Yardi Spreadsheet Reporting (YSR) is a powerful tool that generates high quality reports. Users are able to benefit from an array of formatting and graphing features through programs like Word and Excel. This allows for the creation of excellent reports that can be vital for business success.
As with all tools, there are best practices that should be followed to get the most out of YSR features.
- Make reports specific. There can be a temptation to make reports that include everything but the kitchen sink. Targeted reports are more efficient, and provide better information as they are tailored for specific circumstances. They also prevent having to code for exceptions, which saves developers time.
- Take advantage of being able to export multiple reports to the same Excel file. Using Excel for reporting allows you to have different reports on separate sheets in the same file. This is particularly helpful in cases where multiple reports are related, as they can be compiled into one document. That makes it easy to switch between reports, and to analyze information in the different reports.
- Tie in custom analytic reports to YSR. Voyager comes with a number of useful standard reports, including analytic financial reports that have built-in validation checks. Using the tools that already have those checks built in, and adapting them to your specific needs through YSR, allows for better fidelity of data.
- Take advantage of Excel functionalities when creating report templates. Excel allows you to create a wide variety of graphs, and hide columns that may have data needed for calculations, but are not otherwise relevant. These, and other features, can help create more comprehensive reports. Being aware of these features, and integrating them into templates, is critical for getting the most out of YSR reports.
- Make use of report packets and correspondence. The correspondence feature allows you to send out bulk emails. The report packet feature allows you to group reports together and send them directly to specific recipients. Together, these features allow you to send report packets to multiple people automatically. This can be a significant time saver.
Integrating best practices into your YSR development is vital for producing quality reports. If your team needs support with implementing these best practices, reach out to us. The Lynx team has experience with YSR and other tools that allows us to build the Yardi Custom Reports your business needs.