Install Advance Report Studio, find the app menu, understand User vs Manager roles, and run your first report in minutes.
Overview
If you have not installed the app on your server yet, read Setup Advance Report Studio first (download, addons folder, restart, Apps list, install, permissions).
Advance Report Studio is an Odoo app by WebbyCrown Solutions that lets you save report templates-reusable setups for opening, analyzing, exporting, emailing, and drilling into your business data. Each template stores which Odoo model (data type) to use, which records to include (domain), which screens to show (list, pivot, graph, kanban, calendar), export columns, drill paths, and optional scheduled email.
Unlike one-off spreadsheet exports, templates live in Advance Report Studio → Report templates so your whole team opens the same filtered view every time. The module works on Odoo 14 through 19 and sits alongside your existing apps (Sales, Accounting, CRM, Inventory, etc.) without replacing them.
After installation, every internal Odoo user can run reports from the list. Only Managers (or Settings administrators) design and edit template definitions.
Who should use what
- End users (Advance Report User) – Open data, download CSV/Excel/PDF, run drills from the list or runner. No access to the full template form unless granted Manager rights.
- Report designers (Advance Report Manager) – Create templates, set domains, pivot/graph/kanban, export columns, drills, email, JSON import/export, and Quick start presets.
- Administrators (Settings) – Configure allowed models whitelist, mail server, and assign Manager group to trusted designers. Settings users are Managers automatically.
How it works
A report template is a stored configuration record (advance.report.template). When someone clicks Open data or Open report, the module builds a normal Odoo window action: same domain, views, and context you configured-users interact with familiar list, pivot, graph, or kanban screens.
Exports and scheduled emails use the same domain and columns as on-screen data, up to Max export rows. Drills are separate actions that open related models using placeholders from the current row (for example {partner_id} on a sales order).
App menu structure
- Report templates – Main catalog (all users).
- Run drill – Test a drill with a source record ID (all users).
- Configuration (managers only) – Quick start presets, Import templates (JSON), Studio configuration.
Administrators also find Settings → Advance Report Studio for the global model whitelist.
Step-by-step: first-time setup
- In Apps, search for Advance Report Studio, install it, and upgrade if you are updating an existing copy.
- Confirm dependencies: Mail (for email reports), server library xlsxwriter (Excel), and wkhtmltopdf (PDF) per your Odoo deployment notes.
- Open the main menu → Advance Report Studio → Report templates. You should see the list (possibly empty or with [Studio demo] tutorials).
- Filter Studio demos in search and open [Studio demo] Contacts – all options (tutorial). Click Open data to see pivot, list, and form on Contacts.
- Under Settings → Users, assign Advance Report Studio / Manager only to people who should design reports (finance lead, BI owner, consultant).
- Optional: Settings → Advance Report Studio – add Allowed models if you want a phased rollout (see Studio Settings).
- When ready to build your own report, read Building a Report Template or use Quick Start & Demo Reports.
Key concepts & fields
| Name | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
Report template |
Saved report definition (name, model, filters, views, exports). |
Monthly sales by customer |
Model |
Odoo data source ( |
Sales Order, Contact, Invoice |
Domain |
Filter expression for which records appear. |
Non-cancelled orders this month |
Open data / Open report |
Run the template as a live Odoo screen. |
View 240 matching orders |
Advance Report User |
Run reports from the list; no template form edit. |
Sales representative |
Advance Report Manager |
Full template form, JSON, presets, configuration menu. |
Finance manager |
Active |
Archived templates are hidden from default search. |
Uncheck to retire old report |
Field explanations
Each block matches one row in the table above, in the same order.
Report template
One saved configuration on model advance.report.template: report name, source model, domain, view modes, pivot/graph/kanban, export columns, drills, email options, and access. Appears as a row under Advance Report Studio → Report templates; managers open the full form to edit it.
Model
The Odoo data type (ir.model) the report reads-e.g. Sales Order, Contact, Invoice. Every field you can use in the domain, columns, pivot, graph, and drills comes from this model (and related fields Odoo exposes).
Domain
The filter that decides which records load when someone runs the template. Same domain is used for Open data, exports, and scheduled emails. Record rules and user rights still apply on top of the domain.
Open data / Open report
Two labels for the same action: Open data is the list-row button; Open report is on the template form header. Both open a normal Odoo window with the template’s domain, views, and context.
Advance Report User
Security group for people who only run reports: open data, CSV/Excel/PDF, drills, and the Run drill wizard. Internal users get this group by default; they do not see the full template edit form unless they are also Managers.
Advance Report Manager
Designers: create and edit templates, export/import JSON, maintain Quick start presets, and use the Configuration menu. Implies User. Settings administrators receive Manager automatically.
Active
Checkbox on the template. When unchecked, the template is archived: hidden from the default “Active” filter on Report templates but not deleted-useful to retire old reports without losing their definition.
Tips
- Tip: Start with [Studio demo] contacts and sales tutorials-they demonstrate domain, pivot, columns, drills, and rolling date windows.
- Tip: Settings administrators are Managers by default; you do not need a separate group assignment for the admin account.
- Tip: Use search filtersUses pivot,Has drills, orRestricts by group/userto audit your catalog as it grows.
Note: Email features require the Mail app and a valid outgoing mail configuration (company email or SMTP).
Common mistakes
- Common mistake: Expecting every user to edit templates-only Managers can open the full form; others get Edit template hidden.
- Common mistake: Installing Sales demos before the Sales app-demo rows for
sale.orderappear only after Sales is installed. - Common mistake: Forgetting Excel/PDF server requirements-CSV always works; Excel needs
xlsxwriter; PDF needs wkhtmltopdf like other Odoo PDFs.