For some of the more technical Microsoft Dynamics GP users, you may want a little more control and customization when reporting on your GP data. SmartLists provide a fairly quick and dynamic option to custom reporting, but they may not be visually satisfying. On the other hand, integrating BI360 with GP will allow you create very clean and organized reports in an Excel-like environment, but won’t give you that rudimentary control that your technical mind may crave. If you’re looking for some sort of middle ground between these two options, take a look at SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) for Dynamics GP.
The key to creating effective SSRS reports is having a good knowledge of SQL – or at the very least, a fairly strong knowledge of databases. This is what scares away some users, but for those that have this type of background, SSRS Reports could be your salvation in the pursuit of both visually appealing and fully customizable reports.
While SSRS Reports can be easily viewed within Dynamics GP, they are created in Microsoft Report Builder – a separate software program that is offered for free by Microsoft. Using Report Builder allows you to take a custom SQL query that you have created (either from scratch or by using Report Builder’s intuitive Query Designer) and turn it into an appealing report. With the ability to easily create tables, charts, and even visual scales/gauges, you can turn a simple list of data into a work of art!
If you have SSRS Reports deployed in your GP environment, you can view them by going into any series and selecting the “Reporting Services Reports” item in the Navigation Pane.
[caption id="attachment_674" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="SSRS Reports in Dynamics GP"]
By: Rahim Jiwani, Application Specialist, WebSan Solutions Inc.