Five Tips for Deploying a Flash Report Based on Live Microsoft Dynamics GP Data

In my last discussion of a Flash Summary report, I explained the general benefits of building financial reports with SQL Server Reporting Services that always balance, always equal the real financial statements, and are available any time to executives on the company intranet. 

In this article, I walk through key tips for building such a flash report yourself.  Keep in mind, this type of report is not a job for amateurs.  You should have a strong understanding of the code structure of Microsoft Dynamics GP, know how to back up code and data, and know how to utilize SSRS.

First, some background - our description here (and in more detailed Technical Papers on our site) started with a generic installation of Microsoft SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services).  As SSRS installation varies for SQL 2005 or 2008, GP 10 or GP 2010, 32-bit or 64-bit, I'll refer you to your Dynamics installation manual for those instructions.

And as with any installation before you start, back up your Dynamics code, reports, forms, and both the DYNAMICS system database and company databases. 

Tip #1 - Develop in Steps

Break your report into sections.  Our Flash Report, as seen in the previous article, is actually a compilation of 6 reports consolidated into a 7th report.  We first designed a summary report, ran it for several weeks, and then deployed the drilldowns.  Complete the project in small steps, insuring you are duplicating exactly the same financial results that GP produces.

Tip #2 - Source Projects

For GP version 10.0 go ...