In reporting and decision support, what type of report is exemplified by an online, softcopy display of a customer’s charge account shown immediately in response to a user’s inquiry?

Introduction / Context:
Organizations produce many report types. Some are periodic (e.g., daily sales), others are triggered by conditions (exceptions), and some are generated interactively when a user requests specific information. This question asks you to classify a real-time screen display pulled in response to an inquiry.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The report is not pre-scheduled; it is produced when requested.
• The output is softcopy (on-screen), not necessarily printed.
• The content relates to a specific customer account inquiry.

Concept / Approach:

An on-demand report (also called ad hoc or query-based) is created when the user asks for it. It contrasts with regularly scheduled reports (generated automatically at time intervals) and exception reports (generated when thresholds are crossed). Forecasting reports project future trends and are neither necessarily on-demand nor strictly real-time account snapshots.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Business intelligence tools and OLTP systems commonly provide on-demand views via queries or dashboards when users drill into account details.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Regularly scheduled: Produced at set intervals, not on request.

Exception: Triggered by anomalies, not mere inquiry.

Forecasting: Predictive, not a current account snapshot.

None: Incorrect because on-demand is the precise classification.

Common Pitfalls:

Assuming any real-time data equals an exception; exceptions require rule violations, not simple lookups.

Final Answer:

on-demand report