Cross-Business Reporting

Learn how to generate, analyze, and export comprehensive reports across multiple businesses in the Shifts platform using the cross-business reporting tools available to super administrators.

Overview

The Cross-Business Reporting feature in Shifts enables super administrators to analyze data across all businesses in the platform from a single interface. This powerful reporting functionality provides insights into platform usage, business growth, user engagement, and operational metrics without the need to switch between business contexts. This article explains how to access and use the cross-business reporting tools effectively.

Accessing Cross-Business Analytics

To access the cross-business reporting features:

1. Log in with a Super Administrator account
2. Navigate to System Admin > System Analytics
3. The dashboard will display consolidated analytics across all businesses
4. Use the navigation tabs to access different report categories

Only users with Super Administrator privileges can access these reports.

Dashboard Overview

The main Cross-Business Dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of the entire platform:

Key Metrics Panel

The dashboard highlights critical system-wide metrics:

• Total Businesses: Count of all active businesses in the platform
• Total Users: Combined user count across all businesses
• Active Users (Last 7 Days): Platform-wide user engagement
• Total Shifts: Number of shifts scheduled across all businesses
• Total Attendance Records: Platform-wide check-in/out volume

Business Growth Chart

A line chart showing the growth trends for:

• Number of businesses over time
• Total user count over time
• Active user count over time

This visualization helps identify platform growth patterns and seasonal trends.

Most Active Businesses Table

A ranked list of the most active businesses based on:

• User count
• Active user percentage
• Shift volume
• Number of locations

This table helps identify your power users and most significant customers.

Reporting Categories

The system provides specialized reports for different aspects of cross-business analytics:

Marketplace Analytics

Analytics on the shift marketplace feature across all businesses:

1. Navigate to the Marketplace tab
2. View metrics on:
   • Total marketplace shifts posted
   • Fill rates across businesses
   • Average time-to-fill
   • Most active businesses in the marketplace
   • Seasonal trends in marketplace activity

Security Analytics

Consolidated security metrics across the platform:

1. Click on the Security tab
2. Analyze:
   • Failed login attempts by business
   • Two-factor authentication adoption rates
   • IP restriction violations
   • Suspicious activity flags
   • Security setting adoption across businesses

Notification Analytics

Insights into notification system usage:

1. Select the Notifications tab
2. View data on:
   • Notification volume by type
   • Delivery success rates
   • User response rates
   • Most common notification triggers
   • Business-by-business notification configuration

User Engagement Analytics

Metrics on how actively users interact with the platform:

1. Go to the Engagement tab
2. Examine:
   • Login frequency distribution
   • Feature usage heat maps
   • Session duration averages
   • Mobile vs. desktop usage
   • User retention rates by business

Operational Analytics

Insights into operational efficiency:

1. Click the Operations tab
2. Analyze:
   • Average shifts per user
   • Schedule consistency metrics
   • Attendance compliance rates
   • Break compliance statistics
   • Cross-business operational comparisons

Performance Analytics

Employee performance metrics across businesses:

1. Navigate to the Performance tab
2. View data on:
   • Attendance reliability
   • Rating distributions
   • Skills utilization
   • Performance trend analysis
   • Cross-business benchmarking

Filtering and Customization

Customize your cross-business reports with powerful filtering:

Business Filtering

To filter by business attributes:

1. Click the Filter button in the top-right corner
2. Select from filters such as:
   • Business Type (Customer, Trial, Partner)
   • Business Size (Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise)
   • Industry
   • Creation Date Range
   • Subscription Status

Metric Selection

To customize which metrics are displayed:

1. Click the Customize View button
2. Select the metrics you want to include in your report
3. Arrange them in your preferred order
4. Save your configuration for future use

Time Range Selection

To adjust the reporting time period:

1. Use the date range selector at the top of each report
2. Choose from preset ranges (Last 30 days, Last quarter, Year to date)
3. Or set a custom date range
4. Click Apply to update the report data

Exporting Reports

Export your cross-business reports for further analysis:

CSV Export

To export tabular data:

1. Navigate to the report you want to export
2. Click the Export button
3. Select CSV Format
4. Choose whether to include all data or only the current view
5. The system will generate and download the CSV file

PDF Reports

To create presentation-ready reports:

1. Configure your report view with the desired charts and tables
2. Click the Export button
3. Select PDF Report
4. Choose a report template (Basic, Detailed, or Executive)
5. The system will generate a formatted PDF with all selected visualizations

Scheduled Exports

Set up automated report delivery:

1. Configure your report with the desired settings
2. Click Schedule Export
3. Choose delivery frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly)
4. Select report format (CSV, PDF, Excel)
5. Enter email recipients
6. Click Save Schedule

The system will automatically generate and email the reports on schedule.

Analytics Caching System

The cross-business reporting uses an advanced caching system for performance:

• Complex analytics are pre-processed at regular intervals
• Cache refresh frequency is configurable
• Time-series data is stored in the analytics_caches table
• Real-time critical metrics bypass the cache for accuracy
• Cache status is visible to super administrators

Data Privacy Considerations

When working with cross-business reporting:

1. The reports show aggregated metrics across businesses
2. Personal identifying information is limited or anonymized
3. Detailed employee-specific data requires additional permissions
4. All reporting activity is logged in the system audit trail
5. Export permissions can be restricted for sensitive metrics

Best Practices

For optimal cross-business reporting:

1. Start Broad, Then Refine: Begin with overview metrics, then drill down
2. Compare Similar Businesses: Group businesses by type for meaningful comparisons
3. Track Trends Over Time: Always look at time-series data for context
4. Export Regularly: Schedule key reports for regular review
5. Look for Outliers: Identify businesses that deviate significantly from averages
6. Combine with Business-Specific Data: Use both cross-business and single-business views
7. Share Insights Appropriately: Ensure business-specific data is only shared with authorized stakeholders

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Delayed Data: Some metrics may have a processing delay
   • Check the last cache refresh time at the bottom of the report
   • Use the Refresh Data button for immediate updates
2. Missing Businesses: If businesses are missing from reports
   • Verify the business is active in the system
   • Check your filtering settings
   • Ensure the business has sufficient data for the selected metrics
3. Performance Issues: If reports are loading slowly
   • Reduce the date range of your report
   • Limit the number of metrics displayed
   • Consider scheduling exports instead of viewing directly

Related Resources

• Multi-Business Management
• System Analytics Dashboard
• Report Builder
• Data Visualization

This article should be updated when:

1. New cross-business reporting features are added
2. The analytics dashboard interface changes
3. New exportable report formats become available
4. Additional metrics are added to the cross-business view
5. The analytics caching system is modified