Conditionally formatting columns in reports

Apply conditional formatting to highlight column data based on defined rules and allow Report Readers to easily interpret data.

How it works

Once you have defined data in your report, you can define rules to apply conditional formatting to any column in a table. Any values that meet your defined rules are formatted as specified.

Conditional formatting is meant to emphasize or draw attention to certain values in a column. You do not need to create a rule for every possible value in a column. Any values that do not meet the specified rules are displayed without formatting.

Types of conditional formatting

Type	Description	Example
Basic	compares the selected field's value to a set value Tip This is the most common type of conditional formatting.	If Severity = High then highlight Severity as Red
Advanced	allows you to define multiple conditional statements that can include different columns	If Severity = High and Cost Impact > $500,000 then highlight Issue Title as Red

Considerations

The rules you define must meet column format requirements and be valid conditional statements.

Specifying values

When you specify a value as part of a conditional statement, you must use the same format that is displayed in the column. For example, if a numeric field is formatted with two decimal places, you must enter two decimal places when you specify a value.

Overlapping ranges

Your conditional statements cannot contain overlapping ranges. For example, you cannot specify a range of 50 - 60, and another range from 55 - 65. All defined ranges must be sequential (for example: 50 - 60, 61-70, 71-80).

Sequence of values

When you create a range of values, you must specify the lower value first, followed by the higher value. For example, you cannot specify BETWEEN 40 - 30. The valid conditional statement is BETWEEN 30 - 40.

Permissions

Only Report Admins and Report Writers can conditionally format columns.

Define conditional formatting rules

1. Open the Reports app.

   The Browse page opens.

2. Open a report and navigate to the Design or Data tab in Report Builder.
3. In the formatting toolbar, click Conditional Formatting.

   The Conditional Formatting dialog box opens.

4. Specify if you want to display a legend that explains the conditional formatting rules in the report, and define a title and description for the legend.
5. Select the appropriate field from the Columns list.
6. Specify the type of conditional formatting you want to apply to the column:
   • Basic compares the selected field's value to a set value
   • Advanced allows you to define multiple conditional statements that can include different columns
7. Complete one of the following actions:
   • If you selected Basic, define how the conditional formatting will be displayed in the report, and click +Add Another Rule.
   • If you selected Advanced, click + Add Another Rule.

   The Conditional Format dialog box opens.

8. Complete one of the following actions:
   • If you selected Basic, specify the appropriate logical operator and value, define the style that will display when values meet the specified condition, and click Submit.
   • If you selected Advanced, provide a description that explains the conditional formatting applied, add columns and choose their respective logical operators, set values or compare to different columns, define the style that will display when values meet the specified conditions, and click Submit.
     Note

     The logical operators available depend on the data type of the field.

9. Optional. To specify additional rules, click +Add Another Rule and repeat steps 6-7.
10. To close the dialog box, click .
    Tip

    Text in conditionally formatted cells automatically changes color if it is difficult to see on the selected background color.