Seeking an alternative solution to NF Reports Builder

fet

We are seeking a way to build reports with NF2.50 datas from another report buider.
Using a shell (or automation, ocx...), the end user wouldn't be aware that the graph is set by a different program.
Which soft are the most adapted to this ?
Thanks in advance.

Erik_P._Ernst

You can use Crystal Reports with Navision's C/ODBC driver.
Look at http://www.seagatesoftware.com for more.

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Best regards,
Erik P. Ernst
Navision Online User Group

Tarek_Demiati

Does the problem with the date format has now been fixed ?

I've been looking at other alternatives for writting
NF report but there are not much reliable alternatives out
there

jbolks

Good report writers (in combination with Navision use C/ODBC) are:
- Business Objects (from Europe)
- Actuate reporting (from America)

We use Business Objects.

Tarek_Demiati

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jbolks:
Good report writers (in combination with Navision use C/ODBC) are:
- Business Objects (from Europe)
- Actuate reporting (from America)

We use Business Objects. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Have you actually written complex Navision reports
(multiple tables/multiple data items) using Business Objects ?

jbolks

The status is: that with the standaard
Navision ODBC you can only create very simple reports.

We hope to create more advanced reports when we use
Navision with SQL-server. We will test this next month.

fet

First, thanks for your answers.
In some case, we would only need to deal with documents (ie. invoices in order to add color, bitmaps...).
Aren't Crystal Reports or B.O. "too big" in this case ?
Are there any other softs which would be more adapted ?
Thanks again.

Andreas_Lundin

Hi all

Just a comment on your report tool discussion <img border="0" title="" alt="" src="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif" /> Have you ever considered on designing the report as a HTML-document from within Navision. And I don't mean saving or printing a standard report as HTML. The big advantage is that you don't need to buy a new report tool. You of cource have to know something about HTML-tags and syntax. But it is easily learned <img border="0" title="" alt="" src="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif" />

I'm more thinking on designing a report from scratch. It should be relatively simple to tailor a standard skeleton for the various types of report types, and output the report as a HTML-file, ready to be viewed/printed from a browser, or even from within Word.

If you're insterested, I would we happy to make some sample code, that may give you some ideas.

So, if you're interested, just drop a note on this forum.

Regards
Andreas L.

jbolks

If you only need to deal with documents with bitmaps, you
can use Word and Visual Basic.
-> Create a dll with Visual Basic, were you fill Word templates.
From Navision you can call the dll-functions and add data.

Alex

Hello Lundin,
i am very interested in your solution, to
get outputs via html, my problem i am not
a very good Stml programmer :-)
and so ,if you could give me some code (inspirience)
of this stuff, i am very glad

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Best regards
Alex Schubert

ERP & Navision

Dolphin Communication Technologies GmbH
Otto-Hahnstr. 1 c
D-69190 Walldorf
DolphinCT.de

Floyd_Chan

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jbolks:
If you only need to deal with documents with bitmaps, you
can use Word and Visual Basic.
-> Create a dll with Visual Basic, were you fill Word templates.
From Navision you can call the dll-functions and add data. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd be very interested if you could post an example of a VB dll that populates a Word template. Your technique would be helpful in solving a problem I have now. Thanks.

jbolks

check www.microsoft.support --> choose application Visual Basic,
and search for: 'Word' --> there is an example:
Q108043 - HOWTO: VB Uses OLE Automation with Word Version 6.0

Sub WordExample ()

Dim Word As Object 'Declare an object variable
Set Word = CreateObject("Word.Basic") 'Set the object pointer
Word.FileNew 'Create a new File in Word
Word.Bold 'Make the Font Bold
Word.FontSize 24 'Make the Font 24 point in size
Word.CenterPara 'Center Text on page
Word.Insert "Isn't VB Great!!" 'Insert some text
Word.FilePrintDefault 'Print the current document
Word.FileClose 2 'Close file without saving.
Set Word = Nothing 'Clear the object pointer.

End Sub

Floyd_Chan

Originally posted by jbolks:
check www.microsoft.support --> choose application Visual Basic,
and search for: 'Word' --> there is an example:
Q108043 - HOWTO: VB Uses OLE Automation with Word Version 6.0

Thanks for the automation example. No offense, but I already knew how to do this. I just thought from your posting, you were creating your own custom DLL in VB to pass data from Navision to Word... I was looking for details on that.