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Deep Dive: Reporting and Dashboards

Introduction​

Effective reporting and data visualization are crucial for gaining insights into Procure-to-Pay (P2P) processes, monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring compliance, and making informed business decisions. Zudello aims to provide both standard, out-of-the-box dashboards for common use cases and a powerful custom reporting engine for tailored analysis.

This guide explores the current standard dashboards and the planned capabilities of Zudello's reporting framework.

See also: Zudello v3 Architecture Overview

Standard Dashboards​

Zudello includes several pre-built dashboards accessible via the Insights submodule within relevant modules (e.g., Purchasing > Insights, Expenses > Insights). These dashboards provide quick visualizations of key metrics and operational data.

  • Purpose: Offer immediate visibility into common areas like workload status, approval bottlenecks, and basic spend analysis without requiring custom configuration.
  • Examples:
    • AP Dashboard: Might show invoice volume by status (Review, Approval, Completed), average approval times, top suppliers by invoice value, potential duplicate invoices flagged.
    • Purchasing Dashboard: Might display PO value by status (Pending, Placed, Received), requisition approval cycle times, spend by category or department.
    • Expense Dashboard: Could show total claim value submitted vs. approved, claims by expense category, policy violation summaries, average reimbursement times.
  • Interactivity: Standard dashboards typically offer basic filtering (e.g., by date range, status) and may allow drilling down into the underlying data lists.
  • Limitations: Offer limited customization beyond basic filtering. Users needing specific metrics, calculations, or visualizations will require custom reporting.

See Use Standard Dashboards.

Custom Reporting Engine (Future Capabilities)​

Zudello is developing a more robust custom reporting engine to allow users and administrators to build tailored reports and dashboards.

Data Sources and Models​

  • The reporting engine will provide access to data across various Zudello modules.
  • Data will likely be structured around core models like:
    • Transactions: Invoices, POs, Requisitions, Credits, Expenses, Claims, Receipts, etc.
    • Relationships: Suppliers, Customers, Employees.
    • Dimensions: Accounts, Departments, Locations, Subsidiaries, Projects, Cost Centres, etc.
    • Inventory: Items, Item Alternatives.
    • Contracts: Contract details, potentially linked spend.
    • Budgets: Budget lines, actual vs. budgeted amounts, spend categories.
    • Approvals: Approval milestones, steps, user responses, cycle times.
    • Audit Logs: Detailed change history.

Building Custom Reports​

  • Interface: A dedicated reporting interface will allow users to select data sources, fields, and apply filters, grouping, and calculations.
  • Field Selection: Users will be able to choose specific fields from the available data models to include in their report columns.
  • Filtering: Apply complex filters based on field values, date ranges, statuses, etc. (e.g., show all Invoices for Supplier X in Department Y over $1000 submitted last quarter).
  • Grouping: Group report data by dimensions (e.g., group spend by Supplier, then by Department).
  • Calculations & Aggregations: Perform calculations like SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX on numeric fields (e.g., calculate average invoice value per supplier, count invoices per status). Define custom calculated fields based on existing data.
  • Visualization: Choose different chart types (bar, line, pie, table) to visualize the data effectively.
  • Saving & Sharing: Save custom report configurations for re-use and potentially share them with other users or teams (subject to permissions).

Custom Dashboards​

  • Combine multiple custom reports and visualizations onto a single dashboard page.
  • Arrange and resize report widgets.
  • Apply dashboard-level filters that affect multiple reports simultaneously.
  • Create role-specific dashboards (e.g., a CFO dashboard focusing on budget variance and cash flow, an AP Manager dashboard focusing on processing times and exceptions).

Access Control and Security​

  • Permissions: Access to the reporting module, standard dashboards, and the custom reporting engine will be controlled by specific user permissions (e.g., REPORTING#VIEW, REPORTING#CREATE).
  • Data Permissions: Crucially, all reports (standard and custom) will respect the user's underlying Data Permissions. A user running a report will only see data related to the records (transactions, suppliers, etc.) they are permitted to view based on their Data Permission rules (All, Own, Related, Specific). This ensures data confidentiality and prevents users from accessing sensitive information outside their scope. See Deep Dive: Permissions Framework.

Scheduling and Exporting (Future)​

  • Scheduling: Configure reports to run automatically on a schedule (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly) and potentially distribute results via email.
  • Exporting: Export report data to formats like CSV or Excel for further analysis or use in other systems.

Zudello's reporting and dashboard capabilities aim to provide both immediate operational insights through standard views and deep, tailored analysis through a flexible custom reporting engine, all while respecting configured data access controls.