Work Efficiently
Cal Answers offers several features that can help you save time, ensure consistency in your reporting, and collaborate with others. You can:
- Set a default report to open whenever you log in to Cal Answers
- Make frequently used reports favorites so you can open them quickly
- Save changes you have made to filters and report columns as a customization that can be reused
- Create and share bookmarks
Set a Default Report to Open on Log In
If you have a report that you use frequently, you can set your preferences to have that report open automatically whenever you log in to Cal Answers.
1. In the upper-right corner, select the drop-down arrow next to your name and select My Account.
2. From the Starting Page drop-down list, select the Dashboard - Report you would like to be your default and then select OK at the bottom of the dialog box.
Favorite Reports
We recommend that you Favorite your frequently used reports. Opening the Favorites menu and selecting from a short list of your favorite reports is much faster than selecting a dashboard from the home page or the Dashboards menu.
Create a Favorite
With the report open, select the Favorites menu and select Add to Favorites.
Customizations
You can save changes you have made to a report as a named customization. Changes can include:
- Filters you have applied
- Columns you have included, excluded, or re-arranged
- Totals or subtotals you have added
Save a Customization
- Once you have made all of the changes to a report that you would like to save as a customization, select the Page Options button in the upper-right corner and select Save Current Customization.
2. Enter a name for the customization in the text box.
3. If you would like this customization to be the default whenever you open this specific report, check the Make this my default for this page box.
4. Select OK
Create More Customizations
You can create as many customizations for a report as you need. Simply set the filters and arrange the columns as desired and then go to the Page Options menu and select Save Current Customization.
Caution: In general, saved customizations apply only to the report in which they were created. Within the Finance dashboards, there is one exception. The General Ledger Reporting and Financial Management Reporting dashboards were created with the same database so customizations are shared between these dashboards. To avoid confusion, include the dashboard name in the name of your saved customization, e.g. Controller (GLR), Controller (FMR), etc.
Apply a Customization
When you have multiple customizations, open the Page Options menu and select Apply Saved Customization. Then select the customization you want and it will be applied.
Return to Default Settings
You can wipe the slate clean and revert to the report's default settings. Select the Page Options button and select Clear My Customization from the menu.
Edit Saved Customizations
If you have saved customizations for a report, you can modify them. You can use the Edit Saved Customizations dialog box to:
- Make a customization a default
- Change the name of a customization
- Delete a customization you no longer need
Select the Page Options button and select Edit Saved Customization from the menu.
Change Default Customization
Select the radio button for the customization you would like to use as the default to be applied whenever you open the report.
Change Customization Name
When I saved the customization, I used the department code HENGL. That was not very descriptive so I changed it to English.
Delete a Customization
If you have a customization that you no longer need, select the customization and then select the X above the list of saved customizations. Note: the X will be grayed out until a customization is selected.
Caution: Customizations cannot be shared. You can create multiple customizations for your own use. Although you cannot share customizations with another Cal Answers user, you can create a bookmark to share the code of your customized report, which your colleague can then save as their own customization. We’ll discuss bookmarks next.
Bookmarks
Once you have a page set the way you want, you can create a URL to easily return to that report and settings.
This is different from a customization because it opens the report page and applies the custom prompts and report adjustments you have made whereas the customization only applies settings once you have opened the report. (If the report is your default and you have a default customization, then the bookmark and report customization would yield the same results.)
Another advantage of bookmarks is that you can share them with others who have access to the Cal Answers dashboard so that they can generate the report for themselves to get the most current data.
Create a Bookmark
To create a bookmark, select the Page Options button in the upper-right corner and select Create Bookmark Link. The bookmark will include all of the prompts you have selected as well as any changes you have made to the report result set.
Use and Share Bookmarks
Once you have created a bookmark link, copy the URL from your browser's address bar. You can save this for your own future use or you can share it with another Cal Answers user who has access to the dashboard so they can generate the same report with current data.
Caution: The values in the Fiscal Yr and Accounting Period fields are not saved in customizations or bookmarks. These fields may need to be updated when you generate a report.
Bookmarks Expire After 365 Days
Note that bookmarks expire 365 days after their last use. If you create a bookmark and don't use it for a year, it will no longer work. To avoid this loss, we recommend that you use your bookmarks regularly, even if you don't need to go to the report.
Watch and Learn
Video: Customizations and Bookmarks (3 minutes)
Practice