Top 10 Signs You Need to Improve Your Microsoft Dynamics Reporting Options

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with reporting. We know that strong reporting in Microsoft Dynamics is essential to the livelihood of our business, from compliant financial statements to accurate business performance reports. But, after years of wasting hundreds of hours trying to track down data and creating thousands of standalone Excel spreadsheets – you’ve likely reached a turning point.

There has to be an easier reporting option, right?

Do I have issues making reports in Microsoft Dynamics?

Before starting the search for an alternative reporting option, it’s important to make sure that’s really what you need. Most companies experience common pain points when they have outgrown their reporting solution. Time, accuracy, costs, complexity – these are all areas where you can plainly see the impact of poor reporting practices and the struggle to find relevant data. Here are the top 10 signs that your current reporting processes aren’t sufficient for your needs:

1. You spend more time in a meeting questioning data accuracy than analyzing it
2. Your users are experiencing slow reporting load times
3. There is a lot of time being spent company-wide on manual processes
4. Every report you see has a different layout and no consistency
5. Your users aren’t able to customize their own reports without a developer
6. There is an endless queue of report requests and follow-ups
7. You spend weeks trying to manually consolidate multiple data sources
8. No one has a straight answer on KPIs and current business performance
9. Your reports are all rows and columns of numbers with no visuals
10. Your executive team is demanding deeper analytics that you can’t provide

I’m sure a few of these points have hit a sore spot for some of you. Most of these signs build up over time as your business grows and eventually wreak havoc on productivity and morale. That is until you replace your reporting solution with a better one that solves all of these problem areas.

How to fix your current Microsoft Dynamics Reporting problems

Your turning point is when you finally decide to replace your current reporting solution with a more efficient reporting option. You’ve recognized that with improved visibility and communication, your business could be making smarter decisions when it really matters. You’ve realized that there is a smarter and cost-effective way to build reports and dashboards that are easier to consume and use.

Being in the business of Microsoft Dynamics ERP reporting has given us a lot of time to understand the unique struggles that users deal with every day. Our reporting and analytics products are built for companies that can no longer make it work on a basic accounting package and need more flexibility. With that in mind, here are the 3 major features in a reporting solution that will help you wipe away all of those time-consuming and costly troubles mentioned above:

1. Self-Service Reporting Built Inside Excel
   The reason why your business users aren’t able to create and customize their own reports is because they aren’t using a tool that is familiar to them. Instead of relying on developers and waiting in a long queue of report requests, implement a reporting solution that everyone can use. With Jet Reports, you can create financial and business reporting from your Microsoft Dynamics database, without any exports, reformatting or the dreaded “copy and paste.” Its user interface is simple and flexible enough for every user no matter what department they are in. Find out how Rossmore Management Group has improved reporting efficiency by 70% with self-service reporting.
2. Multiple Data Source Consolidation
   As your users are well aware, manual data source consolidation makes regular reporting an extremely labor-intensive process. Jet Reports can bring all of your data sources together automatically and provide you with one single version of the truth. Instead of worrying about manual data errors, your users will have meaningful data at their fingertips, where they can quickly create reports and dashboards whenever they need them. Not only does this save you valuable time and energy, but it also opens the door to a new level of strategic decision making and agile business practices you didn’t have before. Learn how PECO Pallet shortened their monthly cycle with multi-company data consolidation.
3. Rapid Time to Value
   It’s hard to see the past, present, and future clearly when speed has been a constant barrier to visibility. Instead of spending weeks on one single report, imagine what you could do with all your extra time when it only takes an hour to produce that same report. Built specifically for Dynamics ERP solutions, Jet Reports is easy to install, simple to learn, and can have you up and running in less than a day. With Jet Reports, your users can be creating their own reports and dashboards immediately, without any more delays. Discover how Force America had readily accessible data and dashboards within a few weeks.

Better business reporting isn’t complicated; it just requires an understanding of your user needs, business goals, and operational processes. Take a step back to reduce the clutter, simplify reporting and find a solution that is going to provide value to your business. For more insight into Microsoft Dynamics reporting, download our Top 10 Reporting Best Practices Guide.