Project 2007: Creating Custom Project Reports (Part 1 of 2)

Even though Project has more than 25 predefined basic reports (and visual reports), you have the option of creating a custom basic report based on your individual project needs. Custom reports can be summarized by:

• Task
• Resource
• Calendar
• Crosstab

You create custom reports in the Custom Reports dialog box, shown in the first image above. Custom is one of the six categories you see when you open the Reports dialog box (Report menu).

There are many ways to create reports. These are defined in the next several sections.

One way to create a report is to use a report that is already available in Project and then rename and edit it. To create a custom report based on an existing Project report, follow these steps:

1. Choose Report, and choose Reports.
2. Select Custom, and then click Select.
3. To create a task report or resource report, click New in the Custom Reports dialog box, select Task or Resource, and then click OK. You can create a new report or select an existing report and edit it.
4. To edit an existing report, click the report that you want in the Reports box and click Edit.
5. In the Task Report dialog box, in the Definition tab, type a name for the report in the Name box.
6. In the Period drop-down list, select the time period that you want to display.
7. In the Count text box, type the number of time periods you want to report. (The Count box is unavailable if you select Entire Project from the Period drop-down list.)
8. In the Table drop-down list, select the table that you want to display.
9. In the Filter drop-down list, select the filter that you want to apply.
10. If desired, select the Highlight check box to show the filtered tasks with different formatting.
11. If desired, select the Show Summary Tasks check box to include summary tasks in the report.
12. If desired, select the Gray Bands check box to display the report with gray divider lines in the formatting.
13. If desired, sort the task or resource data in a report. To do so, click the Sort tab, select the field that you want to sort on in the Sort By drop-down list, and then select Ascending or Descending.
14. To sort by the second or third sort criteria, select the field that you want in the appropriate Then By drop-down list, and then select Ascending or Descending.
15. Click OK.

Note that the edited report is now available in the Custom Reports dialog box. Click Select to view the report.