QuickBooks 2011: The Missing Manual

Running Reports

While you’re learning about QuickBooks’ reports, stick with the Report Center (described in detail on Finding the Right Reports). Once you’re more familiar with what QuickBooks’ reports do, the Reports menu is the quickest route to running reports, as shown in Figure 21-2. Or you can click one of the report links QuickBooks scatters throughout the program in windows, menus, and centers. The box on Running Multiple Reports tells you about a shortcut you can use when you want to run several reports at the same time.

You can run reports from many locations in QuickBooks. Here’s how you run reports depending on where you find them in the program:

• Reports menu. This menu patiently waits in the QuickBooks menu bar. To run a report, choose Reports, and then select the report category you want (such as Memorized, Company & Financial, or Vendors & Payables). On the submenu that appears (Figure 21-2), choose the report you want to run. (If another submenu appears, drag until you can pick the report you want.) A report window opens to the report you chose.

• The Report Center. Select the report you want to run. If you want to change the date range before you run the report, click the current date range’s name and then choose the new range on the drop-down list. To run the report, click the icon that looks like a piece of paper, shown in Figure 21-1.

• Favorites menu. The Favorites menu is to the right of the Lists entry on QuickBooks’ main menu bar. If you add a report to the Favorites ...