📄Report

NEW

A structured document that organizes and communicates data, findings, and context for a defined audience and purpose.

DESCRIPTION

Reports present curated data and insights, often with explanatory text, tables, and charts. They usually follow a narrative to inform decisions or satisfy compliance and accountability needs. Reports can be static (PDF) or interactive (BI reports) and may be delivered ad hoc, scheduled, or automated. Effective reports balance accuracy, clarity, and relevance, and cite data sources and methods. Modern BI platforms enable parameterized and drillable reports linked to governed datasets.

ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS

Wikipedia

A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose.

Emphasizes organization, audience, and purpose of reports.

Source

Microsoft Learn

A Power BI report is a multi-perspective view into a dataset, with visualizations that represent different findings and insights from that dataset.

Highlights multi-perspective, insight-driven nature of BI reports.

Source

RELATED TERMS

Ad-Hoc Report Scheduled Report Automated Report Visualization Narrative Storytelling Presentation Data Warehouse Data Mart

COMPETING TERMS

Dashboard

RELATIONS

• Narrower: Ad-Hoc Report Automated Report Scheduled Report

KNOWLEDGE AREAS

Data Visualization Data Warehousing & BI Data Products

TARGET AUDIENCE

BI Specialist Data Analyst Analytics Engineer Data Steward Data Engineer

EXTERNAL SOURCES

• Wikipedia - Report
• Microsoft - Power BI report overview
• Oracle - BI Publisher reporting guide
• Looker - Looker reports and dashboards

TOP QUESTIONS

When should you choose a Report instead of a Dashboard?

Choose a report when detailed context, narrative, or compliance is needed. Dashboards are better for quick monitoring.

Category: Comparison

What elements make a good Report?

Clear purpose, consistent structure, validated data, and succinct narrative. Visuals support, not replace, explanations.

Category: Best practices

What formats are common for Reports?

PDF, HTML, slides, and interactive BI reports. Delivery can be email, portal, or embedded.

Category: Practice

How are Reports governed?

Use certified datasets, versioning, and sign-off workflows. Maintain metadata and lineage.

Category: Management

What’s a common reporting mistake?

Unclear definitions and inconsistent filters. Readers misinterpret results without context.

Category: Mistakes

Are Reports still relevant with modern dashboards?

Yes. Reports provide depth, narrative, and auditability that dashboards often lack.

Category: Relevancy

How often should Reports be refreshed?

Depends on use—daily, weekly, or monthly. Align with decision cadence.

Category: Practice

What is a risk of reporting?

Outdated or inconsistent metrics mislead decisions. Ensure validation and version control.

Category: Risks

How do Reports connect to KPIs?

Reports explain and detail KPI drivers and variance. They complement dashboards.

Category: Domain