Report Import/Export Functionality

If you want to deploy Docentric reports from one environment to another (e.g. from development to staging, or from staging to production), the following steps should be taken:

  1. Xcopy of Docentric report templates from source to target template storage (file system or SharePoint).
  2. Import of Docentric report metadata from source to target AX system.
    These metadata have to be previously exported from within your source AX system.
Deploy of report artifacts such as report menu items, custom data source provider classes, etc. is a part of your regular deployment procedure since they became a part of your solution.

Navigate to Company/System administration/Area page and under the Setup section you will see the Docentric AX menu. The Document management submenu refers to Docentric Document Libraries and the Reporting submenu refers to management of both Docentric SSRS and Basic reports.

Click the Reports menu item. The Docentric reports form is open. On this form you can perform import and export of selected reports’ metadata.

Export report metadata

Select the reports whose metadata you want to export from your source AX system and click the Export button from the main action pane. A new form is open. Specify the file for exporting the report metadata and click the OK button.

The result of the export is an XML file containing the selected reports’ metadata that should be copied to your target system.

Import report metadata

After you copy Docentric report metadata file to your target system, open the Docentric report setup form and click the Import button from the main action pane. A new form is open. Specify the file for importing the report metadata and click the OK button.

After a report is imported, it is automatically validated. Usually all imported reports will have at least one validation error: 'Template with the path XXX does not exist'.

Click the Change template URL button from the main action pane in order to perform bulk update of template locations for all currently selected reports.

Select all imported reports and click the Validate button in order to revalidate the reports.

You can also update various report settings such as data source flags of currently selected reports in bulk.

Templates for Docentric reports can be stored on the file system (e.g. shared folders/network drives) or on a SharePoint document library. Ensure that AOS has READ access to these locations.
Also, if you want to enable end users to design the templates directly on their file location, you need to ensure that end users have WRITE access to the templates as well.

You can also download step-by-step manual on how to set up shared folder as a Docentric AX report template storage:
How to set up shared folder for Docentric template storage

Learn how to use existing SSRS reports with Docentric AX in detail >>

You can also start from already prepared examples including built-in Print Management reports such as Purchase order, Purchase order product receipt, Sales order, Sales order packing slip, Customer invoice, etc. These examples contain downloadable resources including templates, custom data source provider classes and the report metadata that can be imported into Docentric report setup by using the Import functionality. This way you will be able to use the examples instantly.

See also

How to Set Up Reports >>
How to Use SSRS Reports with Docentric AX >>
SSRS Report Examples >>

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