Retail Pro Reports Partner Training Q&A

These are the questions asked in the Q&A panel during the 2022 Retail Pro Reports Partner training. You can watch the presentation recording on the Retail Pro University area of the My Retail Pro resource portal.

When will version 11 of Retail Pro Reports (powered by Krunch) be available?

Retail Pro Reports version 11 is currently accessible from within the "Available Updates" mechanism in Retail Pro Reports. The full installer will be available soon. Note: If you do not see Retail Pro Reports 11 in the Available Updates dropdown, simply proceed to update to the latest version shown in the dropdown, and then keep updating until you see Retail Pro Reports 11.

Can a report created originally in Simple or Advanced mode be opened in Expert mode later?

No, once a report is written in one of the three modes, that is the only mode you can use to edit the report. You cannot transfer a report between modes.

Is it possible to use operators like Union in Export mode?

Yes, operators such as Union and others can be used in Expert mode. You have the freedom to write a complex SQL query in Expert mode.

What is the best practice for refreshing dashboards?

In the dashboard, at the time the webpage was last loaded or refreshed, the application is showing the results of the last time the report was run. Therefore, it is best practice to set all of your dashboard reports to run on a schedule (every 15 min, every 30 min, hourly, daily, etc.). You will also need to refresh the browser when using Retail Pro Reports to see the results of the latest run report.

We've been using the report scheduler, but is that the best way?

Yes, this is one of the easiest ways to run reports, by taking advantage of running them automatically on a schedule.

Is there a way to manually edit the colors in the charts?

Not at this time.

Is there any documentation that describes the formulas used for calculations?

Please see the User Guide for further clarification on how to add calculated fields. Each calculated field is manually entered. Here is an example from the webinar: 

Extended Item Price = [DOCUMENT_ITEM.QTY]*[DOCUMENT_ITEM.PRICE].

Can an alert be set up to send the report at a certain time regardless of any conditions?

To do this, the user would use the Schedule Report feature (rather than the Alerts feature) to schedule the report to run and be automatically emailed as an attachment at the scheduled time interval.

Can you filter the report prior to running reports? If the customer has a large amount of data, this locks up Retail Pro Reports.

Yes, you can load the report without running it. This is called the "Filter and Run" option as opposed to the "Immediate Run" option. If the Filter and Run option is used, the report will load in the workspace tab without running any results. The user can then add a runtime filter, and subsequently run the report after adding the runtime filter.

Are alerts triggered when the report is run or when conditions in the database match the alert condition?

The alert is triggered when the report is run. Therefore, if you have alerts configured in a report, it will be best to set that report to run on a schedule. That way the report will check for the alerted condition at regular interval.

To add a filter to a field that is not a column, would one have to add it as a column?

Yes. You would either add it as a column to be displayed in the report, or add it as a column and select the "Hide in Output" button, which would add a filterable field to the report without displaying that field column.

When creating calculated fields, can you use calculated fields as a base for creating other calculated fields?

No, you cannot use an existing calculated field as a part of / within another calculated field. You would need to write a longer calculation which includes the formula for your calculated field within the full formula of the derivative calculated field you wish to create.