Smart Reports in CLM Module

Smart Reports are an AI-driven reporting feature in our Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) module that let you easily find and aggregate contract information by simply asking a question. Instead of manually searching through multiple contracts, you can enter a plain-language request and get a tailored report with the answers you need. The results are presented in a clean table format for easy reading and analysis.

This feature saves time and effort for all users – no more endless scrolling or opening documents one by one. Whether you’re an admin auditing contract data or a contributor looking for specific details across many files, Smart Reports provide instant insights. Just describe what you want to know, and the system will compile the relevant data for you in seconds, sparing you from repetitive manual searches.

Creating a Smart Report

You can create a Smart Report in two ways: via the Lini chatbot (our built-in AI assistant) or from the Reports page in the CLM module. Both methods lead you into the same Smart Report setup process. Follow the option that’s most convenient:

Via the Lini Chatbot

1. Open the Lini chatbot panel (for example, by clicking the AI assistant icon to expand the chat window).
2. Click the Smart Report button in the chat’s input area ? (see chatbot mockup). This tells Lini you want to start an AI-powered report.
3. Type your request or question for the report in plain language. For example, you might ask, “Show all active vendor contracts that expire next quarter.” This text is your report prompt.
4. Send your request (press Enter). Lini will begin interpreting your query and will open the Smart Report configuration window to guide you through setting up the report.

Via the Reports Page

1. Navigate to the Reports section of the CLM module using the main menu.
2. On the Reports page, click the Create Smart Report button ? (see Reports page mockup). This opens the Smart Report setup wizard (the same steps you’d see via the chatbot after entering a prompt).

After you initiate the Smart Report through either method above, a step-by-step wizard will walk you through configuring the report.

Smart Report Setup Steps

1. Enter Prompt: The first step is confirming or inputting your question. If you started from the chatbot, your prompt will already be filled in here. Describe what you want to find in your contracts as clearly as possible. *(Note: Once you proceed, this prompt cannot be edited, so make sure it reflects what you need.)*
2. Define Criteria: Next, the AI suggests specific criteria based on your prompt. Criteria are the pieces of information the Smart Report will extract for each document. You’ll see a list of criteria (essentially column headers for your report table). For example, if your prompt was about “active vendor contracts with expiry dates,” the criteria might include Contract Name, Vendor, Status, and Expiration Date. For each criteria, you can also define the format of the expected information — such as a number, full text, date, or boolean (yes/no) for example. You can add new criteria, remove any that aren’t relevant, or rephrase them. This step is important because it defines both what answers you’ll get for each document and how those answers will be structured.
3. Select Document Types (optional): You can choose to include or exclude certain document types. By default, all types of documents are considered. If your question is only relevant to specific types (e.g., only NDA contracts or only Vendor Agreements), you can filter the search to those types. The system may automatically suggest types if it recognizes them in your prompt, but you have full control to adjust this list or leave it blank to search all documents.
4. Choose Source Folders (optional): Select the folder(s) that contain the documents you want to analyze. By default, if you don’t specify any folders, the Smart Report will scan all documents you have access to in the CLM module. To narrow the scope, it’s often a good idea to pick one or more relevant project or department folders. For example, you might limit the search to your “Sales Contracts” folder if you only want results from that area. *(Keep in mind that the AI won’t auto-limit the source based on your prompt – you need to set the folder filter yourself if desired.)*

Once you’ve completed these steps and reviewed your settings, click the Create Report button to start generating the Smart Report. If you decide not to proceed, you can cancel or close the wizard at any time, but your request setup will be lost and you’ll return to your previous screen (e.g. back to the chat or the Reports page).

Accessing and Viewing Smart Reports

After you click “Create Report,” the system will begin generating your report. You’ll be automatically redirected to the newly created report’s page. At first, you may see an In Progress status indicator on this page while the AI is working. You can safely navigate away or even start a new chat while the report is being prepared – the process runs in the background. In fact, you can even open the report page anytime during generation to watch partial results appear in real-time, as they are found.

When the report is complete, its status will update to Completed, and you will receive a notification in the app’s notification center. The notification provides a quick link to open the report results. You can also always access your reports through the CLM Reports menu:

The Reports Page

The CLM module includes a dedicated Reports page where all Smart Reports are listed. Here, you’ll find two tabs:

• My Reports: Smart Reports you have created.
• Shared with Me: Smart Reports created by others that are available for you to view.

On the Reports page, each report is shown as a row in a table with key details like the report name (derived from your prompt or defined by the system), creation date, and current status (e.g., In Progress or Completed). There’s also an actions menu (usually a “⋯” three-dot menu) on each row with options such as Delete.

To open a report and view its results, simply click on the report’s name in the list. You can use the search bar or filters on this page to find specific reports if the list grows long. And of course, you can create a new report at any time from here by clicking the Create Smart Report button at the top.

Report Results Page

When you open a Smart Report (by clicking its name), you’ll land on the Report Results page for that query ? (see results page mockup). At the top of this page, you’ll see an overview: the report’s title (often based on your prompt), when it was created, and a menu with actions like Delete. Below that is the main content – a table of results.

The results table organizes the information retrieved by the Smart Report. Each row corresponds to a document (for example, a specific contract) that met your query, and each column corresponds to one of the criteria you defined. Continuing our example of “active vendor contracts expiring next quarter,” you might see columns such as Contract Name, Vendor, Status, Expiration Date, and so on. Each row would list those details for a different contract that matches the criteria.

You can click on any document’s name in the table to view that document’s summary sheet for more details. The summary sheet will show the contract’s details and often highlights the exact text or data that answered your query. This allows you to verify the context – in other words, you can see *why* a particular value was returned for that contract. Using the summary sheet link is a quick way to drill down into the source document if you need more information or want to double-check the AI’s findings.

Sharing and Public Reports

By default, every Smart Report you create is considered a public report within your organization’s CLM workspace. This means that once you generate a report, other users in your organization can find it under their “Shared with Me” reports and view its results. You do not need to explicitly share the report – it’s automatically available to your colleagues for transparency and collaboration.

When someone else opens your Smart Report, they will see the same report page and table, but with one important difference: they will only see data for documents they have permission to access. If a report includes a contract that a viewer is not allowed to view (based on the usual CLM access rights), that contract’s row or certain details in the row will be hidden for that viewer. In this way, Smart Reports respect all the existing security and permission settings on your documents.

It’s also important to note that while everyone can view public Smart Reports, only the person who created the report can delete it. The next section covers how deletion works.

Deleting a Smart Report

If you no longer need a report, you (as the creator) can delete it to remove it from the list. To delete a report you created, go to the Reports page (or open the report’s result page), click the actions menu (⋯) next to that report, and choose Delete. You will be asked to confirm before the report is removed. Remember that you cannot delete a report that is still in progress – wait until it finishes (or cancel it during setup before it starts). Also, other users cannot delete a report that they didn’t create, so you retain control over the reports you generate.

Tips & Limitations

• Prompt cannot be changed: Once you’ve submitted your initial query prompt for a Smart Report, you won’t be able to edit it during the setup. If you realize you want to phrase the question differently, you’ll need to quit and start a new Smart Report from scratch.
• No stopping after launch: After you click Create Report and the generation has started, there is no way to pause or cancel the process. The report will run to completion. (If needed, you can always delete the completed report afterward.)
• Exiting the setup: If you close the Smart Report wizard or click a “Quit” option during the configuration steps (before hitting Create), the report setup will be canceled. No report will be generated and you’ll lose any criteria or selections you made in the wizard. You’ll be returned to wherever you were (the Lini chat or the Reports page). In short, don’t exit mid-setup unless you intend to abandon that report.
• Source selection is manual: The AI will not automatically restrict the scope of your report to specific folders or locations. If your query is meant to target a certain department’s files or a particular project, be sure to use the Source Folders step to limit the search. Otherwise, the Smart Report will comb through all files you have access to, which could be broader than you want (and take longer).
• Viewing permissions apply: Smart Reports honor all document-level permissions. If you share a report (remember, all reports are “public” to your team by default), each user may see a different subset of results depending on their access rights. For example, if you included a confidential contract in your report that another user isn’t permitted to view, that user will simply not see that contract’s data in the report.

Smart Reports are a powerful tool to get answers from your contract repository. With a clear question and the right criteria, you’ll be able to generate insightful reports in moments – all through a friendly chat or a couple of clicks. But keep in mind 

the fact that since it goes through a big bunch of data it can take some processing time.

Happy reporting!