Reports Best Practices

Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Note

SQL Server is now the primary reporting platform for Microsoft Dynamics AX. The X++ reporting framework is being deprecated in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Use the Visual Studio tools for Microsoft Dynamics AX to define reports. For more information, see Development Tasks for Reporting.

X++ reports are one of the central places where IntelliMorph is active. Best practices for X++ reports concern keeping the default settings for properties.

When you design a report, you often do not know much about the environment in which the report will be executed, such as:

• The size of the paper in the printer.

• The length or the contents of the labels that are used in the user's installation or language.

• Which fields are disabled due to security keys and configuration keys.

• The length of the fields (extended data types) in the user's installation.

• The sort order of the data sent to the report.

• Whether the user only wants to print the (sub) totals.

• What font and size the user has set up as report defaults.

• How many records there are in the tables from which the report gets its data.

Note

You must use labels for the report's Caption and Description properties , unless the report is country/region-specific. This enables the report to be translated more easily.

For specific rules about reports, see:

• Best Practices for Report Design

• Best Practices for Report Properties

• Best Practices for Use of Reports

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