One of the most powerful tools in LighspeedEVO is the advanced reporting capabilities. Custom reporting has been developed to help Lightspeed users obtain key data, metrics, and information about their dealership from each department. This data syncs between departments inside the dealer management system (DMS). Owners and managers can use this data to see deeper into their business and gain insight.

The best way to handle custom reports is to dive right in. If you are not sure if a field you need is the right one, pull it over into the body of the report and try it out. You will find that some terms are different such as in Parts Inventory, cost equals replacement cost in reporting. Always verify the information being pulled into the report is correct.

The biggest fear people have with custom reporting is they think they will “break” the data. You cannot break the data, corrupt it, or change it when creating a report. You are only pulling the data to use in reports. If you don't create a report that is right, simply change it or delete it.

It is recommended that when creating custom reports you come up with a naming convention. One would is to have everyone put their initials at the beginning of the report so it is known who created and uses it. Another would be when in the designer, you have the ability to set categories.   

Prior to accessing or building reports, there are some terms you should know. Here are some definitions to help you as you begin building reports:

• Search: This field allows you to search for fields you are looking for to add to the report.
• Filters: Adding a filter will allow the users to view only the data they want to see. 
• Sort: Allows the users to put the information in the order they would like to view it.  
• Group: This is where the users would group like items together such as New Units, or Salesperson transactions. These groups can be subtotaled to view the number of lines, and/or labeled to be able to clearly see the end of a group.  The user can also select the page break this will allow grouped items to be viewed on separate pages. This is great for salespeople commission reports and technician reports.
• Sub/Grand Totals: Allows for you to total the columns by each column, section or group. Grand totals will add all of the subsection totals together to have a sum of all subtotals. 

If you are using LightspeedEVO, try this out. Build your own custom reports and take a deep dive into your data. You'll find ways to improve your profits and bottom line. Not on LightspeedEVO? I invite you to take a demo and ask questions about how advanced reporting can help you discover ways to find hidden cash.