Tag Archives: Reports
Top 5 reasons why our 1 Click productivity app Click2Export is Preferred App to Export Dynamics 365 CRM reports!
is a productivity add-on for Dynamics 365 CRM and Power Apps that allows users to export Dynamics CRM Reports/Word/Excel templates and CRM Views data in just one click. Now a , this app helps the user in exporting Dynamics 365 CRM data in 5 different file formats viz. Excel, Word, PDF, CSV as well as TIFF. Apart from exporting reports, users will also be able to download the exported reports, , attach it to a note, or attach it to an email. Moreover, users can send embedded CRM Views data via email and also schedule the exports at regular intervals.
Let us go through all the features of Click2Export and find out how and why this 1 Click productivity app is an ideal Dynamics 365 CRM solution for your organization.
1. Export Report/CRM Views/Word/Excel templates in a single click:
With the help of this feature, users get the flexibility to export Dynamics 365 CRM data in different templates in a format that best suits their business requirements. And all this in just one click making their tasks easier and saving more time thereby increasing efficiency.
2. Export files in different formats:
Click2Export allows users to export files in five different formats – PDF, MS Word, MS Excel, TIFF or CSV. Word templates are exported in PDF or MS Word format whereas CRM Views or Excel templates are exported in MS Excel format.
3. Set a schedule to export reports at regular intervals:
Exporting of Dynamics 365 CRM data manually is a tiresome task that reduces the productivity of users. But using this feature, setting a schedule to export required Dynamics 365 CRM data at regular intervals is made possible. Users can set a schedule to export the data for a defined period of time – daily, weekly or monthly. These reports can also be emailed to the necessary recipients automatically using Click2Export.
4. Workflow automation:
With the help of this feature, users can export the Dynamics 365 CRM data on the occurrence of an event easily through automation with the help of workflows. For example, on activation of ‘Quote’, an email can be sent out to the client with the Quotation attached to the email.
5. Email exported files as Attachments, Attach as notes, Upload to SharePoint or Download:
Click2Export not only just exports Dynamics 365 CRM data but also helps users to perform 4 different actions with the exported files in Dynamics 365 CRM. They can download the Reports/Word/Excel templates for offline consumption, attach them to an email to send to the required recipient, store them as note attachments in the respective Dynamics 365 records or upload them to SharePoint.
With all these features of Click2Export, the mundane and burdensome task of exporting Dynamics 365 CRM data will turn into effortless work.
So, what are you waiting for? Reap the benefits of this 1 Click productivity app Click2Export and increase your Dynamics 365 CRM efficiency by downloading it from our or
That’s not it, check out our other 1 Click productivity apps and . For more information on any of these, please send us a mail at crm@inogic.com.
Till then, stay safe and stay healthy.
Setup data driven report subscriptions for #PowerBI paginated reports with #PowerAutomate
This weekend I had the pleasure of presenting at SQL Saturday Copenhagen #963 with a session with the title “Power BI Paginated Reports – How to and why”.
I was asked if it was possible to create datadriven report subscriptions in paginated reports and I said “Not yet” – it turns out that is not exactly true.
With the new action “Export to File for Paginated Reports (preview)” – in Power Automate – link
It is possible !!!
And yes, for now we need the reports to be stored in a workspace backed by premium capacity but soon it will be available here
In my workspace I have a simple report with 2 parameters – Year and Country
In order to get a report delivered to multiple recipients with different parameters I created an Excel Workbook in Onedrive for business with 3 different reports I want sent all with different parameters for County and Year.
You can store the data in other sources that you can connect Power Automate with – but for the example I just used Excel file.
Next is to design the flow in Power Automate
In the example I choose the trigger “Manually trigger a flow” – but you can of course choose other triggers to activate this flow – for instance a Recurrence so you can execute the reports at a specified frequency.
Next step is to get the rows from the Excel file – So I use the List rows present in a table
This action will return the three rows and next is to use the Control “Apply to each” to loop through each row
For the output we choose the value from the “List Row…” step
Then we add the action “Export To File for Paginated Reports
This action will run a selected report from a specific workspace
We can choose between the different file formats that is possible for paginated reports – in this example I chose PDF.
Add the end of the Action window – we can specify the values for each of the parameters.
OBS – You have to type in the Parameter name manually and be aware that the name of the parameter doesn’t necessarily match the label shown
As in this case – the Year parameter is called “DateCalendarYear” – and that is the name you must use for “ParametersValues name”
We bind the value of the parameter to the value from the Excel file using the Dynamic content selector.
Next step is to add a step to send the report and bind the fields for the To field – add a subject and in the attachments section we give the attachment a name and then use the result of the “Export to File for paginated reports” as the attachment content
The flow is now ready for testing – Save you flow and hit the test button.
Accept the used connections and hit Run Flow and we can go to the flow run overview and follow the steps.
Hopefully you will see that all steps are successfully.
And we can check our mail box to see the report delivered
The recipients of the e-mail can be sent to any e-mail address.
Can we pay by the hour ?
In my case I used an Power BI Embedded A4 SKU as capacity – this can be turned on and off so you can expand the flow with actions that can start the capacity and run the subscriptions and then turn the capacity off again.
You only pay for the time the capacity is on – and the list price per hour is $ 8.
Hope this can help you and really looking forward to all exciting stuff that is coming around Power BI paginated reports.
Setup data driven report subscriptions for #PowerBI paginated reports with #PowerAutomate
This weekend I had the pleasure of presenting at SQL Saturday Copenhagen #963 with a session with the title “Power BI Paginated Reports – How to and why”.
I was asked if it was possible to create datadriven report subscriptions in paginated reports and I said “Not yet” – it turns out that is not exactly true.
With the new action “Export to File for Paginated Reports (preview)” – in Power Automate – link
It is possible !!!
And yes, for now we need the reports to be stored in a workspace backed by premium capacity but soon it will be available here
How to set it up
In my workspace I have a simple report with 2 parameters – Year and Country
In order to get a report delivered to multiple recipients with different parameters I created an Excel Workbook in Onedrive for business with 3 different reports I want sent all with different parameters for County and Year.
You can store the data in other sources that you can connect Power Automate with – but for the example I just used Excel file.
Next is to design the flow in Power Automate
In the example I choose the trigger “Manually trigger a flow” – but you can of course choose other triggers to activate this flow – for instance a Recurrence so you can execute the reports at a specified frequency.
Next step is to get the rows from the Excel file – So I use the List rows present in a table
This action will return the three rows and next is to use the Control “Apply to each” to loop through each row
For the output we choose the value from the “List Row…” step
Then we add the action “Export To File for Paginated Reports
This action will run a selected report from a specific workspace
We can choose between the different file formats that is possible for paginated reports – in this example I chose PDF.
Add the end of the Action window – we can specify the values for each of the parameters.
OBS – You have to type in the Parameter name manually and be aware that the name of the parameter doesn’t necessarily match the label shown
As in this case – the Year parameter is called “DateCalendarYear” – and that is the name you must use for “ParametersValues name”
We bind the value of the parameter to the value from the Excel file using the Dynamic content selector.
Next step is to add a step to send the report and bind the fields for the To field – add a subject and in the attachments section we give the attachment a name and then use the result of the “Export to File for paginated reports” as the attachment content
The flow is now ready for testing – Save you flow and hit the test button.
Accept the used connections and hit Run Flow and we can go to the flow run overview and follow the steps.
Hopefully you will see that all steps are successfully.
And we can check our mail box to see the report delivered
The recipients of the e-mail can be sent to any e-mail address.
Can we pay by the hour ?
In my case I used an Power BI Embedded A4 SKU as capacity – this can be turned on and off so you can expand the flow with actions that can start the capacity and run the subscriptions and then turn the capacity off again.
You only pay for the time the capacity is on – and the list price per hour is $ 8.
Hope this can help you and really looking forward to all exciting stuff that is coming around Power BI paginated reports.
Can a Microsoft Dynamics 365 User Save Money by Building Their Own Reports?
Companies evaluating Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales will often ask us, “Can Microsoft Dynamics 365 users build their own reports?”
The answer comes down to a couple of factors:
- What kind of reports do you need?
- What kind of relevant experience does your team have?
By building their own reports, a business could potentially save thousands of dollars. However, there is a lot to consider.
First things first: What kind of reports do I need?
This is often the main source of confusion. What one person considers a report may just be a list for another. When asking your CRM partner for a report, there may some misunderstanding as to what constitutes a report.
Here are three common substitutions to consider instead of a full-blown report:
- CRM Views: Views in Dynamics 365 Sales are essentially a filtered list based on certain criteria put in place by the user. For many clients, this is enough on its own. Moreover, once a user learns how to create their own CRM views, it helps them become autonomous. This helps speed up the analysis process for this user or department.
- Dashboards: Dashboards display critical data that you need to review on a regular basis from your CRM (customer relationship management) tool. Potentially, much of the data you would need in a report can be viewed from a dashboard, which you can create yourself within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales. Key statistics can be displayed as graphics or lists depending on user preferences and requirements. Like Views, this is something that users can create themselves with a quick training, some understanding of the fields within the forms, and a vision of what they would like to review.
- Excel templates: As a final option we would suggest looking into Excel templates in the CRM. This allows you to build your spreadsheets as you would like them to be presented and refresh the data as you need it. The most common application for this tool is to share information with your clients. What differentiates this from a report is the limitations in filtering and intelligence (e.g.: display this information if “x” exists). For some applications it makes more sense to create a report rather than an Excel template.
By using these tools to their full potential, you can probably limit the number of reports you need and save the extra costs associated with building them. The first step is then to ask yourself if you really need the information to be consumed as a report or if one of these tools can meet your needs.
In some cases, reports are necessary as there are limitations to what you can do in a view. If this is the case for you, you likely want to know if you can build these reports yourself and what the cost will be.
Next step: Can my team create their own reports in-house?
The short answer is it depends. Creating your own reports depends on the relative competency levels available internally. Ask yourself if anyone on your team has the SQL/Fetch XML experience required to build reports.
For those who want to create their own reports but don’t have the experience, it might be worth considering instead. This business intelligence solution is more dynamic and simpler to use once the data set is created and in place.
You could improve your skills by taking classes and consulting a partner. But realistically, the cost of these could come out to about the same as having your reports developed by a Microsoft Dynamics partner.
Bottom line: Can I build my own reports or not?
The answer is not the same for everyone. Building your own reports may sound appealing, but unless you have the competencies required internally, you may have to look at alternatives, like Power BI, CRM views or dashboards, and Excel templates. It basically boils down to what kind of report you need and how much experience your team has.
Our suggestion would be to have an honest and open discussion with your Microsoft Dynamics partner to ask them what building a specific report entails. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to see if there is a better way of doing things. This way the partner will get a clearer idea of what you need, and the effort required to produce it.
Here at JOVACO Solutions, we have decades of experience working with organizations to help them get the information they need. Our consultants are available to figure out the best way for you to take advantage of the wealth of data stored in your system. today to tell us more about your challenges and objectives.
By JOVACO Solutions,
About JOVACO Solutions
JOVACO Solutions is a leading ERP and CRM solution provider operating in Quebec for over 35 years. As a specialist of Microsoft Dynamics business management solutions, we offer a wide range of products and services to meet all the needs of professional services firms and project-based organizations. We also offer specialized project management tools and timesheet add-ons fully integrated to Microsoft Dynamics solutions. Visit or for more information.
4 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Custom Reports in Microsoft Dynamics 365
When estimating the cost of Microsoft Dynamics 365 projects, reporting can sometimes represent a significant portion of the quote. Many customers that want the Dynamics 365 system to fit within their budget ask if there are ways to reduce the project cost. If a large amount of effort is dedicated to building reports, it is an area worth revisiting. Often, the customer can take on the task of building some reports on their own, and reducing the overall project cost.
When you look at the cost of Dynamics 365 reporting you might ask:
- To what degree can a Dynamics 365 user develop, create, and run their own reports?
- Is SQL or SSRS (SQL Services Reporting Server) experience required?
- What is the difference between “reports” that users can create themselves and a report that has to be developed by and experienced Dynamics 365 Partner?
- What kind of data could be viewed in dashboards instead of custom reports?
The answer is that there are a number of options for creating reports in Microsoft Dynamics 365.
- Simple on-demand reports, i.e. push a button, get a report, can be easily created using the . If you understand the data and where it lives you don’t need SSRS skills to create insightful and actionable reports.
- More complex Microsoft Dynamics 365 reports would require SSRS skills, however, we have many customers who have come up to speed on SSRS and turn out some fairly complex reports. Having internal resources that are well-versed in creating reports is gold. It’s an area data driven companies will want to invest in.
- Another simple way to accomplish reporting is through dynamic filtered views. Views allow you to pull out groups of Contacts or Opportunities that have things in common, like location or sales stage. You can then tie views to charts and create some pretty compelling dashboards. Dashboards may also allow you to combine multiple reports into one view. You can also export views to Excel for great on-the-fly reporting.
- If the reports are well-defined in terms of layout, criteria and parameters….and you need SSRS reports, you could look to outsource the report development. If you work with a reputable, reliable resource well versed in SSRS, you could get your report development done at a fraction of the cost.
When you work with a , they will help you evaluate the realistic options to lower the cost of custom reporting, and still get the end results you need. The team can help.
If you are interested in evaluating Microsoft Dynamics 365 contact us .
By Ryan Plourde, Crowe, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Partner
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