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5 Quick User Tips and Tricks for Dynamics AX 2012

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Danny Thomas

5 Quick User Tips and Tricks for Dynamics AX 2012

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Cindy Scott

The Microsoft Dynamics AX/D365 Support Team at Avantiico is focused on solving our client’s problems, from daily issues to large and more complex problems. Cindy is a true AX veteran and hold 20 years dedicated Senior Consulting experiences for Microsoft Dynamics AX Software.

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Tip #1: Ave Report Queries for Common Report Selections

Often a single report is run multiple different ways by a user. AX 2012 allows the user to save the report queries so the next time the report needs to be generated for a specific query the user can select the saved query rather than re-enter the tables, fields, and selection criteria.

* Note that this functionality is user specific and not a global change.

To save a report query, do the following:

From the report being generated, after clicking on the Select button and entering the selection criteria, click on the Modify button→ Save as:

Microsoft Dynamics 365 personalize forms
Figure 1 – Save a report query

Give the report query a name then click OK.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 personalize forms
Figure 2 – Give the report query a name

In the future when generating the report, even after running for different criteria, the user can retrieve the saved query. This can be done by clicking on the Select button then selecting the saved query from the Select query lookup.

Purchase orders in Dynamics 365
Figure 3 – Select the saved query when the report is generated at a later time

The selected tables, fields and selection criteria will populate from the saved query:

Purchase orders in Dynamics 365
Figure 4 – Criteria populates from selected saved query

Tip #2: Personalize the Status Bar to Add or Remove Fields​

Accounts receivable Microsoft Dynamics 365
Figure 5 – Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Status bar

Go to File→ Tools→ Options

Accounts receivable Microsoft Dynamics 365
Figure 6 – File, Tools, Options

Click on the Status bar link then mark the checkboxes for the fields to see on the Status bar.

* Note that the selections are user specific, not global changes.

How to setup the appearance in Dynamics 365
Figure 7 – Status bar options

Click on the Close button then view the Status bar for changes made.

Tip #3: Perform Simple Math Calculations (+, -, *, /) in a Numeric Fields in Forms

In the screenshot below, “90+2000” has been entered in the journal line Credit field.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation customer payment
Figure 8 – Enter calculation in a numeric field

After tabbing out of the field, AX has performed the calculation and saved the value as 2,090:

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation customer payment
Figure 9 – View the sum calculated after tabbing out of field

Tip #4: Use the Shortcut CTRL + T to Export a Form to Excel.

That’s it for Tip #4!

Tip #5: Use Question Marks (?) in Filtering and Querying Fields to Search for the Exact Amount of Unknown Characters.​​

In the below screenshot, seven question marks (???????) have been entered in the Customer account query field. AX searches for and returns all Customer accounts with exactly 7 characters.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation Accounts receivable
Figure 10 – Example showing a query for exactly seven unknown characters

For additional advanced filtering and querying options please visit this Technet link.

Did these tips help achieve the results you were expecting? Do you have any tips to add? Write a comment below and let us know!

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Introduction

Multi-entity reporting is essential for business leaders of large organizations who rely on financial reports to make critical day-to-day decisions that impact their overall success. One primary use of this reporting function is to compare the performance of various companies within the organization. In today’s data-driven world, comprehensive insights across multiple legal entities are necessary for driving growth and profitability. Avantiico’s Advanced Multi-Company Solution (AMCS) for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance offers an easier and faster option for comparing key data across one or many companies within the organization

AMCS Multi-Entity Reporting: Overview

To best explain how AMCS can automate your multi-entity reporting we will cover the following topics:

AMCS Multi-Entity Reporting: Definition of Key Terms

AMCS is an extremely flexible tool for Importing data and multi-entity reporting, but there are some key terms you’ll need to understand to see the full picture of what AMCS can do:

  • AMCS – The Advanced Multi-Company Solution by Avantiico is an add-on solution for Microsoft D365 F&SCM that puts a global spin on Dynamics Finance and Supply Chain to reduce the effort needed for global management of your organization’s entities
  • Legal Entity – Companies within a parent organization
  • Dimension – User-defined segments within the accounting structure that facilitate meaningful grouping and tracking
  • Multi-entity reporting – Ability to choose many legal entities together for comparison and analysis

Standard Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Multi-Entity Reporting Functions

While the standard reporting functions within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management are excellent, they have some limitations. These limitations become more apparent when generating multi-entity reports. For example, reports can be generated in Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management only by navigating to each module and selecting available reports for that module. In addition, reports can be generated only for one legal at a time. Let’s break this down:

  • Standard D365 Finance reports can only be generated for one single legal entity at a time.
  • Standard D365 Finance reports can be run only for the module you are in.
  • Standard D365 Finance reports cannot compare the same vendor or customer transactions across multiple legal entities.

AMCS: Multi-Entity Reporting Functions

For financial inquiries and reports, AMCS eliminates the limitations of standard D365. For organizations with multiple legal entities, AMCS is the best tool available due to its simple layout and ease of picking one or many legal entities and one or many dimensions for comparison purposes.

  • One or many legal entities can be chosen for comparison purposes
  • One or many dimensions across legal entities can be compared

The following key reports are available in AMCS:

Global Trial Balance Inquiry – Trial balance inquiry allows you to create multi-entity reports to compare between multi-entities at once and see the numbers in summary or in detail. It also has the capability to run trial balances for various dimensions combined or individually. Dimensions include business units, cost centers, item groups etc.

Voucher Transactions – With AMCS you have the ability to view subledger journals by posting types, customer payment, vendor payment, and audit trail. Easily obtain details of settled and unsettled transactions of multiple companies.

Ledger Transactions List –  This list provides incredible flexibility with many data combinations. Available are amounts in transaction, accounting, and reporting currencies which are extremely useful for companies with foreign operations. View transactions by posting types like ledger journal, vendor balance, bank transactions, fixed assets, and intercompany accounting. Also available are reports at summary or detail level. The ability to compare at a granular level, like salary expense across multi-entities, is a significant benefit offered by AMCS.

Customer to Ledger Reconciliation Report – This report is especially useful for comparing customer balance to ledger balance by account and by legal entity. You are able to identify variances, investigate them, and take action to resolve them.

Vendor and Customer Aging Reports – Along with the ability to obtain aging balances for multiple legal entities simultaneously, you can also filter the report by vendor or customer groups to narrow it down for analysis. Additionally, you can run the report by accounting, reporting or transaction currency.

Multi-entity reports in Dynamics 365 Finance using Avantiico's Advanced Multi-Company Solution. Customer Aging reports across multiple companies

Download the AMCS One-Pager

Fill out the form below for detailed on the functions and benefits of the Advanced Multi-Company Solution for Microsoft D365 Finance, including ROI insights and more:

Benefits of AMCS for Multi-Entity Reporting

AMCS makes It easy and saves an incredible amount of time in generating multi-entity comparison reports for slicing and dicing the number to give an In-depth view of transaction details and performance metrics between entities. Thus allowing your accounting teams to focus on value-added work by drastically reducing the manual labor involved in creating multi-entity reports within Dynamics 365 Finance. The reduction of manual labor also reduces the number of costly errors when making such reports.

Conclusion

If your team spends a lot of time and effort running one report at a time for each legal entity, AMCS can reduce the time spent generating various reports. AMCS lives fully as a module In D365F&SC, so your users will find it intuitive and helpful. This tool can speed up your financial analysis, reduce comparative report generation efforts, and help free up resources for more critical tasks. See the other benefits of AMCS today by checking downloading our detailed one-pager here.

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