FRx Tips & Tricks – Part 1

1. Adding Rows from Chart of Accounts:
You can have FRx Financial Reporting build a row format for you by using the menu item Edit > Add Rows from Chart of Accounts. This can save you from having to type all the row descriptions and account numbers.
    Tips:

• Descriptions come first from Account Segment Set-up, and then from Account Maintenance
• This does not do an insert. Adding Rows from Chart of Accounts will write over any existing rows in the row format.

2. Using Account Sets in the Row Format:
You can create Account Sets to group GL account numbers together for line items that you will use on multiple Row formats. Changes to the Account Set update all Row formats that use the Account Set. This will save you time when changes are needed.

Tips:

• Updating an Account Set updates all Row formats in the same .F32 file that use that Account Set. This means that if you have multiple specifications sets in the same .F32 file, updates to the account set will affect all specification sets.
• You can create an Account Set on the fly from the GL Account Links window in the Row.

3. DrillDown Options:
You can use features in FRx to customize the information that you see when you generate reports with account or transaction level detail.

Tips/Tricks:

• Use the Subtotal feature to summarize by Natural Account or any other account segment.

  This can be done on-the-fly in the DrillDown Viewer from the View menu, or it can be pre-set at the Catalog. From the DrillDown Viewer, Select the menu View>Subtotals. From the pop-up window, select the segment on which you want to subtotal. Optionally, you can add an account filter. To pre-set the subtotals from the Catalog of reports, go to the Report Option tab, and the Acct/Tran Detail sub-tab. On the left hand side is the 'Subtotal on segment' checkbox to turn on subtotals.

• Use a XD print control in the Row to stop users from drilling down on specific rows, such as payroll information.

  You may want to generate a report with account or transaction detail, but suppress the drill down to detail for one or more line items. This can keep users from seeing sensitive payroll data, and will also save processing time if detail is not needed for several lines. To suppress the detail on a line, select the XD code from the dropdown in the Print Control column of the row format.

• Add a column to include the Employee/Vendor/Customer Name or Employee/Vendor/ Customer ID in a transaction Drill Down.

  You can obtain details about individual transactions, such as vendor name, source code, etc. as part of a transaction level drill down. In order to drill down the transaction level, the column layout in the report must contain a GL-CUR column to include current period data and be sure to select Transaction level detail in the catalog. To see Employee, Vendor, or Customer names, include a column with the selection of ORMSTRNM. To see the Employee, Vendor, or Customer ID, include a column with the selection of ORMSTRID. Tip: Place the ORMSTRNM or ORMSTRID column to the far right so that the financial level of the report doesn't have a blank column where the transaction detail would print.

• Select 'Transactions in GL' to open Dynamics GP when drilling down to transaction detail.

  If the user in the DrillDown Viewer is a GP user, this allows the users to drill into GP for transaction level detail. Once in GP, the user can then continue drilling down to the actual source document. Tip: You must be logged into GP prior to selecting to drill down to 'Transactions in GL'.

4. Effective Dates for Rows, Columns and Trees in Report Catalog:
You can use this feature to control the selection of the column layout for the proper year's budget. This allows you to keep a single catalog item that will work across multiple years and pull the proper budget information from GP.

Tips:

• Set the effective date window to use Dates and not Periods.
• Set the effective date of the column as the first day of the fiscal year.

5. E-mail Distribution and Tree Security:
You can enable email distribution in the Report Catalog from the Output Options tab, E-mail Options sub-tab. Reports can be email in any of the output file formats, including Excel. When Enable E-mail is selected, the report will be emailed immediately after it is generated. Using tree level security allows you to automate distribution of your reports to various users where only the users specified in the tree receive their assigned levels of the report. You can select one or more e-mail addresses per branch in Column P of the tree. You need to check Enable E-mail and select Use Tree in the Output > E-mail Options in your catalog as well. When you generate the report, each branch will be e-mailed to the appropriate recipient(s) you designate in the tree.

Tips:

• Clone each catalog item that you want to e-mail to create a separate version with e-mail enabled. If email is enabled, when you generate the report, it will automatically send when it is finished. Keeping two versions will help stop accidental email distributions.
• You can select users from FRx Security set up or directly from your email system.
• Turn Off 'Replace File Without Warning' on the Output options tab to keep from forgetting to rename the file that you are sending.

6. Report Distribution Options:
You can automate the distribute or your FRx Financial Reports via several FRx components.

• Report Launcher – Users can be provided with a Report Launcher whereby the user can generate reports on demand that have been created in the Report Designer.
  o Report Launchers can generate ("launch") and view reports
  o Select from menu of existing reports to generate
  o Determine output options and report dates
  o Includes a DrillDown Viewer
• DrillDown Viewers – Users can be provided with DrillDown Viewers for report viewing only. Users with a DrillDown Viewer can receive reports via email or open reports from a network location and utilize the drill down capacities published with the report.
  o Allows users the ability to view FRx reports
  o Streamlines report distribution through email
  o Users can answer their own questions with drill down to transaction detail
  o Loaded locally on laptop or desktop
• FRx WebPort – This provides for publishing reports to an intranet site for on-line report viewing with drill down.
  o Access FRx and non-FRx reports via the Web
  o Allows users to drill down to transaction detail
  o Automates and streamlines report distribution
  o No FRx client software required locally
• FRx Report Server – Allows reports to be scheduled for automated generation. Can be used in conjunction with FRx WebPort to generate updated versions of reports to the WebPorts.
  o Allows users to schedule reports to generate automatically
  o Off-load processing from local desktop to a separate server
  o Automate and streamline report distribution
• FRx Report Manager – Provides the ability to create report books that include both FRx and Non-FRx reports such as Word or Excel.
  o Combine FRx and non-FRx files into a comprehensive report book
  o Generate report books – on the fly or scheduled
  o Distribute via email, hardcopy or Web