How to build reports in Jet Excel Add-in
Beginner
While the searchable knowledge base (KB) section of our online Help Center is a tremendous resource for anyone using Jet Reports, the large amount of information it contains can be somewhat daunting to new users. This article directs you to some articles that most apply to the new user who maybe needs to know something about installing, configuring, and or creating that first report.
If you are interested in Training, Sample Reports, or other Resources available to you see Additional resources.
Creating Your First Reports
For many users, Jet Reports is already installed and configured before they ever need to start. So let's save installation and configuration for later in this article. For now, let's look at creating your first report - starting with the available Wizards.
Wizards
- Table Builder: The Jet Table Builder helps you create Excel tables. Once you have a table, you can then use Excel's Pivot Table features to slice and dice the data in that table to create a dazzling variety of reports. There is a lot of information about the Table Builder in our KB. Probably the best place to start is with some videos that walk you through an introduction to the Table Builder and using its simple interface to create some very powerful communication tools. For more information on Table Builder, go to Jet Table Builder.
- Report Builder: Sometimes, all the data you want is in a single table in your database. You can easily create very useful reports from a single table using the Report Wizard.
- Jet Browser: The Jet Browser lets you use a simple drag-and-drop interface to create your reports. Unlike the Table Builder (which creates tables for use with Excel's Pivot capabilities), the Browser uses multiple Jet functions to create reports that are more flexible and are used without Pivot tables.
Other Techniques
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A specialized Report Player application is available in two styles ( The Jet Report Player for Microsoft Dynamics NAV and the original Jet Report Player ) or you can download just the report files themselves. Each choice gives you access to a large number of reports that you can view and refresh.
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For those users who prefer a more "hands on" approach, you can create your reports by typing the Jet functions by hand, or using the Jet Function Wizard ("Jfx") to help you. We have a series of five videos that walk you through the process of creating a report using a variety of powerful Jet Reports features.
Click here to see how to make "Grouping Reports" and learn how to create your reports by hand.
Financial Reporting
The Jet GL() function works with both Dynamics GP and Dynamics NAV.
We've created some video tutorials to help you get started.
For Dynamics GP users, a great deal of functionality has been built in to the GL function to help you get the information you need.
Click here to learn more about the GL function for Dynamics GP
Starting with Jet Reports version 2018, creating basic financials reports is faster and easier than ever before. The Fast Financials tool provides simple drag-and-drop functionality - all while providing the automatic formatting for your chart of accounts.
The GL function for Dynamics NAV places a great deal of General Ledger functionality at your finger tips.
For more information and to see our interactive tutorial on how to use the features of the GL function for Dynamics NAV data sources, click here.
Installation and Configuration
Maybe Jet Reports has *not* been installed and that's where you need to start. So, you'll need to be able download, install, and configure Jet Reports.
Regardless of where you are in that process or what type of database you are needing to use with Jet Reports, our Getting Started guide provides a one-stop location for all that information.
Click here to visit the Jet Reports Getting Started Guide