Why might I want to clone a Report Editor report?


When a Report Editor report is first created, it is given a version number of 1.0. Every time the report is saved (by any user), the version number is increased by a decimal point, e.g 1.1, 1.2 etc.


The previous version is not preserved, so once a change is made, the previous content is lost. 


This rule also applies to changing the report status. When the status is changed and the report saved, the previous version of the report is not preserved.


Therefore, you may wish to use the clone functionality to manually implement a comprehensive system of version control for your report writing process, and keep a full audit trail of the changes that have been made to a report. By creating a new version of the report each time changes are required, you can keep a record of all the changes made to a report with all previous versions left intact.


How do I clone a Report Editor report?


Both Writer and Reader users can easily clone and create another version of a Report Editor report.


1. From the dashboard, go to Libraries > Client & Report Library.

2. Locate the client whose report you wish to clone and click on the Report Library icon to the right of their name.



3. This will open the clients Report library. Click on the Report Builder ('parent') report for which you want to edit one of the Report Editor ('child') reports



4.  This will open a new window showing all the 'child' versions of the 'parent' report. From here, you can clone the version of the Report Editor report you want to make a copy of. When a Report Editor report is cloned, it is given a new 'major' version number, 2.0, 3.0. etc. Subsequent edits of the clone will be given a 'minor' version number increment.



5. In this example, the report has been:


  • Created and edited a few times, but the previous versions were not preserved, hence there is a Version 1.6, but no earlier versions
  • The report was then cloned for the adviser, who subsequently made a couple of edits, creating a Version 2.2
  • The report was then cloned again for the case checker to approve, creating Version 3.1
  • The report was then cloned one final time for it to be published and uploaded into the firm's back-office system, creating a Version 4.1.