New Features in MR 2012!

Management Reporter (MR) 2012 is chaulk full of new features, many of which in line with the 'distribution theme' of this release.

Here is a partial listing:

• MR 2012 now integrates with all Dynamics ERPs (i.e. NAV has been added)
• Drill-back to Dynamics ERP
• Comments
• Multiple-destination distribution flexibility
• SharePoint integration
• Scheduling
• Missing Account Analysis

What I find spectacular is that Microsoft has delivered on all the enhancements it promised last year that I blogged about here.

For more information, please visit the official Microsoft Dynamics CPM blog where they are show casing new features each week.  In many cases, MS has included a link to a YouTube MR 2012 demo! 

MR 2012 Expected Release Date & Functionality

MR 2012 (previously referred to as MR2 FP2) is currently scheduled to be released in the late March/early April 2012 time frame. 

MR 2012's new functionality centers around the theme of 'distribution' and is expected to offer the following:

• Microsoft Dynamics NAV integration
• A richer report viewing experience, including:
• Drill back to Dynamics ERP
• Show accounts without dimension codes on reports
• Comments
• Instant Messenger integration
• Report output flexibility, including:
• Export to XPS
• MS SharePoint integration with alerts (There is not expected to be an MR Viewer for MS SharePoint, but rather a listing of reports that will launch the MR Viewer and view the report from the secure MR Report Library.)
• Report Scheduling (Note that command link scheduling is available now)

A listing of MR versions and release dates can be found here.

SmartView for Dynamics GP

When it comes to how to get your information out of Microsoft Dynamics GP, there are so many alternatives!

One distinction that I formally made between SmartLists (whether the out-of-the-box SmartLists or the custom SmartList Builder lists) and Reports (whether SRS Reports or Crystal Reports) is that reports typically have grouping and totalling of data to facilitate analysis and decision making.  Well, that distinction between 'lists' and 'reports' has been blown away with the introduction of SmartView for Dynamics GP!  This is a 'must-see' and 'must-have' tool for any and all GP users.

SmartView is like GP’s SmartLists; however, it is a whole lot better! SmartView is a fast, flexible and easy to use Excel-like tool for analysis that works with all existing SmartLists, including those built using SmartList Builder.

SmartView features include:
• Faster retrieval of data than the SmartLists they are based on.


• Unlimited & Advanced Filters to isolate just the data that you want to see.


• Grouping & Subtotals to dynamically group your data by dragging and dropping.

The Evolution of SmartLists to SmartListBuider to SmartView looks something like this:

Click here to watch a SmartView demo: SmartView Demo  (Make sure you select the Windows Media File version.)

For more information on SmartView for Dynamics GP contact your partner.

Management Reporter: 7 Reasons to Upgrade

This blog is the condensed material to be presented in a webinar tomorrow:

• Familiar User Interface (MR is both like MS Office and FRx)
• Simplified Reporting Tools (i.e. Undo, Associations, Hide/Unhide, Exporting/Importing Selected Building Blocks, etc..)
• Powerful Analysis & Personalization Capabilities (Logos, Custom Page Numbering, Custom Page Breaks, Complex Filtering, etc...)
• Superior Performance & Security (SQL based solution, Enhanced Security, Server-side processing, Supports 64 bit, Windows Authentication, etc...)
• Migrating from FRx to MR is Easy! (Well.. for the most part!)
• MR is the Future! (MS has made a significant investment in MR as the CPM platform for Dynamics GP)
• You Want to! (MR is only compatible with GP2010 and higher.  FRx SP11 is also compatible with GP2010.)

Migrating to Management Reporter (MR) from FRx when Upgrading to GP2010

Most of FRx’s core functionality is already built into Management Reporter (MR), including multi-company consolidation, multi-currency and AA integration. As such, many organizations using FRx could migrate to MR today along with GP2010 upgrade. 

Note:  Organizations do not have to migrate to MR with a GP2010 upgrade; however, an upgrade to GP2010 is required to use MR.

Having said that, a review of FRx functionality currently being used to ensure there are no surprise functionality gaps that may pose an issue upon migration is a good idea!

While this information is constantly changing, a current snap-shot of functionality gaps is outlined below:



'Not Yet' in MR:

Feature Pack 1 (FP/SP1), which is scheduled for fall 2010, is expected to have the following functionality:


• Translations (based off GP translations enhancement which is not yet in GP2010)


• Forecaster integration that will be more advanced that FRx’s

Feature Pack 2 (FP/SP2) which has a 'distribution' theme, scheduled for spring/summer 2011, is expected to have the following functionality:


• Sharepoint integration


• Email


• Drill down to GP (inquiry screen and possibly SRS reports)

'Not Currently Planned' for MR:

I believe the only ‘real’ deal breaker here is ‘row linking’ which is used in a small percentage of advanced FRx design environments.  However, a few other items, such as 'report manager' and 'effective dates' are also currently not planned to be incorporated into MR.  That may be somewhat misleading though, as MR may incorporate different more advanced functionality that would handle the same type of situations and much more.

 'Different' or 'Improved' in MR:



Many features in MR are improved or different.  A few of these items are listed below:


• Translations (SP1)


• Forecaster integration (SP1)


• No Webport – Report Library (Current) or Sharepoint (SP2)


This is not a complete list.  I hope to blog about these features in the future, so stay tuned!

Introducing Management Reporter

Management Reporter (MR) is Microsoft's Corporate Performance Management (CPM) platform for its Dynamics ERP solutions. It has been available for Dynamics GP2010 for about a month (See Microsoft's official Press Release).

CPM is a Business Intelligence (BI) capability area covering:

• financial reporting,
• consolidations,
• planning,
• budgeting and
• forecasting

In short, MR is FRx on steroids! In fact, MR is much more than that. It is more than a new graphical user interface, the entire product has been rebuilt from the back end (how it accesses data) to the front end (the user interface). It is the foundation upon which the future of Microsoft's CPM solutions will be built and that is very exciting!
MR effectively replaces FRx for users on Dynamics GP2010 and above. However, some advanced FRx reporting design capabilities are slated to be delivered in the fall of 2010, so not every FRx installation can migrate to MR today. Remember, patience is a virtue!
If you're worried about migrating from FRx to MR, don't be, because Microsoft has built a migration path/tool. Of course, each situation is unique and some manual updating of reports may be requried in some circumstances.
In case you are wondering, MR is currently slated to encompass the planning, budgeting and forecasting capabilties of Microsoft Forecaster by 2011, thus effectively replacing that product as well. As with FRx, a migration path will be available. So, your current investment is safe!
A final word of praise for FRx... FRx has been the industry leading financial reporting package for nearly 20 years. I think we all agree that it is a great product, but it is based on old technology and I think we can also agree that it needs more than just a facelift to carry it into the future. That, together with Microsoft's vision to build the industry leading CPM solution on a common platform, is essentially the raison d'être for Management Reporter.
Warning: Management Reporter may cause financial report designers to renew their excitement for creating financial reports.