How to choose the correct parameters for your report:

 An example of a MaRS financial report is as follows:

You will be presented with boxes that you can either type directly into (text boxes) or drop-down list boxes (with a down arrow at right).  With list boxes you can only select from a range of choices presented to you in the box - or you accept "ALL" as the default. This will select ALL the choices available.
All reports offer multiple choice where you can either click on 'OK' and select ALL default choices OR you choose various report parameters like Department or Country from the choices offered.  You are not restricted to only one choice so, in this example, we could choose a Department (eg. Mission and Development) AND a Country (eg. Ethiopia) AND a Donor (eg. Church of Sweden) so that the report will only show records for DMD programs in Ethiopia funded by Church of Sweden.


The Report itself: (Click on an icon below to learn about its function)


Print  - Opens the standard Windows print dialog box for you to select a printer, choose the pages to print and set the number of copies required.  Use this print button rather than your browser's print button.
Export Report - Allows you to export the report in Crystal Reports (.rpt), Microsoft Excel (.xls), Microsoft Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats.  You select the format from a drop down menu and choose the path on your computer where to save the file.
Refresh - Allows you to refresh the database behind the report in case any changes are occurring whilst you review the report.  This option is normally disabled.
Group Tree - Switches (toggles) on and off the tree menu normally appearing at the left of the report.  By clicking on items in the tree you can immediately jump to the required section of the report like an index.  Sometimes, however,  this functionality takes up valuable screen space and can easily be turned off to view the report full screen.
Zoom Control - Sets the size of the report appearing on your screen.  The default is 100% but can be set between 25% and 400%, Page Width or Whole Page
Navigation Arrows - Allows you to skip to the next report page, one at a time, or skip to the end/beginning of the report.  A page counter (e.g. "1 of  2") indicates where you currently are placed within the report
Search Text - Opens a dialog box for you to enter text to search for within the report. Allows you to Find and Find Next occurrences of the word you entered.