# How to Create Custom Reports in JobBOSS and JobBOSS2

> Source: https://netray.co/erp-help/how-to-create-reports-in-jobboss-and-jobboss2
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: ERP Help

## Short answer

Start from the standard report closest to what you need, copy it, and change the copy in the report designer rather than editing the original. For anything the designer cannot express, write a SQL query or view against the JobBOSS database and use it in the designer or in Excel. The designer and the file format differ between classic JobBOSS and JobBOSS2, so check which one you are on.

## Kind

how-to

## System

job-shop-erp

## Erp

JobBOSS / JobBOSS2 (ECI)

## Module

Reporting / Report designer

## Query

how to create reports in jobboss

## Alternate Queries

- jobboss report designer
- how to create custom reports in jobboss2
- jobboss reports
- jobboss2 report designer

## Applies To

JobBOSS (classic) and JobBOSS2. Classic JobBOSS has traditionally used Crystal Reports based report files; JobBOSS2 has its own report designer. Confirm what your version ships with.

## Steps

### Build a custom report

**Items:**

- Write down the question the report answers, who reads it, and its filters, such as date range, customer or work center.
- Find the closest standard report and run it, so you know what data and layout already exist.
- Copy the report with a new name. Never overwrite the standard one, since upgrades can replace it.
- Open the copy in the report designer, and change the layout, fields and grouping.
- Add parameters for the filters so users pick dates or customers when running the report, rather than editing the report.
- Test against known jobs where you can calculate the answer by hand.
- Store the file in the location your system expects, set who may run it, and document its purpose and owner.
- Add the new report file to your backup and upgrade checklist.

## Sections

### Common shop reports to build

**Body:**

Typical requests are open jobs by due date, on-time delivery by customer, job profitability (estimate versus actual), WIP by job, quote conversion rate, scrap and rework by work center, and open purchase orders by supplier.

Start with one that has an unambiguous answer, such as open jobs by due date, so you can prove the tool works before you take on measures like profitability that depend on how costs are defined.

### When SQL is the better route

**Body:**

If the report needs data from several tables with custom logic, write the query first, check it in SQL Server Management Studio, and then expose it as a view. The designer or Excel can then use the view as a simple source.

Use a read-only login and a view rather than pointing reports at application tables directly. Views keep your logic in one place, and they give you one thing to fix after an upgrade rather than many reports.

**Code:**

CREATE VIEW dbo.vw_open_jobs_by_due AS
SELECT j.Job, j.Customer, j.Part_Number, j.Order_Quantity, j.Customer_PO
FROM dbo.Job j
WHERE j.Status = 'Active';
-- Table and column names above are illustrative: check your own schema first.

### Governance for custom reports

**Body:**

- Keep a list of custom reports with owner, purpose, source tables and last test date. When a report is wrong, you will need to know who relies on it.
- After every upgrade, rerun a handful of key reports against a known period and compare totals with the pre-upgrade copy.

## Pitfalls

- Editing the standard report instead of a copy.
- Hard-coding dates and customers instead of using parameters.
- Pointing reports at tables whose columns change between versions.
- Building profitability reports before the cost definitions are agreed.
- Not testing against figures you can check by hand.
- Having no owner for a custom report.

## Ai Angle

Many report requests are one-off questions that do not deserve a designer project. A grounded assistant such as ERPray can answer a question like which open jobs are past due by customer in plain language, show the SQL, and let you export the result. When a question recurs, turn it into a proper report or view. Running on-prem keeps job and pricing data inside your network.

## Faq

### What report designer does JobBOSS use?

**Answer:** Classic JobBOSS has used Crystal Reports based files, and JobBOSS2 has its own designer. Check what your version includes with ECI.

### Can I write reports in Excel instead?

**Answer:** Yes. Connect Excel to a read-only SQL view and refresh it. This suits finance and management reporting.

### Why did my custom report break after an upgrade?

**Answer:** Often a column or table changed, or the file was replaced. Keep copies under your own names and use views to isolate schema changes.

### Who should be allowed to build reports?

**Answer:** A small group with SQL and reporting skill, with a documented list of reports and owners.

## Search terms

how to create reports in jobboss, jobboss reports, jobboss report designer, jobboss2 report designer, custom reports jobboss2, jobboss crystal reports, jobboss reports 2.0

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