About reporting and analytics

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Important

This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.

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

Microsoft Dynamics AX provides hundreds of default reports that you can use to view and analyze business data. These reports can be categorized into two groups: transactional reports and analytical reports.

Transactional reports

Transactional reports are preconfigured reports that display data directly from the Microsoft Dynamics AX database. Although you cannot modify the layout of these reports, you can enter parameters to filter the data displayed on them.

To view a transactional report, on the top link bar, click the module that contains the data that you want to view, for example, click Sales. On the Quick Launch, under the Reports heading, you can select to view a list of reports for that module, or to view a specific report.

If you have the appropriate permissions, you can add reports to Enterprise Portal pages. For more information, see Manage reports.

Analytical reports

Analytical reports use online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes to retrieve and process data. Analytical reports help you examine data and identify trends that you might not otherwise discover when you view data in traditional, transactional reports.

Analytical reports are displayed in the Enterprise Portal business overview Web part. This Web part can display two types of analytical reports:

  • Key performance indicators (KPIs) — KPIs are business metrics that can be summarized in terms of a comparison, goal, value, and status. For example, you could display KPIs that compare actual expenditures with budgeted amounts, or that compare the sales for the current month with sales for the previous month.

  • Business overviews — Business overviews are data calculations across various time periods. For example, you could display business overviews that show the number of sales for the last month, quarter, or year.

If you have the appropriate permissions, you can add the business overview Web part to Enterprise Portal pages and display analytical information. For more information, see Manage business overview information.