Report workflows
Use the same report lifecycle for different operational tasks: select information, create a draft, review, finalise and download. The entry point determines which source and document subject are preselected.
| Workflow | Example | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| From a record | An order summary or material information sheet | Publish a compatible report template. |
| Historical Form output | A retained inspection document from an earlier submission | Open its authorized existing output; new Form capture is retired. |
| From a catalogue | Illustrated product documentation from parts and photos | Configure the catalogue component's template and destination. |
Templates live in Operations Studio. Generated documents appear with their subject. A document can also be visible where its information was captured, with a label identifying the record it belongs to.
Reports from operational records
Publish a template for the required source, then open a compatible record and create a report from Documents from templates. Confirm the subject, select the source records, preview and create the draft. Continue with review, finalisation and corrections.
For example, a material information sheet can use the material as both its source and subject. A collection report can capture several selected records while belonging to one chosen operational context. Check that the subject matches what the document describes.
Historical Form outputs
Standalone Form creation, publication, capture and submission Automation bindings are retired. New questions and checks belong to App source; saving Table or contextual evidence does not automatically generate a report.
Authorized historical submissions, finalized reports and retained source files remain readable. Open the existing output rather than submitting another Form. Its captured template publication and accepted source stay distinct from a later report correction. If a retained output cannot be recovered through its offered action, ask the responsible owner to inspect its receipt; do not create a new source record to replace an uncertain result.
Illustrated catalogues
Configure the workflow
Publish a template using Spare-parts catalogues as the source. Add a parts table and illustrated-parts elements, with any cover text or notes needed by the reader. In the App's catalogue component settings, choose the published document template or allow selection during generation. Choose whether documents belong to the source order or a product/material.
Prepare and generate
- Reconcile the parts list with the source documents. Check positions, article numbers, descriptions and quantities; leave unknown values unresolved rather than inventing them.
- Add photographs and assign them to the correct parts. Review captions, labels, groups and the intended catalogue presentation.
- Resolve missing parts referenced by photographs. An incomplete list cannot be exported as a complete catalogue.
- Wait for parts and catalogue edits to finish saving.
- Choose Create catalogue document, confirm the template and document subject, preview and create the draft.
- Review the document and its language versions, then finalise and download the required PDFs.
A product-owned document still links back to the source order's curated information. If the workflow expects a linked material and none is set, correct the order's material link or select the intended subject before generating.
Some Apps also offer direct German/English catalogue PDF buttons. Those save catalogue PDFs on the source order and use that output history; they do not use the reusable report editor's draft/finalisation lifecycle. An unchanged direct export retry reuses its saved artifact. Check history after an interrupted download before trying again.
Existing work instructions and form PDFs
Existing order work-instruction templates and direct submitted-form PDFs remain separate output paths. An order's document-generation dialog can recommend published work instructions based on configured assignments. Review the selected orders or operations and any warnings, generate the document, then inspect its PDF. Missing material or ambiguous work-centre information must be resolved in the source or template rather than filled with guessed values.
The reusable report draft/correction lifecycle described here applies to documents created through report templates. It does not automatically convert older work instructions, form submissions or direct catalogue PDFs. See Data entry in Apps for new collection workflows. Historical PDFs remain governed by their original records and access.
Access and troubleshooting
Users need both the document action permissions and access to its subject and retained sources. A reference to a report does not grant additional source access. Available sources and templates may therefore differ between users and sites.
If a template is missing, check its publication, source type, selected form, site/environment and permissions. If a report contains unexpected data, check the selected records and captured revision before refreshing it. See Working with reports for recovery steps and Report templates for authoring guidance.