Ad hoc reporting is a business intelligence process used to quickly create reports on an as-needed basis. Ad hoc reports are generally created for one-time use to find the answer to a specific business question, such as how many support tickets were resolved last week or how many calls a salesperson made yesterday. Ad hoc reports usually present information in a visual format that makes it easy to garner insights on the fly. Ad hoc reporting is a powerful way to gain insights into data that may not have been able to be found using traditional methods.
Ad hoc reporting is a type of analysis that provides business users with quick access to the data needed for decision-making without requiring questions to be defined in advance. It enables organizations to leverage their existing data infrastructure without the need for traditional programming or complex ETL processes. Ad hoc reports are created on demand and often used in response to an immediate need or question. Ad hoc reports are highly customizable, allowing users to select the data they want and how it should be presented.
Ad hoc reporting is a way to answer unanticipated questions. As businesses are always changing, the questions people want to ask of their data are always changing, so any reporting system needs to accommodate the creation and running of ad hoc reports. Making that an easy process for the average business user is key because most ad hoc report tools are designed for database experts to use, often requiring knowledge of query language, such as SQL.
