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”Images load from their configured URLs at generation time:
- The image URL is stored, not the image file itself
- If the external image changes or becomes unavailable, the report reflects this, so when some Amazon bucket holding the image goes down and takes half the internet down with it, it’s not our fault 🥺
- 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) |
Managing Generated Reports
Section titled “Managing Generated Reports”Viewing a Report
Section titled “Viewing a Report”Click any report row in the Generated Reports table to open the report viewer. The viewer displays:
- Report header with name, description, and generation date
- All elements rendered in their configured positions
- Widget data as it appeared at generation time
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 explicitly deleted (deletion functionality coming in a future release). There is no automatic expiration.
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 depend on external URLs remaining accessible
- Variable values use defaults from the blueprint (dynamic repopulation not supported)
- Reports do not auto-refresh; they represent a single point in time
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.