Organise data in groups

Organising data in groups makes it easier to compare and analyse information. Data groups contain related data rows.

When you group data, you can:

  • Add subtotals, counts, averages, or other aggregate information at the beginning or end of each group.
  • Insert a page break before or after each group to start each data group on a new page.
  • Hide the details of each group to view a summary report.

When you group data, you can also:

  • Remove duplicate values for each group.
  • Sort the values of each group. For example, a country group displays the countries in alphabetical order.
  • Generate a table of contents that displays the values of every group when you view the finished report in the viewers. The table of contents allows you to navigate to specific locations in the report. This feature is particularly useful when a report contains many pages.
  1. Select and right-click the column that contains the values to group.
  2. Select Group > Add Group

If the column you selected contains string or numeric data, the data is grouped by each unique value in the column. If the column you selected contains date-and-time data, additional grouping options appear.

When you group data on a date-and-time column, you have an additional option to group the data by a specific time interval, which is the typical option. You can organize a total hours report, for example, showing hours data by month or by quarter, rather than by individual date.

To group date-and-time data:

  1. Select and right-click the column that contains the date-and-time data.
  2. Select Group> Add Group.
  3. In the Group Detail glance (also known as a contextual call-out) Provides information and actions in a dialogue box for an item on the screen when the user right-clicks or taps the item., select one of the group options. For example, you can group on Signed off through a specific day, group using individual values, or group by interval. If you group by interval:
    1. Select an interval type, such as weeks, months, or quarters, from the drop-down list.
    2. Type a number to indicate the grouping for the selected interval type. For example, select Weeksand type 2 to group data in two-week periods.

When you group data on multiple columns, consider the order of precedence before you create the groups. To group employee data by state, then by city, create the groups in that order.

After you create groups, you can change their order to provide a new perspective on the report data. Evaluate the effect of changing the grouping order, so that the organization of columns remains logical.

To change the grouping order

  1. Select and right-click a column.
  2. Select Column > Reorder Columns.
  3. In Reorder Columns, select the grouped column from Available Columns. Use the up or down arrow buttons to move the column up or down the list.
  4. Click Tap OK.