Creating customized reports

Using pivot tables to generate custom reports to shape your data presentation.

Adam Sibori avatar
Written by Adam Sibori
Updated over a week ago

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PracticePanther has a plethora of reports available. But what if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, or you can't customize the report precisely enough to fit your needs? If this is the case, all you'd need is Microsoft Excel. Using the pivot tables in Excel you can fully create and customize reports to your liking.

Pivot tables can be customized endlessly to fit your visual needs. In this example, you'll learn how to create a report to view time entries over time by user.

To create the time entry report by user, follow the steps below:

1) Navigate to the "Time Entries" page.


2) Click the "Export to Excel" button.


3) Open the export file you just downloaded in Excel.


4) Click "Insert".


5) Click and drag from "A1" to the bottom right corner (except for the very last row at the bottom) of your table to select your exported data.

Note: If you do select the last row as well, the report will not generate properly.


6) Click "PivotTable".


7) Click "OK".


8) In the "PivotTable Fields" window, click the checkbox next to "Billed By".


9) Click the checkbox next to "Date".


10) Click the checkbox next to "hrs." and "Total".

What happens now? 

You now have a PivotTable report showing you how much time each user has billed for, as well as the amount charged, broken down by user and date!


This is just one example of the power of PivotTables. Even this sample report can be altered to display the data differently. For example, if you uncheck the "Sum of Total", and click and drag the "Date" to the "Columns" area, you'll now have a report that focuses solely on time entries over time.


When it comes to PivotTables, you'd typically want to follow this outline and put specific types of data into specific areas:

  • Columns: Date and time values. 

  • Filter: Non-numeric values. Used to filter the entire PivotTable. Examples: Assigned To, Billed By, Contact.

  • Values: Numeric values. The numbers or data that you are trying to examine. Examples: Hours, Total, Billable.

  • Rows: Non-numeric values. Used to break down "Values". Examples: Billed By, Contact, Matter.

Note: PivotTables are created based on the data you are using. With that in mind, you may want to filter the data back in PracticePanther before exporting it. For example, to create monthly reports you would make sure to filter your page to display a specific month, and then export it.


You can also use "Recommended PivotTables" to view basic PivotTables that are generated based on your data. It is recommended to begin with "Recommended PivotTables" to gain a basic understanding of how PivotTables work before manually creating your own.


For additional learning and information on PivotTables, click here.


Enjoy!

If you wish to learn how to export all the taxes found within your invoices, click here!

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