Reporting

The Reporting module lets you build professional reports by combining data blocks from across MSPortal. Use it for QBR presentations, compliance summaries, budget forecasts and more. This guide is for MSP staff who create and share reports, and for users who read them.

Before you start

• Click Reporting in the main navigation. Which tabs you see depends on your role.
• Reports are company-specific. Pick a company in the company selector before you create one.
• Creating reports needs Write or Manage access to Reporting. Scheduled, Approvals and Imports need Manage.
• Report defaults, brand packages and report types live in Settings > Reports, which needs the Report Settings permission (Read to view, Manage to change). From Reporting, open the page actions menu and choose Page settings.

Read a report

Export or print a report

The Export menu in the report header offers: The menu stays disabled until every block has finished loading. Keep the page open while Export PDF prepares the file; your browser then downloads it. Some browsers cannot mix portrait and landscape pages in their print dialog and shrink the whole report instead, so use Export PDF for a report with landscape pages.

Choose recipients for a scheduled report

On Scheduled, click New Schedule and choose a template and target companies. With a dynamic target such as All active, choose One report per company or One combined report under Report shape. For separate company reports, the Delivery step offers Roles and Contact Types. Each report goes to the matching people for its company, with membership checked when it is sent. Use Additional recipients (optional) to select individual recipients. Switching to One combined report clears selected roles and Contact Types and disables that picker. Select individual recipients for the combined report. Switching back to separate company reports enables the group picker again; select the groups you want to use. The recipient picker offers contacts from the schedule’s selected companies, and MSP staff. If you change the target companies, selected contacts from companies no longer in the schedule are removed. Searching keeps the recipients you already selected. For a dynamic target or a combined report, individual recipients must be MSP staff. MSPortal checks the recipients when you click Create Schedule or Update, and when you resume a paused schedule. If a recipient belongs to another company, or a selected company has no recipient, an error explains what to fix. Correct the recipients or target companies and save again. A paused schedule with invalid recipients stays paused.

Attach a PDF to scheduled emails

On the schedule’s Delivery step, turn on Attach PDF to send a PDF of the report with each email, alongside the link to the live report. Recipients can read the PDF without signing in. The option appears while Email notifications is on and is off for new schedules. MSPortal renders the PDF as the person who created the schedule, so it shows what they can see, and every recipient gets that same PDF. Choose recipients with that in mind. The PDF matches Export PDF in the report’s Export menu and is sent after approval when the schedule requires it. With Attach PDF on, emails go out only with a complete PDF. If the report renders with an error card or a missing image, MSPortal tries again. If it still can’t produce a clean PDF, delivery stops and the run shows as failed with the reason. The same happens straight away when the creator no longer has permission to manage reporting, or the PDF is larger than 10 MB.

View reports from a schedule

On Scheduled, open the schedule’s … menu and choose View Reports. Click a report title to open it. Reports appear as soon as they have been generated, including while approval or email delivery is pending. The list shows the newest generated reports first and shows when each report was created, whether or not approval has finished. Opening a report does not approve or send it; use Approvals for those decisions.

Reviewing scheduled reports

Open Reporting > Approvals to review generated reports awaiting a decision. The queue displays 20 reports per page. Use Next and Previous to move between pages; sorting and filtering apply to the whole queue. On phones, open Filters to change the sort or filter. Open a report before approving it.

Empty approvals queue in MSPortal Demo

The Scheduled list also shows 20 schedules per page. Use Next and Previous to browse; sorting and filtering apply to every schedule in the current company scope.

Scheduled list in MSPortal Demo

Create a report

You can also start from a template on the Templates tab. MSPortal templates there holds ready-made layouts, such as the Planner Report with a cover page.

Build and edit report blocks with AI

Open the Assistant while you are in the report builder. Describe the blocks you want to add, or name an existing block and the settings you want to change. The assistant can configure the settings supported by that block, including its title, columns, filters, dates and display options. Available blocks and record choices follow your report’s company scope, permissions and integrations.

Create a filtered block

Change an existing block

Name the block and request only the changes you need. For example:

Edit only the existing Upcoming Projects block: change its statuses to In Progress and hide its header icon. Keep its Project type, dates, columns, title, layout and all other settings.

The review identifies Upcoming Projects and lists the changed settings: Statuses: In Progress and Show Header Icon: No. Applying a settings edit updates the existing block in place, preserving its other settings and layout. Review the proposal, choose Apply to draft, inspect the result, then save and check Saved. On a phone, scroll horizontally inside the report canvas to inspect the full block.

Choose records and filters

Ask for selectable records by name, such as a budget, project, goal, planner item, compliance run, Microsoft 365 license, imported document or published custom block. The assistant can look up available choices and ticket, user or device filter values within the report’s scope. If a choice cannot be found or loaded, select it in the block’s settings and review the result. Check the company, access and source data when an expected choice is missing. Supported filters vary by block. For example, Planner Table supports type and status filters; use Quarterly Roadmap when you also need priority filtering. For date-aware blocks, specify whether to follow the report period, use fixed dates or use a rolling period, then check the proposed range. New image uploads still require the image picker in the block’s settings. Use it to upload and select the image, then continue editing the block.

Set up the report in the builder

Click Report Settings under the title to open the panel on the right. The title and version number are at the top of the builder. The version is a label you set. It does not give you a restore history. Use the undo and redo buttons for the current session. Report types come from your tenant. Manage them in Settings > Reports on the Report types tab. Compliance content works best in Continuous mode. The builder warns you and offers Switch.

Choose report dates

In Report Settings > Date Range, open Custom Range. The calendar shows one month at a time. Enter a start and end date, select them in the calendar, or open Quick select at the top of the calendar. Use the month arrows to reach other dates. Next 7 days, Next 30 days and Next 90 days include today. For example, Next 7 days runs from today through six days from today. Next week, Next month, Next quarter and Next year select the next complete calendar period. Check the dates, click Apply to close the calendar, then click Save in the report header and wait for Saved. A report-wide preset sets concrete start and end dates. Those dates stay the same when you reopen the saved report. To keep one block’s period moving with the current date, use a relative block range. On a phone or short screen, scroll inside the calendar to reach the remaining dates. Apply and Cancel stay at the bottom of the calendar. If Quick select is open, press Escape to close its list first; the calendar stays open. The following screenshots show the same calendar in Planner Table settings, with loaded controls in MSPortal Demo.

Choose dates for one block

Open a block’s gear. In General, View, Block title and Header size control its presentation; the fields wrap to fit a phone. Blocks that use dates also offer a Date range selector with the same relative presets listed above. Planner Table, and the older Roadmap block in saved reports, have their own Date Range calendar. Open Quick select inside that calendar to save a relative preset. For example, choosing Next quarter in October 2026 covers January 1–March 31, 2027. It remains Next quarter when saved and reloaded, so its dates move as time passes. Selecting specific dates keeps a fixed range. Existing reports with saved fixed dates still open with those dates. Clear the field with X to return to the report’s range. After changing a block, close its settings, click Save in the report header and wait for Saved. A block with its own range can show a different period from the rest of the report. Check it before sharing or exporting. Blocks that show a current snapshot do not offer this date-range selector.

Edit on a narrow screen

The paper follows your portal’s light or dark appearance, including Follow operating system.

Brand a full report

A Full Report title page and its presentation slides follow a brand package: a named set of colors, fonts, logo, cover image, background pattern and title page style. Create packages by hand or with Build with AI in Settings > Reports > Brand packages, then pick one under Appearance & output > Visual theme > Brand package when you create the report. See Brand packages.

Design a custom block

Use the block builder’s dedicated AI designer to create a reusable block. The builder’s Block and chart types tab shows each type once. Select the sparkle button at the top right of a preview to add that type to your prompt. Datasets explains the available data, with sparkle buttons beside each available dataset to add precise sources. Existing prompt text is kept; send the request when it is ready. See Design custom reporting blocks.

Edit a presentation

Select slide content to comment with AI, send the change immediately or queue comments in the slide conversation. Manual fields and key points expand on demand. See Edit a report presentation.

Add and arrange blocks

Reorder pages

Use the arrows in a page’s right margin, below the trash icon and above the orientation button.

• The up arrow is unavailable on the first page and the down arrow on the last page.
• The arrows appear only when there is another page to swap with.
• Pages that hold one linked block, such as a block split across pages, move together. Their arrows name every page that moves, such as Move pages 3 to 6 up. A move swaps the group with the page or group next to it, so linked parts never separate.

Some blocks with long lists have Split across pages. It spreads the rows over several blocks on following pages. Check each page for clipped or missing rows.

Print every item in a Compliance Report block

The Compliance Report block shows summary tiles, a status breakdown and a list of compliance items. A long list does not fit one page, so the block ends with a “+N more items” footer. Split the block to print every item. The parts form one linked block. Each part shows a link icon with its part number, such as Linked block, part 2 of 3. Change a setting on any part and every part updates. Rows move between parts to fit, and MSPortal adds or removes parts as needed. Removing or duplicating a part acts on the whole block. To edit parts separately, open a part’s settings and click Unlink parts. Changing a page’s orientation after you split does not re-cut the parts. Check the last page before you print. In Continuous mode, every part shows in one scrolling column. Export PDF and Print in the report’s Export menu put one part per page, so the PDF holds every item. To move the parts, use the page arrows: linked pages move together. See Reorder pages.

Read ranked summaries and large values

In the Ticket Categories Breakdown (Halo) Visual view, Top N · Categories lists the largest categories that fit beside the sunburst. Making the block taller admits more whole rows. The sunburst and its centre ticket total still include every category in the selected data. Shortened block headings, labels, chart categories, and notes now reveal their full text on hover. Clipped static text is also reachable with Tab; press Escape to dismiss the tooltip. See the dashboard tooltip previews. Tooltips are hidden in print and exports.

Order sections in a Full Report

Open Full Report, choose the company and content sources, then expand Advanced options to find Report sections.

1. Keep a built-in section Automatic, make it Required, or mark it Excluded.
2. In Planned outline, drag a section by its grip or use the up and down arrows. The cover page stays first. For keyboard dragging, focus the grip, press Space, move with the arrow keys, then press Space again.
3. Click Add custom section to create a section for the client’s priorities. Enter a Section title and Writing goals, such as questions to answer or business outcomes to assess, then click Save.
4. Use the pencil beside a custom section to revise its title or writing goals. Set it to Excluded to leave it out, and Required to include it again.
5. Click Save Template to reuse the section choices, order, custom titles and writing goals. Editing an existing template uses the same Save Template button.

Custom sections use the selected report sources. Writing goals guide the report; they do not supply missing evidence. A section can be omitted when the sources contain nothing relevant. Scheduled reports use the saved template choices too.

Halo Problems in QBRs

For a company linked to an active Halo integration, Full Report offers a Problems content source. Choose Unresolved and period activity, Current unresolved problems, or Resolved in report period in its options. Detailed includes problem descriptions, status, priority and known-error status when Halo supplies them. In Builder, search for Problems in the block library. Small blocks show unresolved and resolution metrics; larger blocks add problem records and a +N more problems count when the selected size cannot show every record. Use the shared block settings for its title, header and date subtitle. Unresolved problems and Problems describe the current snapshot. Opened and Resolved follow the report’s date range. An old unresolved problem can therefore appear in this quarter’s QBR. Generic child tickets do not establish incident impact, so missing incident links are not shown as zero. The source and block need ticket read access, linked Halo companies and synced Problems. Halo identifies these records through its ITIL Ticket Type classification, including custom-named problem ticket types.

Save, share and export

Adding content to a new report can create it before you click Save, so check the report list. A new template needs one manual save before autosave starts.

Native PSA CSAT in reports

MSPortal can show HaloPSA native CSAT responses and Autotask native survey results in reports. Keep collecting satisfaction feedback in your PSA, then turn on Import satisfaction ratings in the Halo or Autotask integration. You also need PSA read access, the right rating scale for Halo, synced tickets, linked companies and CSAT permission for the reader. The same blocks work on custom dashboards. They combine Halo or Autotask with other CSAT sources and are not single-PSA blocks. If a block is missing or empty, check the import setting, role access, sync result, company links and dates. For response-level CSV exports, use the CSAT Dashboard.

Content blocks

The library is large and changes with your integrations and permissions. Use Search blocks… to find a block. Common blocks include the following. When device rules are set in Report filters, the counts in Device Health Overview, Device Warranties and Warranty Coverage follow those rules but no longer open device details. Clear the device filters to open details again. Ticket and user filters do not affect device details. This applies to both block designs.

Quarterly Roadmap

Groups planner items by fiscal year and quarter for QBR slides and client PDFs.

List of Users

A coverage matrix that shows which systems each user is in. The block lists users in the report’s allowed company scope.

Device Appendix / List

Lists the client’s devices as a table, or as counts per group, for an appendix to a QBR or device review. Click the block’s gear to open Configure Device Appendix / List. Device rules in Report filters apply to the list, its group counts and its summary. For example, a rule that excludes one manufacturer removes those devices from every page of the appendix. Last User shows the last user logged in to each device, as synced from your RMM, such as NinjaOne. Its table heading reads Last user. A dash means the RMM has not reported a user for that device. A list with many columns is wide, so its page can print in landscape. Export PDF keeps that page landscape and the rest of the report portrait. For a long list, use Split across pages to continue the rows on following pages.

Client Benchmark

Compares a client’s health score, patch coverage and backup success with all your active clients. Add it to a report or a dashboard from the Data category, or search for Client Benchmark. It shows current figures and does not follow the report’s date range. The block shows only the metrics your role can read. All three figures run from 0 to 100, and higher is better. Comparisons need at least 5 clients with data. With fewer, the block shows Not enough clients to compare. Patch coverage and backup success rank a client only when it has at least 5 devices or 5 protected items. A smaller client shows Not ranked: fewer than 5 devices or Not ranked: fewer than 5 protected items. When a client user views the block in a shared report, it compares their own company with all the companies you support and never names another company.

Email domain security in reports

Email domain security checks are on for every portal. If MSPortal turns them off for a tenant, the email-security column, Check now, report block and Domain check choice are hidden. Turning it off stops new checks and hides stored DNS results without deleting them. Saved report and dashboard blocks also stop rendering cached domain-check results while this feature is off. Reenable it to show the stored results again. Use the Email Domain Security block to show DMARC enforcement, passing and failing domain counts, and individual domain results. No security integration is required. The narrative Security source is also available when company domains exist and your role can read security data, even before the first check completes. Existing security integrations still make the source available. Select Email domain checks in the security provider filters to include the stored domain posture. Results describe the latest measurement, not a history over the reporting period. An unknown DKIM result is not evidence of a failed configuration. Request a new measurement from Documentation > Domains > … > Check now, or select several domains and choose Actions (N) > Check email security. See Email security checks for client domains.

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Brand packages
• Reports Imports
• Company Overview
• Compliance
• Budgets
• Goals
• Planner
• Dashboards