---
title: "Create or change an embedded report"
slug: "efp-configurator-create-embedded-report"
updated: 2026-10-09T18:19:47Z
published: 2026-10-09T18:19:47Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/efp-configurator-create-embedded-report"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.quickbase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create or change an embedded report

An embedded report puts a table of records from another table into your document, for example the line items of a purchase order, the tasks of a project, or a summary of hours by person. In the Exact Forms Plus Configurator you build the report once: choose the table, the records, the columns, and the formatting. The configurator saves it as a record in your app's **Document Subtables** table. You then put that record's short reference, such as `~strid=12~`, in the Word template where the table should appear. Every document made from the template gets the table, filled with the records for that document's master record.

This article covers the first two steps of the configurator, saving, and placing the report in the template. The other steps have their own articles: [Choose and format columns](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-configurator-columns), [Sorting, grouping, and totals](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-configurator-sorting-grouping-totals), and [Table formatting options](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-configurator-table-formatting).

## Before you start

- **Set the template's master table first.** Open the template record, select **EFP Configurator**, choose the master table on the **Master** tab, and select **Apply Changes**. See [Choose the master table fields](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-configurator-master-fields). Without it, the configurator shows *The field Master Table DBID is blank in the Document Templates table*.
- **Know where the records come from.** The report's table must be in the same app as the template. It's usually a child table of the master table (for example, **Purchase Order Details** under **Purchase Orders**), but it can be any table in the app.
- **For a summary, create the summary report first.** Summary and Master Summary embedded reports show a saved Quickbase summary report on the table. Create it in Quickbase before you open the configurator.

## Open a new embedded report

On the Document Templates record, do one of these:

- Select **Add New Exact Forms Plus Subtable**. The configurator opens in a new window, on step 1.
- Select **EFP Configurator**, go to the **Configurations** tab, and select **Add New Subtable Configuration**.

The top of the window shows **Master Table :** and the template's master table. Five numbered tabs across the top are the five steps.

## Step 1: Subtable settings

Under **Subtable Options**:

| **Setting** | **What it does** |
| --- | --- |
| **Configuration Name** | Required. The name of the embedded report, for example *Purchase Order Line Items*. It's shown in the template's list of embedded reports, so use a name that tells reports apart. |
| **Select the table from your application** | Required. The table the report's records come from. The list shows every table in the app. When you choose a table that's related to the master table, the configurator fills in a filter that finds the records that belong to the master record. For other tables, you build the filter yourself in step 2. |

If you go on without both, the configurator shows *Please select subtable and fill configuration name.*

## Step 2: Filter Criteria

### Subtable Type

| **Type** | **What it shows** | **Example** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Detail** (default) | One row per record that matches the filter. | The line items of a purchase order. |
| **Summary** | The rows of a saved summary report on the table, optionally filtered. | Total sales by region. |
| **Master Summary** | The rows of a saved summary report, limited to the master record. The report's first column must be grouped by the field that refers to the master table. That column is hidden in the document. | Hours by person for one project. |

> [!WARNING]
> Important
> 
> You can't change the type after you first save the report. To switch, create a new embedded report.

For Summary and Master Summary, choose the report in the list that starts with *List the summary reports*. Only summary reports on the table appear. Crosstab reports aren't supported. The report decides the columns, so in the later steps you can format the columns but not choose them, and sorting, grouping, the item counter, and repeat columns aren't available.

### Filtering Criteria

The filter decides which records the report includes. For a Detail report, a filter is required. For a table related to the master table, it's already filled in, for example *Related Purchase Order* *is equal to* *the value in the field (parent)* *Record ID#*. That means: the line items whose purchase order is the one the document is for.

To change or add conditions:

1. At the top, choose **all** or **any**, followed by *of these conditions are true*.
2. For each condition, choose a field (*Select a field*), an operator, and what to compare against.
3. Use the add icons to add a condition or a set of conditions. A set has its own **all** or **any**, so you can build filters such as "Status is Open, and Type is A or B". Sets can be nested up to three levels. Deleting a set asks *Are you sure you want to delete this entire set of filters?*

The operators depend on the field type:

| **Field type** | **Operators** |
| --- | --- |
| Text | contains, does not contain, is equal to, is not equal to, starts with, does not start with, wildcard match, does not wildcard match, is less than, is less than or equal, is greater than, is greater than or equal |
| Numeric, currency, percent | is equal to, is not equal to, is less than, is less than or equal, is greater than, is greater than or equal, plus contains, starts with, and wildcard match |
| Date | is equal to, is not equal to, is after, is on or after, is before, is on or before, is during, is not during |
| Checkbox | is equal to, is not equal to |
| User | is equal to, is not equal to, contains, starts with, wildcard match |
| Multi-select text | includes, does not include, is equal to |

What you can compare against:

| **Choice** | **What it means** |
| --- | --- |
| **the value** | Text you type, for example *Open*. |
| **the value in the field** | Another field on the same record of the report's table. |
| **the value in the field (parent)** | A field on the master record, the record the document is for. Use this to show only the records that belong to it. |
| **the date**, **today**, **yesterday**, **tomorrow**, **day(s) in the past**, **day(s) in the future** | For date fields: a fixed date, or a date relative to the day the document is created. |
| **the date in the field**, **the date in the field (parent)** | For date fields: a date on the same record, or on the master record. |
| **the previous**, **the current**, **the next** | With *is during*: a day, week, month, quarter, fiscal quarter, year, or fiscal year. |
| **checked** | For checkbox fields. |

A filter doesn't have to use the master record. For example, a price list template can show every product whose **Status** *is equal to* *the value* *Active*, the same in every document.

### Advanced Filtering Criteria

For Detail reports only. All are optional.

| **Setting** | **What it does** |
| --- | --- |
| **Maximum Number of records to return** | Shows at most this many rows. Leave it at 0 for no limit of your own (your account's limit still applies). |
| **Only return records flagged as new/updated** | Shows only records Quickbase flags as new or changed since the user last viewed them. |
| **Skip the first X number of records** | Leaves out this many rows from the start. With **Maximum Number of records to return**, you can split a long list across two embedded reports, for example rows 1 to 20 in one and the rest in another. |

### Save before you go on

On a new embedded report, select **Save** before you go on to step 3. Choosing the table counts as a change, so the configurator won't move on to **Subtable Fields** until the report is saved. If you select **Next** with unsaved changes, the configurator shows *Please save your changes before proceeding*. A Detail report with no filter shows *Please create a filter in Filter Criteria.*, and a summary with no report shows *Please select summary reports*.

## Save the report

Select **Save** on any step. The configurator shows *Subtable configuration has been saved successfully.* The first save creates the Document Subtables record; later saves in the same window update it.

The Document Subtables record has:

- **Configuration Name**: the name from step 1.
- **Settings**: everything you chose, as one line of text such as `~dbid=bxxxxxxxx,qry={'8'.EX.[Record ID#]},type=d,…,clist=LT7:200.R$14:80~`. Exact Forms Plus reads it each time it creates a document. For what each part means, see [Advanced subtable features](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-advanced-features).
- **Template Reference**: the reference to put in the template, `~strid=` followed by the record's Record ID# and `~`, for example `~strid=12~`.
- **Related Document Template**: the template the report belongs to.
- **Notes**: free text for your own notes. The configurator doesn't fill it in.

## Place the report in the template

1. Copy the **Template Reference** value from the Document Subtables record, for example `~strid=12~`.
2. In the Word template, paste it on its own line where the table should appear.
3. Save the Word file and attach it to the template record's **Template File** again.

You only do this once. When you change the report in the configurator later, the next document uses the new settings. You don't need to attach the template again.

Exact Forms Plus finds the Document Subtables table through the template record's **Document Subtable DBID** field. The installation wizard adds it as a formula field, so you don't fill it in. It isn't on the template form by default.

For more about how the table looks in the document, see [Place the report in the template](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-embedded-reports#place).

## Change an embedded report

Open the report in one of these ways:

- Open the Document Subtables record, or find it in the list of embedded reports on the template record, and select **Edit Subtable Configuration**.
- On the template record, select **EFP Configurator**, go to the **Configurations** tab, and select **Edit** next to the report. It opens in another window.

Make your changes on any step and select **Save**.

> [!WARNING]
> Important
> 
> If you or someone else edited the **Settings** field by hand to add an option the configurator doesn't have, such as `nobreakacrosspages`, saving the report in the configurator removes that option. Add it back to **Settings** after you save, or keep making changes by hand.

## Copy or delete an embedded report

- **Copy:** copy the Document Subtables record in Quickbase. The copy gets its own Record ID#, so its **Template Reference** is different. Open the copy with **Edit Subtable Configuration** to change it. If the copy is for another template, change its **Related Document Template**.
- **Delete:** remove its `~strid=N~` reference from the Word template and attach the template again, then delete the Document Subtables record in Quickbase. A reference to a deleted record shows *ERROR: STRID = N - The subtable record was not found.* in the document.

## Worked example: purchase order line items

Your app has a **Purchase Orders** table and a child table, **Purchase Order Details**, with the fields **Item**, **Quantity**, **Unit Price**, and **Line Total**. The purchase order template should list each order's items, with a total at the bottom.

1. On the purchase order template record, select **Add New Exact Forms Plus Subtable**.
2. In step 1, enter *Purchase Order Line Items* as the **Configuration Name** and choose **Purchase Order Details**.
3. In step 2, leave **Detail** selected. The filter is already filled in with *Related Purchase Order* *is equal to* *the value in the field (parent)* *Record ID#*. Select **Save**.
4. In step 3, select **Item**, **Quantity**, **Unit Price**, and **Line Total**, in that order. Open **Advanced Settings** for **Line Total** and select **Grandtotal**. See [Choose and format columns](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-configurator-columns).
5. In step 4, sort by **Item**, ascending. Under **Grandtotal Label Options**, show the text *Total* in the **Unit Price** column.
6. In step 5, set a header background color and alternate row shading. Select **Save**, then **Close**.
7. Open the new Document Subtables record and copy its **Template Reference**, for example `~strid=12~`. Paste it on its own line in the Word template, below the order details, and attach the template again.

A document for a purchase order with three items now includes a table like this:

| **Item** | **Quantity** | **Unit Price** | **Line Total** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hard hat | 2 | $24.00 | $48.00 |
| Hi-vis vest | 3 | $9.00 | $27.00 |
| Safety gloves | 4 | $12.50 | $50.00 |
|  |  | Total | $125.00 |

If the order has no items, the reference is replaced with *No detail records found.*, or with the text in the template's **MSG_DetailsNotFound** field.

## Limits

- The report's table must be in the same app as the template.
- Your account sets the maximum number of records in one embedded report. If a report finds more, no document is created and the error says what the limit is.
- Values in a filter can't contain commas, because commas separate the parts of **Settings**.

If something doesn't work, see [Exact Forms Plus Configurator messages and troubleshooting](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-configurator-messages).

Need help? Submit a [technical support case](https://help.quickbase.com/docs/get-help-from-quickbase-technical-support).