You have the option to group data in a report to show hierarchical relationships. When you group data hierarchically, you sort information based on the relationship between two fields.
For example, if you want to show the hierarchical structure of a department, you could group data by employee ID and specify the hierarchy using the data field listing whom the employee reports to.
To group data hierarchically
For example, if you want to view the hierarchical structure of a company's employees, select the employee ID data field. If you want to view the hierarchical structure of region sales offices, select office names.
By default, the group header of the report will display the value of the field you are grouping on.
If you want to display a different value (employee name instead of employee ID), customize the group name field by choosing an alternate data field, or creating a formula.
The group you created is added to the report.
If you've created only one group in your report, it is automatically selected in the Available Groups list.
For instance, for a company hierarchical report, you might select the data field listing the supervisor to whom the employee reports.
Note The Instance ID and Parent ID fields must be of the same data type. For example, if the Instance ID field holds string data, then the Parent ID field must also hold string data.
The report data is now grouped hierarchically. If necessary, you can now calculate summary fields across your new hierarchical grouping. When inserting a Subtotal, Grand Total, or Summary in the usual manner, select the "Sum across hierarchy" option.
Tip If you want to suppress the group header, right-click the group header and click Format Section. Click the Suppress check box.
Note The top level of the hierarchy is determined by group instances that match the Instance ID and Parent ID. If a group instance is not connected to any Parent ID, it appears at the top of the hierarchy.