Create a custom basic report

Project includes 29 predefined basic reports. If none of the default reports meet your information needs, you can use a template to create a custom basic report.

What do you want to do?

Create a custom task report or resource report

Create a custom monthly calendar report

Create a custom crosstab report

Create a custom task report or resource report

1. On the Report menu, click Reports.

2. Click Custom, and then click Select.

3. To create a task report or resource report, click New in the Custom Reports dialog box, click Task or Resource, and then click OK.

   To edit a task report or resource report, click the report that you want in the Reports box, and then click Edit.

4. On the Definition tab, type a name for the report in the Name box.

5. Select the time period that you want to display from the Period list, and then enter the number of time periods you want to report as a single unit in the Count box.

   Note: The Count box is active for all time periods except for Entire Project.

6. Select the table that you want to display from the Table list.

7. Select the filter that you want to apply from the Filter list.

8. Select the Highlight check box to show the filtered tasks with different formatting.

   Tip: To change the format of highlighted text, click Text, select Highlighted Tasks or Highlighted Resources from the Item to Change list, and then select your formatting options.

9. Select the Show summary tasks check box to include summary tasks in the report.

10. Select the Gray bands check box to display the report with gray divider lines in the formatting.

11. If you want to sort the task or resource data in a report, click the Sort tab, click the field that you want to sort by in the Sort by box, and then click Ascending or Descending.

    To sort by the second or third sort criteria, click the field that you want in the appropriate Then by box, and then click Ascending or Descending.

    Note: The data that is in the table sections of the reports is sorted based on this criteria. Details not listed in a report's tables cannot be sorted.

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Create a custom monthly calendar report

1. On the Report menu, click Reports.

2. Click Custom, and then click Select.

3. To create a monthly calendar report, click New, click Monthly Calendar, and then click OK.

   To edit a monthly calendar report, click its name in the Reports box, and then click Edit.

4. Type a name for the report in the Name box.

5. Select the filter that you want to apply from the Filter list.

6. Select the Highlight check box to show the filtered items with different formatting.

   Tip: To change the format of highlighted text, click Text, select Highlighted Tasks from the Item to Change list, and then select your formatting options.

7. Select the calendar that you want to use from the Calendar list.

8. Select the Gray nonworking days check box to show nonworking days in gray.

9. Select the Solid bar breaks check box to show a solid line at the end of a bar when a task continues into the next week.

10. Select the Print gray bands check box to show a gray divider line between the dates that separate task information that doesn't fit on the calendar.

11. Click Bars, Lines, or Start/Finish dates to format how tasks are shown in a monthly calendar report.

12. Select or clear the ID, Name, and Duration check boxes to format task labels in a monthly calendar report.

Note: Project includes a Calendar view. Instead of using the monthly calendar template to create a custom calendar report, you can also customize the Calendar view for printing.

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Create a custom crosstab report

Crosstab reports show information about tasks and resources over a specified time period.

1. On the Report menu, click Reports.

2. Click Custom, and then click Select.

3. To create a custom crosstab report, click New, click Crosstab, and then click OK.

   To edit a crosstab report, click its name in the Reports box, and then click Edit.

4. On the Definition tab, type a name for the report in the Name box.

5. In the Crosstab section, next to Column, select the time period that you want to display, and then enter the number of time periods for each column.

6. Select whether to display tasks or resources in each row of the report from the Row list.

7. Select the task or resource field that you want to appear in the crosstab report from the Field list.

8. Select the And resource assignments or And task assignments check box to include resource assignments with tasks or resources.

9. Select the filter that you want to display from the Filter list.

10. Select the Highlight check box to show the filtered items with different formatting.

    Tip: To change the format of highlighted text, click Text, select Highlighted Tasks or Highlighted Resources from the Item to Change list, and then select your formatting options.

11. To change the date format in a crosstab report, click the Details tab, and then select the format that you want from the Date format list.

    To include zero values, select the Show zero values check box.

12. To sort the data in the report, click the Sort tab, click the field that you want to sort by in the Sort by box, and then click Ascending or Descending.

    To sort by the second or third sort criteria, click the field that you want in the appropriate Then by box, and then click Ascending or Descending.

Tip: While you cannot add columns to display task, resource, or assignment details in a crosstab report, you can print the Task Usage or Resource Usage view in a way that is similar to a crosstab report. Simply customize the Task Usage or Resource Usage view to display the details you want, and then, on the File menu, click Page Setup. On the View tab, select the Print row totals for values within print date range and Print column totals check boxes. When you print the Task Usage or Resource Usage view with these settings, the result is similar to a crosstab report.

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