How to Set Up Reports
The Reports form, or Docentric report setup, can be open from the Docentric AX workspace, or from the Organization administration module menu.
The Docentric AX workspace is also located in the default dashboard among other workspaces.
In the Docentric AX workspace click on the Reports tile.
Docentric’s report setup form is open, with all SSRS report designs registered to use Docentric AX functionality listed.
Learn more here >>
Inserting a new report
If you want to add a new report to the Docentric Report setup, you will use the New button in the main action pane. Locate an SSRS report and its design (e.g. CustAgingReport.DesignWithNoDetailAndTransactionCur) and register it as a new Docentric report.
Learn how to insert and use SSRS reports as Docentric reports in details >>
Report caption
Report caption is used by Docentric as a standard placeholder @REPORTCAPTION@ available for use in the output filename and the email body when printing a report, as the description of a report saved in Print archive, or when downloading a report previewed with Docentric viewer.
You will find the Report caption field in the General tab in Docentric report setup for a currently selected report. You can also use placeholders in this field and this way make the report caption dynamic.
Learn more about Report caption >>
Data Source Provider (DSP) class
For newly inserted SSRS reports the Docentric Default DSP class is used.
Create and use custom DSP classes when you need to:
- Add additional data to this SSRS report without changing its RDP tables or DP provider class in much easier way than using the technique with extensions. Learn more >>
- Define and manage custom placeholders that can be used in Docentric print destinations such as email body, subject, attachment name, output filename, azure blob and container name, etc.
Standard and custom placeholders can be also used with Docentric AX Free Edition. Learn more >>
- Define Docentric archive contract, in order to use all features which Docentric adds to built-in Print archive.
Learn more >>
Read more about custom DSP classes >>
Data Source Generation Options
No matter whether you use the default or a custom DSP class, you can configure some options related to report data source generation such as whether to include company logo, hidden parameters, document branding info, etc.
Query based reports
The following settings are applicable only for Query based SSRS reports.
- Include only listed fields: Include only report defined data fields from the query in the DDSP. If not turned on, all fields defined by the report query will be included in the DDSP.
- Include all listed methods: Include all report defined display methods from the query in the DDSP. If not turned on, no display method will be included in the DDSP.
- Include all methods: Include all display methods from all tables from the report query in the DDSP. If turned on, it can affect performance.
When a new report is inserted or loaded in Docentric report setup, the default values for these options are:
- Include only listed fields: false (because of compatibility with the previous product versions).
- Include all listed methods: true. It could happen that some of the report defined methods cannot be added because they are not parameterless or they are not display methods at all.
- Include all methods: false.
If you need to move these settings from one environment to another, you can use Import/Export tools in Docentric report setup.
Limitations for Query based reports
Please note that these settings don’t affect RDP based reports. Also, they work only with queries which have the single dataset. There is one more limitation related to query based SSRS reports: Docentric AX currently doesn’t support non-dynamic queries as report data sources (these queries are used for filtering, i.e. as dynamic report parameters). For such reports (e.g. Vendor base data) a custom DSP class should be created which will handle execution of particular query in X++.
Suppress RDP Execution
In order to improve performance for critical reports, while keeping all report infrastructure such as menu item buttons, parameters and workflows, data fetching can be moved entirely to Docentric’s DSP class.
When the Suppress built-in RDP execution option is turned on, regular RDP logic will be skipped and data fetching will be done using Docentric’s APIs (DSP class) only. This way you will be able to implement yourself logic that collects only the data you really need, and do so in much more efficient way.
DDSP generation settings
These settings will be used only if the Generate DDSP when report runs option is turned on. In this case, the report data source will be generated using the settings specified above each time when report is executed to some other print destination. This flag should be set only temporarily and in cases when report dialog form is not shown, i.e. the print destination selection is not available. This is often the case with Print Management reports or reports for printing labels.
Email Sending Settings
All email capabilities apply to both the free and the full product version.
Learn how to configure and use the Email sending settings >>
Preview Settings
When an SSRS report design is registered as Docentric report, you can still run it as before – using the built-in design and the built-in print destinations including Screen.
On the Preview settings form you can configure whether to substitute SSRS Screen (i.e. SSRS report viewer) with Docentric Screen (i.e. Docentric report viewer) but continue to use the original built-in SSRS design (the Use only Docentric viewer field), or whether to use both Docentric Screen and the default Docentric design instead of SSRS Screen and the built-in SSRS report design (the Use both Docentric design and viewer field).
You can even configure these flags per company.
These two flags are important mainly for Print Management reports such as Sales Invoice and Purchase Order. As you know, there are typically two buttons, Original Preview and Copy Preview, which are bound to the SSRS Screen destination (SSRS report viewer) and the built-in SSRS report design. Instead of introducing new buttons for using Docentric report viewer and Docentric design (template), you can configure these built-in buttons here.
Custom Labels
If you are not satisfied with the set of labels that already exists in you report data source, you can add arbitrary labels from the system here. They will be automatically included in the report data source and available at design time in all Docentric's templates. Still, you can use plain label IDs directly from within Docentric AX Designer.
Learn how to add User-defined labels as Custom labels >>
Learn more on how to create and design multilingual reports >>
Email templates
Email templates enable templating of the outgoing emails for reports that are emailed using Docentric Email print destination. They are introduced in the 3.3.9 version.
Learn how to configure and use Email templates >>
Templates
Multiple templates
Each of Docentric report, which is related to a single SSRS report design (e.g. PurchPurchaseOrder.Report), can have multiple Docentric's designs (aka templates) in Docentric report setup. All these templates will reuse the data of the related SSRS report. On the Print destination settings form you can then select which design to use: one of Docentric’s designs (aka templates), or the built-in SSRS design. Thus, you can use the original SSRS report design with all Docentric’s improved print destinations.
Read more about multiple templates >>
Template storage
Docentric templates can be stored in:
- AOT Resources
- Azure Blob storage
- SharePoint
- File system
Preferred way of storing templates is as AOT Resources. These are so called System Templates. This way your customer will get Docentric templates through regular deployments. But then, at production time, template design can be changed and the changes applied without deployments, saving the updated template on Azure storage, SharePoint or File system. System templates that are changed outside of the AOT are called Customized System Templates. At any point, these templates can be reverted to their original designs, using the Reload system templates functionality.
There is also a third kind of templates – Custom Templates. These templates are stored on Azure, SharePoint or File system directly, without any backing design in AOT Resources. You can used them at development as well as at production time. You will also find a plenty of tools in this form helping you with template management such as downloading and uploading templates, importing and exporting report metadata, bulk updates of report settings, etc.
Learn more about Docentric templates >>
Report validation
When an SSRS report design is registered as Docentric report, it will be validated. You can always revalidate the report again; its validity isn’t taken into account when report runs, nor it's triggered automatically once report is inserted.
Validation will check report templates (are they valid Docentric templates, their storage settings, etc.), DSP class, custom labels, etc. and give you some useful information.
In order to validate report(s), select it (them) and click the Validate button on the main action pane.
You can read validation error messages in the Validation tab page on the form.
Using and validating reports with no templates
If you are using Free Edition, or you just need to register an SSRS report design in Docentric report setup because you want to benefit from custom placeholders and improved Print archive but not from Docentric templates (aka designs), this means that this report will never have a single template assigned and consequently, it will be invalid.
In this case you should turn on the Use only print destinations option and revalidate the report. Report will become valid since it is marked for use without Docentric templates.
See also
How to Set Up User-Defined Placeholders >>
How to Set Up User-Defined Labels >>
How to Set Up Print Archive Settings >>
How to Set Up Report Templates >>
How to Set Up Email Templates >>
How to Use Deployment Tools >>
How to Use SSRS Reports with Docentric AX >>