Reporting: Glossary of terms

All reports

Lookout's collection of ready-made, templated reports. You choose a report, set a date range, and run it - no setup required. Best for common, general-purpose reporting needs.

Data exporter

Lookout's flexible, build-your-own reporting tool. It lets you pull specific information out of Lookout into a downloadable file, with control over which columns are included and how the data is filtered. Best when a ready-made report doesn't give you the control you need.

General reports

The group of ready-made reports within All Reports covering everyday information - such as Members, Helpers, tickets, and visits. Available to all staffers by default.

Financial reports

The group of ready-made reports within All Reports covering financial information - such as accounts payable, transactions, and payroll. Only visible to staffers with the Finance Admin permission.

Building an export

Template

A saved data export you've built, which can be run again whenever you need it. Templates can be edited, duplicated, and archived, but not deleted.

Category (Dimension)

The type of data a template is based on. For example, Member invoice lines, visits, or Helper details. A category is essentially a "view" on your data: it determines which columns are available to add.

Column

A single piece of information included in an export; for example, a Member's name or an amount.

Data column

A column pulled directly from Lookout's data (such as a Member's name, an ID, or a price).

Custom column

A column you define yourself; either a fixed value that appears on every row, or a calculated value created using liquid tags.

Liquid tags

A way to build calculated or combined values in a custom column. For example, joining a fixed web address with a Member's ID. (See our dedicated guide on liquid tags for the full options.)

Managing columns

Manage Columns

The area where you can see all the columns in a template, reorder them (using the six-dot handle), and manage them in bulk.

Rename / Column name

Changing a column's label so it's clearer or matches what another system expects; helpful when importing the file elsewhere.

Conditional transformation

A rule that changes what a column displays - taking a value and replacing it with another. You can add multiple rules.

Hidden column

A column kept available for filtering on screen but left out of the downloaded file. Useful for filtering by something (like a Member name) without including it in the final export.

Filter

A rule that narrows an export to only the records you want. For example, "is equal to Private". Only certain columns can be filtered, shown by a funnel icon.

Filterable column

A column that can have a filter applied to it. Whether a column is filterable is set by Lookout, and is indicated by a funnel icon.

Running an export

Date Range

The period an export covers. You can pick a custom range or a preset (such as last week or month to date). Exports are limited to a maximum of one year at a time.

Export Period (Date Basis)

Which date an export is measured against. For example, the invoice issue date, service delivery date, or publish date. The available options depend on the data category.

CSV / JSON

The two file formats you can export to. CSV suits spreadsheets and finance systems; JSON suits system-to-system use. Exported data is also available through the API.

Preview

The on-screen view of an export, which shows only the first 25 rows. The downloaded file contains all the matching data.

Export history

An audit log kept against each template, showing when exports were run and by whom, and allowing past files to be re-downloaded.