9.1. Introduction

Reports and Charts give GnuCash the ability to present an overview of financial data in various ways. This can range from a simple summary of account totals to an advanced portfolio view. This section will present an explanation of the main GnuCash reports and how to adjust them.

To run a report or chart, click on the Reports menu, then either select a report (it will open with standard options), or click on Saved Report Configuration to select a report you have previously configured and saved.

Once the report has opened, click on the toolbar button Options to configure the report as needed, for example to set the report date or select accounts.

Tip

If you intend to save a report configuration, you should choose a named report date option such as Today rather than enter a specific date so it is not necessary to enter a specific date again in future reports.

Tip

If you often run a report with a date as at the start or end of an accounting period, set the accounting period start and end dates in EditPreferencesAccounting Period then select appropriate report date options. See Section 10.2.1, “Accounting Period”.

Tip

If you cannot find a specific report to suit your requirements, you may be able to use the Find Transaction assistant ( EditFind ) to select a set of transactions, and then report them using ReportsAccount Report . Further formatting or analysis may be done by copying and pasting the report into a spreadsheet.

After you have configured a report, you can save the configuration for future use by clicking either the Save Report Configuration or Save Report Configuration As... button.

9.1.1. Saving a Report Configuration

To save a report configuration for future use, while the required report tab is selected, go to the report options, select the General tab and change the Report Name to a meaningful unique name. Do not confuse this with the Report Title which prints at the top of a report.

Click the Save Report Configuration or Save Report Configuration As... button. This will store your customized report options in a file below your home directory. The exact location depends on your OS, its version and the GnuCash version. See wiki:Configuration_Locations#GTK_CONFIG_HOME, GNC_DATA_HOME and Files in GNC_DATA_HOME Then it is GNC_DATA_HOME/saved-reports-version.

The first time you save a report with a name that has not already been saved, you can use either the Save Report Configuration or the Save Report Configuration As... button. You can modify the report name before saving it.

After a report configuration for a specific name has been saved, the Save Report Configuration button will immediately update the saved report configuration without giving the opportunity to save the configuration with a new name. Use the Save Report Configuration As... button to save the current report configuration with a new name.

After your customized report has been saved, it is available for use by the ReportsSaved Report Configurations menu and it will also be listed when starting ReportsSample & CustomCustom Multicolumn Report .

9.1.2. Working with Saved Report Configurations

Selecting ReportsSaved Report Configurations will open a dialog window with the list of the Saved Report Configurations you have previously created. In this context Saved Report Configurations means the set of customized settings for standard reports.

The Saved Report Configurations window lists each of your previously saved report configurations, and 3 small buttons at the end of each. These buttons perform the following actions

  • Load (and run) report configuration. Double clicking a report configuration also performs this action.

  • Edit report configuration name. This enables a report configuration to be renamed.

  • Delete report configuration.