What is an ad hoc report?
It indicates a “dynamic” report capability; one in which a user may specify data elements and selection criteria “on-the-fly”, via an interface, as opposed to “canned” reports, which are stored definitions of elements, and are altered by modifying the associated code. This dynamic capability results in ad hoc reporting to be frequently utilized to provide specific, immediate information, which varies in content from the existing defined reports, in pursuit of business needs which arise. It would be typical for an ad hoc to be defined as a canned report in the event its results are necessary frequently enough to justify the creation of the stored definition.
