In Strata Cloud Manager (SCM), the creation of custom reports is fundamentally linked to the dashboard functionality. To generate a custom report for Prisma Access, an administrator must first create a custom dashboard. This dashboard is populated with the specific widgets that display the desired data (e.g., threats, traffic, user activity). Once the dashboard is configured to present the required information, it can then be used as a template to schedule the generation and distribution of a custom report. This process ensures that the report's content and layout precisely match the curated view established in the dashboard.

A. Open a support ticket: This is a reactive step for troubleshooting or requesting assistance, not a standard procedural requirement for creating a custom report within the SCM interface.
B. Set up Cloud Identity Engine: While Cloud Identity Engine provides valuable user context for reports, it is not a mandatory prerequisite for the creation of the report template itself, which can be based on other data like traffic or threats.
C. Generate a PDF summary report: This is an output action performed after a report has been configured. It is a result of the process, not a necessary step in its creation.

1. Palo Alto Networks. (2024). Manage Custom Reports. Strata Cloud Manager Administrator's Guide. Retrieved from Palo Alto Networks TechDocs.

Reference Details: In the "Monitor > Reports" section

the documentation explicitly states: "To create a custom report

you must first create a custom dashboard that contains the widgets you want to include in the report. After you create the custom dashboard

you can create a report based on it." This directly establishes that configuring a dashboard is a necessary prerequisite.