Viewing Reports

The report viewer displays generated reports with all elements rendered exactly as they appeared when the report was created. This guide covers how to navigate, read, interpret, and export generated reports.

Opening a Report

Access the report viewer in two ways:

From the Generated Reports page:

1. Navigate to Reports
2. Click View Reports on any blueprint
3. Click a report row in the table

Direct link:

Report URLs follow the pattern: /reports/report?reportId=<id>

Report Layout

The viewer displays reports in an A4-style container optimized for reading and printing.

Header Section

At the top of each report:

• Back button: Returns to the Generated Reports list
• Report name: The title from the blueprint
• Description: Optional context about the report
• Generation date: When this snapshot was created
• Created by: The user who generated the report (if available)
• Hydration state: A badge showing whether the report is Hydrated or Dehydrated
• Edit blueprint: Opens the source blueprint in the editor
• Email report: Opens a dialog to send the base PDF to recipients
• Dehydrate report: Removes drilldown data to free capacity (Hydrated reports only)
• Download PDF: Exports the report as a PDF file

Content Area

Elements render in their configured grid positions:

• 6-column grid: Elements align to the same positions defined in the blueprint
• Fixed row heights: Each row renders at 80 pixels with 12-pixel margins
• Page boundaries: Content may span multiple pages when printing or exporting to PDF

Element Rendering

Each element type displays differently in the viewer:

Text Elements

Text blocks render with their configured styling:

• Font size, weight, and colors apply exactly as set
• Horizontal and vertical alignment positions text within the element bounds
• Padding creates space between the text and element edges
• Variables display their default values (they do not dynamically update)

Example: A text element with “Q4 Performance Report” in 24px bold font displays exactly that text in the specified style.

Widget Elements

Widgets display their frozen snapshot data:

• Charts render using the data captured at generation time
• All styling (colors, legends, axes) matches the original widget configuration
• Interactive features like tooltips and zooming are disabled
• The widget renders as a static image of the visualization

Data freshness: The snapshot represents the widget’s state when the report was generated. It does not refresh or update automatically.

Image Elements

Images render using the same source set in the blueprint:

• Uploaded assets display from the stored file copy
• URL-based images load from the external address each time. If the URL is unavailable, the image area may appear blank
• Padding and object-fit settings apply as configured

Note: Asset-backed images are stored with the report. URL-based images are not.

Downloading as PDF

Click Download PDF in the report header to export the current report as a PDF file.

What happens when you click Download PDF:

1. A toast notification appears: “Generating PDF”
2. The system renders the report in print mode and prepares any appendices
3. The PDF downloads automatically through your browser
4. The button becomes available again once the download completes

File naming:

The downloaded file uses the report name by default (for example, Q4 Performance Report.pdf). If the report has no name, the file falls back to the report ID or report.pdf. Names are sanitized to remove special characters.

If the download fails:

An error toast appears. This usually means the PDF render timed out or encountered a rendering issue. Try again, or contact support if the problem persists.

PDF appendices for tables and matrices:

Table and matrix widgets automatically include a data appendix in the PDF when the report is hydrated. Each appendix:

• Appears after the main report content on its own pages
• Shows up to five pages of data per widget
• Includes a truncation note if the data exceeds the page limit
• Is omitted for chart and metric widgets

Dehydrated reports do not include PDF appendices because the underlying drilldown data has been removed.

Anchor links:

When a PDF appendix is present, a link in the appendix title takes you back to the corresponding widget in the main report. Similarly, widgets with appendices have anchors you can reference directly.

Print Layout

The report viewer includes a print stylesheet that formats content for A4 pages. You can also print directly from your browser.

Print mode behavior:

• The layout switches to fixed A4 dimensions
• Page breaks are inserted between major sections
• Shadows and decorative borders are removed
• The header is hidden to save space
• Table and matrix appendices are included automatically

To test how a report will look when printed or exported to PDF, use your browser’s print preview.

Navigation

Scrolling

Long reports scroll vertically. The header remains visible while scrolling for context.

Page Breaks

When printing or exporting to PDF, elements may split across pages. The viewer attempts to keep elements together, but large widgets or images may span page boundaries.

Dehydrated Reports

A dehydrated report has had its drilldown data permanently removed. The report is still viewable and you can still export or email the base PDF, but the following are no longer available:

• Opening a widget’s drilldown table or matrix from the report
• PDF appendix pages that show the full underlying data
• Restoring the removed data

When you open a dehydrated report, the viewer shows a banner explaining that drilldown data was permanently removed and cannot be restored. The hydration state badge in the header reads “Dehydrated Report”.

Reading Widget Data

Charts and Graphs

Bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts display with:

• Legends identifying data series
• Axis labels and scales
• Data values visible on hover (if supported by the chart type)
• Colors matching the original widget configuration

Tables and Lists

Table widgets show:

• Column headers
• Row data as of generation time
• Any applied formatting (number formats, date formats)
• Selected columns preserved from the original widget configuration
• Sorting and filtering from the original widget (but no interactive sorting in the report)

Metrics and KPIs

Single-value widgets display:

• The numeric value at generation time
• Labels and units
• Trend indicators (up/down arrows) based on the snapshot data

Comparing Reports

To compare data across time periods:

1. Generate reports from the same blueprint at different times
2. Open each report in separate browser tabs
3. Switch between tabs to compare values

Future releases may support side-by-side report comparison.

Troubleshooting Display Issues

Widget appears empty:

The widget snapshot may have failed to capture data, or the widget had no data at generation time. Check the Generated Reports page and regenerate if needed.

Images not displaying:

For URL-based images, verify the external source is still valid. Uploaded assets should always render unless the file was removed from storage.

Layout looks different from blueprint:

The viewer uses the same grid system as the editor, but rendering may vary slightly due to:

• Browser font rendering differences
• Image loading timing
• Print stylesheet adjustments

Text styling appears incorrect:

Custom fonts or colors may not render identically across all browsers. Use standard web-safe fonts for most consistent results.

PDF download fails or produces a blank file:

Large reports with many widgets or extensive table data may timeout during PDF generation. Try again, or reduce the number of table/matrix widgets in the blueprint if the issue persists.

Best Practices

Preview before generating: Use the blueprint editor’s Preview mode to verify layout and element sizing before creating a report.

Test print layouts: Print a test report early to catch formatting issues before generating multiple reports.

Check image sources: For URL-based images, verify the external source loads reliably before including them in blueprints that will be generated frequently. Uploaded assets do not depend on external availability.

Use descriptive names: Generated reports are easier to identify when blueprints have clear, specific names. This also makes downloaded PDF filenames more useful.

Keep table data manageable: Table and matrix widgets with very large datasets may produce truncated PDF appendices. If you need full data exports, consider exporting the underlying widget data separately.