Adding summary reports

If you want to add a new summary report in Alloy Navigator Express, you must create it outside Alloy Navigator Express using Microsoft Report Builder 2016 or later, and then import your RDL report file to Alloy Navigator Express.

TIP: You can download Microsoft Report Builder from the Microsoft Download Center at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53613.

Supported data sources and connection types

Custom reports must be based on Alloy Navigator Express data and use embedded connection. The type of embedded connection to Alloy Navigator Express data must be Microsoft SQL Server. Note that the Use single transaction when processing the queries check box must be cleared.

IMPORTANT: Currently, we do not support using external data sources such as XML or Oracle database in Alloy Navigator Express reports.

Required report permissions

Access to reports in Alloy Navigator Express is controlled by permissions granted to technicians through their membership in security roles. The Report permission allows role members to run reports, when the availability of reports is controlled by the View permission on objects contained in those reports. For details, see Understanding security roles.

If you want to make a custom report available only for some technicians and hide it from others, you can use the REQUIRED_OBJECT_PERMISSIONS custom report property, and list the objects on which the View permission is required.

For example, to make a report available only for those who have the permission to view Computers, Inventory Items, and Consumables, access the REQUIRED_OBJECT_PERMISSIONS custom property and enter the value as follows.

In this example, Computers, Hardware, Consumables are names of Alloy Navigator Express object classes, which are table names in the Alloy Navigator Express database.

NOTE: Reports with no REQUIRED_OBJECT_PERMISSIONS value are available for every technician who has the permission to run reports.

For correct names of Alloy Navigator Express database tables, refer to the Database Reference Guide. The document is available at the Alloy Support Portal. Alternatively, you can go to Customization > General > Fields > [Object Class] in the Settings App and view the Table value of any field.

Importing external report files

When you have your external RDL report file ready, you can import it into Alloy Navigator Express.

IMPORTANT: Alloy Navigator Express supports only RDL Microsoft Report Builder files.

To import an external RDL report file into Alloy Navigator Express:

1. On the menu bar, click Reports > Reports and open a desired report category from the Categories pane.

2. Click New from the Module menu.

3. Browse to an .rdl file and click Open. The new report appears in the Report List, its name is same as the name of the source file.

Related Information:

Renaming reports and folders

Report format and required software