Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP has several reporting tools: Report Writer, Crystal Reports, MS SQL Server Reporting Services, FRx, Microsoft Access reports, Excel reports. Seeing such a variety of tools, you should know that the selection of the report design tool depends on the nature of the report. For example, if you need to link various modules in Dynamics GP, such as Sales Order Processing and Purchase Order Processing (when your project is finished for sales commission release, when items and services are sold and goods are delivered by your vendors), you should consider Crystal Reports or SRS, where you can create an SQL stored procedure or view as the report background. Let’s briefly review the selection of reporting tools and their capabilities:
1. FRx. The FRx Report Designer links directly to the Great Plains Ledger. This means that you should consider these report design tools for GL-level reports, including consolidated reports, by working on the FRx reporting tree. It also works with GL budgets and you have the option to consolidate your GP companies with virtual companies, which are exported to an Excel spreadsheet – FRx has an Excel linking mechanism.
2. Dynamics GP ReportWriter. The strengths of this tool are the direct calling of existing reports from the GP user workstation with parameter screens. RW is seamlessly integrated with the GP interface and the user security domain. Reports like SOP Invoice Blank form is one of the most popular for RW modification – you need to put your company logo on the sales invoice form. You can also create an RW compliant report in Great Plains Dexterity customizations and these reports will be available through the GP Customize menu. These Dex reports are known as GP Alternate Modified Reports. RW is less flexible than Crystal Reports or SRS, but can have a GP parameter entry screen within the security scope of the GP user
3. Crystal Reports and SRS. You may think that these two tools come from different vendors and are unlikely to be comparable. However, in the case of Great Plains report design, they are similar in report scheduling technology: the best reports are based on the MS SQL Server stored procedure or SQL view.
4. Publication of generic MS Access, Excel and MS Visual Studio .Net reports. Excel and MS Access can connect an ODBC compliant database platform such as MS SQL Server in VBA scripts. The C # or VB .Net programmer or Great Plains technical consultant can create a GP report through the SQL select statement in ADO.Net. If you are a .Net MS Visual Studio developer, consider eConnect programming versus direct SQL select statements. If you need the structure of GP tables, please install GP SDK from CD no. 2
