Before you start
You needreport.create and a Pro plan. Saving a report definition is a Pro feature – see /concepts/plans-and-features.
If you cannot create reports, the page shows “You can’t create reports” with “Ask a workspace admin for report access to build a new report.”
How to build a report
1
Open the builder
Go to Reports and click New report. The builder opens with an empty draft named Untitled report.
2
Name it
Click the pencil next to the name in the toolbar, type a name, and press Enter. A report with no name cannot be saved.
3
Pick the data source
Open the Data section and choose a source. Hover any option to read what it covers. Your choice decides every column, filter and grouping the rest of the builder offers.
4
Set the period
Open Period. Choose Relative and pick a rolling window such as This month, or choose Fixed range and pick a start and end date.
5
Choose columns
Open Columns, click Add column, and pick the fields and figures you want. Drag the grip to reorder them. Type in a row to rename its header.
6
Add filters (optional)
Open Filters and click Add group, then Add condition. Each condition is include or exclude, a field, an operator and a value.
7
Choose a layout
Open Layout. Plain is a flat table, Subgroups nests rows under grouping levels, Pivot builds a matrix.
8
Group and sort
With Subgroups chosen, open Grouping and add up to three levels. Open Sorting and add up to three sort rules.
9
Check the preview
The table on the right runs live as you edit. If it says “Nothing to preview yet”, read the reason underneath and fix it.
10
Save
Click Save report. On an existing report you get two buttons: Save changes overwrites it, Save as new report makes a copy.
The builder screen
The builder has two halves. The left panel configures the report. The right side is a live preview of the result. The toolbar above the preview holds:The nine builder sections
Each section shows a summary chip on its header so you can read the whole report shape without opening anything.1. Data
One dropdown listing the eight sources. Each option has a tooltip describing what it covers. Switching source is not free. Columns, filters, grouping, sorting and date basis that do not exist on the new source cannot come with you. TimeTracker asks first:Switch to Invoices? Some settings in this report don’t exist for Invoices and will be removed. Anything that also exists for Invoices is kept.The dialog lists exactly what will be dropped, bucket by bucket – columns, filters, grouping, sorting and date basis. It also tells you that the new source’s default columns and sorting will be applied wherever the switch would leave the report empty. Cancel and the source snaps back.
2. Visibility
Shared is disabled unless you hold report management access, and the panel says so: “You need report management access to make a report shared.” See /reports/share-a-report.
3. Period
Two modes. Relative picks one of nine rolling windows. Fixed range picks a start and end date from the calendar. A relative period is resolved fresh on every run, so a This month report always shows the current month. Full list in /reports/date-ranges-and-periods.4. Columns
Add column opens a searchable catalog grouped by category. Only columns you may see and the source can calculate appear – nothing else is offered. Each selected column is a row with:- A grip you can drag, or focus and move with the arrow keys. Home and End send it to either end.
- A rename box. Leave it blank to keep the standard label.
- An X to remove it.
A report must keep at least one column. The last column’s remove button is disabled with a tooltip explaining why.
5. Filters
Filters narrow which records are counted. Groups are joined with AND, and conditions inside one group are joined with OR. With no filters the panel reads: “No filters. The report includes every row in the period.” Every control and operator is covered in /reports/report-filters.6. Layout
Choosing Pivot reveals three more fields: Columns (X), Rows (Y) and Metric. Each one draws from the columns already on the report, and the two axes exclude each other so they can never collide.
7. Grouping
Only used by the Subgroups layout. Add up to three dimensions and drag them into order. The first is the outer level.- On a Plain report the section says: “Switch the layout to Subgroups to nest rows into grouping levels.”
- On a Pivot report it says: “Pivot reports use the X and Y axes in the Layout section instead of grouping levels.”
8. Sorting
Add up to three sort rules. Each rule has:
With no rules, the panel reads “No sorting – the engine default order.” At three rules the Add sort rule button is disabled and the panel says sorting is capped at 3 columns.
9. Totals
Three switches:The live preview
The preview runs the draft as you edit. It only runs when the draft is valid – an incomplete draft shows a placeholder instead of an error.The banner matters. The rows on screen are one page, but every total is calculated over the whole filtered set – never over the visible page.
Reasons a draft will not preview
Drilling into a total
On a grouped report, click a group’s subtotal to open a panel on the right listing the records behind it. Its header is the group name, with “Entries behind this total that you can view.” Each entry shows the date, the duration, the member, project and task, the description, whether it is billable, and how it was captured. Billing and cost rates appear only if your role can see them. If some records are outside your reach, a footer says how many: “N more entries aren’t shown because you don’t have access to them.” When none are visible at all it reads “No entries you can view for this total.”Example
Priya Raman wants this month’s hours per project for Northwind Studio.1
New report
Reports → New report, named
Hours by project – live.2
Data
Source: Time entries.
3
Period
Relative → This month.
4
Columns
Reported time, Billable time, Non-billable time, Entries.
5
Filters
None – she wants everything.
6
Layout
Subgroups.
7
Grouping
Project, then Client.
8
Sorting
Reported time, Descending.
9
Save
Save report.
Permissions
Ownership alone is never enough. A personal report needs both ownership and
report.edit.
What happens next
A saved report appears in the library straight away. From there you can rename it, duplicate it, share it, schedule it, export it, or archive it. See /reports/saved-reports.Common questions
Can I start from an existing report instead?
Can I start from an existing report instead?
Yes. Open any report, change it, and click Save as new report. TimeTracker asks for a name and leaves the original untouched.
Why is a figure I want missing from the column list?
Why is a figure I want missing from the column list?
Two reasons. Either your role cannot see it – cost and revenue are gated – or the source cannot calculate it. Budget and estimate figures come from the Projects source, not from time entries.
What happens if I switch source halfway through?
What happens if I switch source halfway through?
A dialog lists exactly which columns, filters, grouping, sorting and date basis will be dropped. Anything that exists on both sources is kept. Cancel to stay put.
Does changing the period change the saved report?
Does changing the period change the saved report?
In the builder, yes – it is part of the draft you save. In the read-only viewer, no – period changes there are temporary. See /reports/saved-reports.
Why can I only group by three things?
Why can I only group by three things?
Three levels is the cap. Beyond that a table stops being readable and the answer is better found by filtering instead.
Troubleshooting
Related guides
Report sources
What each source counts and offers.
Report filters
Every filter field and operator.
Grouping and pivots
Nested rows, subtotals and the pivot matrix.
Date ranges and periods
All nine rolling windows plus fixed ranges.
Saved reports
Rename, duplicate, archive and restore.
Metrics reference
Every figure and how it is calculated.