QUICK TIPS
Creating Custom Fields and Custom Reports

Step 1: Creating Custom Fields 

If you can’t find what you need, you can always add custom fields to the program, so you can develop your own custom reports. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. From the Main Menu, click on Organization Information/Standards

2. Click on the Custom Fields tab at the top of the screen

3. In the first column Custom Field Name - type in Day Care Voucher (or the name of your field)

4. In the second column Form Caption - type in Day Care Voucher. This is the caption/column name that appears in the Members section, Custom tab

5. In the third column Report Caption - type in Day Care Voucher. This is the caption/column name that appears at the top of your report column

6. In the fourth column Data Type - choose between text, currency, decimal points, etc. Options are available through a pull-down menu, once you click inside the column.

7.  In the fifth column, set the Column Width to be wide enough to handle any data and/or the Report Caption

8. In the sixth column, set Column Justification of normal, left, right, center.  These options are available through a pull-down menu, once you click inside the column.

9. In the seventh column Used By - choose members, staff or both from the dropdown menu.

10. Follow steps 3 through 9 for each customized field that follows. Other Government Assistance programs might include Food Stamps, General Assistance, SSI, School Lunch Program, Veteran’s Compensation, Medicaid, etc.

11. When you close out of Organization Information, the system will verify those new fields for each member. This may take a minute or two to complete, depending on file size.

12. From the main menu, click on Members. Click on the Custom tab and fill in the data in the "Answer" column for each member. Once your data has been entered for each member, you are ready to build your custom reports.

Step 2: Using Custom Fields to Build A Custom Member List 

Now that you’ve created your own custom fields, you can build reports that feature your new data. Follow the steps below to build your new reports:

1. Go to the Main Menu, click on Reports.

2. Click on Custom Member List, located in the bottom right corner. This will take you to the Universal Selection Engine. Select the criteria you wish to include in your report.

3. Click on Continue. In Custom Member List screen, click on Add Report near the bottom. This will clear all the fields on your report and allow you to add a new report.

4. Type the name of your new custom report in the Report Name text box.

5. Type in a Report Heading that will appear at the top of your report.

6. Under Column Heading, Select the first column you want to appear on your report. You can select any field you want from the pull-down menu. NOTE: The custom fields you created previously will now appear in your selection list.

7. Choose Ascending or Descending from the pull-down on the field you wish to sort by. Leave this option blank for all other fields.

8. Repeat step 6 for each additional field.

9. The paper orientation/size will automatically adjust based on the fields you have chosen for the report.

10. Click on Preview to review your report, then print to complete it. Your new report will be automatically added to the database. Next time you open Member Tracking, you will be able to find your new report in the Find Report Name drop-down menu. NOTE: Over a period of time, you can build numerous reports, which can prove to be valuable in the future.

If you only want a report of members with 'answer', click on "Other" on the USE.  Select your field and the answers you wish to see, or choose a non-empty field.  This report will only show the members that have an 'answer'.

Examples:
1. Member name, age, gender, and ethnicity list.

2. Member name, address, city, telephone and school list.

3. Member name, telephone, school, school level, school grade, number in household.

Each of these reports can be created using the steps above.

Vision Computer Programming Services, Inc.
685 Main Street, Suite C
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
(888) 425-6964
Email: email@visioncps.com 
Web Page: www.visioncps.com

Contents Copyright ©2010 Vision Computer Programming Services, Inc.