Dynamics NAV 7 and Improvements to RDLC Reporting

Improvements
Having made a big deal about how bad the current RDLC for Dynamics NAV 2009 (Navision 6.0) has lead me to numerous disucssions with Claus Lundstrøm. For those of you who doesn’t know, Claus is the main guy behind the new reporting tool in Navision. He blogs regularly at the Dynamics NAV Team Blog on reporting and how to make it better.

Not being able to write too much on our discussion because of the NDA, Claus assured me that RDLC will not go away. It was important for everyone at Microsoft to emphasize that what partners had invested with learning the RDLC in NAV 2009 (Navision 6.0) will carry over to NAV ‘7’ and beyond. The RDLC will NOT go away.

Initially hearing this, my heart sank to the floor. I could not believe how customers can be better served with the current RDLC tool. That is until Claus showed me some improvements with the new RDLC tool and additional improvements that’s been moved to high priority after our discussion. Again, not being able to disclose too much, I can only say that I’m very optimistic about the improvements that will be made in NAV 7 (Navision 7.0). If not, you bet I will have more long discussions with Claus again.

NAV 7 Classic Report to be Discontinued
As many of you know by now, in NAV 7, the classic report will be discontinued. That’s not to say you have to convert every report to RDLC right now. Classic client report will still work, it just will not work if you decide to convert the report in NAV 7. Yes, there’s a button that you push in NAV 7 to convert each report.

On the side note, even though Microsoft has said that the classic report will be discontinued in Navision 7.0, I wouldn’t be surprised if that support would be removed when NAV 7 actually hits the store shelves. I remember when Microsoft announced in version 5.0, the classic client will be discontinued, only to continue support to what we have now.

The point is, the product has to be ready before partners can safely say “ok, we’re ready to move our clients to the new environment”. The new technology has to make our lives easier, not just prettier. As to what kinds of improvements can be expected, at least on the reporting side, in NAV 7, I’m just as in the dark as you.

Jet Reports Express and ZetaDocs Express Now included in Dynamics NAV
In case you haven’t heard the announcement at Directions EMEA 2011, Jet Reports Express and ZetaDocs Express is now available for customers who are current on their enhancement plan. The draw back is that this is only applicable to customers who are on version NAV 2009 and later.

I’m pretty excite about this. Jet Report is a very good tool for generating quick reports in Excel. Perhaps, with this tool, we won’t need RDLC anymore to generate quick reports for the end users. Jet Report is also very trainable to the end users. The only drawback with Jet Reports is that for complex and reports with a lot of data, it’s very slow and consumes a lot of resource. For more complex reports, we still prefer to suffer through the RDLC.

For those of you that wanted Microsoft to purchase Pivotier, I’m sorry. With this partnership, it looks like Pivotier will always remain an add-on for Dynamics NAV.

Anyways, here’s the information direct from Microsoft:

Jet Report Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Jet Report Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV is a business reporting tool that gives users an easy and simple way to create high impact reports. Within a familiar Microsoft Excel environment, users will be able to access and merge Microsoft Dynamics NAV data and utilize all of the Microsoft Excel capabilities, such as Power Pivot, formatting, charting and Pivot Tables, to create powerful, insightful and well-formatted reports – quickly and easily.

Jet Report Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be released in Q3 CY2011.  Following a  careful review of customer and partner Business Intelligence (BI) & Reporting needs, Microsoft has worked in cooperation with Jet Reports, Inc. on the development of this solution, which enables us to enhance our BI & Reporting value proposition for customers and partners within the next few months.

Important Facts You Need to Know

  • Jet Report Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV is available as new functionality for new and existing Microsoft Dynamics NAV customers who are on an active Business Ready Enhancement Plan.
  • Customers who use Jet Report Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV are licensed under the terms of Jet Reports, Inc.  All training and support for the solution is provided by Jet Reports, Inc.
  • Jet Report Express is only available for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 or later.
  • Access to Jet Report Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be made available via a link from PartnerSource and CustomerSource within the next few months.

Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV

Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV makes it possible to store original documents associated with Microsoft Dynamics NAV records, such as emails, faxes and scanned documents, securely in one central location for quick and easy retrieval using Microsoft SharePoint Online.

With this new feature, users are able to work more efficiently. It’s possible to automatically capture electronic documents by dragging and dropping the documents inside Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The documents can then be retrieved and viewed from within the Microsoft Dynamics NAV RoleTailored Client or from Microsoft SharePoint Online giving users greater flexibility in accessing stored documents. What’s more, Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV provides the possibility to setup a basic document approval process using SharePoint Online.

Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV also makes it possible to email a report as a PDF attachment, filing a copy of the report automatically in Microsoft SharePoint Online. And, it supports simple automated email addressing for sales documents, such as invoices, using the email address stored in the customer card (if present). 

Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be released in Q4 CY2011.  We are working with Equisys plc to bring this capability to market.  This reflects our excitement about the upcoming release of Office 365 – and the opportunities that integration between NAV 2009 and Office 365 will offer customers.

Important Facts You Need to Know

  • Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV is available as new functionality for new and existing Microsoft Dynamics NAV customers who are on an active Business Ready Enhancement Plan.
  • A subscription to Microsoft Office 365 is required to use Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Microsoft Office 365 is an online service from Microsoft that combines the familiar Microsoft Office Web Apps with a set of web-enabled tools.
  • Customers who use Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV are licensed under the terms of Equisys plc.; therefore, all training and support for the solution is provided by Equisys, plc. 
  • Zetadocs Express is only available for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 or later.
  • More information on Zetadocs Express for Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be made available via a link from PartnerSource and CustomerSource very soon.

10 thoughts on “Dynamics NAV 7 and Improvements to RDLC Reporting

  1. MKY says:

    one quick question to confirm
    Is Zetadocs released? (I think No)

    It will be free of cost like Jetexpress only,right?(atleast Express version ;))

  2. Ajmal says:

    Can someone please advise if Outlook integration can be done from NAV v 5.0 (no service packs installed. Need Contacts in NAV to be able to send / receive emails and create To-Do’s > Tasks in Outlook

    Elsewhere i have read that NAS is not required and that Job Queue is required. I have infact installed NAS.
    Any guidance most appreciated, and where i can get more info on Job Queues if it is needed.

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