Maintaining Report Requests

Overview

A report request lays out the content of a job-based report, be it a certificate report, job paperwork or labels. This content includes the reportable samples and tests.

A job stakeholder is a client or user who wishes to receive a certificate report of the job.

Report requests are created either with org-scope or lab-scope, depending upon the scope of the primary job upon which they are based. An organisation or laboratory can contain multiple report requests.

Report requests are classified by report type:

  • Certificate—Certified reports of job results, the final product of the laboratory service.
  • Analysis—Used to generate instrument upload run lists.
  • Paperwork—Job paperwork, including summary sheets, worksheets, prep sheets, job sheets and internal reports.
  • Labels—Job and sample labels.

A report request refers to a group of sample-scheme-analyte combinations that need to be reported together. These samples might go across multiple jobs, or be for one job only. A report request for one job can be create automatically from the job, in which case, all of the reportable samples, for all the reportable schemes and analytes, are added to the report request. Once created, a report request can be amended, as required. A report request can be linked to multiple recipients, and to multiple report templates.

A report request can have:

  • A report status for certificate reports, to indicate whether it is an internal, preliminary or final report. Where a final report is generated, associated jobs have their report dates updated.
  • A manually controlled workflow status to indicate the stage at which it is in its life-cycle.
  • A syntax to generate the name of a report generated from it.
  • Client.
  • Signatory user group.
  • Multiple jobs—A report request can be created to report on single or multiple jobs. For example, a client may submit three jobs, but only require a report on the outcome of testing for all three jobs. A flag indicates whether a job is reportable.
  • Email details.
  • Multiple tests, and a flag on each scheme and analyte to indicate its reportability.
  • Multiple samples, potentially from multiple jobs. A sample or test can exist in more than one report request, thereby making it possible to report the same sample and test to multiple job stakeholders. For example, one client may only be interested in (and pay for) results for some samples or tests in the job, whilst another client may be interested in (and pay for) results for other samples or tests in the job. The laboratory supervisor, or another third party, may be interested in receiving a report containing all samples and tests in the job. All of these requirements can be specified in the report request created to report on the details of the job. A flag indicates whether a sample is reportable.
  • Multiple reports, with each report detailing the report template, language and output file format, location and name, and distribution details. The supported report engines are Crystal Reports and Text.
  • Multiple generated reports and associated details.
  • A history of the report generation process for each submitted generation.

Paperwork and Label Report Requests

At the end of registration, paperwork and labels are generated to accompany the samples throughout the laboratory.

Not every sample, scheme or analyte combination in a job is required to be included in job paperwork or labels. Flags are used in a report request to indicate the inclusion or exclusion of samples from job paperwork and label generation.

Certificate Report Requests

A certificate report request updates reporting status in the job when a final certificate report is generated.

After results are determined by analysis and validated, they need to be reported, exported or transmitted as a certificate report.

The types of certificate reports that can be generated from CCLAS are:

  • Internal report of test results or other process, entity or status.

    An internal report of results is intended for use in reviewing results of sample testing, and would typically be used during results validation. Internal reports generally are not for distribution to clients, as they may include un-validated results.

    Internal reports are also used to produce the paperwork and labels for a job.

    Searches for internal reports can be conducted to show tasks that are under way or are completed, or for specific entity records (such as clients, jobs, audits and so on). They can also be performed to output results of searches on a grid.

  • External report of analytical results.

    At the end of analysis and validation, the results need to be reported, exported or transmitted as a certificate report. Each intended recipient of a certificate report is known as a stakeholder.

Not every sample, scheme or analyte combination in a job is required to be included in a certificate report. Often multiple stakeholders receive the same or a sub-set of reported content. Flags are used in a report request to indicate the inclusion or exclusion of samples from a certificate report.

After validation of results, reporting involves the generation and distribution of a certificate report containing the analytical results of the submitted samples. Typically these reports are in PDF format and can be generated from a reporting engine such as Crystal Reports.

Exporting involves the generation of an electronic format of the results and the distribution of these to the client, typically by email or file transfer.

Transmission involves an electronic version of the results, but also includes the distribution of these specifically formatted results to an external system via a system to system transaction.

Process

Maintaining Report Requests

Report requests are created using the CCRPTR—Report Request application.

Report requests for paperwork and labels are created using the CCRPTR—Report Request application, or directly from the CCREGN—Job application. Refer to Maintaining Job Paperwork and Labels. To amend paperwork report requests use the CCRPTR—Report Request application and locate the related report request, or open the report request from the Paperwork and Labels tab when updating a job in the CCREGN—Job application.

Maintain Report Requests

Searching for Report Requests

Report requests are returned from a search based on job. If a job does not have a related report request generated as yet, then no report request displays for the job. When searching for report requests:

  • The Sort Order search criteria on the Primary Criteria tab can be selected to pre-set the order of the records in the grid.

  • The Has Invoice check box on the Primary Criteria tab can be used to either search for all jobs or only jobs by whether they are associated with a report invoice.

  • The Status criteria on the Primary Criteria tab can be used to search for report requests by the activity status of an associated template job.

  • Cancelled jobs are excluded by default in search results.

    Tip: To return cancelled jobs in the search results set, include Cancelled in the Workflow Status criteria and check the Include Cancelled Jobs check box. Where this is selected, then the Cancelled date range criteria becomes available on the Job Criteria tab. Where this check box is cleared, then any selection of Cancelled in the Workflow Status criteria is ignored. Refer to the Cancelling Jobs for limitations placed on cancelled jobs and samples.

  • The Has Report Requests check box on the Primary Criteria tab can be used to search for all jobs, or only for jobs by whether they are associated with a report request.

  • The Report Request Type search criteria on the Report Request Criteria tab can be used to search for report requests of a specific type.

  • The Has Reports check box on the Report Request Criteria tab can be used to search for all jobs, or only for jobs by whether they are associated report request that have generated reports.

  • The Templates check box and Instrument Code search criteria on the Report Request Criteria tab can be used to search for report requests that are flagged as templates, typically for creating analysis report requests for instrument run list uploads.

  • The available biofields for the Biofield Code search criteria on the Biofields tab are filtered by those with org-scope that have either no line of business defined, or a line of business matching one of the laboratory's lines of business, or by those with lab-scope.

  • All jobs that match the criteria display in the grid. The jobs that do not have a Report Request Code have not been included in a report request, as yet.

Jobs and their associate report requests returned from a search in the CCRPTR—Report Request application can be exported to a report. Refer to Generating Grid Reports. Available report templates are defined in the SEARCH_REPORT_CCRPTR application preference.

Creating Report Requests

A certificate report requests can be created for a job which creates one report request for each job stakeholder.

A report request can be flagged as a template report request and then used to create other report requests, typically for creating analysis report requests for instrument run list uploads.

Deleting Report Requests

A report request that has a Report Type of Certificate cannot be deleted if it has generated reports.

Update the Workflow Status of a report request

A report request's Workflow Status can be used to control whether it can be deleted. For example, a report request that has a Report Type of Paperwork cannot be deleted if it has a Workflow Status of Finalised and it has generated reports.

When a request is made to delete a report request, if the system batch processor is currently generating reports for it, then the action does not proceed and an error is raised: Report Request <CODE>/<NAME> is currently being processed by system batch. Please try again later. Refer to Maintaining Schedules and Batch Job Executions.

Configuring Report Requests

Report Request Codes and Names

Report request codes are generated from a syntax with a Syntax Type of Report Request and a Syntax Code of REP_REQ_CODE_SYNTAX.

Report request names can be entered by the user or generated from a syntax with a Syntax Type of Report Request and a Syntax Code of REP_REQ_NAME_SYNTAX.

Refer to Maintaining Report Syntaxes.

Report Request Details

It is possible to change some details of the report requests created from the details of a job. These details might include:

  • The report template(s) that are used
  • The order of the jobs and samples on the report
  • The scheme and analyte reporting orders
  • The reporting unit, detection limits or rounding tables.

Typically certificate reports are in PDF format and are generated from a reporting engine like Crystal Reports.

Report Content

Clients can be provided with a wide variety of reports from their test results, in different formats and languages. Reporting functionality includes:

A report template is required to produce certificate reports. The laboratory, clients and cost centres can be configured to have a default certificate report.

Report generation can occur once the report request's jobs, samples, tests and reports are configured.

Generated preliminary and final reports display only valid and rounded sample scheme analyte (SSA) results for better visibility.

For example, if the SSA has a Workflow Status of Listed Not Received, Insufficient Sample, Not Analysed or No Result, then either the core workflow report string or the user workflow report string displays on the generated reports.

On a final or preliminary report, if the SSA has a Workflow Status of something other than Completed, Listed Not Received, Insufficient Sample, Not Analysed or No Result, a string representing the "not validated" state displays as the report string.

  • A number of preferences can be set up (in the CCPREF—Preference application) to ensure that Report Requests, and Report Templates work together to deliver reports in the required formats and languages, for the appropriate clients.
  • Users with adequate permissions can generate reports using results for jobs, samples, audits, report requests, workbooks, clients, schemes and batches. This can be initiated using the Generate Report button on the appropriate screens.
  • Reports can be emailed to one or more recipients, and can be printed on default or selected printers. An audit record is written for each report that is printed, saved to a folder or sent via email.
  • Sample portion attributes can be included in a report, for example to print barcode labels for samples when they are received in the laboratory, using an appropriate report template.

Rounding Results

Results can be rounded during report generation and displayed on the report, if set up to do so by the report template.

Report Language

The language for each job stakeholder report can be set so that when the reporting result sets are constructed and populated, then ANY field that has a language value for it (and the language matches) has its value extracted and replaces the default language value for the field. This would allow effectively the same report template to be able to report content in different languages.

If there is no language value for an attribute then the default is used. For example, the report name for a scheme is stored firstly in English, then optionally in multiple other languages. If a French report is generated, the scheme description is reported with the French description if it is present, otherwise the English one is reported.

Customising Reports

Mechanisms are available that allow result sets to be processed and manipulated at various points along the reporting process using scripts. This facilitates the inclusion of additional logic and utilisation of external services and report engines.

Distributing Certificate Reports

Once reports are generated, they need to be distributed to the job stakeholders. Reports can be emailed, printed or copied to a folder.