How to create and use Pre-configured reports in GnuCash

GnuCash is a very powerful personal finance management software.

It is very easy to create new pre-configured reports out of the existing set of reports provided in GnuCash. Let me explain this with a scenario.

I need to extract all the dividends I have received so far. To do that, I can simply look at the Income -> Dividend Income account. However, since I did a year close for the past several years, it is not possible to print the list of dividends. Even if I do use the transaction report on the Dividend Income account, I will get a list of all positive entries, with one entry that zeroed the account when I did the Year Close.

To test the above on your system, you can try:
Reports -> Transaction Report

Click on Edit report options.
You will get a Window with tabs to select the parameters you need to use.

Click on the General tab. Enter the Report Name. Enter the start date, end date and select check box Table for Exporting. Make sure you enter start date of another previous year.

Click on Accounts tab. Next in Accounts Window select Dividend Income account

Click on Display tab.
Uncheck Num, Memo, Notes, Use Full Account Name, Other Full Account Name.

Click on the Sorting tab
Uncheck Primary Subtotal, Secondary Key is None.
Primary Key is Account Code, Primary Subtotal for Date key: None

See the grand total for the Dividend Account. It only shows total dividend income for the current year. This is wrong.

This is the Normal Transaction Report.

Now we need to correct this report. Only, we need to approach it from the Bank account where we deposited the Dividend.

Reports -> Transaction Report
Click on Edit report options.
You will get a Window with tabs to select the parameters you need to use.

Click on the General tab. Enter the Report Name like Dividend Report. Enter the start date, end date and select checkbox Table for Exporting. Make sure you enter start date of another previous year.

Click on Accounts tab.
Next in Accounts Window select Bank account where you deposited the Dividend. Do this in the Accounts sub-section.
Next in Filter By, select the Dividend Income account.
Filter Type select Include Transactions to/from Filter Accounts.

Click on Display tab.
Uncheck Num, Memo, Notes, Use Full Account Name, Other Full Account Name.

Click on the Sorting tab
Uncheck Primary Subtotal, Secondary Key is None. Primary Key is Date, Primary Subtotal for Date key: None

See the grand total for the Dividend Account. It now shows total dividend income for all the years. See the total. It is correct now.

To save this as a pre-configured report:

Select File -> Save Report and you can save it as pre-configured report.

Anytime you want to run this very report, you just need to:
Select Reports -> Preconfigured Reports and click on the Run icon.

You can similarly Edit or even Delete the report using the icons in the Report window.