Once your data source and filters are in place, the next step in building your custom report is organizing the results through Grouping and Sorting. This step controls how your data is structured and displayed, making it easier to read and analyze.
Grouping allows you to organize your report based on shared values within a specific field. For example, you might group invoices by customer, projects by project manager, or expenses by category. This helps break large sets of data into clear, logical sections.
On the left side of the screen, you'll see a list of all available fields from the tables you selected in Step 1 - Data Source Selection, including both your primary table and any joined tables.
To group your report by a field, move the field from the left box (Available Fields) to the right box (Group By Fields) using the “>” (Add) button.
To remove a field from grouping, use the “<” (Remove) button.
Grouping is a critical part of report building. How you choose to group data has a big impact on the final layout of your report. Grouping organizes your data into sections, and these sections can later be used to calculate subtotals or apply other grouped summaries!
For example:
Grouping invoices by Staff Member creates a report where all invoices are shown under the staff member who created them.
Grouping tasks by Project allows you to see tasks organized by the project they belong to.
You can group your report by multiple fields if needed, but thoughtful grouping helps keep your report clean and meaningful.
Sorting determines the order in which your grouped data is displayed.
After grouping, you can select up to five fields to sort the data.
Sorting helps define the sequence of the data within groups or across the entire report.
For each selected field, you can choose to sort the data in either:
Ascending order (A–Z, smallest to largest) – this is the default if you leave the Descending option unchecked.
Descending order (Z–A, largest to smallest) – check the Descending box if you want this.
For example:
Sort tasks by Due Date to see the soonest deadlines first.
Sort customers by Total Sales in descending order to see your top customers at the top of the report.
After setting up your grouping and sorting:
Click SAVE on both the Grouping and Sorting screens before moving on.
Saving ensures that your setup is applied, and your report structure is preserved as you continue.
Now that you applied Grouping and Sorting on your Custom Report progress to the next step by clicking NEXT at the bottom of the screen!
Read more:
Base Reporting in SIX ERP
Dashboards in SIX ERP
First Steps to define Custom Reports
Step 1 - Defining Data Sources and Filtering
Step 3 - Defining Subtotals
Step 4 - Columns
Step 5 - Conditional Cell Formatting
Step 6 - Final Setup and Publishing
Custom Report Settings for Administrators