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Water and Air Monitoring and Reporting

Online User Guide: EMS WR

3.3 Creating Custom Reports

The Data Results tool allows you to conduct sample result data searches of the EMS database based on a broad range of criteria, and to create customized reports of the search results. You can then download this report to your computer and analyze the data. For example, you might use the data for statistical analysis or to create graphs.

3.3.1 Business needs

Government staff will be the most frequent users of the Data Results tool. For example, a ministry employee might want sample results data on all Cowichan Lake monitoring locations. Health authority staff might consider using the Data Results tool when the predefined reports are too narrow for their business needs.

back to top 3.3.2 Basic procedure

1. From the main menu, click on the Data Results button.

2. If desired, click on the More button near the bottom right of the screen to see less common search criteria. You might have to scroll down to do this.

  • The page reloads with more search fields, and the More button changes to less.

3. Enter information into the fields you want to use as search criteria.

  • You must enter information into at least one field.
  • If you know them, type in the codes (separated by a comma). Or, use the multi selection symbol to display multi selection lists to choose the codes. Business Needs Hint: in general, if you want to find data for a specific monitoring location, you should have the EMS ID before using the Data Results tool. If you do not have the ID, search for it using the Monitoring Locations tool. The previous section describes how to use this tool to search for EMS IDs. Alternatively, you can click the multi selection symbol (...) beside EMS ID on the Data Results - Criteria page. However, this search tool has fewer search options than Monitoring Locations.

4. Click the Retrieve button.

  • If no results data matches your search criteria, you will receive an error message and be returned to the Data Results - Criteria page to try another search.
  • If one or more results data match your search criteria, the Data Results page opens, displaying the number of records retrieved (below the main menu button).
  • If the number of records retrieved is too high, click the cancel button on the Data Results page. This returns you to the Data Results - Criteria page where you can enter additional criteria to narrow your search and reduce the number or records retrieved.

5. In the Frequency box, choose an option by clicking on its radio button:

Sample Detail (default ) — EMS WR retrieves results individually (one record for every sample).

  • Weekly Average, Monthly Average or Yearly Average — EMS WR calculates and returns weekly, monthly, or yearly averages for the results. It averages the samples for each week, month, or year the retrieved data covers.

6. Click the checkboxes of the data items you want to include in the file download.

Business Needs Hint: you should always click the checkboxes for EMS ID and Location Name. Also note that programs used to view this data (for example, Microsoft Excel) are limited in the number of data columns they can display. You can avoid this limitation by ensuring the Parameters Across checkbox is not clicked when you select numerous data items.

7. In the field at the bottom of the screen, type in a name for the information retrieval (e.g. jsmithdata) and click the OK button.

  • The Main Menu page opens. This might take a minute.

8. Click on the Download Data button.

9. Select the radio button next to the Retrieval Name created in step 5.

  • The File Download dialogue box opens.

10. Click the OK button to download the file to your computer.

  • The File Download dialogue box opens.

11. Click Save.

  • The Save As dialogue box opens. Tip: you can also click Open to open the file directly into Microsoft Excel or another program. You can then save the file to your computer directly from that program.

12. Navigate to the location where you want to save the file, type in a file name, and click Save.

  • The file is saved to your computer as a comma-separated values (.csv) file.

13. Use Microsoft Excel or another program to open the document and see the data.

  • You might need to widen the columns to make all the information visible.
  • To view an example of the report, see Data Results Report Example.

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