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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Reporting Cookbook

Book Image

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Reporting Cookbook

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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Reporting Cookbook
Mar, 2015 | 352 pages
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Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Reporting Cookbook
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Reporting Cookbook
Credits
Credits
About the Authors
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Understanding and Creating Simple SSRS Reports
Understanding and Creating Simple SSRS Reports
Introduction
Using a query as a data source in a report
Creating auto designs from datasets
Grouping in reports
Adding ranges to the report
Deploying a report
Creating a menu item for a report
Creating a report using a query in Warehouse Management
2
Enhancing Your Report – Visualization and Interaction
Enhancing Your Report – Visualization and Interaction
Introduction
Creating multiple data regions and charts in reports
Creating a chart data region
Creating a new layout template
Expression in reports
Aggregation in reports
Adding an image in auto design
Formatting reports
Adding unbounded parameters in reports
Adding filters to data regions
Adding document map navigation to reports
Creating drill-up/drill-down actions in reports
3
Report Programming Model
Report Programming Model
Introduction
Opening a report through a controller
Modifying the report query in controller
Opening a report with a dialog
Creating a report using the UI Builder class
Adding a lookup on a report dialog using the UI Builder class
Connecting the UI builder class with a contract class
Adding ranges from unbound parameters to a query
Modifying the UI by caller
Turning off a report dialog
Setting up security for reports
Adding up the report menu item into privilege
Calling multiple reports from a controller
Calling multiple reports simultaneously using a single controller
Debugging a report model
Adding data methods in business logic
Adding a URL drill through action in reports
Debugging business logic
Unit testing business logic
Creating a report using a controller and the UI Builder class
4
Report Programming Model – RDP
Report Programming Model – RDP
Introduction
Creating a simple RDP report
Testing the RDP report
Creating a simple precision design
Creating an advanced RDP report
Creating a report with multiple data sources in a single table
Creating a group view report
Adding headers and displaying company images
Using an existing temp table in RDP
Pre-processing reports
5
Integrating External Datasources
Integrating External Datasources
Introduction
Adding a datasource through business logic
Using an XML feed as a datasource
Building a parameter lookup using business logic
Building a report through an external datasource
Adding a parameter for an external datasource query
Creating a customer summary OLAP report
Adding a parameter lookup for OLAP
Designing an OLAP table report with SQL Report Builder
Designing a map sub-report with SQL Report Builder
Creating a sub-report in auto design
Creating a sub-report in precision design
6
Beyond Tabular Reports
Beyond Tabular Reports
Introduction
Creating a matrix report
Creating a multicolumn matrix report
Creating a column chart report
Creating a line chart
Gauges in reports
List and rectangle controls in reports
Adding reports to the role center
7
Upgrading and Analyzing Reports
Upgrading and Analyzing Reports
Introduction
Upgrading a report from its previous version
Analyzing and modifying an existing report
Implementing validation in reports
Surrogate fields in reports
Grouping and ordering controls in the report dialog
RDP with multiple temporary tables
Multi-value lookup
Inventory dimensions in reports
Financial dimensions in query reports
Financial dimensions in RDP reports
8
Troubleshooting and Other Advanced Recipes
Troubleshooting and Other Advanced Recipes
Introduction
Assessing report performance and usage
Handling long-running reports in AX
Troubleshooting reports in AX
Auto e-mail, save as file tasks in reports
Handling events after report completion
Generating and displaying barcodes in reports
Hiding controls by context
Using AXEnumProvider as the dataset for parameters in reports
Adding a new report design to print management
Deploying language-specific reports to speed up execution time
Improving the functionality of reports
9
Developing Reports with Complex Databases
Developing Reports with Complex Databases
Introduction
Creating reports by fetching the data using complex queries
Creating reports by fetching the data using views
Creating reports by fetching the data using maps
10
Unit Test Class and Best Practices Used for Reports
Unit Test Class and Best Practices Used for Reports
Introduction
Creating a unit test class for a contract class
Creating a unit test class for a controller class
Creating a unit test class for an RDP class
Best practices for AX 2012 report development
Index
Index

Introduction

Reports are a basic necessity for any business process, as they aid in making critical decisions by analyzing all the data together in a customized manner. Reports can be fetched in many types, such as ad-hoc, analytical, transactional, general statements, and many more by using images, pie charts, and many other graphical representations. These reports help the user to undertake required actions. Microsoft SQL Reporting Services (SSRS) is the basic primary reporting tool of Dynamics AX 2012 R2 and R3.

This chapter will help you to understand the development of SSRS reports in AX 2012 R3 by developing and designing reports using simple steps. These steps have further been detailed into simpler and smaller recipes. In this chapter, you will design a report using queries with simple formatting, and then deploy the report to the reporting server to make it available for the user. This is made easily accessible inside the rich client.

Reporting overview

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is the most important feature of Dynamics AX 2012 R2 and R3 reporting. It is the best way to generate analytical, high user scale, transactional, and cost-effective reports. SSRS reports offer ease of customization of reports so that you can get what you want to see. SSRS provides a complete reporting platform that enables the development, design, deployment, and delivery of interactive reports. SSRS reports use Visual Studio (VS) to design and customize reports. They have extensive reporting capabilities and can easily be exported to Excel, Word, and PDF formats.

Dynamics AX 2012 has extensive reporting capabilities like Excel, Word, Power Pivot, Management Reporter, and most importantly, SSRS reports. While there are many methodologies to generate reports, SSRS remains the prominent way to generate analytical and transactional reports. SSRS reports were first seen integrated in AX 2009, and today, they have replaced the legacy reporting system in AX 2012.

SSRS reports can be developed using classes and queries. In this chapter, we will discuss query-based reports. Reports using classes will be discussed in later chapters.

In query-based reports, a query is used as the data source to fetch the data from Dynamics AX 2012 R3. We add the grouping and ranges in the query to filter the data. We use the auto design reporting feature to create a report, which is then deployed to the reporting server. After deploying the report, a menu item is attached to the report in Dynamics AX R3 so that the user can display the report from AX R3.

Through the recipes in this chapter, we will build a vendor master report. This report will list all the vendors under each vendor group. It will use the query data source to fetch data from Dynamics AX and subsequently create an auto design-based report. So that this report can be accessed from a rich client, it will then be deployed to the reporting servicer and attached to a menu item in AX.

Here are some important links to get started with this chapter:

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