Understand Report Fields

Every report is built from two core field types: attributes and metrics. Understanding what each one does—and how they work together—makes it easier to structure reports that surface meaningful answers. Whether you’re pulling a roster, counting assignments, or comparing data across terms, choosing the right fields is key.

Most fields available in the reporting tool are attributes. These define how data is grouped, labeled, or filtered. When you want to calculate or summarize values, you’ll need to add a metric alongside your attributes.

 

What Attributes Do

Attributes organize and label your report data. They appear as values in your rows, columns, or filters and include items like student name, building, term, or room type. In the field panel, attributes are marked with an orange ABC icon.

Reports built entirely from attributes function like detailed lists or rosters. You’ll see one row per record—useful for exports, audits, or assignment tracking. These reports show raw data only, without counts or totals.

Attributes can also be added to the filter section to narrow your report to a specific group, such as first-year students or residents in a particular hall.

 

What Metrics Do

Metrics turn data into something measurable. They calculate totals, counts, or averages and are required when building summaries, charts, or dashboards. Metrics often appear with a calculator or 123 icon in the field catalog. If you want to count students, sum fees, or show the number of assigned beds by term, you’ll need to include a metric. Think of them like spreadsheet formulas—they measure the data grouped by your chosen attributes.

For example, to chart how many students are assigned per building, you’d add Building Name as a row attribute and Count of Students as the metric.

 

What Facts Do

Facts are raw numerical values pulled directly from the system, such as charge amounts, student age, or specific fee values. Unlike metrics, they aren’t calculated—they display stored values without aggregation. Facts are useful in more advanced reporting, particularly when you need to show precise data points instead of totals or averages.

Most basic reports won’t require facts, but they can be helpful for detailed financial or demographic summaries.

 

When to Use Attributes with Metrics

To build a report that shows grouped totals, you’ll need both an attribute and a metric. For example, to see the number of assigned students in each residence hall:

• Add Building Name to the Rows section.

• Add Count of Students to the Metrics section.

This setup will display one row per building and the total number of students assigned to each. If you’re building a chart, this combination also makes it possible to visualize your data.

 

When You Don’t Need a Metric

Not every report needs a calculated value. For detailed views—like assignment lists or audit exports—you can use attributes only. A report showing Student ID, First Name, Room, Building, and Term gives you a full roster without any metrics.

Filters can still be applied to narrow the results, even if no summary value is included.

 

If a Metric Is Missing

Some metrics—like Count of Students or Count of Assigned Beds—may already be configured in your environment. If you don’t see a metric you expect, it might not be enabled in your reporting catalog. Reach out to support if you need help adding one.

 

Use Data Keys for Joined Reports

If you’re combining data from different sources—like linking assignments with charges—be sure to include Profile ID or Residency ID in your report. These keys act as anchors that ensure related data stays correctly aligned across tables.