Planning considerations for reporting

Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Consider the following information before you implement the reporting features of Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Reporting Services modes

To integrate Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services for use with Microsoft Dynamics AX, consider the following information.

Is native mode supported?

Microsoft Dynamics AX can be integrated with Reporting Services servers that are running in native mode. For instructions about how to configure Reporting Services in native mode, see Before you install the Reporting Services extensions.

Is SharePoint integrated mode supported?

Reporting Services servers that are running in SharePoint integrated mode are supported only if you are using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2. For instructions about how to configure Reporting Services in SharePoint integrated mode, see Before you install the Reporting Services extensions.

Topology

To help plan your Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation, consider the following information.

Can multiple instances of Reporting Services be installed on the same computer?

You can install multiple instances of Reporting Services on the same computer. In this kind of deployment environment, each instance of Reporting Services is connected to an independent Microsoft Dynamics AX installation. You may want to install multiple instances of Reporting Services on the same computer for the following reasons:

• To support development and production installations of Microsoft Dynamics AX

  For example, in the following sample diagram, assume that AOS instance 1 is a development installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX, and AOS instance 2 is the production installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX.

• To support multiple production installations of Microsoft Dynamics AX

  For example, if you are a Microsoft Dynamics AX solution provider, you may have to support multiple production installations of Microsoft Dynamics AX. For this scenario, assume that AOS instance 1 (in the sample diagram) is a production installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX for one client, Northwind Traders. Assume that AOS instance 2 is a production installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX for another client, Contoso Pharmaceuticals.

Huomautus

You cannot install multiple instances of Reporting Services 2012—that run in SharePoint integrated mode—on the same computer.

For more information, see Install multiple instances of Reporting Services on the same computer (for use with Microsoft Dynamics AX).

Is an AOS scale-out deployment supported with Reporting Services?

You can distribute the user load in Microsoft Dynamics AX across multiple instances of the Application Object Server (AOS) by creating a load balancing cluster. The cluster may or may not include a dedicated load balancer.

In an environment that contains an AOS load balancing cluster, you must point each AOS instance to the same Reporting Services instance. For example, your environment may resemble the following illustration.

To integrate an AOS load balancing cluster with Reporting Services, complete the following tasks.

1. Install the Reporting Services extensions on the server running Reporting Services. For more information, see Install the Reporting Services extensions.

   When you install the Reporting Services extensions, the Setup wizard requires you to connect to an AOS instance. Connect to an AOS instance in the cluster. However, if the cluster includes a dedicated load balancer, do not connect to the AOS instance that serves as the dedicated load balancer.

   When the installation is complete, the AOS instance that you selected is connected to the Reporting Services instance. You can view the properties of this connection in the Report servers form in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

2. Connect the other AOS instances in the cluster to the Reporting Services instance. To connect an AOS instance to the Reporting Services instance, complete these steps:

   1. Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.

   2. Click System administration > Setup > Business intelligence > Reporting Services > Report servers.

   3. Connect the AOS instance to the Reporting Services instance by creating a new record in the Report servers form. For more information about how to use this form, see Raportti-palvelimet (lomake).

Is a Reporting Services scale-out deployment supported?

A report server scale-out deployment includes two or more report server instances that share a single report server database. By using a Reporting Services scale-out deployment, you can increase the number of users who can access reports at the same time. You can also improve the availability of the report server.

Microsoft Dynamics AX supports scale-out deployments of Reporting Services in an environment that has the following configuration:

• The Reporting Services instances are installed on separate computers.

• The Reporting Services instances share a single database.

• A Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster is used.

• The Reporting Services extensions that are provided by Microsoft Dynamics AX are installed on each computer where Reporting Services is installed.

An environment of this kind may resemble the following illustration.

For more information about how to configure a scale-out deployment, see the Configuring a SQL Server Reporting Services scale-out deployment to run on a Network Load Balancing cluster white paper. For more information about Reporting Services scale-out deployments, see Planning for scale-out deployment in the SQL Server documentation.

Is failover clustering supported?

Reporting Services cannot be installed on a failover cluster because you cannot run the Reporting Services service as part of a failover cluster. However, you can install the report server database on a computer that has a failover cluster installed. For more information, see Host a Report Server Database in a SQL Server Failover Cluster.

Is AlwaysOn supported?

SQL Server AlwaysOn is the new high availability and disaster recovery solution in SQL Server 2012. AlwaysOn is not supported for the report server database. This is because report data is accessed through the Microsoft Dynamics AX AOS server, which does not support read-only databases.

Security

To grant users access to reports, you must complete the following tasks:

• Configure security settings in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

• If you are running Reporting Services in native mode, assign users to the DynamicsAXBrowser role on the Report Manager website.

• If you are running Reporting Services in SharePoint integrated mode, grant users Read permission to the document library that stores the reports.

• Assign users to roles in Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services.

For more information about how to complete these tasks, see Security settings for reports.

Customizations

To help plan any customizations that you must implement, consider the following information.

How can I create new, custom reports?

If you or anyone in your organization has to create a new, custom report, several tools are available. For example, you can use the auto-report wizard in Microsoft Dynamics AX to create a report that lists the customers who receive a 5 percent discount. Alternatively, you can use the data connection wizard in Microsoft Excel to create a PivotChart report that displays the total sales, by product, for each salesperson in all regions over all recorded years.

For more information about the tools that you can use to create a customized report, see Types of reports.

How can I generate reports on a recurring basis?

You can configure Microsoft Dynamics AX to automatically print reports on a recurring basis. For example, Microsoft Dynamics AX can automatically send a specific report to you and your team members by email every Monday morning. For more information, see Tulosta raportti toistuvasti.

Huomautus

Microsoft Dynamics AX reports do not support the subscription functionality that is available on the Report Manager site of Reporting Services.