Distinguishing between static and dynamic reports
In this section, we will briefly talk about static and dynamic reports. This designation is a little different than the other report types you will learn about in this chapter. To be clear, all reports will either be static (sometimes called point-in-time) or dynamic (sometimes called real-time). Any of the other types of reports (ad hoc, self-service, recurring, or research) will ALSO be either static or dynamic. The reason the report is static or dynamic has nothing to do with the contents of the report but, rather, the relationship between the report and the original data.
Point-in-time reports
Throughout most of history, static reporting was the only kind of reporting. The idea is relatively simple: if you collect data, stop, analyze data, and then report it, you have created a static report. The moment you stop collecting data, it will become static. Effectively, this kind of report is like a picture that gives the status...