Understanding Reports and Dashboards in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core reports covering CRM, finance, time, tasks, attendance, leave and expenses are available without an add-on. Payroll reports require the Payroll add-on module, budget reports require the…
Availability: All editions. Core reports covering CRM, finance, time, tasks, attendance, leave and expenses are available without an add-on. Payroll reports require the Payroll add-on module, budget reports require the Budget add-on module, and the weekly digest requires the CRMInsightReports add-on. An Administrator must enable an add-on before its reports appear.
Overview
CrmLeaf reports summarise the data your teams already record - deals, invoices, expenses, time, tasks, attendance and leave - so managers can review performance without exporting to a spreadsheet. Dashboards present the same information as a live overview per role.
This article explains what reports exist, how dashboards differ by role, and the single most common source of confusion: why two users can open the same report and see different totals.
How It Works
Reports read from the operational records; they are not a separate data set you maintain. That means a report is only as complete as the underlying records, and it respects the same visibility rules as the screens those records live on.
Record work → Open the report → Filter the period → Read within your permission scope → Export
- Report visibility follows the ownership-scoped permission model. A permission is a
scope -
none,owned,added,bothorall- so a report shows only the records the reader is allowed to see. - Because of that, two users can legitimately open the same report for the same period and see different totals. This is correct behaviour, not a defect.
- Organisation filtering applies as well, so a user working in one organisation does not see another organisation's figures.
- Dashboards are role-based, and leadership roles can be given view-only summary dashboards with no data-entry rights.
- Add-on reports appear only when the module behind them is enabled for the account.
- Reports support Export where documented, so a snapshot can be shared outside CrmLeaf.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Decide which roles may open which reports, through role permissions.
- Set the permission scope that determines how much of a report each role sees.
- Enable the add-on modules whose reports the business needs.
- Provide view-only summary dashboards to leadership roles.
User
- Open the reports your role includes.
- Filter by period and other available criteria.
- Export a report where the export action is available.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- Operational records in the modules you want to report on - a report cannot show work that was never recorded.
- Report permissions assigned to your role, with a scope wide enough for the figures you are accountable for.
- For add-on reports, the relevant module enabled for the account.
For Administrators
Step 1: Decide who is accountable for which numbers
What to do: For each role, set the module permission scope that matches accountability. A
representative usually needs owned; a manager reporting on a team needs all.
What to verify: A manager's report total matches the team's actual activity, and a representative sees only their own.
Step 2: Enable the modules behind the reports you need
What to do: Enable Payroll, Budget or CRMInsightReports if you need payroll reports, budget reports or the weekly digest - subject to your plan.
What to verify: The report appears for the roles you granted it to.
Step 3: Set up leadership dashboards
What to do: For leadership roles who should read but not edit, use a view-only role with a curated summary dashboard and no data-entry rights.
What to verify: The leadership user can open their dashboard and cannot create or edit records.
For Users
Step 1: Open the report you need
What to do: Open the report that matches your question - for example the deal report for pipeline, the finance report for revenue and profitability, or the time log report for hours.
What to verify: The report opens with a period you recognise.
Step 2: Set the period and filters
What to do: Apply the period and any available filters, then read the figures. Use Filter to narrow to the team, project or client you are reviewing.
What to verify: The filtered totals reconcile with the underlying list of records.
Step 3: Export a snapshot if you need to share it
What to do: Use Export where it is available to take the figures out of CrmLeaf.
What to verify: The exported file contains the same rows shown on screen.
Field and Option Reference
| Report | What it shows | Add-on required |
|---|---|---|
| Deal Report | Pipeline value, conversion and deal stage analysis, including average deal size. | No |
| Sales Report | Revenue by client, product and period. | No |
| Finance Report | Revenue, expenses and profitability summary. | No |
| Income Vs Expense | Profit and loss comparison by period. | No |
| Time Log Report | Billable and non-billable hours by person, project and period. | No |
| Task Report | Task completion rates, overdue items and assignment breakdown. | No |
| Attendance Report | Attendance summary, late arrivals, absences and regularisation. | No |
| Leave Report | Leave balance, utilisation and trend by team. | No |
| Expense Report | Expense claims by employee, project or department. | No |
| HRMS Expense Report | HR-side expense reporting. | No |
| Payroll Report | Payroll summary and breakdown, with reports per statutory type. | Payroll |
| Budget vs Actual, Project Cost Summary, Over-budget | Project budget performance against derived actuals. | Budget |
| Weekly Digest Report | Scheduled weekly summary of usage, activity and reminders. | CRMInsightReports |
Expected Result
You can open the report that answers your question, filter it to the right period, and read totals that reflect exactly the records your permission scope allows - with add-on reports present only where the module is enabled.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
In a services firm the same question is asked at three levels - a consultant's own hours, a delivery lead's project, a partner's portfolio - and the answer has to be different at each level without anyone maintaining three sets of numbers. Reporting that reads the operational records and then filters by who is asking is what makes one system serve all three.
How It Supports Professional Services
- Report figures obey the ownership-scoped permission model, so a delivery lead and a partner can open the same report for the same period and legitimately see different totals. This is the single most useful thing to understand before a service organisation designs its reporting.
- Organisation filtering applies as well, so a firm running separate practices or branches as organisations keeps their figures apart.
- Leadership roles can be given view-only summary dashboards, which suits a partner or non-executive who should read the numbers without touching engagement records.
- Reports are derived from operational records, so unlogged time and unapproved expenses simply do not appear - reporting quality is a delivery discipline, not a configuration setting.
- The shipped set covers the services cycle end to end: Deal and Sales reports for pipeline and revenue, Finance and Income vs Expense for the company position, Time Log and Task for effort and delivery, Expense for recoverable cost, and the scheduled weekly digest.
Typical Service Workflow
Record work → Approve → Report within scope → Export → Review
The scoping and the derivation are product behaviour. Deciding which role publishes the official figure is a governance decision the organisation must make, precisely because scope makes several correct totals possible.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
The same model lets a manufacturer give a plant manager their own site's figures, a solar business give a regional lead their installations, and any organisation restrict finance figures to finance roles.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Use Time Log and Task Reports — billable and non-billable hours by person and project.
- How to Use Finance and Income vs Expense Reports — the revenue and cost position.
- How to Use Budget Reports and Threshold Alerts — per-engagement cost against plan.
- How to Configure Ownership-Based Permissions — the scopes that decide every total.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Different totals for different users are expected. Report figures are filtered by the ownership-scoped permission model and by organisation. Before treating a mismatch as an error, compare the two users' permission scopes and organisations.
- Reports do not create data. If work was not recorded - time not logged, expense not submitted - it cannot appear.
- Approval states matter. Figures built from approved records change when an approval is granted or withdrawn.
- Add-on modules are plan-gated. Confirm inclusion in your plan before expecting their reports.
Common Scenarios
Example: two managers, two totals. A regional manager with
all scope on deals sees the company pipeline. A team lead with owned scope sees only
their own deals. Both reports are correct; the difference is the permission scope, not the data.
Example: leadership reporting. A finance director is given a view-only role with a summary dashboard. They can read the finance report and income versus expense but cannot create or edit records.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Two users see different totals on the same report | Their permission scopes, or their current organisation, differ | Compare the two users' permission scopes and organisations. Adjust the scope if accountability requires a wider view. |
| A report is not in the menu | The role does not include it, or the add-on module behind it is not enabled | Ask your Administrator to grant the permission or enable the module. |
| A report is empty | No records exist for the selected period, or the scope is none | Widen the period and confirm your permission scope. |
| Figures look lower than expected | Records awaiting approval are not counted where the report is built from approved records | Check for pending approvals in the source module. |
| Budget or payroll reports are missing | The Budget or Payroll add-on module is not enabled | Ask your Administrator to enable the module, subject to your plan. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my colleague's report total differ from mine?
Report visibility follows the ownership-scoped permission model, so each reader sees only the records their scope allows. Different scopes produce different - and equally correct - totals.
Are dashboards the same for everyone?
No. Dashboards are role-based, and leadership roles can be given view-only summary dashboards.
Can a report show data from another organisation in my account?
No. Organisation filtering applies to reporting as it does elsewhere.
Do I need an add-on to see reports?
Not for the core reports. Payroll reports, budget reports and the weekly digest require their add-on modules.
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