Custom Reports: get the most out of your Document Management Software

"Knowledge consists in filtering information." These words were pronounced by Maestro Umberto Eco during a lectio magistralis at the Collegio di Milano on 8 October 2006. Almost twenty years later, the great Italian semiologist's words are still relevant, reminding us that "too much information is equivalent to no information" without an adequate capacity for control, research, and filtering.
 In many companies, the same happens when the mass of documents and information 1976present is not managed adequately, and the information overload exceeds processing capacity and slows down or paralyzes the possibility of making adequate choices. (B. Schwartz, The paradox of choice)
In these situations, the possibility of in-depth reporting is essential for an informed decision-making process and operational efficiency.

The Benefits of Document Management Software with Advanced Custom Report Functionality

Relying on document management software equipped with advanced features to create customized reports represents a crucial advantage for optimizing information management. These features allow companies to generate highly customized reports aimed at meeting specific needs, offering significant operational and strategic advantages.

Greater Flexibility and Personalization

Thanks to custom reports, it is possible to configure content, formats, and data presentation methods according to your needs. A company can create periodic reports that analyze document use based on parameters such as user, department, or workflow status. With LogicalDOC's custom report function, you could ask, for example, which user created the most documents in a given period or who deleted the most? Or even define how much my archive has grown over time and with what progression. In this way, we have the possibility of accessing information that is not immediately visible in the classic LogicalDOC interface. In this way, it is possible to highlight trends, identify anomalies or problems, and productively filter data.
LogicalDOC's custom report allows you to create different visual solutions for our reports (bar, pie, Cartesian, or 3D charts) and generate different output formats (PDF, XLSX, or HTML) that will be published as documents in the repository.
This level of customization allows you to align reports with business objectives or even to identify any process anomalies, improving the accuracy of data-based decisions.

Integration with Databases and External Systems

Advanced software offers tools for integration with relational databases or other business systems (for example, ERP or CRM). Reports can extract information from different sources through direct connections to SQL databases or REST APIs, creating a unified and complete view of business operations. This kind oh approach improves the quality of the analysis and avoids the formation of separate storage systems or databases unable to communicate or share information between them (information silo).
LogicalDOC can create custom reports through Eclipse BIRT's potential. The BIRT engine required to generate reports at runtime from LogicalDOC does not need to be installed separately, as it is already included in the LogicalDOC installation. The user can generate the desired reports directly within LogicalDOC in complete safety, analyzing trends in the repository precisely.

Automation, Scheduling and Security

Many document management systems allow you to automate the generation and distribution of reports. You can configure triggers based on events (e.g. the completion of a workflow) or schedule periodic emailing of reports to predefined recipients. This automation reduces manual workloads and ensures critical information is available at the right time. It is important that different levels of authorization and access to report creation can be defined. With LogicalDOC, for example, administrators and expert users can define specific reports to take control of the document archive, while regular users can access published reports to perform business intelligence tasks.
In addition, custom reports simplify monitoring regulatory compliance for companies operating in regulated industries. They can be designed to track and document activities such as file access or document changes, providing a complete audit trail that can also be used during inspections.

Bottom line: Strengthen Data-Driven Decision-Making

A document management software with advanced features of custom reports not only improves document management but becomes a powerful ally for business intelligence, promoting informed decisions and the achievement of strategic business objectives.
Thanks to features such as dynamic filters, data aggregation, and graphical visualizations (e.g., pivot tables or graphs), custom reports transform raw data into useful information. This knowledge allows managers to identify trends, measure performance, and quickly intervene in case of inefficiencies.