Synopsis
The beauty of standardized reports and standardized data is to enable the users to view reports that are pretty accurate and consistent at any time in a flash in one shot because it has been tried and tested and automated. Just like clockwork. It saves everybody a lot of work doing them manually on an as needed basis.
To create standardized reports can be a very detailed process. I don’t get ahead of myself to start to engage. Just like you need to know how to walk before you can run, one needs to make sure what is being conveyed to one is clear and one may ask clarifying questions.
Once on a firm foundation, one starts and works on the data, jumping into more details which can entail consolidating different sets of data, conversion of data types, slicing and dicing, in the case of MS Excel using Vlookups and all sorts of formulas, trimming of spaces in characters, filling up missing data, formatting, creating calculated columns, and so on. In the case of MS Access, getting the data into tables, normalizing the data, programming, querying, etc.
In many ways SSRS works the same way and most data already standardized for most needs, stored in an SQL Server database, and with SQL writing data can even be pulled and arranged in numerous means. I would regularly create SSRS reports for years but thought I’d get a certificate. There is always something to learn. There you go –
SQL Server: Reporting Services
And before handover to production, whether it be a report in MS Excel, MS Access, or SSRS, one shows the standardized reports to the key stakeholder or the requestors to make sure everything is in alignment and the desired outcome is being met to the fullest. That one who sees it would not see something that would make one scratch his head and wonder. To the get the most out of reports, one may have to refine.
As an added bonus, I give the users a bird’s eye view of what the report is about by providing a brief description at a glance as a preview. More importantly, often I put the users in the driver’s seat by enabling them to display data from various perspectives by giving them the ability to set parameters or criteria.
In the case of automation, creating MS Access and MS Excel applications without VBA is sort of like buying a TV and watching only the odd-numbered channels. With my extensive experience in VBA I am able to automate for reports needed on a regular basis. Readily available to everybody via a user interface. As are SSRS reports.
In the entire process I keep an eye out for mistakes as I move through and I almost never make the same mistake twice.
I handle the entire process, from soup to nuts, the way Fred Astraire danced: gracefully.
Note: Certification transcripts can be emailed as well to prospective employers should there be site permission issues. Works best in Chrome.