Atera’s Advanced Reports provide powerful analytics and visualization tools that let you filter, customize, and merge data across tickets, agents, devices, and software. Use them to gain deeper insights into performance, compliance, and customer activity through real-time dashboards, scheduled reports, and custom visualizations.
Overview
Q: What are Advanced Reports in Atera?
A: Advanced Reports let users filter, customize, and visualize data across tickets, agents, devices, software, and more for deep operational analytics.
Q: How do I access Advanced Reports?
A: Go to the Reports menu in the sidebar and select Advanced Reports to open dashboards or create custom reports.
Q: Why am I seeing the error: “You are not authenticated to view this page. 401” when accessing Advanced Reports?
A: This happens when your browser blocks the authentication cookies required by Looker (which powers Advanced Reports). Disable tracking prevention or allow all cookies, and ensure Prevent Cross-Site Tracking is turned off.
Q: Why am I being redirected to a Looker login page when trying to open or download a report?
A: This usually happens when your browser blocks authentication cookies required for seamless login between Atera and Looker. Ensure cookies are allowed for:
atera.cloud.looker.com
looker.com
app.atera.com
Then restart your browser and try again.
Q: Why is Looker asking me for credentials I don’t have?
A: Advanced Reports use embedded authentication via Atera. If cookies are blocked, the system cannot authenticate you automatically and redirects you to a standalone Looker login page. Enabling third-party cookies resolves this.
Q: What browser settings are required for Advanced Reports to work properly?
A: Make sure:
Third-party cookies are enabled
Cross-site tracking is allowed
Tracking prevention is disabled (or exceptions are added for Atera/Looker domains)
You are not using strict privacy or incognito mode
Q: What’s the difference between Viewer and Explore permissions?
A: Viewer allows filtering and scheduling of preset dashboards, while Explore enables full customization, dataset merging, and creation of new dashboards or reports.
Q: Are Advanced Reports available for all plans?
A: Viewer/presets require Growth/Expert or higher; Explore/customization requires Power/Master or higher.
Q: What user roles can access Advanced Reports?
A: Only users with assigned Viewer or Explore permissions can access Advanced Reports. Admins can manage these permissions.
Creating and Managing Reports
Q: How do I create a custom Advanced Report?
A: Click New Advanced Report, select a dataset (e.g., Tickets or Agents), add fields, apply filters, and run the report.
Q: Which datasets are available?
A: Available datasets include Tickets, Agents, Software, Assets, Alerts, Patch & Automation Feedback, and more.
Q: Can I merge datasets in custom reports?
A: Yes. Explore permissions allow merging fields from different datasets for unified reporting (e.g., tickets and agent data).
Q: How do I filter data in Advanced Reports?
A: Use column filter menus or search fields—filters can be applied before or after running the report.
Q: Can I filter by date, time, customer, or device type?
A: Yes. Dashboards and custom reports support filtering by date range, customer, site, or any dataset field.
Q: Can I group or sort data by fields?
A: Yes. Use Explore mode to group and sort by fields such as product family, technician, or location.
Q: Can I include custom fields?
A: Yes. Custom fields (e.g., ticket, agent, or device fields) can be added and filtered.
Q: What are “Looks” in Advanced Reporting?
A: A Look is a standalone saved report, not tied to any dashboard, stored in your personal folder.
Q: How do I save a report to a dashboard?
A: Use Explore Actions > Add to Dashboard to add the current report as a tile.
Dashboards and Visualization
Q: What preset dashboards are available?
A: Presets include Hardware Inventory, Ticketing Summary, Technician Overview, Customer Tickets Overview, and Software Inventory.
Q: What is a dashboard tile?
A: A tile is an individual report or visualization added to a dashboard for focused insights.
Q: Can dashboards include charts or visualizations?
A: Yes. Use bar, line, pie, scatter, or area charts to visualize trends and KPIs.
Q: Can I drill down into ticket or device details?
A: Yes. Click data points or chart segments to view underlying records.
Q: Can dashboards display historical and real-time data?
A: Yes. Dashboards can show both real-time and historical data, updated with each device check-in or ticket change.
Q: Can dashboards be shared or favorited?
A: Yes. Dashboards can be shared with teams via shared folders and marked as favorites for quick access.
Scheduling and Exporting Reports
Q: Can I schedule Advanced Report delivery?
A: Yes. Reports can be scheduled for email delivery with custom time zones, frequencies, and recipients (technicians or customers).
Q: Can scheduled reports be edited?
A: Yes. You can edit, rename, or reschedule any scheduled report via dashboard options.
Q: Can I schedule delivery on business days only?
A: Yes. Choose a custom schedule that excludes weekends when setting up delivery.
Q: Can I export reports as PDF or Excel?
A: Yes. Dashboards and individual tiles can be exported in PDF or Excel format.
Q: Can I export a specific tile or section?
A: Yes. Use the three-dot menu on any tile to export it individually.
Q: Can I bulk export report data?
A: Yes, though preset dashboards are limited to 500 rows, while custom reports can show up to 5,000.
Q: How to export more than 500 rows from a report?
A: If you want to export more than 500 rows from a report, you need to click the ellipsis icon and use the Download option under Tile Actions, not the option that downloads the entire report.
Report Types and Capabilities
Q: What’s the difference between operational and advanced reports?
A: Operational reports are curated for daily summaries; Advanced (analytical) reports provide raw, customizable data for deeper insights.
Q: What kind of information can I report on?
A: Tickets (status, impact, SLA, technician, product), agents (health, OS, last check-in), software installations, alerts, patch results, and more.
Q: Can I track SLA performance and technician metrics?
A: Yes. SLA compliance, breach details, technician performance, and response times are all reportable.
Q: Can reports show security and compliance data?
A: Yes. You can include antivirus status, BitLocker, and firewall fields for compliance reporting.
Q: Can I include SNMP, TCP, or HTTP devices?
A: Yes, in higher-tier plans—these devices appear in relevant datasets.
Q: Can I analyze software and app installations?
A: Yes. The Software Inventory dashboard tracks installations, versions, and usage trends.
Q: Can I identify outdated OS or pending reboots?
A: Yes. Filter the Agent OS version or Pending Reboot fields in the Agents dataset.
Performance and Troubleshooting
Q: How current is the data in Advanced Reports?
A: Reports reflect real-time or near real-time data based on agent check-ins and ticket updates.
Q: What causes report errors or “Looker not found” messages?
A: Usually browser-related. Clear cache, enable third-party cookies, and avoid incognito mode.
Q: Can I use Advanced Reports in incognito mode?
A: No. Third-party cookies must be enabled; incognito mode may block functionality.
Q: Why do pie charts sometimes fail to render?
A: Pie charts require exactly one dimension and one measure—adjust your fields accordingly.
Q: What should I check if a report fails to save?
A: Ensure it’s named and assigned to a folder. Browser restrictions may also block saving.
Q: How do I exclude retired or deleted devices?
A: Use filters like Exclude Retired Devices; otherwise, historical data remains visible.
Additional Features and Best Practices
Q: Can I assign report access by user or group?
A: Yes. Admins control report and dashboard access per role or group.
Q: Can reports be automated for recurring exports?
A: Automatic email delivery is supported; network share exports require manual download.
Q: Are multi-customer and multi-site reports supported?
A: Yes. Apply filters for multiple customers or sites as needed.
Q: Can I use reports for compliance or performance audits?
A: Yes. Combine security, SLA, and system health datasets to assess compliance and performance.
Q: What are best practices for dashboard management?
A: Group dashboards by purpose or team, use shared folders wisely, and set appropriate permissions.
Q: Where can I find help or demos for Advanced Reports?
A: Check Atera’s Help Center and video demos for detailed guides on using Advanced Reports.
