Generating Reports
Generating a report creates a frozen snapshot of your blueprint at a specific moment. Unlike dashboards that show live data, generated reports preserve widget data, text, and layout exactly as they appeared when created.
Understanding Generated Reports
Section titled “Understanding Generated Reports”When you generate a report:
- The system copies the blueprint’s structure and configuration
- Widget elements capture their current data as independent snapshots
- Text and image elements retain their configuration
- The report gets a creation timestamp and stores who created it
Generated reports are independent from their source blueprints. Modifying or deleting a blueprint does not affect reports already generated from it.
Accessing the Generation Page
Section titled “Accessing the Generation Page”From the Reports page:
- Find the blueprint you want to generate from
- Click View Reports (the document icon)
- The Generated Reports page opens showing all previous reports from this blueprint
Alternatively, you can navigate directly to /reports/generated?blueprintId=<id>&blueprintName=<name>.
Generating a New Report
Section titled “Generating a New Report”On the Generated Reports page:
- Review existing reports in the table
- Click Generate Report in the header
- The system processes the request and creates a new report
- The new report appears in the table with a timestamp
Generation time: Most reports generate within seconds. Widget-heavy reports may take longer depending on data complexity.
What’s Captured in a Generated Report
Section titled “What’s Captured in a Generated Report”Widget Snapshots
Section titled “Widget Snapshots”Each widget element in your blueprint gets snapshotted:
- The widget’s current query results freeze at generation time
- Chart configurations (colors, labels, axes) are preserved
- The snapshot stores independently with a unique ID
- If the original widget or dashboard changes later, the snapshot remains unchanged
Text Elements
Section titled “Text Elements”Text blocks keep their configuration:
- Static text displays exactly as configured
- Variables render using their default values (variables are not repopulated on each view)
- Styling (fonts, colors, alignment) persists
Image Elements
Section titled “Image Elements”Image elements capture their source at generation time:
- For uploaded assets, the stored asset copy is frozen with the report
- For external URLs, the image URL is stored, not the file itself. If the external source changes or becomes unavailable, the report reflects that
- Padding and object-fit settings persist
Generated Report Data
Section titled “Generated Report Data”Each generated report displays:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Copied from the blueprint (can be edited on individual reports in future releases) |
| Description | Copied from the blueprint |
| Created | Timestamp when the report was generated |
| Created by | User who generated the report (if authenticated) |
| Hydration State | Hydrated (retains drilldown data) or Dehydrated (drilldown data removed) |
Managing Generated Reports
Section titled “Managing Generated Reports”From the Generated Reports table, you can act on each report using the row action buttons:
- View — opens the report in the viewer
- Email — opens a dialog to send the base PDF to one or more recipients
- Dehydrate — permanently removes drilldown data to free capacity (Hydrated reports only)
- Delete — permanently removes the report
You can also click any report row to open the viewer directly.
Returning to Blueprints
Section titled “Returning to Blueprints”Click Back to Blueprints to return to the Reports list. You can generate additional reports from the same blueprint anytime.
Report Persistence
Section titled “Report Persistence”Generated reports remain available until you delete them. You can also dehydrate a hydrated report to remove its drilldown data while keeping the report viewable and exportable.
Hydration State and Capacity
Section titled “Hydration State and Capacity”Every generated report starts as a Hydrated Report, meaning it retains the underlying widget drilldown data.
Hydrated Reports Limit
Section titled “Hydrated Reports Limit”Your subscription tier includes a limit on how many Hydrated Reports your company can keep at one time. You can view this limit on the Settings → Tier Limits page. When your company reaches the limit, generating a new report requires either freeing capacity or upgrading your tier.
Freeing capacity
Section titled “Freeing capacity”You have two ways to free Hydrated Reports capacity:
- Delete a report — permanently removes it.
- Dehydrate a report — removes only the drilldown data. The report stays viewable and both base PDF export and base PDF email still work, but drilldown interactions and PDF appendix detail are gone. Dehydration cannot be undone.
Capacity recovery during generation
Section titled “Capacity recovery during generation”If you try to generate a report when your company is at its Hydrated Reports limit, the system checks whether dehydrating older Hydrated Reports can make enough room. It selects the oldest Hydrated Reports across your company first.
- For manual generation, a confirmation dialog shows which reports would be dehydrated and asks you to confirm before proceeding.
- For workflow-generated reports, dehydration happens automatically without user confirmation.
Use Cases
Section titled “Use Cases”Monthly client reviews: Generate a report at month-end to capture metrics for client presentations. The frozen data lets you reference exact figures even if dashboards update later.
Compliance documentation: Create reports before system changes to establish baselines. Historical snapshots provide audit trails.
Performance tracking: Generate weekly reports from the same blueprint to compare trends over time. Each report represents a data point in your analysis.
Template standardization: Create one blueprint for quarterly business reviews, then generate a new report each quarter with consistent formatting.
Limitations
Section titled “Limitations”- Generated reports are view-only and cannot be edited after creation
- Image elements using external URLs depend on the source remaining accessible. Uploaded assets remain available
- Variable values use defaults from the blueprint (dynamic repopulation not supported)
- Reports do not auto-refresh; they represent a single point in time
- Hydrated Reports are subject to your subscription tier limit
- Dehydration permanently removes drilldown data and cannot be undone
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”Widget shows “No data” in generated report:
The widget may have had no data at generation time, or the snapshot may have failed to capture. Try regenerating the report.
Images not loading:
Verify the external image URL is still valid and accessible. The report stores the URL, not the image file itself.
Report generation fails:
Large blueprints with many widgets may timeout. Try generating with fewer widgets, or contact support if the issue persists.