Note: The report and dashboard examples in this article are all built-in templates made by\u00a0FineReport<\/a>, the leading BI\u00a0reporting tool<\/a>\u00a0in the Asian-Pacific region.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Contents<\/p> A business report is a formal document that objectively provides statistical data, summarizes historical facts, and sometimes offers reasonable recommendations for a company’s managers. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Business reports are important for a company, especially for a large company. Companies need them to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the business information which is sometimes transmitted through a long chain. Most importantly, business reports enable managers to access information about a specific project or an overview of the company’s operation and then make a data-driven decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditional business reports are typically presented in a textual format with sections like the table of contents, executive summary, body, and conclusion. Despite their logical organization, there are drawbacks in the traditional preparation and presentation process, including time-consuming data collection<\/a>, challenges in readability for reports with extensive statistical data or content, and the inability to reflect the latest data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, some business reports and business dashboards<\/strong><\/a> successfully overcome these weak points. Therefore, you must have a basic understanding of these newly developed business reports and dashboards, which will improve your efficiency in creating and reading business reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: The report and dashboard examples in this article are all built-in templates made by<\/span> FineReport<\/a>, the leading BI<\/span> reporting tool<\/a> in the Asian-Pacific region.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Business reports serve diverse purposes tailored to specific industry needs. For instance, a retail company relies on regular sales performance reports<\/a><\/strong>, while a financial company requires investment supervision reports. This variety of analytical purposes leads to different types of reporting. Here are some common examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A progress report is a document used to directly display the performance of completing a certain goal.<\/span><\/strong> Therefore, it requires a direct presentation of the progress done so far instead of an in-depth analysis. What needs to be included in this report is the factual information about the work itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following is an example of a modern progress report. It empowers your team members to know how much you have done, how productive you were before, and how far you are from your goals. If the report reflects previous inefficiencies in your district, you should adjust your later plans to ensure the timely completion of your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n An informational report faithfully displays factual information without interpretations and analytical information.<\/span><\/strong> It shares some features with a progress report, but some differences exist. The content of the informational report is not limited to the progress of specific goals. It can provide various types of information, depending on different purposes, such as the sales report<\/a><\/strong> by region, the employees’ information report, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern informational reports contain plenty of information within just one dashboard. Let’s take the Sales Leaderboard as an example. Readers can not only obtain the overall sales information of the top 10 employees but also view their respective sales performance<\/a><\/strong> through the linkage between these components. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n An<\/span><\/strong> analytical report<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0not only simply presents historical information but also analyzes the data and sometimes provides forecasts for the reader’s reference.<\/span><\/strong> The content of analytical reports can be the comparison of the sales performance<\/a> between this quarter and last quarter or among several different regions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a business dashboard<\/a><\/strong> supporting multi-dimensional sales analysis<\/strong><\/a>. You can easily access the data in different dimensions with a simple click. Also, this sales <\/strong><\/a>dashboard<\/strong><\/a> is much more readable with the help of colorful charts and tables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Utilizing an analytical report allows managers to make significant decisions with the support of sufficient data and information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A research report is generated after analyzing data collected through comprehensive research. <\/span><\/strong>When exploring initiatives like designing a new product or expanding into a new region, market research is essential to assess plan feasibility. Though creating a research report is time-consuming, the results are worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is an example of a cockpit supported by research, which empowers your company\u2019s managers to know the performance of various products and sales performance of different stores in many cities. As a result, they can decide whether to open or close stores in a city to ensure the healthy development of your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A KPI report<\/a> offers business executives a streamlined method to analyze essential performance metrics (KPIs) and gauge organizational progress against strategic objectives.<\/span><\/strong> Modern KPI reports feature interactive dashboards<\/a> for easy access to underlying data, enabling non-technical users to identify patterns, establish connections, and spot anomalies. These insights support informed decision-making and contribute to enhanced business outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary purpose of the Financial KPI Report is to track and analyze various financial ratios and indicators, including profit margins, liquidity ratios, solvency ratios, and efficiency ratios. These indicators provide insights into the company’s profitability, financial stability, operational efficiency, and overall financial management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report samples in this chapter are created using<\/span><\/strong> FineReport<\/a>, a professional enterprise-level reporting tool<\/a>. <\/span><\/strong>With FineReport, users effortlessly connect to databases, including Excel, to retrieve data and build business reports through simple drag-and-drop actions. It offers diverse built-in chart templates for seamless data visualization<\/a><\/strong>, facilitating the development of concise data analysis<\/a><\/strong> systems. FineReport’s use enables the construction of flexible reporting systems<\/a><\/strong>, reducing project cycles and implementation costs. Ultimately, it addresses information silos, ensuring that data realizes its inherent value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we all know, business reports have different types, resulting in various business report formats. However, some common steps are indispensable in the process of creating business reports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By reading the previous part of this guide, you must know that the purpose determines your business report’s content. Therefore, the first step in creating a powerful business report is clearly understanding its purpose. <\/span><\/strong>After that, it is not difficult for you to choose the proper type of business report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if the goal of the report is to analyze the sales performance<\/a><\/strong> in different regions, it is more suitable for you to write an analytical report<\/a><\/strong> instead of a simple progress report without any analysis and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After determining the type of business report, we come to the second step. It is time for you to gather relevant data and information.<\/span><\/strong> There are many ways to collect information, among which email is one of the most commonly used ways to receive and send documents. If the data and information are stored in different systems, you have to export several documents or tables from these systems one by one and then summarize, filter, and analyze the data you need. This cross-system operation is time-consuming and labour-intensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, there is another simpler way. I recommend using<\/span><\/strong> reporting tools<\/a>. Utilize specially designed tools to access the necessary information from various systems at any time.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking the business report we mentioned in the previous step as an example, you need sales information from branches in different regions. To avoid the inconsistency and inefficiency caused by transmissions several times, you can try FineReport<\/strong><\/a>, a professional reporting tool<\/strong><\/a> specializing in business intelligence<\/a><\/strong>. As long as you are authorized with specific permissions, it is very convenient for you to access the sales data of different regions on one platform and export the data you need directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. What is a Business Report<\/strong>?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Business](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/total-investment-1-1.gif\")
<\/a>2. Types of Business Report<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n2.1 Progress Reports<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"progress](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/process-report-1024x539.png\")
<\/a>2.2 Informational Reports<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Informational](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/informational-report.gif\")
<\/a>2.3 Analytical Reports<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Multi-dimensional](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Multi-dimensional-sales-analysis-1.gif\")
<\/a>2.4 Research Reports<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Research](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/research-report.gif\")
<\/a>2.5 KPI Reports<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"KPI](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/financial-kpi-dashboard-1024x465.png\")
<\/a>![\"Free](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/finereport-en-1024x337.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. How to Create a Powerful Business Report? (Steps & Tool\uff09<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Identify the Purpose and Type of the Business Report<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStep 2: Collect Data and Information Related to the Business Report<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.finereport.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Data-Connection-of-FineReport-1024x539.png\")
<\/a>