How to Use Docentric Replicas With Free Edition

Docentric SSRS Replicas ship with Docentric designs, which look exactly the same as the original built-in SSRS report designs and can be edited with MS Word directly from within D365FO. However, Docentric designs cannot be used with Free Edition. Still, there are many other advantages why you should use Docentric SSRS Replicas.

Why to use Docentric SSRS Replicas with Free Edition

You will be able to use out-of-the-box report specific placeholders, improved Print archive and emailing options. At the same, time you will get high quality learning material and the starting point for additional customizations if needed.

Learn about benefits of Docentric SSRS Replicas when using them with Free Edition >>

How to configure Docentric SSRS Replicas

After downloading and installing Docentric SSRS Replicas, you will need to configure them in Docentric report setup. Open the Reports form, for example from the Docentric AX workspace.

Before Docentric report setup is open for the first time, the Reports button shows that the number of configured reports is zero. If no report is configured yet and the Reports button is clicked, dialog box prompts:

No report is found in the report setup. Reload all system templates and the corresponding reports?

It is most convenient to select Yes and let the system load the system templates (the Docentric templates stored as AOT Resources), after which the Reports form with all the imported Docentric replicas will be displayed.

If on the other hand you selected No when prompted to reload the system templates, the blank Reports form will be displayed. Click the Reload all button to get the same result as if you clicked Yes.

 

Docentric SSRS replicas are now inserted in Docentric report setup and ready to use with Docentric Free Edition.

However, this is not quite true, because you usually customize common reports such as Customer invoice or Purchase order by duplicating and changing the built-in SSRS report designs (e.g. you created DocSalesInvoice.Report) while Docentric replicas are connected to the built-in SSRS report designs (e.g. SalesInvoice.Report).

If you didn’t change built-in SSRS report designs, you can use Docentric replicas as they are by disabling the provided Docentric templates. Learn how >>

If you customized built-in SSRS report designs, in order to get all the benefits of Docentric replicas such as report specific placeholders and searchable Print archive, you will need to connect them with Docentric replicas, or more precisely, with the proper DSP class.

This can be done manually, by adding your custom SSRS report design (e.g. DocSalesInvoice.Report) to Docentric report setup and selecting the corresponding DSP class (e.g. DocSalesInvoiceReportDSP).

 

For Print management reports you can use a dedicated button Add for Print management type, which does this for you automatically (see the next chapter).

Add your customized Print management reports to Docentric report setup

When you duplicate and customize a standard SSRS report (e.g. SalesInvoice.Report -> DocSalesInvoice.Report) and you want to use it like the original one, you need to add it to the corresponding Print management type (e.g. PrintMgmtDocumentType::SalesOrderInvoice).

 

You will also need to add the same custom report (e.g. DocSalesInvoice.Report) to Docentric report setup and select the corresponding DSP class (e.g. DocSalesInvoiceReportDSP). You can do this manually, by clicking the Add button in Docentric report setup and changing afterwards its DSP class, or you can use the Add for Print management type button, which will search for all SSRS report designs of the same Print management document type except the selected report and insert them to Docentric report setup. The corresponding DSP class (e.g. DocSalesInvoiceReportDSP) and all General settings will be copied from the selected report.

 

Once you have added your custom reports to Docentric report setup (e.g. DocSalesInvoice.Report), you can delete the built-in ones (e.g. SalesInvoice.Report).

To move entries, i.e. SSRS reports registered in Docentric report setup between environments you can use Export/Import tools.

Furthermore, if you want to remove the validation error about non-existing templates, you need to turn off the Use only print destinations option for your custom reports in Docentric report setup. Learn how in the next chapter.

Disabling Docentric designs (aka templates)

Since the Docentric designs (aka templates) are now registered in Docentric report setup as well, you can either delete them or, what is more convenient to do and is also described in this manual, you can disable them. If you don’t take any action in this direction, you can experience some annoying behavior.

For example, you will notice that when you want to print any of these replicas for the first time, the Docentric default design (@DOCENTRIC_DEFAULT_TEMPLATE@) is always selected by default. If you don’t change this selection on the Print destination settings form, you will keep getting an error that a (Docentric AX Full Edition) license is needed in order to generate a report using a Docentric design, which is not your intention anyway.

Let’s demonstrate this on the Customer Account Statement report that is one of the provided Docentric SSRS Replicas. Open the Customer Account Statement report dialog form: Accounts receivable -> Inquiries and reports -> Customers -> Customer account statement.

 

 

When you click the OK button, you will get the following error:

License is not found. Please unlock the product by applying a valid Docentric AX license file and then try again.

This happened because, as stated before, the Docentric default design (@DOCENTRIC_DEFAULT_TEMPLATE@) is always selected by default:

If you now select the @SSRS_BUILTIN_DESIGN@ value in the Template ID combo box on the Print destination settings form, and any of the print destinations, e.g. Screen, you will not get any error and the built-in SSRS report will be shown in Docentric Viewer.

 

It might be annoying if you need to do this for each of Docentric replicas for the first time when you run the report. That’s why there is an option to disable Docentric designs in Docentric report setup.

You can disable the corresponding designs (aka templates) for a particular Docentric report (i.e. Docentric replica) or for multiple of them (e.g. all of them) at once by turning on the Use only print destinations field in Docentric report setup.

Turn on the Use only print destinations option for a Docentric replica

In order to disable the existing Docentric design for Customer Account Statement, open Docentric report setup and select the Customer Account Statement report. Then turn on the Use only print destinations option as it is shown on the picture below. By default, this flag is set to No.

After that, on the Print destination settings form only one value (@SSRS_BUILTIN_DESIGN@) will be available for selection in the Template ID combo box, and you will not get the License not found error any more.

Turn on the Use only print destinations option for all Docentric replicas at once

In order not to repeat the same operation for each report separately, you can update the Use only print destinations option in bulk, i.e. for all Docentric replicas at once. The following steps should be performed:

  1. Navigate to Docentric report setup and select all reports.
  2. Click the Update report settings button in the Manage reports button group in the Tools action pane tab. This will open the dialog for the bulk update of the selected report settings of all the selected reports.
  3. Set Used only with print destinations to Yes.
  4. Click OK. The bulk update is performed, and after that all previously selected reports will have this option updated to Yes.

See also

Download Docentric SSRS Replicas >>
Check Out Which Docentric SSRS Replicas We Provide >>
How to Use SSRS reports with Docentric Print Destinations >>
Docentric Print Destination Overview >>

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