Jet Reports for Dynamics GP comes with a very good selection of sample reports. These sample reports are an excellent resource – not only to see what Jet Basics does, but how the reports are built!
Many of those sample reports rely on something called ‘Friendly Names’.
Friendly names are names that properly describe the content of that SQL Table, or SQL View… they are, well, friendly 🙂 Rather than your typical naming convention for GP – like GL20000.
Not only are the sample reports built using these friendly names, but it makes it much easier to use.
Also Jet Reports comes with several useful SQL Views… both the friendly names and SQL Views get installed using the GP Update Utility.
Below is a quick guide on how to use the GP Update Utility – PRO TIP! It’s ok to add this later but I 100% recommend doing this before getting started.
The GP Update Utility is a separate application that installed when you installed Jet Reports. Navigate to search and locate it in the Jet Reports folder or by searching for it using Cortana.
When the GP Update Utility opens, select the data source, and system database, then click next.
The GP Update Utility will make changes to your SQL database (add security roles, create sql views, etc.
On the next window, leave everything checked and click continue.
Once this is complete, you will get a messaging indicating it completed.
Now that the GP Update Utility is complete, let’s revisit our data source and finalize our settings.
Once you are in the Data Source Settings window, click the Display button on the left.
Check the checkbox for Enable Friendly Names… and select ‘Great Plains’ from the Friendly names group.
Click Ok.
You are now ready to start building reports!!
Thanks for reading!
Shawn
Shawn Dorward
Microsoft MVP, Business Applications
LifeHacks365.com | LinkedIn | Twitter | GPUG | MSDYNGP
Original Post:
https://lifehacks365.com/2019/02/19/jet-basics-gp-update-utility/