What are Report Templates?
Report Templates are designed to help users answer specific questions more quickly and efficiently. Each template includes a curated combination of datasets, text, and charts that can:
Provide valuable insights
Address common community questions
Simplify the data analysis process
These templates are research-based, built from frequent customer queries, and are located in the Template Library.
Learn how to use Report Templates below (or skip to the video.)
Using Report Templates
Selecting a Report Template
From the Main Menu, click on Reports on the left-hand side.
Select Template Library at the top of the screen.
Browse the available templates created by the mySidewalk team.
When you find a template that interests you, click on it to open the Report Template page and start customizing the template to fit your needs.
Customizing Report Templates
All templates in the library provide a starting point, and you can personalize them by:
Adding or Editing Components: Adjust or remove datasets, text, or charts based on your project’s goals.
Updating the Geography: Add or modify geographic areas to reflect your focus regions or compare across geographies.
Update the Text: Interpret the visualizations and add context from your particular community as you see fit.
Pro Tip:
Use CoWrite, mySidewalk's AI assistant, to summarize key takeaways from the visualizations.
Updating the Geography
To update or add a comparison geography:
Go to Report Settings on the right-hand side.
Under the Defaults tab, click Add Geography.
Select up to five geographies, including custom geographies you’ve previously drawn or uploaded.
Click Finish Selecting to apply the changes.
Note: You may want to update the report title to reflect the new geographies.
Adding or Removing Components
To add a new component:
Click the + button on the left-hand side of the report.
Choose the component type (dataset, chart, text, or map) and customize it as needed.
To remove a component:
Hover over the component you want to delete.
Click Delete in the upper-right corner and confirm the removal.
Using Report Templates Effectively
Report Templates are a great way to get started with your analysis, but you’re not limited to the pre-set structure. Feel free to add new data points, comparative geographies, or refine the narrative text to better align with your community’s unique story.
Make the most of your template by adjusting the content to reflect real-world conditions, trends, and context.
Watch: Customize a Report Template
Check out the video below (starting at 1:04) to learn more about where to find report templates and how to customize them.