that each node will generate its own separate report.
Click Save to retain the scope values. If you do not save your scope, the Report
Request will not find your scope.
Using multiple ChartFields
If you would like to create a scope using multiple ChartFields (ie. Field Names), click on
the
button at the top right hand corner of the Scope Field box to add another line.
Alternatively, click on the
button to remove a line.
Example
If you want to create a scope that will give you a balance sheet by Fund for a particular
DeptID, you would create a scope with multiple Chartfields. This is because your report
is two-dimensional – it combines information from the two chartfields to create your
report.
17
The above scope definition, when combined with a Balance Sheet layout, would give you
two reports – a balance sheet for the GPOF fund for DeptID 932200 and a balance sheet
for Fee for Service fund for DeptID 932200.
To Find and View an Existing Scope
If you want to search for a previously created Scope, navigate to the following:
Reporting Tools  PS/nVision  Define Scope
Click on Find an Existing Value
SetID: Enter UBC
Report Scope: Enter in the first few letters of your scope. This should be your
initials since the scopes you create were saved using your initials. Partial matches
are supported.
5. Once you have located the scope you are looking for, click on any of the
hyperlinks to go directly to that scope.
6. Make any necessary changes/modifications and save your scope.
1.
2.
3.
4.
18
Scope Maintenance
If you find that you don’t use a scope anymore, please delete it using the Delete Scope
hyperlink. Scopes are saved by the SetID of UBC so as users create new scopes, the
list grows larger and larger. By periodically reviewing your scopes to determine if
they are still useful, you will help in keeping the database clean and manageable to
search through.
19
C H A P T E R
5
RUNNING AN NVISION REPORT
To run an nVision report:
1. Navigate to Reporting Tools  PS/nVision  Define Report Request.
2. Search for and bring up the appropriate Report Request. (Creating a new report
request and finding an existing report request were covered in Chapter 2.)
3. Ensure that all the parameters are filled in.
4. Click on
This will take you to the Process Monitor screen.
1. Server Name: PSNT
2. Ignore all other fields.
3. Click on
(see next screen shot)
20
After clicking on
, you will be taken back to the Report Request screen. Click
on the Process Monitor hyperlink. You will see the following screen.
Note the Instance Number (143 in the above example). This is the number that you will
use to track your report in Report Manager.
The Run Status tells you the status of your report request. Click on the Refresh key to
update the status. There are five different types of Run Status.
Queued: The request process has not yet been initiated. Your request is in the queue.
Initiated: Your request has begun the steps towards processing.
21
Processing: Your request is being processed.
Success: Your request has run successfully. You will be able to retrieve the output in the
Report Manager.
Error: There has been an error. Your request is not being processed. See the chapter on
Troubleshooting for possible causes and suggested solutions.
Cancel: You have cancelled your request and it will not be processed.
Your request is now being processed!
Response time will vary depending on the type of report you are running and the
number of people using the system at the same time as you. It is not necessary for
you to keep clicking on the Refresh button. You can complete other tasks while you
are waiting for your report to finish processing.
Accessing your report
Once your report request has been processed successfully, you can retrieve the output via
the Report Manager Page or via the Report Request page.
To retrieve your output via the Report Manager page:
1. Navigate to Reporting Tools  Report Manager
2. Click on the Explorer, List, or Administration tab.
Explorer tab
22
List tab
Administration tab
You will be able to view a list of your reports from any of these tabs. If you don’t see
your report listed, click the Refresh button or navigate to the Process Monitor (as
discussed above) to view the status of your report.
Click on View if you are in the Administration tab or click on the report hyperlink. This
will take you to a Report/Log View window. To see your report, click on the name and
your report will appear.
Note that the Directory Name Template was specified in your Report Request and
governs where your report instance will be saved. Reports will be deleted from the
Report Manager SEVEN days after they have been run, therefore, it is imperative that
once you have accessed your report, you SAVE it to either your C:\ drive or a network
drive as decided by your area.
23
C H A P T E R
6
DRILLDOWN
The DrillDown option in nVision gives you the ability to slice and dice your information
from a summarized level down to more detail. It provides underlying details when and
where you need them. DrillDowns are performed within your report instance.
Note that you can only perform DrillDowns if your report has been run with Output
Options, Type: Web and Format: HTML Documents. (This option is chosen when you
access your Report Request.)
Available DrillDowns
There are 5 main DrillDowns available for use:
Name
ACTDEP
ACTFUND
ACTPER
ActPG
DepPer
DepAct
PGPer
JrnlLayout
Description
Account by Department
Account by Fund
Account by Period
Account by PG
Department by Period
Department by Account
PG by Period
Journal Lines
24
Using Drilldown
You can perform a DrillDown on individual cells within your report by clicking on one
of the amount cells within the report.
Once a report has been run to the Web and posted to Report Manager, you can open it
and run a DrillDown on specific amount fields. You will know that a field is “drillable”
if it is a hyperlink.
To perform a DrillDown, open up the relevant report and click the hyperlink for the cell
you want to view in more detail.
A menu of DrillDown options will appear once you have clicked on the hyperlink. Select
the option you want by clicking the Run Drilldown button next to your selection.
Note: There are more options in the DrillDown menu than the five available drilldowns
listed previously. There are the five relevant drilldowns for use at UBC – ignore the
other options.
25
This will take you to the Report manager page listing the reports available for viewing.
Click the refresh button until your DrillDown report appears.
All DrillDown reports begin with DR, followed by the Process Instance number from
which the DrillDown report originated.
26
Click on View. The Report/Log Viewer will appear. Click the name of the Drill to see
the report.
Your DrillDown report will appear. DrillDown instances on the Web can be viewed and
distributed in the same manner as any other report that you run on the browser.
If you want to see the status of the DrillDown report, navigate to the Process Scheduler as
discussed above in Chapter 5. You can continue to drilldown from a DrillDown report as
long as the amount is a hyperlink. The hyperlink indicates that an amount is “drillable”.
27
A P P E N D I X
1
NVISION VARIABLES
Variables can be used in Report Requests and add many options for the file name and
subdirectory of the resulting Excel file (instance). The following list will help you
become more familiar with what the variables stand for.
To use a variable in the Report Request, it must be surrounded by % signs in order for
nVision to recognize it. For example, if you were to use the RID variable, you would
type it into your report request as %RID%.
Report Request
nVision Variable
Variable Description
Example
RID
Report ID
<varies> (As defined on the
Report Request dialog box)
RTT
Report Title
<varies> (As defined on the
Report Request dialog box)
LYN
Layout Name
<varies> (As defined on the
Report Request dialog box. Does
not include the .XNV extension.)
RBU
Requesting Business Unit
UBC
OPR
User ID
BATCH
DTS
Detail or Summary (nPlosion) D
ICT
Scope Instance Counter
6
IDN
Instance Directory Name
C:\Temp\nVision
IFN
Instance Output File Name
<varies>.xls
28
Date And Time Periods
nVision Variable
Variable Description
Example
ASD
As of Reporting Date
2003-03-31
AST
As of Tree Date
1900-01-01
PER
As of (Reporting) Period
12
FY2
Year(YY)
03
FY4
Year(YYYY)
2003
Scope-Related
nVision Variable
Variable Description
Example
SCN
Scope Name
DEPARTMENT
SCD
Scope Description
Departments at UBC
SFN
Scope Field Name
DEPTID
SFV
Scope Field Value
932200
SFD
Scope Field Description
Financial Services
STN
Scope Tree Name
ALL_ACCOUNTS
STD
Scope Tree Description
All Accounts
29
A P P E N D I X
2
PEOPLESOFT TREES
All users will be given access to Tree Viewer as part of their User id access.
Trees are used to organize data of a particular field, such as Account or Department,
logically. They are used throughout PeopleSoft applications including the development
of efficient reporting structures.
When referring to trees as part of nVision reporting, you will use Tree Viewer. This is a
read-only mode of trees thus there is no risk of accidentally making any unwanted
changes to trees.
Referring to Tree Manager will help you visually see what a tree looks like to help you
better determine how you want to build your scope. You can print out the relevant
portions of a tree for future use.
The summarization rules depicted in a tree apply to the detail values of a particular field
such as accounts, departments, and funds. These detail values are summarized into nodes
on the tree.
Navigate to Tree Manager  Tree Viewer
30
The most commonly used trees at UBC are:
Field
Related Tree
Fund
Account
Department
ALL_FUNDS
ALL_ACCOUNTS
ALL_DEPTIDS
The tree with the most recent effective date is the most current version of the tree.
PG’s and Program Codes at UBC do not utilize trees, so when you want to build a scope
with a P/G or Program Code, you will always choose Selected Detail Values and
manually enter or choose the value that you want.
How to Read the Tree
You will need to know how to read the tree to determine which tree node or detailed
value you want to build your report around. Once you have set up your scope, you will
find that you will not need to refer to Tree Manager as often anymore.
The following is an excerpt of the ALL_DEPTIDS tree.
31
Node: A rollup or summarization of field values or nodes that are grouped together for
reporting.
Collapsed Node
Expanded node
The field values that are organized by the tree. These can be defined as
either individual detail values or a range of values.
Example
Using the portion of the DeptId tree reproduced above, if you wanted to build a scope
that would give you a report for financial information in the Pharmacy Dean Faculty, you
would refer to the tree above and note that it is a tree node. When you would build your
scope, after choosing the Field, you would choose Selected Tree Nodes and then choose
PHARM DEAN FACULTY in the Select Value line of the Scope Definition.
Example
If you wanted to build a scope that would give you financial information for a specific
department in the Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty, say DeptID 272006, you would refer
to the tree above and note that it is a detail value (as it is signified by a leaf). Thus, when
you would be building your scope, after choosing the Field, you would choose Selected
Detail Values and then choose 272006 in the Select Value line of the Scope Definition.
Note that Detail Values can also be ranges such that if you need a value that is defined in
a detail value range, just select that individual value and your report will be produced.
By referring to the Tree using Tree Manager, you can better visualize the structure and
can pick out whether you need to choose a Tree Node or a Detail Value.
32
A P P E N D I X
3
RUNNING REPORTS TO EXCEL
When running reports in PeopleSoft version 8.4, there are two file type options – HTML
(Web) and XLS (Excel) from which to choose from. Previous documentation addresses
how to run reports to the web that are output as HTML files (ie. like a web page).
This supplementary documentation will cover the steps required to run a report that is
output as an Excel file.
Open up your Report Request and go to the Output Options section of the Report
Request. Change the Format from HTML Documents to Microsoft Excel Files (*.xls).
That is the only item on your Report Request that needs to be changed if you want your
report to be output in Excel.
Refer to the Reporting training documentation for documentation on how to create a
Report Request with respect to all other fields.
your Report Request.
You are now ready to run your report!
Click on
.
This will take you to the Process Monitor screen.
33
4. Server Name: PSNT
5. Ignore all other fields.
6. Click on
(see next screen shot)
After clicking on
, you will be taken back to the Report Request screen. Click
on the Process Monitor hyperlink. You will see the following screen.
Note the Instance Number (143 in the above example). This is the number that you will
use to track your report in Report Manager.
Accessing your report
34
Once your report request has been processed successfully, you can retrieve the output via
the Report Manager Page.
To retrieve your output via the Report Manager page:
3. Navigate to Reporting Tools  Report Manager
4. Click on the Explorer, List, or Administration tab.
Explorer tab
If you are using the Explorer tab to locate your report, find the folder where you specified
your report to be saved.
List tab
Administration tab
35
You will be able to view a list of your reports from any of these tabs. If you don’t see
your report listed, click the Refresh button or navigate to the Process Monitor (as
discussed above) to view the status of your report.
Click on View if you are in the Administration tab or click on the report hyperlink. This
will take you to a Report/Log View window. To see your report, click on the name and
your report will appear.
If you ran your report with Excel output, the file name in the Report/Log View window
will end with .xls.
Click on the report to launch it. This will open up another window displaying the results
of your report. You then need to File, Save As your report into Excel. You will only be
able to DrillDown from an Excel output file after you have saved the file into Excel.
36
A P P E N D I X
4
DRILLDOWN I N EXCEL
The DrillDown option in nVision gives you the ability to slice and dice your information
from a summarized level down to more detail. It provides underlying details when and
where you need them. DrillDowns are performed within your report instance.
To DrillDown from an Excel file, you will need to install a Microsoft Excel Add-in. For
instructions on how to do this, please refer to the FAQ FMS Troubleshooting portion of
the enbaleIT website (http://enableit.ubc.ca/index.cfm?page=home). You will also need
to ensure that you have saved your report in Excel. If you do not, you will not be able to
DrillDown.
Once you have saved your report into Excel, re-open the report in Excel. To DrillDown,
choose the amount that you want to DrillDown on.
Go to the menu option nVision Drill and click on Drill.
A menu of DrillDown options will appear in a new window once you have clicked on
Drill. Select the option you want by clicking the Run Drilldown button next to your
selection.
37
This will take you to the Report manager page listing the reports available for viewing.
Click the refresh button until your DrillDown report appears.
All DrillDown reports begin with DR, followed by the Process Instance number from
which the DrillDown report originated.
Click on View. The Report/Log Viewer will appear. Click the name of the Drill to see
the report.
38
Your DrillDown report will appear. You will need to ensure that you have saved your
report in Excel if you would like to manipulate the results using Microsoft Excel
functions. To do this, click on File, Save As and save your results in Microsoft Excel
format.
If, at any time, you want to see the status of your DrillDown report, navigate to the
Process Scheduler.
39
A P P E N D I X
5
TROUBLESHOOTING
While running your reports, you may run into problems and your report may not run.
There could be a number of reasons as to why you get an error. Some possible reasons
and suggested solutions are listed below.
Issue
Process Scheduler shows Run Status of
Error with Details showing “File not
Found”.
Process Scheduler never goes past the Run
Status of Queued
Process Scheduler shows Run Status of
Error.
Not able to DrillDown once a report has
been generated.
My issue is not covered in this
troubleshooting section.
Suggested Solution
Layout name may be wrong – ensure that it
is typed in exactly as it appears on the
nVision library listing.
The NT server may not be running. This is
a central Financial Services issue. Try to
run your report again a little bit later.
Your Scope may not be defined properly.
Go back to the Scope Definition and ensure
that all the correct Fields and Values have
been used.
You can’t DrillDown if the File Type is
Excel. You must choose File Type as
HTML in order to be able to DrillDown.
Please contact the Finance help desk at
[email protected]
40
I N D E X
ChartField ............................... 12, 14, 15
Content Description Template .............. 9
Directory Name Template............... 8, 24
DrillDown ................... 25, 26, 27, 28, 36
Field Value .......................................... 31
Format ............................................. 8, 25
Instance Number ................................. 22
Layout ............................. 2, 7, 29, 36, 37
PeopleSoft Trees ....................... 1, 12, 32
Process Monitor ............................ 21, 24
Report Manager ............ 9, 22, 23, 24, 26
Report Request ... 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 17,
20, 21, 23, 24, 29
Report Title ........................... 7, 9, 10, 29
Running an nVision Report ............ 1, 20
Scope .... 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 30,
31, 34, 36
Scope Maintenance ......................... 1, 19
Security Template ................................. 9
Selected Detail Values 14, 15, 16, 33, 34
Tree Node.................... 14, 15, 16, 34, 35
Tree Viewer ........................................ 32
Variables ..................................... 1, 9, 29
41