Reports - particularly A/P and A/R ageing

weston

Creating reports is tedious. There are not all that many ways clients want the information displayed, but Navision never seems to quite get there. Is there a repository of reports that can be shared? Does anyone have reports for sale or trade? Right now I need to modify the Purchases and Payables, A/P ageing report to show,landscape, the columns: Vendor Name, Vendor Number, Vendor Invoice Number, Invoice Date Due, Amount 0-30 Days, Amount 31-60 days, and Amount >60 days. There needs to be a record for each invoice, grouped and totaled by vendor, and grouped and totaled by posting group.

This seems to be a common ageing report I have seen often in past lives and it is a specific client request so it is not so unusual. And someone should have done it. Can we swap? Will you sell it to me? How much would someone charge me to create it? I really do not want to become a report writing expert and my single developer is swamped with other tasks. (And he doesn't like to do reports.)

I have modified the Fixed Assets - Analysis report to show the asset life and the display a fourth amount column so it can show FA Number, FA Description, Acquisition Date, Usefull Life, Asset Cost, Period Depreciation, Accumulated Depreciation, and Book Value. Not a difficult effort, but I would rather have done something else (like sell more).

It is my experience that for many people who write checks for Navision the reports are everything, the sena qua non. And they are always disappointed with Navision.

If this type of posting is not appropriate for this forum or other forums might be more appropriate, I can be coached.

Weston Binford
weston@trustedbis.com

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mfabian

I'm afraid I cannot give you a very helpful answer. As I'm working as freelancer for different NSC's and customers for almost five years, I made the experience that more or less the same reports are being invented and re-invented individually for each and every customer over and over again. In fact I've never seen a customer who was happy with the reports provided in Navision standard. This is especially true for the reports which leave the companies. Sales Invoices reflect the corporate identity, columns have to be removed or added to the reports but that's what Navision is all about. It's a good stable financial kernel which allows you to easily adapt reports to your specific needs.

>>Is there a repository of reports that can be shared? Does anyone have reports for sale or trade?<<

I have never heard of a repository of reports which is for sale. But of course every NSC has it's own internal library. I once tried to establish a library with the most commonly used financial reports including vendor/customers but it turned out to be no success. Customers have very different needs and each report would have to be adapted anyway.

>>Right now I need to modify the Purchases and Payables, A/P ageing report to show,landscape, the columns: Vendor Name, Vendor Number, Vendor Invoice Number, Invoice Date Due, Amount 0-30 Days, Amount 31-60 days, and Amount >60 days.<<

Looks like an enhancement of Report 305 which can be done pretty fast in 2-4 hours. Your wish to group it according to posting groups is quite special in your case. I never came accross THAT wish.


>>(And he doesn't like to do reports.)<<

Well, who does? This would be a nice report for a new Navision programmer to start with. I think your programmer should stay humble. Every developer - even the best crack - has to go back sometimes and do some boring reporting work. It's part of the job and you can't always pick the "sweetest grapes" (such as Web-solutions or OCX programming).

>>It is my experience that for many people who write checks for Navision the reports are everything, the sena qua non. And they are always disappointed with Navision.<<

I fully agree in that point. That's why I do most reports with Excel Automation (Existing empty Excel-Template is being filled with Navision data). This provides not only beautiful reports but also the possibility to have charts and pivots and to work and play with the data. (Btw. correct latin is: "sine qua non")


>>If this type of posting is not appropriate for this forum or other forums might be more appropriate, I can be coached.<<

It would say, this is the perfectly right forum for this kind of question.

Marcus

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Marcus Fabian
m.fabian@thenet.ch
+41 79 439 78 72