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Custom Reports

Tripl-i's Custom Report builder empowers you to create tailored reports that meet your specific business needs. Whether you need to track asset compliance, analyze service performance, or monitor infrastructure health, the custom report builder provides an intuitive way to transform your CMDB data into actionable insights.

What are Custom Reports?​

Custom Reports allow you to create personalized views of your IT infrastructure data by:

  • Selecting specific data from your CMDB collections
  • Applying filters to focus on relevant information
  • Choosing visualization types that best represent your data
  • Scheduling automatic report generation
  • Sharing reports with team members and stakeholders

Creating Custom Reports​

AI-Assisted Report Generation​

Tripl-i includes an AI-powered report builder that understands natural language requests and automatically generates the appropriate report configuration.

How to use AI report generation:

  1. Navigate to Reports and Dashboards
  2. Click "Create Custom Report"
  3. Select "AI-Assisted Generation"
  4. Describe what you want to see in plain language

Example prompts:

  • "Show me all servers in production environment"
  • "Count configuration items by type"
  • "List Windows servers with more than 32GB RAM"
  • "Show service incidents from last week grouped by priority"
  • "Display compliance status by business unit"

The AI analyzes your request and:

  • Identifies the relevant data sources
  • Determines appropriate filters and groupings
  • Suggests the best visualization type
  • Generates a preview of your report

You can then review, modify, and save the report template for future use.

Manual Report Creation​

For more precise control, you can create reports manually through the report builder interface.

Steps to create a manual report:

  1. Click "Create Custom Report" and select "Manual Builder"
  2. Choose your data source (CIs, Services, Events, Vulnerabilities, etc.)
  3. Select the fields you want to include
  4. Configure filters to narrow your results
  5. Choose a visualization type
  6. Preview your report
  7. Save as a template

Available Report Types​

Summary Reports​

Display high-level metrics and key performance indicators.

Best used for:

  • Executive dashboards
  • Quick status overviews
  • KPI tracking
  • Trend summaries

Common examples:

  • Total asset count by type
  • Service availability percentages
  • Open incident counts
  • Compliance score summaries

Detailed Lists​

Show comprehensive data in table format with sorting and filtering capabilities.

Best used for:

  • Asset inventories
  • Audit trails
  • Detailed investigations
  • Data exports

Common examples:

  • Complete server inventory with specifications
  • List of non-compliant configuration items
  • Software installations by system
  • Change history for specific services

Trend Analysis​

Visualize data changes over time to identify patterns and predict future states.

Best used for:

  • Capacity planning
  • Performance monitoring
  • Change impact analysis
  • Historical comparisons

Common examples:

  • CPU utilization trends over 90 days
  • Incident volume by week
  • Storage growth patterns
  • Service availability over time

Comparison Reports​

Compare data across different categories, time periods, or organizational units.

Best used for:

  • Benchmarking
  • Resource allocation decisions
  • Performance comparisons
  • Cost analysis

Common examples:

  • Resource utilization by department
  • Service performance across regions
  • Compliance scores by business unit
  • Vendor comparison analysis

Relationship Reports​

Display connections and dependencies between configuration items and services.

Best used for:

  • Impact analysis
  • Change planning
  • Service mapping
  • Dependency visualization

Common examples:

  • Service dependency trees
  • Application component relationships
  • Network topology views
  • Business service maps

Visualization Options​

Charts and Graphs​

Bar Charts

  • Compare values across categories
  • Show rankings and distributions
  • Display grouped comparisons

Line Charts

  • Track trends over time
  • Show rate of change
  • Display multiple metrics on one axis

Pie Charts

  • Show proportions and percentages
  • Display composition breakdowns
  • Visualize market share or allocation

Area Charts

  • Emphasize cumulative totals
  • Show part-to-whole relationships over time
  • Display stacked category contributions

Scatter Plots

  • Identify correlations
  • Detect outliers
  • Show distribution patterns

Tables​

Interactive Data Tables

  • Sort by any column
  • Filter and search data
  • Export to Excel or CSV
  • Customize column visibility

Pivot Tables

  • Dynamic data reorganization
  • Cross-tabulation analysis
  • Multiple aggregation functions
  • Drill-down capabilities

Key Performance Indicators​

KPI Cards

  • Single metric displays
  • Trend indicators (up/down arrows)
  • Comparison to targets
  • Color-coded status indicators

Advanced Visualizations​

Heat Maps

  • Show intensity patterns
  • Identify hot spots
  • Display correlation matrices
  • Time-based activity patterns

Tree Maps

  • Hierarchical data representation
  • Resource allocation views
  • Storage utilization displays
  • Nested category comparisons

Network Diagrams

  • Relationship visualization
  • Dependency mapping
  • Impact analysis
  • Service architecture

Filtering and Customization​

Filter Types​

Field Filters

  • Text matching (contains, equals, starts with)
  • Numeric comparisons (greater than, less than, between)
  • Date ranges (last 7 days, this month, custom range)
  • Multi-select options
  • Boolean conditions

Dynamic Filters

  • User-specific data (my assets, my tickets)
  • Role-based filtering
  • Tenant-specific data
  • Contextual filters based on current selections

Time-Based Filters

  • Relative time ranges (last hour, today, this week)
  • Absolute date ranges (January 1 - March 31)
  • Rolling windows (trailing 30 days)
  • Business day calculations

Customization Options​

Data Grouping

  • Group by category, type, or status
  • Hierarchical grouping (department > team > individual)
  • Custom group definitions
  • Automatic bucketing of numeric values

Aggregations

  • Count records
  • Sum numeric values
  • Calculate averages
  • Find minimum/maximum values
  • Count distinct values

Sorting

  • Ascending or descending order
  • Multiple sort levels
  • Custom sort orders
  • Automatic ranking

Formatting

  • Number formats (currency, percentage, decimal places)
  • Date formats (local preferences)
  • Color coding by value
  • Conditional formatting

Sharing and Collaboration​

Sharing Reports​

Share with Users

  1. Open your custom report
  2. Click the "Share" button
  3. Select users or groups
  4. Set permission level (view only or can edit)
  5. Click "Share"

Recipients will see the shared report in their Reports list.

Share with Teams

  • Share with entire departments
  • Share with project teams
  • Share with management groups
  • Share organization-wide

Permission Levels​

View Only

  • Can run the report
  • Can apply filters
  • Can export data
  • Cannot modify the report configuration

Can Edit

  • All view permissions
  • Can modify filters
  • Can change visualizations
  • Can update report settings

Owner

  • All edit permissions
  • Can share with others
  • Can delete the report
  • Can manage permissions

Embedded Reports​

Reports can be embedded in:

  • Custom dashboards
  • Service catalog entries
  • CMDB configuration item pages
  • External portals (with proper authentication)

Report Templates​

Using Predefined Templates​

Tripl-i includes ready-to-use report templates for common scenarios:

Infrastructure Reports

  • Server inventory by operating system
  • Network device status
  • Storage utilization summary
  • Virtual machine allocation

Service Reports

  • Service availability dashboard
  • Incident volume by service
  • Service dependency map
  • SLA compliance tracking

Compliance Reports

  • Policy violation summary
  • Configuration drift detection
  • Security posture assessment
  • Audit readiness report

Asset Management Reports

  • Hardware lifecycle status
  • Software license compliance
  • Asset assignment by department
  • End-of-life tracking

Creating Report Templates​

Save frequently used reports as templates for easy reuse:

  1. Create and configure your custom report
  2. Test with different filters to ensure flexibility
  3. Click "Save as Template"
  4. Provide a descriptive name and category
  5. Add tags for easy searching
  6. Choose whether to share the template

Templates can include:

  • Pre-configured data sources
  • Default filters (with override capability)
  • Visualization settings
  • Formatting preferences
  • Scheduling options

Scheduling and Automation​

Scheduled Reports​

Run reports automatically at regular intervals:

  1. Open your saved report
  2. Click "Schedule"
  3. Set frequency (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly)
  4. Choose time and day
  5. Select delivery method
  6. Configure recipients

Delivery Options​

Email Delivery

  • PDF attachment
  • Excel spreadsheet
  • CSV data file
  • Link to live report

Integration Delivery

  • Push to ServiceNow
  • Send to Slack channel
  • Post to Microsoft Teams
  • Upload to SharePoint

Report Snapshots​

Create point-in-time snapshots for:

  • Historical comparisons
  • Compliance documentation
  • Change tracking
  • Audit requirements

Snapshots preserve:

  • Data as of the snapshot date
  • Applied filters and parameters
  • Visualization configuration
  • Annotations and notes

Exporting Reports​

Export Formats​

PDF

  • Formatted for printing
  • Includes charts and visualizations
  • Maintains brand styling
  • Ideal for presentations

Excel

  • Raw data in spreadsheet format
  • Multiple sheets for complex reports
  • Formulas and pivot tables
  • Suitable for further analysis

CSV

  • Plain text data export
  • Compatible with all systems
  • Easy to import elsewhere
  • Good for data migration

HTML

  • Interactive web format
  • Preserves interactivity
  • Shareable via link
  • Embeddable in portals

Export Options​

Full Report

  • Includes all data and visualizations
  • Preserves formatting and styling
  • Contains metadata and timestamps

Data Only

  • Raw dataset without formatting
  • Faster for large datasets
  • Suitable for bulk processing

Summary Only

  • Key metrics and highlights
  • Executive overview format
  • One-page presentation

Best Practices​

Report Design​

Keep It Simple

  • Focus on answering one or two key questions
  • Avoid cluttering with too many metrics
  • Use clear, descriptive titles
  • Include context and explanations

Choose the Right Visualization

  • Use bar charts for comparisons
  • Use line charts for trends
  • Use pie charts for proportions
  • Use tables for detailed data

Consider Your Audience

  • Executives need high-level summaries
  • Analysts need detailed data
  • Operations need actionable information
  • Compliance needs audit trails

Performance Optimization​

Filter Early

  • Apply filters before aggregation
  • Use indexed fields when possible
  • Limit date ranges to necessary periods
  • Avoid overly broad queries

Manage Data Volume

  • Set reasonable row limits
  • Use sampling for large datasets
  • Implement pagination for tables
  • Schedule heavy reports for off-peak hours

Test with Production Data

  • Verify performance with realistic data volumes
  • Check for slow-running queries
  • Validate filter effectiveness
  • Ensure visualizations render properly

Maintenance​

Regular Reviews

  • Verify data accuracy monthly
  • Update filters as business needs change
  • Remove unused reports
  • Refresh templates with new requirements

Version Control

  • Document report changes
  • Keep backup copies of critical reports
  • Track who made modifications
  • Maintain change history

Quality Assurance

  • Validate calculations and aggregations
  • Cross-check with source data
  • Test scheduled deliveries
  • Verify permissions and sharing settings

Common Use Cases​

Infrastructure Management​

Server Lifecycle Tracking Monitor hardware age and plan replacements by tracking server purchase dates, warranty expiration, and performance metrics.

Capacity Planning Identify resources approaching capacity limits by analyzing utilization trends across compute, storage, and network resources.

Configuration Compliance Detect configuration drift by comparing current configurations against approved baselines and standards.

Service Management​

Service Health Dashboard Display real-time service status, recent incidents, and performance metrics in a single consolidated view.

Incident Analysis Analyze incident patterns to identify recurring issues, mean time to resolution, and root cause trends.

Change Success Rate Track change success and failure rates to improve change management processes and reduce risk.

Security and Compliance​

Vulnerability Dashboard Monitor open vulnerabilities by severity, age, and affected systems to prioritize remediation efforts.

Compliance Posture Track compliance status across multiple frameworks with drill-down capability to specific requirements.

Security Event Trends Identify security patterns and anomalies by analyzing authentication failures, policy violations, and threat indicators.

Asset Management​

Software License Compliance Compare installed software against purchased licenses to identify over-deployment or optimization opportunities.

Hardware Inventory Maintain accurate hardware inventories with specifications, locations, and assignment information.

Asset Utilization Identify underutilized resources that could be repurposed or decommissioned to reduce costs.

Troubleshooting​

Report Shows No Data​

Possible causes:

  • Filters are too restrictive
  • Selected date range contains no data
  • Data source collection is empty
  • Permissions prevent data access

Solutions:

  • Remove or broaden filters
  • Expand date range
  • Verify data exists in CMDB
  • Check sharing and permission settings

Report Runs Slowly​

Possible causes:

  • Large dataset without filters
  • Complex aggregations
  • Multiple data source joins
  • Visualization rendering large datasets

Solutions:

  • Add filters to reduce data volume
  • Simplify aggregation logic
  • Use indexed fields for filtering
  • Limit visualization data points

Visualization Doesn't Display​

Possible causes:

  • Incompatible data format
  • Missing required fields
  • Browser compatibility issue
  • Data outside expected range

Solutions:

  • Verify data structure matches visualization requirements
  • Check for null or invalid values
  • Try different browser
  • Scale data to appropriate range

Scheduled Report Not Delivered​

Possible causes:

  • Email configuration issue
  • Recipient address invalid
  • Report execution failed
  • File size exceeds limits

Solutions:

  • Verify email settings
  • Check recipient addresses
  • Review report execution logs
  • Reduce export size or use links

Next Steps​