BusinessObjects: Tips from the Helpdesk
It’s been one week since ART was retired and replaced by the BusinessObjects reporting tool. We’ve all been learning the ins and outs of BusinessObjects (links to comprehensive instructions here) and wanted to share some additional tips for topics that we’ve seen on our helpdesk. Read on for 5 quick answers to common questions around scheduling reports in BusinessObjects.
What file type should I choose?
When you schedule a report the default file format is Web Intelligence, so you will want to make a different selection. ICA recommends choosing the Microsoft Excel - Reports file format, but other options are available, including Adobe Acrobat (PDF).
Where can I input my report prompts?
In BusinessObjects, Report prompts are entered in a pop-up that appears after you click on Edit Prompt Values text
Depending on the report you are scheduling, it may take a few minutes for the pop-up to load. Stay on the page until you see the prompt pop-up appear (wait up to 5 minutes) and once it loads it will look like this:
If for some reason the pop-up does not load after 5 minutes click Close, and then start over and Schedule the report one more time. If it still isn’t working after two tries, please email our Helpdesk the report name, and the prompts needed and we will troubleshoot.
How do I get the report to run? Where is the "schedule" button?
Just like in ART, after you fill out the report prompts you need to click Schedule to tell the system to run the report. BusinessObjects has a more modern interface, and we’ve heard from a few users that the first time they scheduled a report it was challenging to find the Schedule button. It’s located at the bottom right corner of the screen here:
Where did my report save? How can I find the report?
When you schedule a report in BusinessObjects one of the first steps is choosing the Destination where the report will save. The default destination is your Instances folder. You can also choose to save the file in your BI Inbox. Both are accessible from the home screen:
You can also download your report from the Recently Run section by clicking anywhere on the report tile:
To help you stay organized, ICA recommends including important details in the title of the report, like the ID numbers of providers featured in the report or the date range covered. Click here for more information on downloading reports from BusinessObjects
I’m logged into Community Services, why can’t I access BusinessObjects?
Following a password reset, including those required by Community Services every 45 days, your access to BusinessObjects will be temporarily disabled. Attempting to open the reporting tool will produce a message that reads "Failed to authenticate SAP BusinessObjects". This is a known issue that our software vendor does not have a solution for yet.
You will be able to access BusinessObjects again after the next warehouse build. If you have a reporting deadline coming up, ICA recommends that you verify that you can access BusinessObjects and obtain the reports you need well in advance of the deadline. You can still enter data in HMIS and use the canned reports in Community Services (APR, Caper etc) as usual after a password reset, only BusinessObjects access is affected.
For additional BusinessObjects resources check out our video and written guides located on our website Forms and Instructions page or if you have any questions send a message to our Helpdesk at mnhmis@icalliances.org and we will be happy to help!