Reports | How to limit ALL tables to be reported on and just allow a smaller subset

[George Cutrell]

When our end users go to Reports > Create New, and go to select a table form the Table dropdown, they see ALL tables within the platform.  Our users don't need to see all those tables and we don't really want them creating or attempting to create reports on them as it could lead to unnecessary questions that we'd rather not field.  Basically, we'd like to box the users into just the tables they need to see and have access to for reporting.

The analogy that comes to mind is a firewall.  I want to first deny all but then selectively choose the tables that I want to be reported on.  What is the best way to achieve that?

[George Cutrell]

I am not trying to limit access to Reports.  I am trying to limit access to the tables that can be reported on.

[Luiz Lucena]

Hi @George Cutrell 

I'm a little confused, do your end users have any role? 
Here at the company only users with ITIL role + report role can create reports and they can only report on tables we allow by using the report_on ACl as mentioned before.

[ersureshbe]

Hi, Ok. If you are trying to limit the access to the table that can be handled via OOB roles. Does the mentioned user has any roles then he/she is not an end user.

I recommend that you check the user role.

[George Cutrell]

My users have roles.  They can create reports without any problems.  When they go to Reports > Create New and then select a the Table dropdown to choose the table they want to report on, the dropdown includes a ton of OOTB tables.  I merely want to narrow that table list down to the list that really only makes sense for them to do their job.

[bdfbgdg]

It sounds like you want to restrict the visibility and selection of tables for your end users when they're creating reports. This can be achieved through a combination of access control and user interface customization. While the exact implementation can vary based on the technology and platform you're using, here's a general approach you can follow:

1. Access Control: Set up proper access controls and permissions for the tables in your system. This means controlling who can view, modify, and create reports on specific tables. This might involve role-based access control (RBAC) or similar mechanisms.

2. Data Abstraction Layer: Implement a data abstraction layer that sits between the user interface and the actual database tables. This layer will act as a filter and only expose the tables that a user should have access to.

3. User-Specific Views: Create user-specific or role-specific views of the database. These views should only include the tables that a particular user or role needs to see. This way, when a user goes to create a report, they'll only see the tables they're allowed to access.

4. Custom Report Creation UI: Build a customized user interface for report creation. This interface should reflect the user-specific views you've created and present only the relevant tables to the user. This might involve customizing the "Create New Report" section to display a filtered dropdown list of tables.

5. Metadata Management: Maintain metadata that associates each user or role with the specific tables they are allowed to access. This metadata can be used by your custom report creation UI to determine which tables to display.

6. User Feedback and Training: Clearly communicate to users why they're only seeing certain tables and what the purpose of those tables is. Provide training and documentation to help them understand the limitations and capabilities of the reporting system.

7. Regular Review and Maintenance: As your database and reporting needs evolve, periodically review and update the access controls, user-specific views, and metadata to ensure they accurately reflect the current requirements.

Keep in mind that the specific implementation details will depend on the technology stack you're using for your platform (e.g., programming languages, databases, frameworks). You might need to involve software developers, database administrators, and user experience designers to ensure a smooth implementation of these steps.