In this document
You'll learn how to create a quality control report for your dataset: opening the Report tool via Quality/Report, choosing the report type and output format, setting the output path, adding an optional quality assessment summary, including an evaluation of measurement availability, saving the report tables and figures as separate files, and comparing your measurements against model data. Also covers what the finished report contains and the validation messages you may encounter.
Prerequisites
An active Solargis Analyst account.
Installed an Analyst desktop application.
One or more datasets available in the Solargis Analyst application.
Finished quality control checks on the dataset. You can create a report without them, but the results will be incomplete.
Analyst reports
The Report tool documents the state of your dataset in a single file: the quality control checks that were performed, the flag statistics, the instrument setup, and the availability of valid measurements. It is the deliverable you hand over to a client or attach to a project record once your quality control work is finished.
Reports are generated per dataset, so select the dataset you want to report on in the main window before you open the tool.
Key points to remember:
The report reflects the current state of the dataset. Complete your quality control checks before creating it.
You can create a report from a dataset that has not been quality controlled. Analyst will not block you, but data will be missing and many quality statuses will be reported as insufficient.
Creating a report does not modify your dataset and does not add a quality control status to it.
Report tool
You can open the Report tool from the main menu via Quality/Report or directly using the report 
icon. It is the last item in the Quality menu, following the quality control checks, which reflects its position at the end of the quality control workflow.
Creating the report
Select the dataset in the main window, then open Quality/Report. Check that the dataset name at the top of the window is the one you expect.
Select the report type.
Set the output path using the "Browse" button, and select the output format.
Add summary for your reference if required.
Choose the report options you want to include. They are described in the section below.
Click "Create". A confirmation message appears once the file has been written to the output path.
Note: The window stays open after the report is created, so you can adjust the options and create another version without reopening the tool. Use "Close" when you are finished.
Report options
Option | Usage |
|---|---|
Add summary | Adds your own quality assessment summary to the report. Select the checkbox to enable the text field below it, then write your summary. If a summary was saved with the dataset previously, the field is prefilled with it. This option is off by default. |
Add evaluation of measurement availability for | Adds an assessment of whether the dataset contains enough valid measurements for the purpose you select from the dropdown. Clear the checkbox for short datasets, where the assessment would report insufficient availability simply because the measurement period is not long enough. |
Save tables | Saves the tables used in the report as a separate spreadsheet file, so you can reuse the values in your own documents. |
Save figures | Saves every graph and heatmap used in the report as a separate image file. |
Compare statistics | Compares your measured data against a model dataset. See the section below. |
Tip: The summary field supports line breaks, so you can split longer text into paragraphs for better readability in the report. Other text formatting is not applied.
Comparing with model data
Select the Compare statistics checkbox to include a comparison between your measurements and model data, then choose the model dataset from the Model data dropdown. The dropdown lists the model datasets available in your project, and shows "NO MODEL DATA" when the project does not contain any.
A few conditions apply to the comparison:
If the model dataset contains more than one GHI or DNI parameter, you are asked to choose which one to use for the comparison.
The measured and model data need a sufficient overlap of valid values for the statistics to be meaningful. As a rule of thumb, allow for at least six months of overlap.
The model parameters must be in system units, and the measured parameters must have their flag columns in place.
What the report contains
The quality control report brings together the dataset metadata, the results of your quality control checks, and the supporting visualizations:
Site and dataset information, including the data availability overview.
Availability of valid measurements, when the corresponding option is selected.
Instrument accuracy: The instruments used and their ISO classification.
Quality control summary table: Which automatic tests were performed on the dataset and their outcome.
Cleaning and quality control complexity.
Test groups table and GTI configuration table.
Consistency plots for the solar radiation parameters.
Meteo data statistics and heatmaps.
Glossary explaining the terms and abbreviations used, followed by the legal information.
Note: Where an instrument is not specified in the dataset metadata, its quality is reported as Problematic. Completing the instrument details in the Metadata editor resolves this.
Validation messages
Analyst validates your dataset and settings before creating the report. The following messages may appear:
Situation | What it means |
|---|---|
The dataset has no flag columns. | Quality control has not been performed, so the report will not reflect the dataset's quality. Run the quality control checks first. |
The output path is empty. | Analyst has nowhere to save the report and will not create it. Set the output path using the "Browse" button. |
The model data is not in system units. | The comparison cannot be calculated. Convert the model parameters to system units using the Unit convertor, or clear the Compare statistics option. |
A parameter needed for the comparison has no flag column. | The comparison statistics cannot be produced for that parameter, because Analyst cannot tell which of its values are valid. |
There is not enough data for the comparison. | The measured and model data do not overlap for long enough. Extend the dataset, choose a different model dataset, or clear the Compare statistics option. |
A parameter contains no valid values. | The related consistency plot is included in the report but left empty, with a message explaining that there is not enough data. |
Reports from the Post-filtering tool
Besides the Report tool described here, you can also create a report directly from the Post-filtering window, covering the post-filtering results for your dataset. See Data post-filtering for details.