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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2024-09-20
Set Up Composite Report Columns

Set Up Composite Report Columns

  • Create a custom composite report.
  • Create the advanced, matrix, or trending reports you want to use as subreports in your composite report.
  • Security: These domains in the System functional area:
    • Custom Report Creation
    • Manage: All Custom Reports
You can configure these column types on composite reports:
  • Calculation columns display the result of calculations applied on other columns.
  • Control field columns set the common dimension across your report.
  • Data columns display aggregated data from a subreport.
  • Empty columns display empty space between other columns for enhanced visibility.
  • Lookup field value columns display attributes of a control field.
You can also create reports by duplicating columns with calculation or data cells. Workday retains these cell configurations:
  • Formatting
  • Labels
  • Options
  • Subreports
You can perform bulk actions on columns, including:
  • Adding, deleting, and moving columns.
  • Editing filter criteria, options, and style options.
  • Editing general settings.
  1. Access the
    Edit Custom Report
     task.
  2. (Optional) On the
    Columns
     tab in the
    All Columns
     section, mass configure the columns in your report.
    You can also access the
    Table
     tab and select
    Define
    , then the column type from the menu of an undefined column.
  3. In the
    Control Field Columns
     section, click
    Add Column
    .
  4. As you complete the
    Outline Data
     section, consider:
    Option Description
    Outline Structure
    Select an outline structure to use in lookup data rows, such as the
    Ledger Account Outline
     outline structure. When you use the outline structure in lookup data rows, you can expand and collapse nested groupings of ledger accounts.
    Default Outline Structure
    Select to use the outline structure as the populated value in the
    Outline Structure
     field in lookup data rows.
    Expand on Initial Display
    Select an option from the prompt to enable expanding second- and third-level data from the primary hierarchy. Microsoft Excel maintains these report settings when you export the composite report.
    Outline Effective Date
    Workday uses
    Today
     when you don't select an option.
    Summary Data Below
    Select to display the summary or total lines for data rows with outlining at the bottom of the rows.
  5. As you complete the
    Data Columns
     section, consider:
    Option Description
    Sub Report Name
    You can't select matrix or trending subreports that use:
    • Percentile summarization fields.
    • Text-based count distinct summarization fields.
    Map Sub Report Prompts
    Select values to configure each prompt field when the:
    • Composite report uses a prompt set.
    • Subreport uses prompts.
    Map Fields For Join
    Available
    Join Field
     options correspond to the business object used on the
    Control Field
     column. This enables multiple business objects to be available as dimensions on the same report. Example: The
    Group by Field
    Ledger Account
     and
    Ledger Account by Name
     use the same Ledger Account related business object and are available on the same report.
    You can use the
    Validate Composite Reports
     report to identify and fix exceptions when joining subreports for the
    Map Fields For Join
     grid.
    Field to Aggregate
    Available options depend on the
    Summarization Type
     that you configure on the subreport.
    Drill-To
    Configure or manage drill-to report links. See Create Drill-To Report Links for Composite Reports.
  6. As you complete the
    Calculation Columns
     section, consider:
    Option Description
    Expression
    Configure formulas and nested functions using these math functions:
    • Difference
    • Divide
    • Multiply
    • PercentIncrease
    • PercentRemaining
    • Sum
    • SumRange
    Reverse the Sign
    Select
    Yes
     to reverse the natural sign of a value. You can create a row category and reverse the sign of cells in rows associated with that category.
    Drill Down Layout Override
    Select a value to enable report runners to drill down on data in calculation columns.
    Workday doesn't support drilling down on custom fields.
    Select or create a drill-down definition to enable users to drill down on data in calculation columns. On the
    Create Composite Calculation Drill Down Definition
     task, in the
    Drill Down Measures
     grid, specify measures to include in your drill-down layout. In the
    Custom View Details
     grid, specify the business objects to use when you select
    View Details
     or the drillable value on the column.
  7. As you complete the
    Lookup Columns
     section, consider:
    Option Description
    Control Field Column
    Select to display the data in rows sorted by the
    Return Field
     value.
    Return Field
    The value you select must be an attribute of the business object associated with the control field column.
  8. As you complete the
    Repeating Column Groups
     section, consider:
    Option Description
    Repeating Field Value Option
    Select:
    • Prompt User for Value at Run Time
       to select multiple options that Workday displays when the user runs the report.
    • Specify Value
       to specify 1 option for the RCG.
    Repeating Field
    Available when you select
    Specify Value
     from the
    Repeating Field Value Option
     prompt. Select a value that's a valid dimension in all subreports referenced by the data columns.
    Runtime Repeating Field Options
    Available when you select
    Prompt User for Value at Run Time
     from the
    Repeating Field Value Option
     prompt. Select all options that you want to display users run the report. The options must be valid dimensions in all subreports referenced by the data columns.
    Outline Data
    You can expand and collapse various levels of data when the report results display.
    Workday disables column outlining when there's a preexisting conditional value in a cell. When you configure the column outlining first, you can only configure conditional values on calculation cells.
    You can configure Repeating Column Groups (RCGs) to enable a series of contiguous columns to repeat based on a value. Example: 
    Plan
     and
    Actuals
     columns can repeat for each company or cost center. Workday supports RCGs for all column types except control fields.
When you run the report, you can view contextual drill-to report link details from the nested outline structure hierarchies on lookup data rows when you:
  • Drill into a dimension.
  • Select a leaf node within the outline structure hierarchy.
  • Select
    View By
     on a dimension.
Your outline structure is
Ledger Account
Cost Center
Division
Spend Category
. For Workday to display drill-to report details based on the:
  • Nested hierarchy, select a spend category dimension.
  • Primary hierarchy, select a ledger account dimension.
Click
Duplicate
 to mass create columns. Select their location in relation to another column on the report:
  • First (Top)
  • Before
  • After
  • Last (Bottom)
You can further configure the duplicated column by clicking
Edit General
. Workday doesn't support duplicating columns that include an RCG.
Refresh the report to populate the report definition with your duplicated columns.