5 Attribute Extract Reports Every Document Controller Should Automate

The manual spreadsheet problem

Document controllers spend hours each week compiling spreadsheets from Autodesk Forma. The data is already there — file names, versions, dates, custom attributes, review statuses — but getting it out means clicking through folders one by one, copying metadata into Excel, and hoping nothing was missed.

Here are five reports you can set up once in Foreman and schedule to run automatically. Each one addresses a specific reporting need that document controllers deal with repeatedly. Configure the columns, pick the folders, set a schedule, and let the reports build themselves.

The problem: Every outgoing transmittal needs a register listing what was sent, which version, when it was last modified, and who owns it. Building this manually means opening every folder and noting file details.

The columns: File Name, Version, Modified Date, Created By, Forma URL (hyperlinked).

The schedule: Weekly on Fridays at 16:00 — ready for end-of-week transmittals.

Output format: XLSX with hyperlinks enabled, so recipients can click directly to source files.

The problem: Your TIDP lists 300 planned deliverables. How many have actually been uploaded? What is their current status? Checking this against the CDE is a full-day exercise.

The method: Upload your TIDP Excel template. Map columns: Document Reference to File Name, Revision to Version, Suitability to the corresponding custom attribute, Document Status to its custom attribute, Originator to Created By.

The schedule: Weekly on Mondays — start the week knowing where deliverables stand.

Output format: XLSX using your template — formatting, branding, and formulas preserved.

The problem: Design packages go through formal reviews in Forma. But there is no bulk view showing which files are approved, rejected, or still under review. Someone has to check each file individually.

The columns: File Name, Folder Path, Approval Status, Review Status, Version, Modified Date.

The toggle: Enable "Review Status" in the output settings bar. Foreman fetches the latest approval status for each file from the Forma Reviews API.

The schedule: Daily at 07:00 — arrive at your desk knowing what needs attention.

Output format: XLSX — filter the Approval Status column to quickly find "Rejected" or files with blank status (never reviewed).

The problem: Files uploaded months ago and never updated might signal stalled workstreams, abandoned deliverables, or forgotten uploads. There is no way to surface these in Forma.

The columns: File Name, Folder Path, Modified Date, Created Date, Version, File Size.

The insight: Sort by Modified Date ascending. Files with Version = 1 and a Modified Date older than 90 days are likely stale. Files with many versions but a recent Modified Date are actively maintained.

The schedule: Monthly on the 1st — a housekeeping check.

Output format: CSV for easy import into a dashboard or script that flags files older than your threshold.

The problem: Project storage fills up and nobody knows which discipline is responsible. Are 4GB of superseded PDFs sitting in the MEP folder? Is Architecture uploading uncompressed TIFFs?

The columns: File Name, File Type, File Size (MB), Folder Path, Version, Modified Date.

The toggle: Enable "Split by folder" — each folder gets its own Excel sheet, plus an "All Files" summary sheet.

The schedule: Monthly — track trends over time.

Output format: XLSX with split-by-folder. Each discipline lead gets their own sheet. Sort by Size descending to find the largest files.

Getting started

Each of these reports can be set up in under two minutes using Foreman's 4-step wizard. Pick your folders, select the columns, choose an output format, and optionally set a schedule. Save it as a definition and forget about it. When the report is ready, Foreman emails you with a direct link to download.