# Creating Custom Reports

Last Updated On: 28 Oct 2026

## What are custom reports?

Custom Reports let you build tailored, on-demand reports from the endpoint data collected by Endpoint Central MSP. You can choose specific data columns, apply filter conditions, group data logically, preview results in real time, and export finished reports as PDF, CSV, or XLS files.

Custom Reports support three data sub-modules — **Computer**, **Hardware**, and **Software** — and two visualization types — **Table** and **Chart**.

## How to create a Table Report?

Table reports display data in a structured, row-based layout. They are ideal for counting, grouping, or summarising records. Results can be exported as PDF, XLSX, or CSV.

1. Navigate to the **Reports** tab and select **Custom Reports**.
2. Click **New Custom Report**.
3. Provide an appropriate **Report Title**.
4. Select the **Sub-Module**: Computer, Hardware, or Software.
5. Choose the report type as **Table**.
6. Click **+ Add Column** and select the fields to be displayed.
7. Use **Group By** to logically group data. When using Group By, every non-grouped column must have an aggregation set: Count, String, Sum, or Average.
8. Navigate to the **Filter** tab and apply conditions.
9. Optionally, click **Add Formula Column**.
10. Click **Preview Table**.
11. Click **Save**.

### Example: Table Report

**Use Case:** Count software titles by licence type to understand the licence composition of your software estate.

1. Report title: **Count of Software Based on License Type**.
2. Sub-Module: **Software**.
3. Report type: **Table**.
4. Add columns: **License Type** and **Software Name (Count)**.
5. Group by **License Type**.
6. Click **Preview Table**, then **Save**.

The report produces summary rows such as **Commercial**, **Non Commercial**, and **Unidentified**.

![How to create table based custom reports](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/desktop-central/help/reports/custom_report1.webp)

### Create a software inventory table report

To create a per-computer view of installed software, versions, and installation dates, create a **Table** report with the **Software** sub-module.

1. Go to **Reports > Custom Reports** and click **New Custom Report**.
2. Enter a report title, select **Software** as the **Sub-Module**, and select **Table** as the report type.
3. Click **+ Add Column** and add the fields required for the outcome, such as **Computer Name**, **Software Name**, **Software Version**, and **Software Installed Date**. For product-key reporting, add **License Key** and **Software CD Key**.
4. Open the **Filter** tab and add conditions. For example, use **Software Name** with the **like** criterion to include name or version variants, or add an **Operating System** condition to scope the computers.
5. To create a computer-wise list, group by **Computer Name** and configure the remaining columns with the aggregation required by the report.
6. Click **Preview Table**, verify the result, and click **Save**. You can export the result as PDF, XLSX, or CSV.

## How to create a Chart Report?

Chart reports provide a visual summary of your data. Supported chart types are **Bar**, **Line**, **Area**, **Pie**, **Dial**, **Pyramid**, and **Funnel**.

1. Navigate to the **Reports** tab and select **Custom Reports**.
2. Click **New Custom Report**.
3. Provide an appropriate **Report Title**.
4. Select the required **Sub-Module**.
5. Select the chart type.
6. Select the column for the **X-axis**.
7. Select the column for the **Y-axis**. Chart reports require aggregation: Count, Sum, or Average.
8. Optionally, apply filters.
9. Optionally, add a formula column.
10. Click **Preview Chart**.
11. Click **Save**.

### Example: Chart Report

**Use Case:** Count computers per hardware manufacturer to understand vendor distribution.

1. Report title: **Count of Computers by Manufacturer**.
2. Sub-Module: **Computer**.
3. Chart type: **Bar**.
4. X-axis: **Computer Manufacturer**.
5. Y-axis: **Computer Name** with aggregation **Count**.
6. Click **Preview Chart**, then **Save**.

The chart displays one bar per manufacturer. Dell Inc. and HP Inc. typically dominate, giving the procurement team an immediate view of vendor distribution.

![How to create chart based custom reports](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/desktop-central/help/reports/custom_report2.webp)

## How to create a KPI Report?

KPI reports display a single, at-a-glance metric card — ideal for surfacing key numbers like total device count, average OS distribution, or hardware composition directly on a dashboard. Each KPI card shows a **Primary Value** (the main metric), an optional **Secondary Value** (a comparison metric), and a title.

KPI cards are built from templates. Currently, there are four templates available. Follow the steps below to create the KPI:

1. Navigate to the **Reports** tab and select **Custom Reports**.
2. Click **New Custom Report**.
3. Provide an appropriate **Report Title**.
4. Select the required **Sub-Module**.
5. Choose the report type as **KPI**.
6. Under the **Columns** tab, select a **Template** for the card layout.
7. Enter a **KPI Title**. Optionally, click **Add Description** to include a supporting note.
8. Under **Select Column**, choose the data field to measure and set its aggregation.
9. Under **Select Group By**, choose the field to group the data by.
10. Set the **Primary Value** — the main metric displayed prominently on the card. Options include Min, Max, Avg, Sum, or Count of the grouped results.
11. Set the **Secondary Value** — the comparison metric shown below the primary value. Options include Min, Max, Avg, Sum, or Count.
12. Optionally, apply filters to refine which records are included in the metric.
13. Optionally, navigate to the **Settings** tab to configure the comparison indicator and number formatting:
    - **Comparison Icon** — toggles the trend arrow on the card on or off.
    - **Value >= 0 icon** — the icon shown when the value is zero or positive. Choose from Arrow Up (Green), Arrow Up (Red), Trending Up (Green), Trending Up (Red), Plus (Green), or Plus (Red).
    - **Value < 0 icon** — the icon shown when the value is negative. Choose from Arrow Down (Red), Trending Down (Red), or Minus (Red).
    - **Show % of Difference** — displays the percentage change between the current value and the comparison baseline alongside the trend icon.
    - **Units** — sets the unit label appended to the displayed value. Grouped as General, Disk Size, Currency, Time, Power, etc.
14. Click **Preview Chart**.
15. Click **Save**.

### Example: KPI Report

**Use Case:** Get a quick count of all hardware components across the environment, broken down by manufacturer, so the IT and procurement team can see at a glance which vendors make up the bulk of the hardware estate.

1. Report title: **Count of Hardwares**.
2. Sub-Module: **Hardware**.
3. Report type: **KPI**.
4. Template: **Value + Trend + Secondary Label + Title** with breakdown chips.
5. Select Column: **Hardware Name** with aggregation **Count**.
6. Select Group By: **Manufacturer**.
7. Primary Value: **Sum** — totals the hardware count across all manufacturer groups.
8. Secondary Value: **Avg** — average hardware count per manufacturer.
9. Settings: enable **Comparison Icon**, set **Value >= 0** to **Arrow Up (Green)** and **Value < 0** to **Arrow Down (Red)**; leave **Units** as **None**.
10. Click **Preview Chart**, then **Save**.

The KPI card displays **1344 ↑** as the headline number, with *Average Hardware Name Count: 9.67* shown as the secondary reference. Breakdown chips show the split by manufacturer — **Unknown — 504**, **(Standard disk drives) — 96**, **GenuineIntel — 83**, and **Dell — 67** — letting the team see at a glance where the bulk of the hardware inventory comes from.

![How to create KPI based custom reports](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/desktop-central/help/reports/kpi-report.webp)

## What are Formula Columns?

Formula columns let you create a new field whose value is determined by conditions you define. Instead of showing a raw number, the column shows a meaningful label such as **Critical**, **Warning**, or **Healthy**.

Formula columns use top-down evaluation. Conditions are checked in the order defined, and the first matching condition is applied. If no condition matches, the unmatched value is assigned.

**Note:** A formula column is visible only to the technician who created it. Formula columns are also scoped to the sub-module in which they were created.

## How to define a Formula Column?

1. While selecting columns in a custom report, click **Add Formula Column**.
2. Provide a **Formula Column Name**.
3. Provide a **Derived Value Name** and define the matching condition. You can add up to 5 derived values, with a maximum of 30 criteria across all values.
4. Provide a label in the **Name for Unmatched Value** field.
5. Click **Save & Select**.

### Example: Disk Health Classification

**Use Case:** Classify computers based on available disk space.

- **Formula Column Name:** Disk Health Status
- **Derived Value 1:** Critical — Free Space less than 10 GB
- **Derived Value 2:** Warning — Free Space less than 20 GB
- **Unmatched Value:** Healthy

A device with 5 GB free is labelled **Critical**; 15 GB free is labelled **Warning**; 60 GB free is labelled **Healthy**.

## Notes and Limitations

### General

- Reports can be edited at any time using the **Edit** option.
- Table reports can be exported as PDF, XLSX, or CSV.
- Chart reports cannot be exported or scheduled.

### Formula Columns

- Formula columns are technician-specific and not shared with other technicians.
- Formula columns are scoped to the sub-module in which they were created.
- Conditions are evaluated top-to-bottom; the first match wins.

## Create AI-powered Custom Reports with Zia

Zia Reports is an AI-powered report generation assistant integrated into the Custom Reports module of Endpoint Central MSP, designed to simplify report creation by allowing users to describe their reporting requirements in natural language. Instead of manually configuring report types, selecting modules, choosing columns, defining filters, and organizing visualizations, Zia automatically generates a report configuration based on the input — which can then be previewed, edited, and saved.

**Prerequisite:** Before using Zia Reports, ensure that Zia is enabled on the Endpoint Central MSP console. To enable Zia, navigate to **Admin → Zia Configuration** and turn on the Zia assistant. Without this, the **Create Reports with Zia** option will not be available in the Custom Reports module. Refer to [Enable Zia](https://www.manageengine.com/desktop-management-msp/help/zia/zia-ai-assistant.html#enable-zia) for step-by-step instructions.

To create AI-powered custom reports using Zia, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to **Reports → Custom Reports** on the Endpoint Central MSP console.
2. Click **Create Reports with Zia**. The Zia assistant panel opens with a chat input field and a set of predefined starter prompts to help you get started quickly.

   ![Zia AI powered custom reports](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/desktop-central/help/reports/zia-report-1.webp)

3. Select a starter prompt that matches your requirement, or enter your own report request in natural language as per your business needs. For example, you can type a request such as "Show me all computers that have not been patched in the last 30 days" or "List users with failed login attempts this week."

   ![AI based custom reports prompt](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/desktop-central/help/reports/zia-reports-3.webp)

4. Zia interprets the natural language input and maps it to the appropriate report configuration. If the request requires additional details or contains ambiguous information, Zia will ask clarifying questions before proceeding.
5. Once Zia has sufficient information, it generates the report in one of the following formats — **Table**, **Chart**, or **KPI** — based on the nature of the request.
6. A report preview is displayed. Review the generated report to verify that the configuration, columns, filters, and visualizations accurately reflect your intended requirements.
7. Once satisfied with the report, click **Save** to store the custom report for future access and use.

![Zia AI powered custom reports chat](https://cdn.manageengine.com/sites/meweb/images/desktop-central/help/reports/zia-report-2.webp)

**Note**

- Only one report can be generated per request.
- Reports must be saved before closing the Zia chat panel. If a report is not saved, both the report configuration and the chat history will be lost, as the session is refreshed upon closing. Unsaved reports cannot be retrieved.
- AI-generated reports should be carefully reviewed for accuracy before being used for operational decisions, IT audits, or business reporting. While Zia is designed to interpret requests accurately, validating the output ensures that the data presented aligns with your intended criteria.

[Watch the video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/88-quQxecJA)