BOE - Reporting Guide

  • Logging In

    Expand dropdown

    Anyone with access to Business Objects Enterprise (BOE) can log in to BOE.

    • Log in to BOE via the Banner Launch page, by clicking the BOE Login (Reports) link using your username and password credentials.

    Note: You can also access BOE from My.Emich via the Go To BOE button on the Reports tab.

  • Categories

    Expand dropdown

    The reports are organized into categories, visible on the left-hand side of the interface. You need to navigate into the category tree to view reports. Follow these steps:

    1. Click the plus sign (+) to open the category named Corporate Categories.
    2. Click the plus sign (+) to open the category named Student Information.
    3. Clicking on any of the category names will display the reports assigned to that category. The three categories available in BOE:
      * Admissions - reports used to process admissions applicants
      * Course & Section Reports - Section Enrollment Report for department schedulers.
      * Student Data Reports - Majors reports, class list, and other student data.
  • View on Demand (VOD)

    Expand dropdown

    View on Demand gives you a live query to get the latest data available. Only the reports in the Dept Reports category are currently set up for VOD. Follow these steps:

    1. Right-click the report name and select View from the pull-down menu.
      Note: If there is no View option, then select History to find the previously scheduled report output file in the list.
    2. Select your Output Format:
      * Select Crystal - Printable Format to view the data online or print it
      * Select Excel - Data Format to export as an Excel file
      * Term code - choose the term from the drop-down list (except on current Majors/Minors reports)
    3. 3. Select at least one parameter from College, Department, Major, etc.
      Note: Be careful with the parameter fields, incorrect parameters will result in no data being returned.
    4. Click the OK button to perform your query.
      Note: Different reports have different parameters, depending on the data in the report.
  • Navigating a Report

    Expand dropdown

    Click the Toggle Navigation button in the BOE toolbar to maximize your screen real estate. You can click it again later to see the BOE categories again.

    There are two ways to navigate through a Crystal Reports file.

    1. In the navigation toolbar above the report area, click the Next button to advance one page at a time. Click the Previous button to go back one page at a time.

    You can also use the left-hand navigation column to navigate through the pages:

    1. Click the plus sign (+) next to your College code.
    2. Click the plus sign (+) next to your Department code.
    3. Click the plus sign (+) next to your Major code (or subject code for section enrollment). A list of the next grouping level will be displayed.
    4. Click on the label of the desired grouping level. For example, in the section enrollment report click on the course number 105 to view the data for that course.
  • Printing a Report

    Expand dropdown

    You must change your print preferences to print pages from BOE. Once you have changed your preferences, follow these steps to Print a Crystal File:

    1. Click the Print button in the BOE toolbar. The Print to PDF dialog box will appear.
    2. Click the Export button to print all pages, or specify the page range before clicking Export.
    3. Open the PDF file that is generated.
    4. Click the Acrobat Print button to print the PDF file. You can also save the PDF to your hard drive.
  • Exporting to Excel

    Expand dropdown

    You can export a VOD report as an Excel file for further sorting. To export as an Excel file, follow these steps:

    1. Click the View link below the report title.
    2. For the Output Format parameter, select Excel - Excel Exportable Format from the drop-down list.
    3. Choose a Term Code from the drop-down list (except on current Majors/Minors reports).
    4. Select at least one parameter from College, Department, Major, etc.
    5. Click the OK button to perform your query.

    Once the data is returned, you will notice fields overlapping each other. This file is formatted for Excel; you need to export the data in order to view it:

    1. Click the Export this report button in the BOE toolbar.
      Note: The Export Report window will be opened.
    2. At the top of the window next to File Format, select Microsoft Excel 97-2000 Data Only (XLS) from the pull-down list.
      Note: The page range will default to All.
    3. Click the OK button.
      Note: An Opening ePortfolio.xls window will appear.
    4. Click the Open With radio button and select Microsoft Office Excel from the pull-down list.
      Click the Do this automatically for files like this from now on checkbox to save time in the future.
    5. Click the OK button to open your Excel file.
  • Filtering in Excel

    Expand dropdown

    To filter in Excel 2007, follow these steps:

    1. Select All cells in the spreadsheet by clicking in the upper left-hand corner of the Excel screen.
    2. Click the Format pull-down menu and select AutoFit Column Width from the list.
      Note: This will set each column width wide enough to view the content in the field.
    3. Click the Sort & Filter pull-down menu and select Filter from the list.
    4. This will add a pull-down menu to each column header.
      Note: The menu will show all the values listed in the column. By default all values are checked, or selected.
    5. To filter data, click the pull-down menu at the top of one of the columns.
      Note: A filtering menu will appear.
    6. Uncheck all values by clicking Select All.
    7. Click the checkbox next to the value you want to filter on, then click the OK button.
      Note: You can use more than one filter at a time; however, the second filter will only affect the subset of data created by the first filter.
    8. Once you have activated a filter, in the lower-left corner you will see the number of records your filter is displaying, out of the total number. (i.e. 58 of 395 records found)
    9. You can remove a filter by clicking Clear Filter from the pull-down menu.
  • Static Reports

    Expand dropdown

    Some reports are run overnight and stored as static report instances. Follow these steps to access a static report instance.

    1. Click the History link underneath the title of the report you want to access.
    2. This opens a list of report instances, which are static files that have been previously run by BOE. The list is displayed in reverse chronological order (newest at the top).
    3. Click the date/time link for the report instance you want to view. Check the term in the report listing to make sure you get the right report.
      Note: This will open the version of the report that you selected.
  • Access from Off Campus

    Expand dropdown

    You cannot access BOE from your home, or the campus wireless network, unless you connect using the Virtual Private Network (VPN). All EMU faculty and staff have access to the VPN, and are encouraged to use the system to connect to EMU systems.

    Download the VPN client to your computer. For help installing the VPN client and using it to connect to EMU systems: VPN Instructions

Skip Section Navigation