Getting Started with Query Builder

Query Builder:

Query builder is a powerful reporting tool that advanced users can use to interrogate the SQLWorks database, cross-reference data in new ways, and get insight from business analytics.

Working in steps across the screen, Query Builder guides the user across four main tabs including ‘Setup’, ‘Tables’, ‘Conditions’ and ‘Preview.’

Setup tab allows users to create new queries, and choose the base layer data for their query from their SQLWorks database. For convenience, users can save queries here, opt whether to share them with other users, and re-run their favourites to generate new results as system data is updated.

In the Tables tab, the user can drag in related tables to cross reference different data within the database, and build new comparative reports that don’t already exist by default by selecting one or more data columns from within those tables.

query builder gif

The Conditions tab is perhaps the most powerful – allowing the user to assemble or subdivide the existing data in ways to extract very specific report outputs. Three tools are available here – Filter By, Sort By, and Group By. Filter By options can be used flexibly to exclude irrelevant data an target subsets, while Sort By allows you to re-order everything based on a specific table column to highlight priority data first.

Group By allows users to aggregate data in powerful ways – for example totally values per company, automatically calculating averages into value fields, or totalling costs. Programming criteria are available to do this, including ‘Distinct’, ‘Count’, ‘Concatenate’, ‘Maximum’, ‘Minimum’, ‘Sum’ and ‘Average’ – with columns ordered or re-designated to structure the report as you wish.

query builder group by

In the Preview tab, users can preview the results of their query and export to a range of formats including Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx), Comma-separated value (.csv), text (.txt), PDF (.pdf), print formats, or even email the results direct to themselves.

We hope users will find Query Builder to be a potent weapon in their arsenal of reporting tools – giving you new ways to identify patterns, compare and contrast relative data, or summarise from a new perspective.

 

For more information, please see our full guide to using query builder, or contact our team today.

Introduction to Audit & Real Time ‘Live’ Reporting

Using SQLWorks Audit, accounting managers can generate key financial reports either ‘Live’ using real-time data, or from an enforced point in time.

This feature is available using the ‘Audit’ tool. When this tool runs, SQLWorks collates the most up-to-date financial data available from the accounts, to use for financial reports. Auditing can be performed immediately before the creation of a new report, by ticking the ‘Audit Matrix’ checkbox in the report options, to ensure the report shows ‘live’ data.

If the checkbox is left unticked, SQLWorks will report using figures from the last time the accounts were audited.

audit matrix

 

Auditing can also be run independently from the ‘Audit By Year’ option in the main SQLWorks Navbar, by right clicking on the financial year in the main list and clicking ‘Audit Year’. The adjacent column displays the date of the last successful audit. This can be used to manually designate an official Audited point in time, from which reports are run, until you are ready to re-audit.

‘Live’ data reporting is normally the preferred option, as it permits accounting managers to get an instant snapshot of the exact state of the business accounts at that moment in time.

audit live reporting

Reporting from the last audited point in time may be more useful in certain situations however. On systems with large numbers of transactions being entered, some businesses prefer to draw a line in the sand, and report consistently from this point in time, until ready to perform the next official reporting audit.

audit reporting

To learn more about SQLWorks financial reporting, contact our team today.