Report Writing
Today's IT service desk is accountable to the business as well as the board and reporting is an essential element of its success.
Different clients will require different information to help manage their business. They will also configure their systems in different ways depending upon their environment and use of the system, resulting in the need for client specific reports.
Background
The report writing service has been developed for those clients who require additional reports over and above the standard reports that are shipped with the system or are looking to carry out modifications to the existing reports.
Any reports that the client requires will be written using Seagate's Crystal Reports. This is a "shrink wrapped" product that has industry recognition for this type of application and can be used to extract and format data from a variety of different databases.
In preparation of the report writing service, the client should provide Sunrise with a complete specification of the required reports - The 'Sunrise report specification document' should be used for this purpose. Ideally, this should be completed during and as a result of a management reporting service. For Sostenuto clients the reporting should be planned with your project manager who will advise on the necessary procedures specific to your project.
The documentation should include cosmetic layout as well as technical detail of the fields and any functions or formulas that are required. Samples of existing reports, annotated as necessary, should also be provided within the document well in advance of work commencing. If a Sunrise consultant has not written the report specification, the document will require approval by Sunrise prior to consultancy. This enables us to identify the timescale that will be necessary, and ensure that the client's requirements are met.
It may not be possible to create the exact reports that the client requires. In this instance a written report detailing the reasons will be provided to the client. If appropriate, suggestions for alternative reports will be made. Every effort will be made to meet the client's objectives.
In some circumstances the report may require additional queries to be written in the database before Crystal can be used to produce the final report.
Service Overview
| Process area | Key topics | Deliverable/objective |
|---|---|---|
| Review client's report specification document in conjunction with client |
A technical consultant will be allocated to produce the reports. The first stage of this is to review the specification with the client. | The aim of this section is to review the client's expectations and gain client acceptance of the daily objectives. |
| Produce reports | The consultant will utilise queries within the database and Crystal Reports to produce the required reports in the format laid out in the original specification. | Suite of reports for review by the client in conjunction with the agreed specification. If at this stage there are any changes to the original requirement that result in additional time required, this will be charged for. Any changes must be documented and signed by the client. |
| Test against client's database | Where possible the reports should be tested in a non-production environment. Outputs from the reports should be shown to the client to ensure that they match their expectations. | The output from each report should be stored in the client file. |
| Install onto client's system |
Once checked, the reports should be loaded onto the client's live system and tested. The client will be shown how to run the reports and how to modify any select criteria where appropriate. | The client should be fully versed in what each report produces and how to run them. At this stage the client will be required to sign an acceptance document to indicate that the reports are acceptable. |
| Provide documentation | A brief description of each report and its location will be provided to the client. This should include details of any select criteria and formulas in the report. A copy of the reports and documentation should be stored by Sunrise. |
A copy of the reports and documentation should be stored in the client's folder at Sunrise. This marks the completion of the project and the client will be asked to sign a completion form. |
Code: CSRWS101
Next step
For more information and pricing on this service please contact your account manager or email enquiries@sunrisesoftware.co.uk
