Customizing and Organizing Reports

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes default reports Reports that are included in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Default reports may have been customized or removed by your system administrator or system customizer. for many common business needs. However, most organizations customize the default reports and add custom reports for specific needs. To customize reports, you need to understand:

• Report ownership
• Report types
• Data security
• Options for creating new reports
• Options for modifying existing reports

Report Ownership

Reports can be owned by the system or by individual users. System reports are available to all users. Reports owned by individual users can be shared with specific colleagues or teams, or can be made available to the organization so that all users can use them.

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Report Types

All default Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online reports and all reports created using the Report Wizard A wizard that guides you through creating a report. Tasks include selecting data and deciding how data should be summarized and presented. are Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reports. In addition, reports can also be:

• Web links
• Static A file that does not change when data changes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. files
• Dynamic A file that refreshes data from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online database each time it is opened. files that read data from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online database such as Microsoft Office files, Reporting Services reports, or or reports created with other ODBC A standard for sharing data between databases and other programs. ODBC means Open Database Connectivity.-compliant reporting tools.

For each report, you can edit the report properties, including:

• The type of report
• The file name or URL
• The display name
• The description
• Information about where the report is displayed in the user interface.

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Data Security

All reports read Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online data from filtered views Views of data in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online database used for reports and exported dynamic Microsoft Office Excel files. When users view a report or file that uses a filtered view, they can see only the data that they have permission to view., which filter the data based on the user's security role A defined set of privileges. The security role assigned to a user determines which tasks the user can perform and which parts of the user interface the user can view. All users must be assigned at least one security role in order to access the system.. Reports only display data that the person running the report has permission to view.

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Options for Creating New Reports

To create a new report, users with appropriate permissions can:

• Add a file or a link to a Web page as a report.
• Run the Report Wizard A wizard that guides you through creating a report. Tasks include selecting data and deciding how data should be summarized and presented. to create a new Reporting Services report. The Report Wizard can create table and chart reports, including drill-through reports Reporting Services reports that include data that you can click to go directly to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online record. and top N reports Reports that display the top or bottom records in a category. N can be defined when the report is run. For example, the 10 largest opportunities, or the 5 products that account for the most or least potential revenue..
• Write a new report using Reporting Services, Microsoft Office, or another ODBC-compliant reporting tool. Creating a new Reporting Services report requires a report development environment A computer with the Report Designer component of Reporting Services installed on a computer in the same domain as the Reporting Services report server, and a product that uses the Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment.. More information: Create and Work with Reports, Write a Report Using Report-Writing Tools

  When you connect to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online database to write your own report, you must use the filtered views to ensure data security. Filtered views exist for all record types. When a new record type is created, a new filtered view is automatically created.

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Options for Modifying Existing Reports

For existing reports, users with appropriate permissions can:

• Organize reports into categories to control which views in the Reports area display each report.
• Determine where a report is visible in the user interface, and edit other properties of the report.
• Edit a report created with the Report Wizard.
• Edit a default report. For example, if you customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, you might need to modify labels or add or remove fields in default reports. Editing a default report requires a report development environment A computer with the Report Designer component of Reporting Services installed on a computer in the same domain as the Reporting Services report server, and a product that uses the Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment.. More information: Create and Work with Reports, Writing Reporting Services Reports (Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK)
• Edit the default filter Criteria used to limit data in Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reports. Typically, the default filter restricts data to active records that have been modified within a certain time period. for a default report, a report created with the Report Wizard, or other Reporting Services reports.
• Create a one-time snapshot A static file that contains the results of a report that was run at a particular time. for a Reporting Services report or schedule a Reporting Services report to run at set intervals.
• Share a personal report with other users, or make it available to everyone in your organization.
• Publish a report so that it is available for use with external applications such as Microsoft SharePoint or custom programs.

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Related Topics Create and Work with Reports Report Permissions Running Reports - Troubleshooting Finding Data - Troubleshooting Running Reports and Analyzing Data

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