Jet Reports in Dynamics NAV 2015

Every now and then, we receive requests for report modifications from clients. These requests may be for changes in the heading of the sales invoice, a change in the format,  a change in the logo, or something similar. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you? Have you ever wondered what happens to your request after a consultant gets the requirements? Well, here are the steps and the estimated time that we spend on these requests:

Activity	Estimated Time
1. Requirements Gathering and Client Approval	1-2 hours
2. Report Development and Unit Testing (depending on the report)	1-3 hours
3. System Testing	1 hour
4. User Acceptance Testing	* depends on the client
5. Implementation/Deployment	0.50 minutes

 

We understand that sometimes the waiting time – over six hours – could be a hassle on your part. If there was another way of simplifying things, would you choose that option and treat it as a simple workaround? Well, with the launch of the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV (2015), Jet Reports has added some features and functions that every Dynamics NAV user will appreciate.

If you don’t know what Jet Reports is, it’s a powerful tool that helps Microsoft Dynamics NAV get the report that you need for your analysis and reporting with just a click of a button. It has been known as a real time reporting solution for Excel, but with the introduction of the newest version of Dynamics NAV 2015, Jet Reports also released a new feature that will help you generate and customize documents within Microsoft Word!

In order to help you get the most out of your solution, let’s look at what the latest feature has for you. Here are some details to look forward to:

Jet Reports for Microsoft Word   

• If you want to change the layout of your invoice or credit memo, you can do so easily; even without programming knowledge.
• You can make use of the available document templates from the Office store, or you can make a template from scratch. You also have the option to add your company logo, change fonts and modify fields.
• Since Jet Reports is within Microsoft Word, the interface will allow you to customize or create document layouts using Word itself. The new functionality in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 will allow you to import the document layout into Dynamics NAV and run these reports out of the Dynamics NAV client.

Jet Reports for Microsoft Word Requirements

1. Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 or Later
2. The Jet Express for Word sample report set installed in your NAV system
3. Office 2013 (desktop version)
4. The Jet Express for Word add-in installed

How to use Jet Reports for Microsoft Word

1. Create a custom layout for the report that you wish to use
2. Import the sample layout into Microsoft Dynamics NAV
3. Customize the layout using Jet Express for Word (if you desire)
4. Select the custom layout for this report
5. Set the Report Selection so this report is run from inside Dynamics NAV

Jet Reports for Microsoft Excel

• Jet Reports in Excel is the pre-existing option that gives users an easy and simple way to create reports using the capabilities of Excel like Pivot, View Formatting and Charting.
• Like Microsoft Word, it also comes with a report library of 20+ reports in Microsoft Excel that are customized and fitted for immediate use

Just to give you an idea how the Jet Reports look like in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, I have compiled some screenshots as reference:

For more information, videos, product sheets and samples please check out this link: Microsoft Dynamics NAV Jet Reports