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Planview Customer Success Center

Transitioning to New Reports

This topic is for current users of legacy reports who are tasked with developing an inventory of revamped (new) reports and covers. By the end of 2022, we will no longer support legacy reports. This means that you can still use legacy reports but we will not fix any bugs that happen or add new features to legacy reports. Because of this, we strongly recommend that you transition to using revamped reports using this guide:

We suggest that you start by reading the following:

Transition Approach

You might try a transition approach like the one below. If you are unsure how certain legacy report sources/aspects compare to new reports, take a look at Comparison of Legacy to Revamped below. Click on the other supporting links if you want more information about a particular step.

  1. Take inventory. We recommend that you start by taking a look at your key dashboards to develop a list of legacy reports that are used in them. Those will probably be the first reports you bring over. Then, review those legacy reports starting at the Org level (filter on select Target: Organization). Determine whether you have variations on a theme and can replace multiple report definitions with one revamped report that makes use of different scopes. Then repeat for legacy reports not associated with dashboards. See also Reporting Then and Now - #3. As you are inventorying, keep in mind these three pieces of advice from some our our wonderful customers who have already made the transition:
  2. As appropriate, inform relevant PPM Pro users that there is a new and improved report and dashboard feature that will be replacing legacy and you are actively transitioning key reports and dashboards. Include your reports and dashboards inventory and ask for any that are missing from the list.
  3. Revisit key legacy report and dashboard designs with their intended audience. The new reports and dashboards feature has many more report type visualizations and data access capabilities. Revisiting helps to identify tweaks, missing information, and more appropriate and satisfying visualizations that will help your consumers. Doing this will also help smooth the transition for your users, as they learn abouut and appreciate the new capabilities and the ways it will make their jobs easier.
  4. Create a new report:
    1. Click New from Reports List.
    2. Select the Topic (was Category) on the General tab. See Reporting Then and Now - #2.
    3. Pick the output Type on General tab (same as legacy Output Type, or choose a different type as new reports provide more options). See Reporting Then and Now - #4.
    4. Title the report on the General Tab.
    5. Add the fields on the Data tab. The Available Fields field path topic is the primary entity and is read only. Then, similar to legacy reports, new reports offers All and Common folders that contain the direct meta data fields of the topic entity. What's different is there are no longer Related and Children folders, but instead a traversable representation of the data that allows you to include any related data in your report, without the need for report sources! For example, instead of choosing the report source All Billing Rates on a Project, you can include the Billing Rate related entity from the field path and then add its meta data to a project report that can also include other project information/related entities. If you don't see the field you want in the All/Common folders (like Billing Rate), then it is likely that you will need to traverse the field path. See Reporting Then and Now - #5 and #6. Also see Understanding the Field Path.
    6. Save & Run (click button in toolbar).
  5. (Optional) Re-run the report for other entities/scopes (remember scopes are like targets), if necessary, by simply checking the appropriate Scope checkboxes on the Variable Properties tab (this can be done at any time - before or after adding fields, can be changed at any time). Remember all revamped reports are automatically scoped for the Organization and appear on the top-level Reports list. If you truly want the report to appear on the Organization/Reports list, then check the Organization scope. 
  6. (Optional) Add filters on the Variable Settings tab to fine-tune your reports; this replaces many report sources that have hard-coded fields.
  7. (Optional) Allow the user viewing the report to change scope or filters either before running and/or when viewing the report output (see Allow Changing Scope). Users can easily run the report at many different scopes without littering the Reports list with variations on a theme. Same for filters.
  8. Repeat for all the reports you need going forward - do not recreate reports that can be handled by multiple scopes from one report definition.
  9. Create needed dashboards as the necessary reports are completed.
  10. When you reach the point where all of your key reports and dashboards have been created/transitioned and you are uncertain what other legacy reports or dashboards might still be needed, a few savvy customers with Sandboxes have found the following approach to work well:
    1. Refresh your Sandbox with your current Production data.
    2. Submit a Support Case asking the Care team to turn off legacy reports and dashboards in Production (but not in Sandbox).
    3. As appropriate, inform relevant PPM Pro users that legacy reports and dashboards have been transitioned to the new feature, asking them to contact you if they need any reports or dashboards to be created.

           

TIP

You can also create a new report by uploading an existing report definition. The Reports Cookbook has pre-made reports the you can download and add to your PPM Pro instance to help you get started.

           

Comparison of Legacy to Revamped

The following table lists the legacy Category and Target selections and their equivalents, when available, in the revamped reports. Use this as a reference as you recreate your existing reports. 

Of note:

  • The "My Items" report sources are replaced globally by using filters to specify the "entity I own or whose team I am on". If entity is task, additionally "tasks I am scheduled to".
  • In legacy reports, permissions-related fields were located in the Children folders of entities that use profile-based permissions. In new reports, permissions are "Speciality" reports, meaning you build them based on Topic entities that use profile-based permissions (portfolios, projects, project logs/issues, tasks, assets). See Speciality Reports.
Category (legacy) Topic (new) Target(s) (legacy) Scope(s) (new)
Admin

There is no Admin topic. Instead, the legacy Admin report sources were converted into the following three Topics in new reports:

  • Field Definition
  • Group
  • Unit

For example, to recreate a field definitions report, create a new report and choose Field Definitions as the topic, and then select the desired fields from the Common or All folder.

  • Organization
  • Organization
Asset
  • Asset
  • Asset
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Organization

Use filters to report on a single asset, or assets that you own or are on the team (My Items).

Department
  • Department
  • Division
  • My Items
  • Organization

 

  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization

Use filters to report on departments that you own or where you are on the team (My Items in legacy). 

Division
  • Division
  • Division
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Division
  • Organization

Use filters to report on divisions that you own or where you are on the team (My Items in legacy).

Finance
  • Financial Entry
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project

Fixed Bid

  • Fixed Bid Invoice
  • Fixed Bid Invoice Item

 

  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Project
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project
Portfolio
  • Portfolio
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Organization
  • Portfolios

Use filters to report on portfolios that you own or where you are on the team (My Items in legacy).

Use the "Hierarchy" Display Option and filter to replicate All Direct Child Portfolios of a Portfolio legacy report source.

For Audit, KPI reports, see "specialty" reports.

Project

 

  • Project
  • Project Roles
  • Department
  • Division
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project

Use filters to report on project that you own or where you are on the team (My Items in legacy).

All the legacy report sources that were specific to certain aspects of a project, such as project roles and billing rates and can be replicated by traversing the project field path and selecting these related fields to include in the report. Baselines have their own Topic now (not yet available).

For Audit, KPI, permissions reports, see "specialty" reports.

Project Log
  • Project Log
  • Department
  • Division
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project
  • Resource
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project

There is no resource scope, so you can recreate All Project Logs for a Resource, for example , by using the Project Log topic with a filter on "Assigned to" and a specific resource.

For Audit, KPI reports, see "specialty" reports.

Request
  • Request
  • Organization
  • Organization

Resource

 

  • Resource

Note that the Users entity will be accessible as a related entity to the Resource entity. This replaces the All Users report source. 

All Team Member report sources are replaced by traversing the field path of the entity (such as project or portfolio). For example, to report on all project team members, use Topic = Project, then select the project Title field from Common/All, then traverse field path to Team Member and select Resource field.

 

 

  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project
  • Resource
  • Organization
  • Resource

Use filters to narrow down the context (Organization vs Division vs Department, and so on).

For Audit, KPI reports, see "specialty" reports.

All Users report source is replaced by Resource field path. 

Resource Planning
  • Resource

+Speciality field = Time Series

  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project
  • Resource
  • Organization
  • Resource

Use filters to narrow down the context (Organization vs Division vs Department, and so on).

For Audit, KPI reports, see "specialty" reports.

All Users report source is replaced by Resource field path. 

Scoring
  • Project
  • Requests
  • (no Scoring target)

+ Specialty field = Scoring

In new reports, the Topics for scoring reports are the entities that can be scored: requests and projects. In addition, choose Speciality > Scoring on General tab. See About Speciality Reports for more information.

  • Department
  • Division
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Project
  • Scoring Profile (revamped requests)

For project:

  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project

For request:

  • Organization
Task
  • Task
  • Task Schedules
  • Task Roles
  • Department
  • Division
  • My Items
  • Organization
  • Project
  • Task
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project

All the legacy report sources that were specific to certain aspects of a task, such as task roles, task schedules, and summary tasks can be replicated by traversing the task field path and selecting these related fields to include in the report or selecting the topic directly.

For Audit, KPI reports, see "specialty" reports.

Time
  • Timesheet
  • Timesheet Entry

See far right column for replicating Summarized report sources.

 

  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Project
  • Task
  • Department
  • Division
  • Organization
  • Portfolio
  • Project

Use filters to report on tasks that you own or are scheduled to (My Items in legacy).

To replicate Summarized (by month or period) report sources:

  1. Use the Timesheet Entries topic, List:Basic type
  2. Add your data fields, including your aggregation point: Month for monthly, or Timesheet Start Date, for timesheet period
  3. Group and Total by Month
  4. Use a filter like the following to include timesheets entries with value > 0, a date range, and the entry type (like project):

image (1).png

See report recipe (coming soon!)

About Specialty Reports

Specialty reports are add-ons to certain report Topics that expose the field path for building the Specialty report, rather that providing a hard-coded report source. An example is the legacy Scoring report Category and the corresponding report sources that require users to create multiple reports to gather all scoring data. Also, in legacy reports the Permissions fields were in the primary entity's Children folder, which was not intuitive and difficult to find. The Specialty add-on allows you to traverse the Topic's field path and build these thematic reports the same way you would any other new report.

The following legacy report Categories/themes have been reconstituted as "specialty" reports in new reports and are available for appropriate Topics:

  • Scoring - For any Topic that can be scored (Requests, Projects). Can traverse the field path for scores, scoring profiles, criteria, and categories.
  • Permissions - For any Topic that uses profile-based permissions (Portfolios, projects, Tasks, Project Logs/Issue, Assets).
    • Can traverse field path for different entities to find who has permission; can also return profile contents (this is a new feature in new reports)!
    • When reporting on what entities a resource has permission on, results will now include permissions that were granted by way of groups and units, as well as users. In legacy reports, if a group was granted permission on a report, for example, that permission would not be included in a report on one of the members of the group.
  • Audit (not yet available)
  • KPI (not yet available)

Field Color

In Legacy requests there are a set of hard-coded colors that color report fields that display the name of the color. The colors are Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Amber, Aqua, Cyan, and Gray. While this is useful for, say, status or priority fields, it's not so great for resources with names like James Gray or Amber Harris :)

The hard-coded colors are not available in new reports. Instead, you'll use a calculated field with Data Type = string  and Display Type = HTML and any color. For example, 

Entity: <whichever the field list belongs to, such as Project>

Data Type: String

Display Type: HTML

IfCase([Project].[Priority],

"Red",     '<div style="background-color:red;color:white;font-weight:bold">Red</div> ',

"Green",  '<div style="background-color:green;color:white;font-weight:bold">Green</div> ',

"Yellow",  '<div style="background-color:yellow;color:black;font-weight:bold">Yellow</div> ',"")