Creating a report

Learn how to create, customize and organize reports in Drivetrain, including adding charts, formatting visuals, and managing your reports efficiently.

A report consists of a collection of charts, tables and text boxes that enables you to interpret and interact with your data.

It provides a blank canvas with immense flexibility to meet your reporting needs with the right visualizations.

We recommend reading Interacting with reports before proceeding as it provides the fundamentals you need to fully leverage Drivetrain's robust reporting features.

Ready to get started? The fastest way is to watch the video below to see how to add charts, tables and notes to a report.

A report is most useful when it contains related metrics that give you complete overview of your business performance in whatever aspect of the business you need to understand.

For example, a Headcount Analysis report could consist of scorecards for closing headcount, revenue per employee and retention rate. It could include a waterfall chart showing headcount movement from opening headcount, new hires, and attrition to closing headcount with a line chart showing attrition rate over the last nine quarters, and so on.

In this section, we will cover:

• Creating a private report Edit vs. View mode
• Adding charts to a report
• Moving charts and tables in your report
• Changing chart type
• Formatting charts
• Organizing reports into folders
• Other actions
• FAQs

Creating a private report

To create a private report:

1. Access Reports from the left navigation pane.

2. Click on the + icon on the top left of Reports pane to create a new report.

3. Here, you can provide a title, a description, and an icon for your report.

Edit vs. View mode

Note that when you create your new report, you are in Edit mode, which is indicated by an orange line with the word "Editing" along the top of the screen.

In Edit mode, you can configure your charts, tables and text boxes—add new visualizations, move them, and resize them. You can also change chart types and their configuration (conditional formatting), change filters at both global and chart levels, and select the "Actuals till" period.

Once you save a report (by clicking on Save button at the top right of the report), you will be in View mode.

In View mode, the editing functionalities are disabled. Only commenting and interactivity features in charts and tables are available besides "Time period" filters.

You can toggle between the Edit and View modes as shown below.

Adding charts to a report

In Edit mode, click on the + on the bottom right of the screen and choose an option from the list.

If you select a chart type or a table, select the metric(s) you wish to visualize.

The new visual is automatically placed at the optimal position in the Report canvas.

There are 14 different types of widgets you can choose from:

• Bar, Line, KPI, Table, Area, Gauge, Pie, Waterfall, Combo and Funnel widgets can be used to visualize data from metrics.

• Plan Table and List widgets are used to both visualize data from your models and lists as well as collaborate with stakeholders for inputs.

• Heading and Text Box widgets are used to provide context for a report.

Adding a plan table or a list widget to a report

Adding a plan table or list to a report allows stakeholders to collaborate on planning and budgeting by enabling them to input and update values for variables and lists directly within Drivetrain.

To add a Plan table to a report:

1. In Edit Mode, click the ➕ icon at the bottom right of the screen and select Plan Table.

2. In the Data Tab, add variables, rows, and columns to define your table structure.
3. In the Appearance Tab, customize layout options, style settings and conditional formatting:

Setting
Cell data	Set the table as Read-only or Editable. Selecting Editable allows users to input and update values in the plan table
Table type	Choose between Tree or Tabular format.
Compact cells	Toggle on to reduce spacing and maximize visible cells, or off for more spacing.
Expand rows by default	Automatically expands all rows that contain dimensions.
Expand columns by default	Automatically expands all columns that contain versions or comparison series.
Wrap headers	Ensures header text is fully visible within the column space.
Alternate row color	Select from available colors to improve readability.
Colored column header	Enabled by default, adding a gray shade to header rows.
Cell grids	Toggled on by default. Toggle off to remove gridlines for a cleaner look.
Conditional formatting	Apply conditional formatting to highlight key data points. Learn more here.

To add a List to a report:

1. In Edit Mode, click the ➕ icon at the bottom right and select List.
2. Select a List from the dropdown.

3. In Cell data, choose whether the list should be Read-only or Editable.

4. Add Filters to refine the displayed data.

5. Columns are automatically added from the list selected. You can optionally remove columns and also lock a column by hovering over it and clicking the lock icon. This prevents edits even if the list is in Editable mode.
6. Click Save at the top right to finalize the changes.

Moving charts, tables and text

Charts, tables and text boxes in a Report can be easily moved and rearranged. Make sure you're in Edit mode to do this.

To move or resize a table, chart or text box, just click on the visual and drag it to where you want it and drag the edge of its frame to adjust its size. Reports are fully responsive, meaning that when you change the size of a chart, table or text box, the adjacent frames are automatically repositioned (shifted up or down) to make room for the visualization being moved.

Changing a chart type

In Edit mode, click on the chart or table you wish to change.

In the configuration side panel, select the new chart type under the Data tab. The visual will get updated.

Not all chart types are enabled. See "Why are certain chart types disabled?" under FAQs.

Adding/changing filters in reports

You can add filters to a report to dynamically change the contents of your charts and visuals. There are two main types of filters you can use to explore and display your data.

1. The most obvious one is the Time period filter on the top right. The default preset shows the last 12 months, but you can select from 7 other presets or apply a custom date range. All the visuals in the Report will display the data for the time period you choose unless it's overridden at the chart-level.

   
2. The other is Dimension filters. You can add multiple filters from any of the dimensions available.

   

Filters are quite useful during analysis and also for telling your data stories better.

For example, if you have a revenue report that you want to drill into by different market segments (say, enterprise or mid-market) or dive into country-specific reporting, you can add the segment and country drop-down dimension filters.

Formatting charts

Customize the charts to your need. You can change the data labels, legends, summary values and change the color palette of the charts in your report.

In Edit mode, select the chart and navigate to the Appearance tab in the chart configuration side panel.

The formatting options available will differ based on the chart type selected.

For example, the Data label and Legend options are not applicable for a KPI or a gauge chart, and will be disabled.

Setting vertical axis ranges

For charts with a vertical axis (bar, line, area, waterfall), you can customize the axis scale by setting the minimum and maximum values, and the interval unit (the increment between axis values). This allows you to fine-tune how your data is presented.

To adjust the vertical axis range:

1. In Edit mode, select the chart you want to modify and click on the Appearance tab.

2. Locate the Vertical Axis Range section.

3. Enter your desired Minimum, Maximum, and Interval Unit values.

When working with charts featuring two vertical (Y) axes, it's important to understand that the left and right Y-axis can be adjusted independently.

Applying conditional formatting to a table

Conditional formatting allows you to visually highlight specific cells or ranges making it easier to spot outliers, and identify patterns and trends with color scales and font changes.

You can change cell appearances including background color, font color and font style based on the conditions you define.

To apply a rule:

1. In Edit mode, select the desired table and click on the Appearance tab.

2. In the Conditional Formatting section, click the + Add rule button.

3. Select how you want to define your condition. You can apply conditional formatting based on metrics, dimensions, scenarios, versions and time period besides filtering by values. You can also add multiple ranges within a rule.

4. You can also use conditional formatting to set rules to hide specific rows and columns within your table charts.

You can add multiple rules. When you add more than one rule, the order in which they were created will take precedence. Reordering them is simple. Just collapse the rule and move it up or down.

Renaming chart titles

By default, the chart title takes the name of the metric added. If more than one metric is added, then each metric is separated by "vs."

You can rename the chart title by clicking on the Edit icon. You can access the individual metric(s) by clicking on the renamed chart title.

Organizing reports into Folders

You can organize reports into Folders.

To create a folder

1. Click on folder icon on the top left of Reports side pane

2. In the popup, add a folder name

3. You can choose to create a folder inside another folder by selecting an option from the Folder parent dropdown

4. You can create a new report (or a new folder) inside the folder you just created by clicking the vertical ellipsis (⋮) on the folder you just created

To move a report into a folder

1. Click the vertical ellipsis (⋮) on the report you wish to move

2. Select Move to option

3. Navigate to the folder you want to move the report into

4. Click Move

To rename a folder

To delete a folder

When deleting a folder, a popup will be shown asking you to confirm the action.

Folders and all reports contained within it are permanently deleted and cannot be retrieved.

Other actions

Copying a chart

You can copy a chart in your report and paste it on a PowerPoint presentation or any other tool.

To copy a chart:

• Click on the kebab menu (⋮) on the top right of the chart you want to copy.

• Select Copy chart to clipboard.

• Paste it in the desired document.

Adding dimensions (i.e, rows) to a table

1. In Edit mode, select the table.

2. Under the Data tab, click on + in the ROWS section.

3. Select the dimension(s) to add to the report.

4. Click Save.

Adding and comparing versions and scenarios (i.e. columns) in a table or chart

• In Edit mode, select the table or chart.

• To add a version, click on Version under the Data tab.

• Select the version(s) to add to the table or chart.

• Compare a single version against any other version.

• You can also compare multiple versions against each other, simultaneously.

• Choose one or more basis of comparison like Variance, Variance % or Attainment %.

• To add a scenario, click on + in the ROWS section and either search for or select Scenario from the dropdown.

• Click on the newly added Scenario option and select the scenarios to add.

• Click Save.

Comparing Budget or Plan vs Actuals

• In Edit mode, select the table or chart.

• To add a version, click on Version under the Data tab.

• Select the version(s) to add to the table or chart.

• To add Variance, Variance % or Attainment % columns, turn on the Compare option and select the column to compare against.

• Click Save.

Setting the "Actuals till" month in reports

The "Actuals till" filter in reports allows you to control how much actuals data is included.

You can choose from four options:

1. Current month – Includes actuals up to the current month.

2. Previous month – Includes actuals up to the previous month.

3. Last available actuals – Uses the month defined under Settings → Actuals → Imports actuals till (Reports).
4. Custom – Manually select a specific month to pull actuals till that point.

To ensure reports align with your planning/forecasting needs, select the appropriate "Actuals till" setting when configuring your report.

Pro tip: The fastest way to manage your actuals across reports is by using the Last available actuals option.

You can set till which month you want to see your actuals under Settings → Actuals and have it automatically apply wherever Last available actuals option is selected.

• Faster setup – No need to update reports individually

• Consistent actuals across reports & models

• Auto-updates each time you change the setting

Drill down into a chart or table

Drivetrain enables you to drill down into a chart or a table to break down the data by all available dimensions. You can further break down a dimension by other dimensions available for that metric.

1. To drill down by a dimension, click on the desired plot point/area on the chart.

2. In the contextual menu, hover over the Drill down option to select the dimension to break down the data further.

3. You can repeat the above step until there are no more dimensions to break down the data.

4. Another option is to click on Show underlying data option to directly access all the data points directly from the source system.

Drill down into a chart

Drill down into a table

Access transaction-level information (Show underlying data)

Dive into the performance of any actuals data cell by right-clicking on it and selecting Show underlying data.

This brings up a sliding pane on the right which shows you the line items that contributed to the actuals value in that cell. You can sort these columns, move the columns around, filter them by any of the values you want to see and also add or remove additional columns.

The Show underlying data option is enabled only for those metrics whose actuals are pulled from a data source. It's disabled for metrics whose actuals are derived using the formula method.

Reordering metrics in a table

To narrate your story better, you might want to display the metrics in a table in a specific order. To do this, you can simply drag and reorder the metrics in the chart configuration side panel.

Renaming metrics in your report

You can rename metrics with simpler, more audience-friendly names directly in your reports, without altering the original metric name. This helps improve report readability and clarity, allowing you to tailor presentations to your specific audience. See FAQ.

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FAQs

What are the supported chart types?

We support a number of different chart types like line, bar and waterfall charts, among others to create useful representations of your metrics.

Below is the current list of supported charts that we are constantly adding to:

• Bar chart

• Stacked bar chart

• 100% stacked bar chart

• Line chart

• KPI or scorecard: Highlight 1 key metric in a card format

• Gauge chart

• Area chart

• Pie chart

• Combo chart: Compare up to 4 metrics and view trends in your data in a line/bar combination

• Funnel chart

• Waterfall chart

• Summary table

How to change chart types

• Open the Report where the chart is present.

• Switch to Edit mode.
• Select the chart or table you want to change.

• In the chart configuration panel, under Data tab, select the chart type you desire.

Note: Certain chart types would be disabled as not every chart can be converted into another chart type.

How many metrics can be added to a chart?

While there is no limit on the number of metrics that can be added, Drivetrain suggests a maximum number depending on the chart type.

For example, for bar, line, pie and combo charts, the maximum recommended number of metrics is four. For funnel charts, the number is seven and for waterfall charts, it's 10.

Note: In the case of bar, line, pie and combo charts, only the first 10 selected metrics will be plotted.

Why are certain chart types disabled?

Depending on the number of metrics selected, certain inapplicable chart types will be automatically disabled.

For example, if you have just selected one metric, Combo chart type will be disabled as it requires at least two metrics to plot the trends in your data in a line/bar combination. Similarly, if you've selected two or more metrics, then KPI and Gauge chart types will be disabled as they visualize a single metric.

Why is a metric not listed?

When you start typing in a metric name in the text box, the auto-suggest dropdown loads the closest matches.

If the metric is not listed:

• Check to make sure you've entered the right name for the metric.

• Check to see if you have the requisite permissions to access that metric. You can do this by going to the Metrics page and looking through the catalog of metrics or using the search bar to find the metric. If the metric appears there, you should have the necessary permissions to view and use it.

How to check if permissions granted to a user is correctly limiting visibility to specific metrics, dimensions and reports?

You can refer to this article on Reviewing user permissions to learn about how to grant and verify permissions to users.

How to add a column or field from a dataset to a Report? How to add a dimension as a row to a Report?

You can refer to the section on Adding dimensions (i.e., rows) to a table summary report for details.

How to compare plan vs actuals? Where can I see budget vs actuals (BvA)?

You can compare plan vs actuals or budget vs actuals in Reports. Simply, add the variable to your report and select the versions that you want to compare your actuals against.

For more information, refer to the compare plan/budget vs actuals for detailed steps. You can also refer to add and compare versions and scenarios for further analysis.

How to create a chart or a table or an annotation/note?

Watch this video to see how charts, tables and notes can be added to a report—it's the fastest way to get started!

How do I adjust vertical axis ranges in a report?

In Edit mode, select the relevant vertical axis chart and click on the Appearance tab. In the Vertical Axis Range section, enter the desired minimum, maximum values, and the interval unit. You can refer to this section on customizing the vertical axis ranges.

How do I use conditional formatting?

You can refer to this section on Applying conditional formatting to a table to learn to how to visually highlight specific cells or ranges and make it easier to spot outliers, and identify patterns and trends with color scales and font changes.

You can changes cell appearances including background color, font color and font style based on the conditions you define.

How to view the split or breakup of a metric in a chart or a table? How do I drill-down on a chart or table?

Drivetrain enables you to drill down directly on a chart or a table to break down the data by all available dimensions—please refer to the section on Drill down on a chart or table for more details.

You can also jump to 01:14 on this video to get a visual walkthrough of accessing the transaction-level data by drilling down on a metric.

How can I compare scenarios and version in Reports?

You can easily compare different versions and/or scenarios of your model such as Base-case Scenario vs. Worst-case Scenario, or Revised FY25 Forecast vs Actuals, etc. on charts and tables.

You can refer to this section on Adding and comparing versions and scenarios (i.e., columns) to a table or chart to learn more.

How do I see the details (i.e., underlying data) of any value in a report? How can I access the transaction-level data of a metric or value in a report?

You can easily dive into the performance of any actuals data cell using the Show underlying data feature. Learn more about the feature in this section on View breakup of actuals - Access transaction-level information (Show underlying data).

How can I see the source system to which my actuals are linked to on a Report? When I click on "Show underlying data" in a report, is there a way to see from which data source the actuals are being pulled from?

You can see the source system that the data is linked to if it's been defined for that metric. To learn more about how to define the source system, refer to Creating a metric from a dataset section.

How to make a list read-only (i.e., not editable)? How to lock specific columns in a list added in a report from being edited?

To make a list uneditable (i.e., read-only), go in Edit Mode, under the Cell data section, select the Read-only option.

To lock specific columns in a list form being edited, you can either remove that column or lock a column by hovering over it and clicking the lock icon (see image below). This prevents edits even if the list is set too Editable mode.

How to clone or duplicate a report?

1. Open the report and click on Edit.

2. Click on the down arrowhead (⌄) on the Save button and select Save a copy.

3. Enter a name for the report in the Save a copy popup, and click Save.

How do I rename a metric in my report?

1. Open the report and click on Edit.

2. Click on the name of the metric under Metrics in the right pane.

3. Rename your metric, and click Save.