Beacon Reports

Working with reports

Uploading to TeleStaff

Get your finished report file from your inbox into the TeleStaff custom reports screen.

Once you've received the delivery email, the upload itself takes about 30 seconds. These steps apply to both TeleStaff v7.x and v8.x — the menu wording differs slightly between versions but the flow is the same.

Before you start

  • You need permission to manage custom reports in TeleStaff. In most departments that's the scheduling administrator or a designated chief officer.
  • Save the .rptdesign attachment from the delivery email to your computer first. Don't try to upload directly from Outlook's attachment preview.

Step 1 — Sign in to TeleStaff

Open your TeleStaff environment as you normally would. You need an account with administrative or reporting privileges — a regular shift login won't see the custom-reports menu.

Step 2 — Open the custom reports screen

From the main TeleStaff menu navigate to:

  • TeleStaff v7.x · Administration → Reports → Custom Reports
  • TeleStaff v8.x · Administration → Reports → Custom Reports (renamed "Report Library" in some 8.x patch levels)

Step 3 — Upload the file

  1. Click New (or Upload in 8.x).
  2. Browse to the .rptdesign file you saved.
  3. Give the report a name that's easy to recognise on the report-picker list — usually the title you used in the builder.
  4. Click Save.

TeleStaff validates the file as part of the upload. If the validation passes, the report appears in your custom reports list and is ready to run. If it fails, see Troubleshooting.

Step 4 — Run the report

Pick the new report from the custom reports list, choose the date range or members the template asks for, and click Generate. The first run usually takes 10–30 seconds depending on the size of your roster.

Optional — set permissions. By default the report is only visible to the user who uploaded it. Use the TeleStaff permissions screen to grant access to the chief team, scheduling group, or whoever else needs to run it.

If TeleStaff rejects the file

Every Beacon Reports file is pre-validated against the BIRT render engine and the TeleStaff uploader before delivery, so this is rare. But if you see an error message in red above the upload box:

  1. Take a screenshot of the TeleStaff error screen — the exact error text matters.
  2. Email it to support@beaconreports.ca along with your order reference.
  3. We'll repair the file at no charge and email you a corrected version.

See Troubleshooting for the most common upload errors and what they mean.