Grid Reports: Post‑Session Q&A
Looking for answers to questions we could not get to during the EmpowerPro Product Talks: New Grid Reports session on October 29th? You’re in the right place! This post contains answers from the product team to the remaining questions we couldn’t get to during our highly active session. Jump to section: 1. Set Up & Configuration 3. Display & Customizations 5. Dashboards & Reporting 2. Permissions Roles & Access 4. Functionality & Behavior 6. Other Resources Prefer to watch? Here you go: Want to browse clips instead? Check out this playlist. Setup & Configuration: Is there a hard limit (or best‑practice limit) on reportable fields in a table? There’s no technical limit on the number of reportable fields. That said, less is more: keep only essential fields reportable to help performance, usability, and clarity. Best practice: Mark only fields that actually need to appear in reports as reportable. Learn more: Specify which fields are reportable Community discussion: How many fields is too many? Can I mass‑edit the “Field may be used in reports” property? Yes. You can bulk‑update Reportable from the Fields list: 1. Open your table → Settings → Fields 2. Click Advanced options (upper right) 3. Check Reportable and click Save (Page bar) 4. Use the new Reportable column to update fields in bulk Reference: Make several fields reportable Can I turn on Grid Reports for a single table (not the whole app)? Not today. Grid Reports is enabled at the app level. How to: Turn Grid Reports on/off Why not offer Grid Reports as a per‑report type instead of a global app feature? To deliver a consistent, intuitive experience for everyone. Multiple table report types can be confusing—especially for newer or less technical users—so we’re standardizing Grid Reports to reduce learning curves and keep behavior cohesive across the platform. Will embedded grid‑edit reports in legacy forms keep working, or be deprecated? They’ll continue to work. We have no plans to deprecate access to existing legacy forms. Permissions, Roles, and Access: How does the role setting Hide Multi‑Record Operations interact with Grid Reports? Grid Reports respect existing permissions. If a role has Hide Multi‑Record Operations enabled, users in that role cannot inline edit in Grid Reports (similar to legacy grid edit). Where to set it: Role → User Interface tab Docs: Customize the UI by roles · Grid Reports (beta) If I save changes in a report, does everyone see the same thing? Two types of settings: - App/report defaults (builder‑controlled): Starting column widths (set per field) and default row height (in default report settings; can be overridden per report) - Personal preferences (per‑user): Dragged column widths and chosen row height are saved per‑user, per‑report, per‑widget Net effect: App defaults set the baseline; each user can override for their own view. Does the URL parameter trick shown in the session work for anyone, or just admins? It works for any user, but it’s intended only for troubleshooting/transition during rollout. Don’t build long‑term workflows around it. Clip: URL parameter demo Display & Customization: We want column width changes that everyone sees. How? Set default column widths in each field’s properties (builder‑controlled). If a user has already saved a personal width preference, their personal setting wins for that user. Can we set header colors or additional visual styling? Not currently on the roadmap. If this matters to you, please submit feedback to help us gauge demand. Is there an option for an editable colored field? Yes. Color‑coding works in Grid Reports, and colors display in edit mode as well. Without dynamic row sizing, how do we handle rich text that exceeds the “Max” option? We’re evaluating a custom row‑height option to better accommodate rich content. That’s not available yet; for now, use field formatting and report layout choices to balance readability and density. Can we show an ellipsis when text is horizontally truncated? Grid Reports are designed to show ellipses for horizontal overflow. If you’re not seeing this, please report it so we can take a look. How do spacing (Relaxed/Normal/Condensed) and row height (Short/Medium/Tall) interact? Row height controls how many lines of text are visible. Spacing controls the padding around cell content. Defaults come from each user’s preferences; users can override via the More menu on each Grid Report. Try combinations—e.g., Short + Condensed maximizes on‑screen density. Guide: Grid Reports (beta) Functionality & Behavior: Will formula URL buttons work in Grid Reports? We have work planned to allow link interaction in edit mode. Until then, buttons may appear clickable but won’t trigger actions while editing. When I paste a value into multiple rows of a single column, I sometimes get an “incompatible type” error. Why? It happens when data types don’t match (e.g., pasting a user value into a date field). Ensure pasted values match the target field’s type. Will there be safeguards to prevent losing edits when links become clickable in edit mode? Yes—when we enable link interaction in edit mode, we’ll include appropriate safeguards to avoid accidental loss of changes. Will every legacy report option be supported (e.g., Copy Records to another table)? Not necessarily. We focus on the best next version, not a 1:1 port. For “Copy Records to another table,” use a table‑to‑table import workflow. Can I inline‑edit embedded forms without putting the form in edit mode? No. The form must be in edit mode to edit embedded reports. Dashboards & Reporting Integration: Do Grid Reports work on dashboards? Any limitations? Yes. They’re great for quick updates. On dashboards, these actions are not available: deleting records, adding records, and column filtering (dashboard filters take precedence). Will dashboards support more than four filters? Nothing is currently prioritized. If this would help your team, please submit feedback so we can assess demand. Other Resources: learn more about New Grid Reports and dig into Qrew Tips – a Knowledge Base for the Qrew by the Qrew: Grid Reports (Beta) Guide Turn Grid Reports on/off Specify which fields are reportable Make several fields reportable Customize the UI by roles Community thread: field count & performance URL parameter demo (clip) Qrew Tips: The Qrew Knowledge Base Have feedback or another question on new Grid Reports? Drop it in the comments or send it our way—we’ll keep this Q&A updated as the grid report evolves.
