In Spotler CRM, you decide which data a report can use under Choose Objects in the Objects & Fields step of a report. You can select the objects yourself, such as Account or Contact, or use a preset: a ready-made report setup that already knows which objects and fields go together. Selecting your own objects is the default and works for most reports. Presets are meant for specific, complex queries that you cannot build by selecting objects yourself.
In most cases, leave Use Presets set to No and select your own objects. Use a preset only when you need a query that is not possible with your own objects, when your company has a preset created specially for it, or when you work with a report that was converted from the legacy editor.
How does selecting your own objects work?
Selecting your own objects means you choose the main type of record your report is about, and then add the related records you want extra information from. You do this under Choose Objects in the Objects & Fields step, with Use Presets set to No. This is the default setting.
- Under Primary Object, select the main type of record your report is about, for example Account or Contact. Each row in the report represents one of these records.
- Under Related Objects, add the record types linked to the primary object that you want to show extra information from. For example, add Account to a Contact report to show the company of each contact.
- Under Choose Fields, select the columns you want to show in the report.
The primary object determines which related objects you can add. When Contact is the primary object, you can add the account of each contact. When Account is the primary object, you can add the child objects of the account, such as its contacts. Both ways often lead to a similar result, but each row represents a different record type: a contact or an account.
What is a preset?
A preset is a ready-made report setup that already knows which objects and fields go together, so you only need to add your criteria. Selecting the Account preset gives the same result as selecting Account yourself, and selecting the Contact preset is the same as selecting Account and Contact. Some presets run more advanced database queries, which give results you cannot achieve by selecting your own objects. To use a preset, set Use Presets to Yes under Choose Objects and select the preset.
When should you use a preset?
A preset is the right choice in these situations:
- You need a complex query that is not possible with your own objects.
- Your company has a preset that was created specially for your reports.
- You work with a report that was converted from the legacy editor. The legacy editor only worked with presets, so a converted report keeps its preset.
For all other reports, selecting your own objects is simpler and gives you more control over which data you include.
Next step: choose your fields
After you choose your objects, you select the columns of your report under Choose Fields, in the same Objects & Fields step. Each column shows the object it belongs to, for example Account.Name or Contact.Email, so you can see which object a field comes from.