At the Dynamics GP 2013 Technical Airlift in Fargo today a web-based viewer for Management Reporter 2012 was announced (details on the Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP blog).
The demo was done by Jill Carter of Microsoft in front of 400 partners. The new web-based viewer allows allows users to experience the many features of the desktop viewer without the need for a desktop client to be installed.
The fresh, modern user interface of the new Management Reporter Report Viewer will mean users can focus on the data in the report. And, reports are both personalized and secured. In the report shown above, the user has access to the Production and Sales nodes in the Management Reporter Reporting Tree, but doesn’t have access to the Administration node;
A new Chart Gallery gives you instant access to key graphical data that has been saved with the report. You can easily browse to review all charts that are available in a full screen mode;
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a preview last week by Jeff Hensel, the Product Unit Manager at Microsoft, where I got to have a prod, poke and explore of the new web based viewer. I liked it a lot; the following day I did a demo to a prospect of using the desktop client and for a large part of that I was missing the web-based viewer.
For what is the first version, what I saw was remarkably complete. Drill-downs, charts, notes; everything from the MR desktop client was present. The interface is clean and simple and seems to suit Management Reporter a lot better than the desktop client; drill down seems far more natural in a web-based solution than desktop based.
This web-based viewer sits on top of SharePoint so I’m going to have to get myself up to speed on that as well; maybe a guest post or two on the installation process by a colleague will assist. I’ll need to see what I can organise.
This web-based viewer for MR looks like it will be a good compliment to the web client that was announced for Microsoft Dynamics GP. Top marks to all those involved as it looks, and works even in preview, very well.
(Yes, I realise I sound like a fanboy but it was very good.)
What should we write about next?
If there is a topic which fits the typical ones of this site, which you would like to see me write about, please use the form, below, to submit your idea.
Just wondering if anyone is having issues with the unit security in the reporting tree. We have linked Management Reporter to Sharepoint but the security setup is not working correctly. We have some users seeing the reports while others get an error message. If you take the security off the tree then those with the error message are able to see the report.
I haven’t seen this problem but perhaps another reader has.
What is the error message (exact phrasing) you get?