Reporting and Analytics - Quick Reference Guide

General

• How do I save an Excel file (Internet Explorer) from the Business Intelligence System? 

Troubleshooting

• Why am I having trouble locating the required Studio tool?
• Why am I having trouble locating Package/Folder/Reports?
• Why am I having trouble locating the package in Report/Query/Analysis Studio?

General Questions

Can I save an Excel file (Internet Explorer) from the NU Business Intelligence System?

All reports can be exported in a Microsoft Excel format. If you are using Internet Explorer and are unable to save a report as an Excel file, please ensure the following browser settings are enabled:

All reports can be exported in a Microsoft Excel format. If you are using Internet Explorer and are unable to save a report as an Excel file, please ensure the following browser settings are enabled:

1. Open the Windows Explorer and then click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
2. Click the File Types tab and select Extension XLS (Microsoft Excel Worksheet file type).
3. Click Advanced.
4. Enable Confirm open after download.
5. Click OK

There are multiple versions of Excel output for backwards compatibility reasons:

1. CSV – raw data, no formatting, only possible with single Query reports. Delivered in e-mail as .CSV file.
2. Excel 2000 (single sheet) – all report pages rendered to one Excel 2000 worksheet. Delivered in e-mail as a .HTML file.
3. Excel 2002 – each report page is rendered to its own Excel 2002 worksheet, in a single Excel 2002 workbook. Delivered in e-mail as a .MHT file.
4. Excel 2007 – each report page is rendered to its own Excel 2007 worksheet, in a single workbook.
5. Excel 2007 – each report page is rendered to its own Excel 2007 worksheet, in a single Excel 2007 workbook. Delivered in e-mail as .XLSX file.

The Excel types are delivered via e-mail as .HTML, .MHT and .XLSX files instead of .XLS files as .XLS files are prone to macro viruses and as such are blocked by many e-mail servers. Therefore, you should not be expecting .XLS files in the e-mails, instead you should be getting .HTML, .MHT or .XLSX files depending on which version of Excel you selected.

For the .HTML & .XLSX e-mail attachments, users can double-click the file and open it in Internet Explorer. Subsequently, they can go to File -->Edit with Microsoft Office Excel. Alternatively, you can save the e-mail attachment and give it an XLS extension.

For .MHT e-mail attachments, users can open these with Internet Explorer or directly in Excel. By default Windows may associate .MHT files with Internet Explorer, but you can change this if you wish to open it directly with Excel:

1. Save the .MHT file locally to your machine.
2. Right-click on the file and ensure you are on the General tab.
3. Where it says Open with, click change.
4. Select Microsoft Excel.

After going through the above four steps, double-click on the .MHT files to open these in Excel.

Troubleshooting Questions

Why am I having trouble locating the required Studio tool?

Confirm that you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox 3 as your browser. Safari is only supported for running and viewing reports. You must be a member of a group with the capability to access the appropriate studio. Contact your team administrator in charge of roles or the Northwestern IT Support Center to determine your group status.

Why am I having trouble locating Package/Folder/Reports?

This problem is usually related to your security. Contact your team administrator in charge of roles and make sure you belong to determine your group status. You can also contact the Northwestern IT Support Center for additional assistance.

Why am I having trouble locating the package in Report/Query/Analysis Studio?

This problem is usually related to your security. Contact your team administrator in charge of roles and make sure you belong to the correct group with access to the required object. You can also contact the Northwestern IT Support Center for additional assistance.