How to Set Up Reports
Open the Reports form (Docentric report setup) from the Docentric AX workspace or via Organization administration > Docentric AX > Report setup > Reports menu.
In the Docentric AX workspace, click the Reports tile.
The Reports form opens and displays a list of all SSRS report designs registered to use Docentric AX functionality.
Learn more here >>
Inserting a new report
To register a report for use with Docentric, click New in the main action pane.
Then locate the SSRS report and its design (e.g. CustAgingReport.DesignWithNoDetailAndTransactionCur) and register it in the Reports form.
Learn how to insert and use SSRS reports as Docentric reports in details >>
Report caption
Docentric uses the Report caption as the standard placeholder @REPORTCAPTION@. You can use this placeholder in the output filename and email body when printing a report, as the description of a report saved in Print archive, or when downloading a report previewed in Docentric viewer.
The Report caption field is located on the General fast tab of the Docentric report setup for the selected report. You can also use placeholders in this field to make the report caption dynamic.
Learn more about Report caption >>
Data Source Provider (DSP) class
For newly added SSRS reports, Docentric uses the Default DSP class.
Create and use custom DSP class when you need to:
- Add additional data to an SSRS report without modifying its RDP tables or DP provider class. This approach is typically much simpler than using the standard SSRS technique with extensions. Learn more >>
- Define and manage custom placeholders for use in Docentric print destinations such as email body, subject, attachment name, output filename, Azure blob and container name, etc.
Standard and custom placeholders can also be used with Docentric AX Free Edition. Learn more >> - Populate the Docentric archive contract to use all features which Docentric adds to the built-in Print archive and to enable the use of Additional report attachments feature.
Learn more >>
Read more about custom DSP classes >>
Data Source Generation Options
Click Settings > Data source > Generation options to open the Data source generation options form:
Whether you use the default or a custom DSP class, you can configure options related to report data source generation, such as including the company logo, hidden parameters, document branding information, and more.
Query based reports
The following settings apply only to Query-based SSRS reports:
- Include only listed fields: Includes only the report-defined data fields from the query in the DDSP. If disabled, all fields defined by the report query are included.
- Include all listed methods: Includes all report-defined display methods from the query in the DDSP. If disabled, no display method are included.
- Include all methods: Includes all display methods from all tables in the report query. Enabling this option may affect performance.
When a new report is added or loaded in Docentric report setup, the default values are:
- Include only listed fields: false (for compatibility with previous product versions).
- Include all listed methods: true. Some report-defined methods may still be skipped if they are not parameterless or are not display methods.
- Include all methods: false.
To move these settings between environments, use the Import/Export tools in Docentric report setup.
Limitations for Query based reports
These settings do not apply to RDP-based reports. They also work only with queries that use a single dataset.
There is one additional limitation: Docentric AX currently doesn’t support non-dynamic queries as report data sources (queries used for filtering, i.e. as dynamic report parameters). For such reports (e.g. Vendor base data), create a custom DSP class to handle query execution in X++.
Suppress RDP Execution
To improve performance for critical reports while preserving the existing report infrastructure (menu item buttons, parameters, workflows, etc.), data fetching can be moved entirely to Docentric’s DSP class.
When Suppress built-in RDP execution is enabled, the standard RDP logic is skipped and data is fetched exclusively through Docentric APIs (DSP class).
This allows you to implement custom data retrieval logic that collects only the data you actually need, potentially with much better performance.
DDSP generation settings
These settings are used only when Generate DDSP when report runs is enabled. In that case, the report data source is generated using the settings above each time the report is executed.
Enable this flag only temporarily, and only when the report dialog is not shown (that is, when print destination selection is unavailable). This is often the case with Print Management reports and reports used for printing labels.
Email Sending Settings
Click Settings > Print destinations > Email sending settings to open the Email sending settings form.
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
Click Settings > Print destinations > Preview settings to open the Preview settings form.
When an SSRS report design is registered as Docentric report, you can still run it as before using the built-in report design and standard print destinations, including Screen.
In the Preview settings form, you can configure whether to replace SSRS Screen (the SSRS report viewer) with Docentric Screen (the Docentric report viewer) while still using the original original SSRS report design (Use only Docentric viewer flag), or to replace both the SSRS viewer and the built-in SSRS report design with Docentric Screen and the default Docentric design (Use both Docentric design and viewer flag).
You can also configure these settings per company. Set up the flags at the top of the form the way you need them for the majority of companies, and use the lower two fast tabs to set up exceptions. In the example above, all companies will use Docentric viewer and design, while BRMF company will use the SSRS viewer and design.
These two flags are especially useful for Print Management reports such as Sales Invoice and Purchase Order. Such reports typically provide Original Preview and Copy Preview buttons, both tied to the SSRS Screen destination (SSRS report viewer) and the built-in SSRS report design.
Custom Labels
If the set of labels already available in you report data source does not meet your needs, you can add any available labels here - both system labels and Docentric user-defined labels. They are automatically included in the report data source and become available at design time in all Docentric's templates.
Alternatively, you can use plain label IDs directly in 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 sent using the Docentric Email print destination.
This feature was introduced in v3.3.9.
Learn how to configure and use Email templates >>
Templates
Multiple templates
Each Docentric report, related to a single SSRS report design (e.g. PurchPurchaseOrder.Report), can have multiple Docentric designs (templates) configured in Docentric report setup.
All templates reuse the data of the associated SSRS report. In Print destination settings, you can choose whether to use one of the Docentric templates or the built-in SSRS design. This allows you to keep the the original SSRS design while benefiting from 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
The preferred storage option is AOT Resources. Templates stored there are called System Templates and are deployed through regular application deployments.
At production time, a System Template can be modified without deployment by saving the updated version to Azure Blob storage, SharePoint or File system. Such templates are called Customized System Templates. They can be reverted to their original AOT versions at any time using the Reload system templates functionality.
A third template type is Custom Templates. These templates are stored directly on Azure, SharePoint or File system and have no corresponding design in AOT Resources. You can used them in both development and production environments.
The Report setup form also provides several tools for template management, such as downloading and uploading templates, importing and exporting report metadata, and bulk updating of report settings.
Learn more about Docentric templates >>
Report validation
When an SSRS report design is registered as a Docentric report, it is automatically validated. Validation checks report templates (template validity, storage settings, etc.), DSP class, custom labels, etc. and provides useful diagnostic information.
You can revalidate the report at any time. Validation status does not affect report execution, and automatic revalidation is not triggered after the report is initially added.
To validate one or more reports, select them and click Validate in the main action pane. In case of an Invalid result, click the Eye button beside the Is report valid field to open the Validation result dialog and read the detailed validation errors.
Using and validating reports with no templates
If you are using Free Edition, or you register an SSRS report design in Docentric report setup only to use custom placeholders or improved Print archive, without using Docentric templates, the report may not have any assigned templates and will therefore be considered invalid by default.
In this case, enable the Use only print destinations option and revalidate the report. Report will become valid, since it is now 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 >>