Define a Subreport (Defining EAR and Cross-Publication EAR Reports)

Subreports are used to run one report from within another by connecting the two reports together on a common field. Settings must be configured on both the subreport and the main report to use the drill-down feature.

For a demonstration, watch this video on defining a subreport.

The main report, also known as the calling report, pulls in the data from the subreport. The common field that connects the two reports is the drill-down key. Several options for how to display the subreport data are available.

The value of the field defined as the drill-down key is passed from the main report to the subreport to perform a sub-query. This single value is used as an additional filter in the subreport. The subreport must either return data from a unique record or have filters that match those used in the main report.

Note: Subreport data are not exported to Excel. The field containing the drill-down key displays the main report’s field value only.

Subreport settings

Any report can be used as a subreport as long as one of its fields is defined as a drill-down key. This field does not have to be selected on the Fields or Summary tab of the report. For the field defined as the drill-down key in the subreport, an equivalent field must be available in the main report.

The drill-down key is set on the Misc tab.

Select the applicable field from the Drill-Down Key drop-down list. (This list displays all fields in the data sources used in the subreport.) This field will most often be a unique ID field.

The subreport must be configured before the related settings can be made in the main report.

Main report settings

A field selected on the Fields or Summary tab of the main report can be used to perform a sub-query by passing the field's value to the subreport. This field must set as the drill-down key in the subreport.

A field selected to appear in a pie, bar, or funnel chart on the Chart tab can also be used to display data from the subreport. This field must set as the drill-down key in the subreport.

To set a field in the detail or summary data as the drill-down key in the main report:

These steps apply to the Fields or Summary tab.

Click the Advanced Field Settings icon (gear) next to the field to be used to call the subreport.
Subreport: Use the drop-down list to select the report to be used as the subreport.
Drill-Down Style: Use the drop-down menu to select the display option for data from the subreport.
- Link: The field value of the main report appears as a hyperlink. The field value in the main report appears as a hyperlink. Clicking the link opens the subreport in the main report window. (The user must click the browser’s back option to return to the main report.)
- Link (New Window): The field value in the main report appears as a hyperlink. Clicking the link opens the subreport in a new browser window.
- Embedded: The subreport data appears in the field for the drill-down key in the main report.
- Popup: The field value of the main report appears as a hyperlink. Clicking the link opens the subreport in a pop-up overlay. (The user must click on the overlay to close it and return to the main report.)

To set display of subreport data for a pie, bar, or funnel chart:

On the Chart tab, select Pie, Bar, or Funnel as the chart type.
Select the field that has been defined in the subreport as the drill-down key as one of the fields to create the chart.
Click the Advanced Properties button to display additional settings.
Target report: If the report has a field defined as a drill-down key to a subreport, and that field is included in the chart results, then clicking the relevant chart segment will drill-down to the underlying report. Use the drop-down menu to select the subreport.
Effect: Use this setting in combination with target report (above). Select the style of display for the subreport data.
- Popup: The subreport data appear in a pop-up overlay when the user clicks the corresponding area on the chart. (The user must click on the overlay to close it and return to the main report.)
- Hover: The subreport data appear in a pop-up overlay when the user hovers the cursor over the corresponding area on the chart.
- Link: The subreport data appear in a new browser window when the user clicks the corresponding area on the chart.

Cross-Publication EAR subreports

The system automatically passes the Journal ID field along with the value of the drill-down key when a subreport is called. This ensures that related data from different publications are differentiated, and that the data are associated with the correct publication.