A large database on a CRM solution contains a massive amount of information. To sort through this and filter and search for records you need potentially means a lot of work. This is where using Views and Reports come into effect.

Views are essentially pre-saved searches, offering the results you need without having to go through the search motions. This means you can create endless numbers of views and filter the data as precisely as you need.

Want a list of invoices that are due this week? No problem. Does your sales rep need a list of all accounts in his catchment area that he hasn’t spoken to for the past six months? No problem. Does your Support agent need a list of all new helpdesk tickets that have come in and are labelled "urgent"? No problem.

The parameters used to create views are very similar to those used on reports – so you are able to create and use reports to show the exact analysis of data that you need. Do you want to receive a report showing all opportunities you need to chase up, every Tuesday morning at 9.00? No problem. Want to see sales figures for each rep from the previous calendar month? No problem.

As you can hopefully see, you are able to define and redefine the data sets for your own individual, group, team or organisation use. This is such a powerful feature and one that each of our customers love, so it is worth mentioning and giving you a reminder on here every now and again. Make your CRM solution work for you, so that with a minimum amount of effort in set-up, you can produce data sets that give you the exact results you need.

Sales Pitch: To learn about creating views and for a demonstration of how this tool works in OpenCRM please watch this video tutorial: http://opencrm.co.uk/crm-knowledgebase/kb625872/How-can-new-views-be-created.html