Replacing Management Reporter

Around 50% of FRx customers have already moved to the replacement, Management Reporter (MR), which is good news for Microsoft stockholders.  However, the user community has spoken – at least online, as the internet seems to be full of unhappy MR customers with something to say about the product.  As a supposed upgrade, MR was positioned as a modern response to consumer-driven requests for enhancements to the out-of-date and limited FRx.  MR has instead turned out to primarily be a beautified menu interface with a substantial amount of FRx still present under the hood.  Relatedly, the noise of disappointment is spreading, so current users of FRx are starting to look for an upgrade elsewhere.  Some MR users, regardless of the investment in the replacement product, are considering other options for financial report writers as well.  This article will investigate MR’s weaknesses and consider a few reporting tool alternatives.

Built for the business user as opposed to a product that requires management by IT, MR integrates seamlessly to General Ledgers on Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP, and SL.  MR replaces Enterprise Reporting in addition to FRx, meaning one solution for both Consolidation and Management Reporting.  Regrettably, MR does not integrate to or from cubes, data warehouses, or Excel Pivot Tables.  Since it connects natively to Dynamics, the pace at which a report can be created by running a queue can slow down other ERP procedures, depending on the number of users.  In general though, MR is very similar to FRx, yet with a modern, aestheticized menu system; the reporting functionalities and report design screens are strikingly alike.  Today, there are at least a handful of things to keep in mind when it comes to selecting the right reporting tool to ensure a return on investment (ROI) by improving financial reporting and make stronger decisions for the growth and development of the company.

There are some main capabilities that any group considering a replacement of MR should consider: Excel or proprietary-based reporting, live integrations to GL and beyond, web-based report writing, the option for a full business intelligence (BI) suite, a mobile application, data storage options, and how accessible for the business user the product is to learn and implement.  When put through this feature test, MR does not hold its own.

Integration to the Microsoft platform is the one major thing going for MR, but it doesn’t answer the consumer requests for upgrades.  Live integration to Microsoft Dynamics translates to real-time report writing on the ERP system.  However, even though it is a Microsoft program, it does not employ Excel for reporting, doesn’t have dynamic mobile or web capabilities, and is not a part of a comprehensive BI suite for the option of adding more BI tools.

To continue learning more about what to consider when picking the best reporting tool replacement for Management Reporter, read the rest of this article here.

by Solver, Inc.