A beginners guide to creating custom reports in Agiloft

If you’ve ever stared at Agiloft’s reporting tools and thought, “Where do I even start?”—you’re not alone. Reports can be confusing, and the documentation isn’t always beginner-friendly. This guide is for anyone who just wants to build a straightforward, custom report in Agiloft without getting buried in jargon or spending hours clicking around.

Whether you’re a contract manager, admin, or just the “techie” on your team, you’ll find honest advice here—what works, what’s a waste of time, and a step-by-step path to your first useful report.

What Exactly Is a “Custom Report” in Agiloft?

Let’s clear up some confusion: in Agiloft, a “report” is a way to pull out specific information from your records and show it in a table, chart, or graph. Custom reports let you slice and dice the data however you want—by status, by owner, by date, and so on.

You’ll use these to answer questions like:

  • How many contracts expire this quarter?
  • Which support tickets are overdue?
  • Who’s closing the most deals?

The key is that you define what info matters, not the software.

Before You Start: What You Actually Need

Don’t jump straight into the report builder. Take five minutes to get your bearings. Here’s what you should have ready:

  • A clear question: What exactly do you want this report to answer? (“Show all contracts over $10,000 expiring this year” is a lot better than “Show me contracts.”)
  • Table access: Know which table in Agiloft holds your data. Contracts? Tickets? Assets?
  • Field names: You don’t need to memorize them, but get familiar. “Contract Value” might be called “Amount” in your system.
  • Permission: You’ll need admin or report-creation rights. If you can’t see the “Reports” tab, ask your admin.

Pro tip: Write down your question in plain language. If you can’t explain it simply, the report will be a mess.

Step 1: Find the Right Table

Every report in Agiloft starts with a table. That’s where your data lives.

  1. Log in to Agiloft.
  2. In the navigation pane, click the table you need (for example, “Contracts”).
  3. Look for the “Reports” button or tab at the top. Click it.

If you don’t see the right table, you might not have permission, or the table could be hidden. Ask your admin if you’re stuck.

Step 2: Start a New Report

Once you’re in the right table:

  1. Click New (or “Create Report”—the wording changes depending on your version).
  2. You’ll see a bunch of choices. Ignore “Default Reports” unless you want to copy something that exists.
  3. Pick the report type:
  4. Table: For lists of records. Easiest place to start.
  5. Chart/Graph: For visual summaries (bar, pie, line). Good for dashboards, but trickier to set up.
  6. Pivot Table: For grouped summaries (think Excel). Only use if you’re comfortable with the basics first.

If you’re new, stick with a Table report. You can get fancy later.

Step 3: Pick the Fields to Show

This is what people actually see in the report. Be choosy—too many columns, and it’s unreadable.

  1. You’ll get a list of all fields in the table. Check the boxes for the ones you want. Typical picks:

    • Record ID or Name
    • Status
    • Owner
    • Date fields (created, due, expiration)
    • Amount or value

  2. Order matters—drag fields up or down to set the column order.

Pro tip: Don’t show fields “just in case.” Start with a few, add more if needed. Less is more.

Step 4: Filter the Data

This is where you make the report actually useful. Filters limit which records show up.

  1. Click “Add Filter” or “Set Conditions.”

  2. Choose the field, operator, and value. For example:

    • Field: Status | Operator: Equals | Value: Active
    • Field: Expiration Date | Operator: Before | Value: 12/31/2024

  3. Stack multiple filters to narrow it down:

    • Contracts over $10,000 AND expiring this year AND owned by “Jane Doe.”

  4. Test your filters—does the preview look right? If not, double-check field names and logic.

Honest take: Filtering is where most people mess up. Start simple, then layer on complexity. If nothing shows up, your filter is probably too strict.

Step 5: Sort and Group (Optional, But Handy)

Sorting and grouping help make sense of big lists.

  • Sort: Choose one or more fields to order the results (e.g., by Expiration Date, oldest to newest).
  • Group: Useful for seeing totals by owner, type, or status. Not required, but can be a big time-saver.

For most beginners, just sorting is enough. Grouping is worth learning once you’re comfortable with the basics.

Step 6: Choose the Output Format

You can run your report inside Agiloft, or export it:

  • On-screen: Good for quick checks. You can click into records from here.
  • Excel/CSV: Choose if you need to share or analyze further. (Be careful—exports don’t always look pretty.)
  • PDF: For “print-ready” reports, but formatting can be hit-or-miss.

If you’re just getting started, stick with on-screen or Excel.

Step 7: Save and Share

  1. Give your report a clear, specific name. (“Active Contracts Expiring 2024” beats “Report 1.”)
  2. Set who can see or run the report—yourself, certain teams, or everyone.
  3. Save it.

If you want others to use it, check their permissions. Agiloft has strong security by default, so some people may not see your shiny new report.

Step 8: Schedule and Automate (If You Want)

If you want a report to run automatically (say, every Monday morning):

  1. Find the “Schedule” or “Automation” options (usually in the report’s settings).
  2. Set the frequency, recipients, and output format.
  3. Test it—seriously, always test scheduled reports before telling your boss it’s live.

Reality check: Automation is great, but only after you’ve got a report that works. Don’t try to automate a mess.

What Works Well (And What Doesn’t)

What’s good:

  • Agiloft’s report builder covers all the basics—tables, charts, filters.
  • Security is strong; you can control exactly who sees what.
  • Reports update with your data, so you don’t have to rebuild them every time.

What’s not so hot:

  • The interface can be clunky. Sometimes “Save” and “Run” are buried in menus.
  • Chart options are limited—if you want slick dashboards, you’ll hit walls fast.
  • If your data’s messy (inconsistent fields, typos), your reports will look bad. Clean up your data first.

What to ignore (for now):

  • “Advanced” formatting and scripting—unless you’re already comfortable with Agiloft, these will just slow you down.
  • Custom SQL or API reporting—powerful, but overkill for most folks.

Pro Tips for Smoother Reporting

  • Keep it simple: Start with one question, one report. Add more only when you need it.
  • Test everything: Run your report with sample data before sharing. Nothing kills credibility like a broken report.
  • Document as you go: Write down what each report does, and what filters are used. Future-you (or your teammates) will thank you.
  • Don’t be afraid to start over: Sometimes it’s faster to rebuild than to troubleshoot a tangled report.

Wrap-up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often

Building custom reports in Agiloft isn’t rocket science, but it can feel like it if you try to do too much at once. Start with a clear question, build a basic report, and improve as you go. Don’t get distracted by every shiny feature—focus on what actually helps your team.

If you keep things simple and aren’t afraid to tweak or restart, you’ll be building useful reports in no time.