Navision Report Designer

Being new to Navision (2 Months) and coming from a pure MS SQL Server Enivironment, I must ask does everyone find the Report Designer Cumbersome. What other Reporting Solutions are people using? I have used Crystal with other Enterprise systems and creating Stored Procedures on the Database seems so much easier. But are there Implications when using something like Crystal and Stored Procedures on the DB with Navision. Anyone using something different for there reporting requirements. Thanks, Brian. N.Ireland

Hello Brian, Most clients I know choose to use the Navision ODBC tool and pass the data back into Excel or Access as an alternative to using the report writer. I know that some people have used Crystal with Navision with good results, but I have never used it myself.

Hi Brian In addition to Edward’s suggestion you also have Jet Reports, as advertised on this forum, but I have never used them so can neither recommend them or not recommend them if you know what I mean [:D].

I also came from MS SQL / Crystal Reports, and I had (have) the same feeling. However I can assure you that the native report designer is very powerfull, you can do practically everything you want (make abstraction from lay out here). But it takes some time to get things done, since it not always behaves as you would expect. I could imagine project Green will tackle this.

Hi Gunther I hope you “imagine” correctly [:D]

I use Crystal 9- works great. It the beginning it was hard to use the report designer tool. So I created the necessary reports in Crystal (which was a breese). Then once I had the report functioning I would try to re-create it in Navision. This allowed the workers to get the reports they needed using Crystal and allowed me time to playaround with the report designer. Once I finally created it in Navision I deleted the crystal report.

It takes a little time to learn the Navision report designer, but once you have pastered it, designing reports is a breeze, also the reports run ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE quicker than Crystal or any other ODBC based Product. The report designer in Green, is something totally new and different. So we are all going to have to retrain anyway when it comes. (They did give us a quick overview of it at Tech2003). My recomendations: If you are an NSC - Learn Navision’s report writer, and just get over it. If you are an enduser, learn enough of Navision Report Designer to modify existing reports with confidence, and then use JetReports for your add hock reporting. Its cheap and worth it even if you only create one or two reports. If you are a large multi site Navision user with a SQL based IT division, Use Crystal.

Thanks Guys for the opinions. I think the bottom line is I am going to have get used to the Report Writer and use my SQL Skills if Necessary until I get up to Speed. If you have any other Ideas let me know. Thanks

. . .Also came from SQL Server/CR9, then to Navision with SQL Server. . .Looking forward to the new integrated reports in the next SQL Server, especially the Matrix/Cross-tab reporting capability.