How to deploy 200 Excel reports with direct data connection to Dynamics GP 10.0
By Clinton Weldon in Business Intelligence, Dynamics GP, Uncategorized on Thursday, April 30th, 2009
We have had a lot of feedback from customers on the Excel reports available for Dynamics GP 10.0. The most common question is how much do the reports cost and what does it cost to implement them? The good news here is that if you are licensed and currently running GP 10.0, you already own them and it is a simple installation. I thought I would provide a step by step of installing the reports, so here you go.
Step 1 – Create locations to share reports
This example will have the reports and connections stored on the local drive. It is recommended to deploy the reports to a file server or SharePoint site.
Two file locations will need to be created, one for the data connections and one for the Excel reports.
I have created the following folder for storing the data connections – C:DataConnections
I have created the following folder for storing the Excel files – C:ExcelReports
Optionally an additional location can be defined for User reports and data connections. Within each of the folder locations I have created a sub folder named Users. This can be a different location than the top level.
I have created the following folder for storing user data connections – C:DataConnectionsUsers
I have created the following folder for storing user Excel files – C:ExcelReportsUsers
Step 2 – Launch the Reporting Tools Setup Wizard
Within Dynamics GP click the following menu path:
Microsoft Dynamics GP > Setup > System > Reporting Tools Setup
You will need to be logged in as a user with appropriate security to the wizard and the locations to store the reports and data connections.
You will be prompted for the System password
The Reporting Tools Setup window has 3 tabs. This is used to define where SQL Reporting Services Reports and Excel Reports are stored.
Step 3 – Define the location for Data Connections
Click the “Data Connections” tab
Enter the data connections you defined in step 1
Mark the checkbox “Enable data connection deployment”
Optionally, mark the checkbox “Enable data connections for all existing companies”
Lastly click “Run Deployment”
You will be prompted to click “Yes” or “No” on viewing the report of data connections created.
I will click “Yes” for demo purposes.
You can open the file location on SharePoint or your file server to verify the data connections were created.
Step 4 – Define the location for Excel Reports
Click the “Reports Library” tab
Enter the reports locations you defined in step 1
Mark the checkbox “Enable Excel report deployment”
Optionally, mark the checkbox “Deploy Excel reports for all existing companies”
Lastly click “Run Deployment”
You will be prompted to click “Yes” or “No” on viewing the report of Excel reports created.
I will click “Yes” for demo purposes.
At this point you have completed the deployment of 200 Excel reports directly connected to your Dynamics GP 10.0 system.
Congratulations!
Now click OK and start using the reports.
Step 5 – Empower your organization with the power of Microsoft Excel and Dynamics GP 10.0
Open the new Excel Reports
Depending on how security is defined within your installation of Microsoft Excel you may need to allow Excel to connect to this data.
Click “Options”
Mark “Enable this content.
Then click “OK”
From this point the power of Excel is in your hands.
Questions or request for assistance
If you have additional questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact us at I.B.I.S., Inc.
Clinton L. Weldon
Director of Professional Services
I.B.I.S., Inc.
30 Technology Parkway South, Ste. 400
Norcross, Georgia 30092
Direct: (770) 903-3348 | Main (770) 368-4000 | Cell (404) 975-9141 | Fax: (770) 368-1186
cweldon@ibisinc.com
www.ibisinc.com
Two-Time Winner of Microsoft Dynamics Outstanding Partner of the Year – US
2007 Winner of the Worldwide Dynamics GP Partner of the Year
About Clinton Weldon
Tags: Dynamics GP, Excel Reports, GP Reporting with Excel
Posted in Business Intelligence, Dynamics GP, Uncategorized
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[...] Excel Reports for Dynamics GP Clinton Weldon takes a look at deploying Excel reports for Dynamics GP over at DynamicsCare.There are lots of screen shots and everything is documented step by step. Nice [...]
Clinton –
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions; though you may want to add a comment about the prerequisites required to install this – you need .Net 3.0. Also what will happen if someone wanted to deploy this on a Citrix/Terminal Server environment?
Respectfully –
ingram
Clinton:
Is it ok to do this with people in the system?
Thanks for the information!
Brenda Haynes
[...] http://www.dynamicscare.com/blog/index.php/how-to-deploy-200-excel-reports-with-direct-data-connecti... [...]
hi
I would like to know how to send my data from excel to GP macros without gp.
Does anyone have a list of the 200 excel reports? I am not the GP Admin at my company and would like to review the list to make sure it is worthwhile to impliment this function.
Thanks,
Timothy
[...] is the document you need to read after you’ve used used Clinton’s screen shots packed posting showing the basics of deploying Excel [...]