There has traditionally been a tradeoff between reporting simplicity, flexibility, and usefulness when creating reports within Microsoft Dynamics GP. Crystal Reporting and SRS can be great ad-hoc reporting tools, but it is difficult, if not impossible, for many end users to learn how to create and edit even simple reports using these tools. Microsoft GP SmartLists are much easier to use as a reporting tool, but often lack the desired flexibility needed to quickly and easily create professional looking, ready to distribute reports. Microsoft Dynamics GP delivered reports look great and are easy to run, but can lack key information desired by the user. In response to this lack of an ideal reporting solution, Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 includes fantastic new functionality to run many system reports directly from a refreshable Excel Workbook with their Excel Report Builder.

With the Excel Report Builder, users no longer have to struggle with modifying SmartList reports after an export to include subtotals or formatting preference. Once the formatting is saved in Excel it is there for future use. Making custom calculations or design formatting changes is as simple as modifying an Excel sheet. An administrator can link to any SQL table so the reports can include any Microsoft GP or external source data desired on reports.

During a recent implementation of Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 with SmartList Builder, I was able to use the Excel Reporting function as an enterprise reporting solution that saved user licenses, created reporting flexibility and simplified the user interaction with Microsoft GP data. There was no need for any third party reporting applications.

Some of the functions and benefits we were able to derive from the Excel Report Builder included:

• Workbooks that included the same report for multiple Microsoft Dynamics GP companies across several tabs.
• A report that was built and formatted specifically as an export into another system.
• Created specific reports by salesperson, which through Excel password security can only be opened by those salespeople.
• Eliminated the need for several Microsoft GP user licenses and for Crystal licenses for all reporting/inquiry only users.
• Created custom timesheets in Excel for project accounting that will pre-populate all relevant project data.
• Created a consolidated view in Excel for open purchase orders and sales transactions. This allowed the users to use Excel functions to filter, sort, and search the data more quickly than they could in SmartList and general inquiry screens.
  

Hopefully, you can see the benefits of this great new reporting tool and feel free to reach out to anyone on the Logan Consulting team if you need more information.