♦ Applies to: Apptio TBM Studio R12.5 + (Learn more). 

In this article:

Summary

TBMAs working in TBM Studio can specify print layout options (How?) that are applied when all users of Apptio costing applications (such as Cost Transparency) export a report to .pdf file format, or email a report in .pdf file format. This article presents the tips and tricks for setting up a report that will create a presentable .pdf file.

IMPORTANT  All users who export report .pdf files must allow pop-ups from their Apptio URL in their browser.

The main important points to note are:

• Content Upgrades - For out of the box (OOTB) reports, when content is upgraded, previously saved print layouts will need to be recreated.

• Keep layouts in sync - The print layout is dependent on the report layout. Therefore, any changes to the report layout will impact the print layout. Furthermore, it is important to make any changes to the report layout first before moving on to the print layout. Whenever changes are made to the report layout, users must select Print Layout > Update Layout from Report to help ensure that the report layout and print layout are in sync:

(Click to enlarge)

Report layout recommendations

• Consider adding charts at the top of the print layout to avoid charts getting lost after pages of paginating tables
• Ensure that the report width aligns to the print width
  • Reason: Any part of a component that continues outside of the set print dimensions will get cut off from the .pdf report view
• Avoid dynamic icons, such as trend arrows and spark lines
  • These features do not render well in .pdf files, so avoid using them, or hide them in the print layout
• Avoid dynamic components, such as slicers, pickers, and tree tables
  • After the .pdf file is exported, dynamic components become static
• Make sure paginating tables are set to paginate in the report component
  • Pagination works best if the table is set to paginate on the report as well

Print layout recommendations

• Handling Grouping
  • PDF does not support large groups that span multiple pages in the print layout
  • For pagination to always work correctly, make sure that tables are outside of any report component level groups
  • You can ungroup report components in the print layout as needed
• Make sure to set the page size per customer expectations
• Consider using an HTML component for large headers (that is, when displaying slicer values)
  • Adding a component with GetLastFilter() to create dynamic titles will be more flexible than the layout header, which is more static
• Verify proper presentation of headers and footers
  • If headers become too large, adjust the margins to accommodate the lack of report area
• Consider moving charts up to the top of the print layout to avoid charts getting lost after pages of paginating tables
• Hide dynamic components, such as slicers, pickers, and tree tables
• Make sure paginating tables are set to paginate
• Paginating tables must fit within a page
  • Tables that extend vertically beyond a page will be truncated at the page height
  • Tables with a horizontal scroll bar will be cut off at the page width; therefore, make sure that tables fit within the width of one page
• Move paginating tables to their own page
  • Pagination in print layout requires that the table be on its own page in the print layout
  • Size up tables (horizontally and vertically) so that they fill a page in the print layout
• Save and check in all changes
  • Make sure to save the layout, and then check in the document when you finish making updates
  • Generate a test .pdf file to ensure that the print layout meets expectations

Other nuances for out-of-the-box reports

• When removing groups in the print layout:
  • Remove one group at a time and move all components that were in that group before continuing

  • Tip  If removing groups from an existing report, remove one group at a time, and then clean up all components that existed within that group before moving on to the next group.  

  • Trick  If removing a group causes components to become difficult to work with, right-click on each component and use the Position and Size option to adjust the X and Y coordinates to move the component to the location you want on the report.
    

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