Vendor Directory Report

You can create a Vendor Directory (and many other reports) using the Custom Report definition feature. The discussion below is a brief overview on how to create a sample vendor directory. Depending on what you need, you could choose different fields for the directory, different field formats, and different output formats (the example uses Microsoft Excel output). See the topic Creating Custom Reports for details on how to create report definitions.

Be sure to read the discussion of custom reports for in-depth information on how to use all the custom report features.

To create a Vendor Directory Report:

  1. From the main Contents, select Reports > My Report Definitions. The list of custom reports appears. (If there are no reports, the No Data panel appears.)
  2. Click New. The Create New Report Definition panel appears (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Create New Report Definition panel

  1. In the Report Title field, enter Vendor Directory Report.
  2. Click the prompt next to the Report Object text box. A list of Report Objects appears (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Select Report Object panel

  1. Select Vendor Master
  2. Click Next. The Report Definition field selection panel appears. 
    The field selection panel initially appears with the fields ordered by those most frequently used. Click the Field Name header to order the fields alphabetically (Figure 3).

Figure 3 - Report Definition Vendor Master Fields for Selection.

  1. On the field selection panel, select the fields that you wish to include in the vendor directory.  (Use the scroll bars to view all the items on a page. Click Next Page to scroll through all the fields.) This example uses the fields below:
  1. When you are finished selecting fields, click Next. The Report Definition tabbed panels appear with your chosen fields (Figure 4). Notice that an outline of your report columns appears in the Preview box.

Figure 4 - Report Definition Panel

You may wish to re-label some of the fields so that your report columns will be easier to understand.

  1. To change the label of any column in your report, select Menu next to the field. The Report Field Definition format panel (Figure 5) appears.

Figure 5 - Report Field Format Panel

  1. Configure the other elements of the report. For the Vendor Directory,
  2. If the General and Advanced tabs are not visible at the top of the Report Definition panel, move the small scroll bar at the top right to display them.
  3. On the General tab, select Shared if you wish to make your report available to others. Some users prefer to create and debug their reports before sharing them. You can come back to the report definition later and edit it to select Share. In this example, Share is not selected.
  4. Click the Advanced tab. Click the drop arrow next to Output Report Format. Select Excel Spreadsheet. (This example displays Excel output. If you do not have Excel on your local computer, select another format.)
  5. Click Submit. The system creates your report definition, and returns you to My Report Definitions list.
  6. Click Refresh. Your report appears on the list.

To run the Vendor Directory Report:

  1. Locate the newly defined report on the list.
  2. Next to the report, select Menu > Print Report. ;A confirmation panel appears.
  3. Click Submit. The system informs you that the report has run. Your report is saved in My Archived Reports, but you can also view it immediately from My Report Definitions.
  4. On the My Report Definitions list next to the report you have just run, select Completed Reports.
  5. Click the report name. The system launches an Excel spreadsheet containing your report.