Knowledge Base: Library Help

SRSS and Polaris canned reports are two different ways to access the same reports. These reports pull information from different areas of the Leap/Polaris database - e.g. a list of library patrons who have overdues on their accounts, or a list of the most-held titles in the TRAC system.

A printable document with screenshotted instructions on accessing SRSS/Polaris canned reports is linked at the end of this article.

SRSS reports are the way to access reports using Leap.

1) On the top left of the screen, click on "Utilities".

2) From the menu that opens, choose "Reports and Notices (SRSS).

3) Enter your Leap username and password and click "Sign in". (See Leap login instructions here)

4) Open the "Polaris" folder.

5) Navigate to the folder with the report you want to access. A document listing helpful reports and their locations is linked at the end of this article.

Polaris canned reports are the way to access reports using the Polaris desktop client.

1) On the top left of the screen, click on "Utilities".

2) Open the "Polaris" folder.

3) Navigate to the folder with the report you want to access. A document listing helpful reports and their locations is linked at the end of this article.

Unlike SimplyReports, you can't choose what information to include in an SRSS/canned report - each report is completely separate and preset. So, for example, if the patron overdues report doesn't already include the patron's phone numbers, there is no way to add it to that report; you would need to use SimplyReports to build a custom report to get that information. However, SRSS/canned reports can access information from all the libraries in the TRAC system, which member libraries are not able to use SimplyReports to do. Each library manager should determine which reports provide the required information and use the same report throughout the year to ensure consistency. Please contact your Consultant for assistance in determining the best report to use for various purposes.

Please be aware that some seemingly similar reports have different variables due to the complexity of the database and will consequently have
differing results. Many reports in the “Custom” section were written to extract data for a specific library and may not generate the data you believe it will. Unless a “Custom” report is recommended in this document, library staff should not use custom reports since the purpose of the report and what is being used to generate the data is unknown.