An apparatus and methodology to acquire and organize measured or modeled statistical data into optimal reports with a performance engineering mode of use and a design mode of use. In a performance engineering mode of use, the engineer may select from a set of performance questions, and guided by the apparatus and largely automated, create well-defined answers to the performance questions of interest. A series of template manipulations whereby report objects that are embedded within templates may be defined, reused, modified and improved upon to optimize reports and to aid in a report building process in a design mode of use. Methods are taught for the automatic selection and population of data tables. Column selection and column header information is optimized for relevance to the report design or system question at hand. The automatic joining of data from a variety of data sources is taught that allows for the rapid construction of specific reports from within multiple data tables of different types, structures and formats.