Nova's PDF Builder lets you create, preview, refine, and download PDF reports — all from a single conversation. Whether you need a quick work order summary or a full-year maintenance report, Nova handles the heavy lifting and lets you fine-tune the output before you share it.

What's New in the PDF Builder

Live preview before downloading. See exactly what your PDF will look like before you commit — no surprises when it lands in someone's inbox.
Manual edits in the preview. Click into the preview and make changes directly, or type a follow-up instruction and let Nova apply the tweak for you.
Save drafts as you go. Save intermediate versions so you can experiment freely and roll back to a previous iteration at any time.
Iterative refinement. Tell Nova what to change — "add a summary chart at the top" or "group by technician instead of location" — and it updates the PDF in real time.
PDFs that scale. Reliably generates reports spanning hundreds of pages — full-year work order exports, complete asset histories, and detailed maintenance logs.
Embedded charts & graphs. Charts built by Nova are embedded directly into your PDF. No screenshotting required.

How to Use the PDF Builder

Open the Nova chat window in UpKeep
Ask Nova to generate a PDF — describe the data, timeframe, or report you need (see example prompts below)
Nova generates the report and opens a live preview — review it before downloading
Make adjustments: type a follow-up instruction to Nova, or edit the preview directly
Hit Save draft at any point to preserve a version you can return to
When you're satisfied, click Download to export the final PDF and share it with your team

Example Prompts

Goal	Prompt	Why it matters
Share cost details with a client	Nova, pull the details of WO 12345 and create a PDF highlighting the parts and labor costs I can share with my client	Creates a client-ready document focused on the financial details they care about.
Track overdue work by technician	Nova, create a PDF showing how many overdue work orders are assigned to each of my technicians	Helps managers spot workload imbalances and rebalance assignments quickly.
Print a PM checklist	Nova, generate a monthly HVAC PM checklist and create a PDF I can print and share with my team	Gives technicians a clear, printable guide for recurring preventive work.
Review open work by priority	Nova, create a PDF report of all open work orders by priority level for our team review	Supports better planning by surfacing which critical tasks need immediate attention.
Export a full year of work orders	Nova, generate a PDF of every completed work order for the last 12 months, grouped by location, with a summary chart at the top	Produces a year-in-review report — hundreds of pages with embedded charts — in a single export.
Analyze parts usage and costs	Nova, export a PDF of parts usage and costs for the past 30 days	Provides spending visibility for budget reviews and purchasing decisions.
Pull a complete asset history	Nova, export a PDF of the full maintenance history for Asset #A-204, including all WOs, PMs, and downtime events	Creates a single reference document for audits, handoffs, or reliability reviews.

Tips & Best Practices

Be specific — include work order numbers, timeframes, locations, or technician names for more targeted output
Use the live preview to catch formatting issues before downloading
Save a draft before making major edits so you can return to the previous version if needed
Ask Nova to include a summary chart or table of contents at the top of long reports for quick scanning
For very large exports (hundreds of pages), tell Nova upfront so it can structure the report with sections
Need a deck instead? Ask Nova to generate a PowerPoint presentation — same data, presentation-ready format

FAQ

Can I edit the PDF before downloading?
Yes. The new PDF Builder shows a live preview before you download. You can click directly into the preview to make manual changes, or give Nova a follow-up instruction and it will apply the tweak for you.

What if I want to go back to an earlier version?
Use Save Version throughout your session. You can return to any saved iteration and keep experimenting without losing your work.

How large a PDF can Nova generate?
Nova reliably produces reports spanning hundreds of pages. For best results, structure large requests by date range, location, or asset group.

Will charts appear inside the PDF?
Yes. Any chart Nova generates is embedded directly in the PDF — no screenshotting needed.

Can Nova generate a PowerPoint instead of a PDF?
Yes. Just ask Nova for a presentation or deck — for example, "Nova, build a quarterly maintenance review deck for the Dallas site."

How long does generation take?
Most requests return in a few seconds. Very large exports may take longer depending on data volume.