Guidebook to the
Responsible Fatherhood Project
Participant Management Information System

Guide to Generating Sample Reports and Designing New Reports

Printing Pre-Formatted Reports
Creating a New Report
Sample Pre-Formatted Reports

Microsoft Access contains a powerful and flexible report generating capability. This capability will allow sites to use data within the RFMIS to assist with ongoing case management and to conduct in-depth statistical analysis of participant characteristics, services received, and outcomes. Access has the ability to link up all data fields within the system (see "queries") and to allow the user to print all data items within the system on reports. Data included on reports can be sorted on any variable or combination of variables (e.g., alphabetically by participant name). In addition, reports can select out and print data on only a select group of participants (e.g., for males, for a certain case manager, for individuals with substance abuse problems). While generally sites will print out reports that include listings of participant characteristics, it is also possible to generate more summary reports (e.g., tabulations calculating the percentage of participants in specified age ranges; pie charts and other graphs; or crosstabulations). In addition, it is possible to transfer data to other statistical applications for more sophisticated statistical analyses, such as SAS and SPSS.

In designing the RFMIS, we have included a series of pre-formatted reports that sites can use as appropriate and will provide examples of the types of reports that can be generated by the system. Sites are encouraged to experiment with both reports and queries to generate their own reports tailored to specific site case management and analysis needs. Below, we provide instructions on how to generate pre-formatted reports, some basic instructions on how to begin creating new reports, and some examples of the pre-formatted reports (with sample data).

Printing Pre-Formatted Reports

The steps involved in printing a pre-formatted report are relatively simple. At the RFMIS Main Menu, click on the menu item "Print Out an Existing Report." This will bring up a submenu, with a list of pre-formatted reports (see Exhibit 12). Using your mouse, click on the report that you would like to print. This report will first be previewed on your monitor (with data). To print the report, click on the print icon on the Access Toolbar. The report should be sent to your printer. You can then print another report or simply hit the "X" in the right hand corner of the screen to return to the RFMIS Main Menu.

Exhibit 12: Pre-Formatted Reports Submenu

Creating a New Report

Creating new reports in Microsoft Access takes some patience and practice, but the procedures are relatively simple once mastered. Once some proficiency in report design has been developed, it should be possible to produce new reports in less than an hour (unless they are very complicated). Below, we provide a brief set of steps for beginning to create a new report. Please consult your Access help menu or manual for additional instruction on creating new reports.

If you are new to creating reports, there are several "wizards" that can help you with beginning to lay out reports. As you progress, you can develop reports using a custom layout you design. You will probably want to use the "report wizard" to create your first few report. Use these basic steps:

At the RFMIS Main Menu, use your mouse to click on the "Database Window" icon on the Access Toolbar. This will present you with a list of folders (i.e., Table, Queries, Forms, Reports, etc.).
Click on the tab that says "Reports" -- this will provide a list of all existing reports (as shown in Exhibit 13). To begin the steps involved in creating a new report, click on the "New" box with your mouse. This will provide you with six ways to create report in Access:
1. Design Report,
2. Report Wizard,
3. Columnar AutoReport,
4. Tabular AutoReport,
5. Chart Wizard, and
6. Label Wizard.
Exhibit 13: Access Screens for Creating New Reports
You could move forward with any of these six choices. If you have not worked with reports before, you will probably want to use the "report wizard." If you select report wizard, then you will be led through a series of choices that will select fields to include in the report and determine the basic structure of the report. Among the basic steps that you will follow under the report wizard will be the following (note: after each step, click the "next" box with your mouse:
- First, you will select a table or query to use (e.g., the "Participant" table), which will define the basic group of fields that you can select from in defining your report.
- Next, you will select the specific fields that you want to include in your report.
- Next, you will select if and how you want to group records on your report (e.g., by case manager).
- Next, you will select how you want the records to sort on your report (e.g., alphabetically, by last name, first name, and middle initial of the participant).
- Next, you will determine how the report will look -- three basic forms are provided: columnar, tabular, or justified). You will probably want your initial reports to be tabular, though may want to experiment with the other two formats. Under this menu item, you also determine whether the report will be printed out in "portrait" or "landscape" on the paper (note: landscape will enable you to fit more fields of data across the page).
- Next you will be able to select among several different styles (e.g., corporate), which will determine the font size and appearance of the report.
- Finally, you will give a title to the report.

In creating reports, you will use what are termed "controls." "Controls" are the objects on a report that perform actions, decorate the document, or line the report and its data source. For example, use controls to display data from fields on the report. To create a report, you use the Access toolbox to add controls. Frequently used report controls include text boxes, check boxes, labels, and decorative lines and borders. "Control properties" determine the structure, appearance, and behavior of a control, as well as the characteristics of the text or data that it contains. Properties vary depending on the object (for example, there are nearly 20 possible properties for a picture that is placed in a report, including name, alignment, size, relative location, background color, border color, and border width).

Consulting a Microsoft Access manual, using the tutorials that come with Access data base, and "hands-on" practice in creating reports will enable you to master the basics of creating new reports and move toward more sophisticated report creation..