Is it possible to print a report in Outlook 2010 of all current and completed tasks?

Question

I use the task list quite extensively in Outlook 2010 to keep track of tasks I'm working on, and mark them completed when they are complete. This works well for me.

I'd like the ability to print a report or list of all the tasks, regardless of which folder they are in, that I've completed and are currently in progress, potentially in a given date range.

Is this type of functionality possible in Outlook 2010? If it's not possible natively, is there an extension that could accomplish this?

Answer 1

You should create a search view for this.

Limit the search to the Task item type.

You don't need an add-in.

Here are some links for further reading:

• Google Search for setting up "Search Folders" in Outlook 2010
• Microsoft Office article: "Find messages or items with a Search Folder"

Basically, it is like creating a new folder but you define a search instead of a simple folder. Outlook keeps the search updated for you.

UPDATE & CORRECTIONS

Having looked again, I realise that it is actually pretty hard to do a search in tasks. It did find some references to doing it via VBA (here and here) but that isn't too nice.

If you have Microsoft Access available though, it is pretty easy. You can link an Access table to the Outlook tasks folder and then do your reporting in Access.

If your tasks are stored in Microsoft Exchange and you are allowed to make connections to it, then Microsoft PowerQuery has a query connector that should allow you to do reporting in Excel (I've not tried this because our organisations Exchange is tightly locked down). PowerQuery is a free Business Intelligence addin for Excel.