Reports
Reports are a fundamental component within the VU Admin Platform's reporting functionality, designed to visibly display various data points. Each heading or section you see in the reporting interface.
Before you can build a dashboard, it helps to understand how the pieces fit together. Think of it like a three-layer cake:
The Query (The Base Layer): This is the foundation. You create a query to pull the exact raw data you need from the database. Learn more about Query Builders
The Report (The Middle Layer): This is the visualization. A report takes the data from your query and turns it into something useful, like a pie chart or a table.
The Dashboard (The Icing): This is the final presentation. The dashboard holds and displays one or more of your reports, giving you a full picture of your data.
You must build it in that order: 1. Query → 2. Report → 3. Dashboard.
Step 1: Build your Query
Every great dashboard starts with a powerful query. This is how you tell the system exactly what data you want to see.
Find the Query Builder: Go to Settings > Query Builders.
Start a New Query: Click the Add New button to get to a blank slate.
Configuring Your Query
This is where you define what you're looking for.
Name: Give your query a specific, memorable name. You'll need to find it later.
Data Source: Click Add Table to choose where your data comes from (e.g., the Orders table).
Columns: Click Add Column to pick the specific fields you want in your report (e.g., company_id, status). Add as many as you need.
Filters: This is where you can get really specific. Click Add Filter to narrow the results. For example, to only see data for a single company, you could set a filter where company_id = 12345. You can stack multiple filters using AND/OR logic by grouping them.
Rollup: Check this box if you want to aggregate data. It's perfect for getting counts or sums instead of a long list of individual rows.
Sorting and Limiting: You can set a default sort order (Order By) and cap the number of results (Limit) to keep your reports clean and fast.
Once you're done with it, hit Save.
Step 2: Design the Report
Now that you have your data, it's time to make it look good.
Go to the Reports Area: Head to Settings > Reports
Click Add New Report.
Setting Up Your Report
Here’s what to fill out:
Name: Give your report a clear title that will appear on the dashboard.
Type: How should the data look? Pick from the list of visualizations like pie_chart or table.
Query: This is the most important step. Select the query you just built from the dropdown menu. The report will now be powered by that query's data.
Display Options:
Date Filter Column: If you want to filter this report by a date range on the dashboard, select the relevant date field here (like create_date).
Display Size: This determines how much space the report will take up on your dashboard. Choose from Small, Medium, or Large.
Save the report.
Step 3: Assemble Your Dashboard
You're on the home stretch. This is the final step where everything comes together.
Open the Dashboards Page: You can get there from either Reports > Dashboards or Settings > Dashboards.
Create Your Dashboard: Click Add New.
Final Configuration
Name: Give your dashboard a title. Be careful—names must be unique.
Add Your Reports: Click the Add Report button. Find the report you designed in Step 2 and select it. You can do this multiple times to add several different reports to the same dashboard.
Arrange Your Reports: You can drag and drop the reports in the list to set the order in which they appear.
Click Save.
To see your creation in action, go to Reports > Dashboards and select your new dashboard from the dropdown list. You can now use the date filter at the top to see your data change in real-time.
VU Custom offers three default dashboards:
Financial Dashboard: Provides details of the orders and their revenue information.
Operational Dashboard: Provides details of the orders, their status, and fulfillment.
Dashboard: Any customized report beyond the above Financial Dashboard and Operational Dashboard. VU Custom can assist with this requirement.
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