Customize and organize reports

Applies To: Dynamics 365 (online), Dynamics 365 (on-premises), Dynamics CRM 2013, Dynamics CRM 2015, Dynamics CRM Online, Dynamics CRM 2016

Analyze data in Microsoft Dynamics 365 by using reports. Microsoft Dynamics 365 includes default reports for many common business needs. However, most organizations customize the default reports and add custom reports for specific needs.

Report ownership

System reports are available to all users. Individuals who own reports can share them with specific colleagues or teams, or can make the reports available to the organization, so that all users can use them.

Report types

Microsoft Dynamics 365 supports two types of reports:

• Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reports. These reports use SQL queries and filtered views to retrieve report data. Filtered views restrict the data to what is available to the security role of the person running the report. All the default reports included with Microsoft Dynamics 365 are SQL-based reports.

  You cannot access filtered views in Microsoft Dynamics 365 (online) because access to the SQL database is not supported. If you have a Microsoft Dynamics 365 (online) subscription, use Fetch-based reports for custom reporting.

• Fetch-based Reporting Services reports. These reports use FetchXML queries that are proprietary to Microsoft Dynamics 365 instead of filtered views to retrieve data for reports. Reports that you create by using the Report Wizard in Microsoft Dynamics 365 are Fetch-based reports.

The other reports can be:

• Links to webpages

• Static files

• Dynamic Microsoft Office Excel files that read data from the Microsoft Dynamics 365 database

For each report, you can edit the following properties:

• File name or URL

• Display name

• Description

• Information about where the report displays in the user interface

Security of data in reports

All reports read Microsoft Dynamics 365 data from filtered views that filter the data based on the user's security role. Reports only display data that the person running the report has permission to view.

Options for creating new reports

To create a new report, users with appropriate permissions can:

• Add a file or a link to a webpage as a report.

• Run the Report Wizard to create a new Reporting Services report. The Report Wizard can create table and chart reports, including drill-through reports and top N reports.

• Write a new Fetch-based Reporting Services report. To write custom fetch-based reports, you must install the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension. More information: Create a new report using SQL Server Data Tools

Options for modifying existing reports

For existing reports, users with appropriate permissions can:

• Organize reports into categories to control which views in the Reports area display for each report.

• Determine where a report is visible in the user interface, and edit other report properties.

• Edit a report created with the Report Wizard.

• Edit a default report. For example, if you customize Microsoft Dynamics 365, you might need to modify labels or add or remove fields in default reports. More information: Report writing environment using SQL Server Data Tools

• Edit the default filter for a default report, a report created with the Report Wizard, or other Reporting Services reports.

• Create a one-time snapshot for a Reporting Services report or schedule a Reporting Services report to run at set intervals. Note that the Report Scheduling feature is currently only available with on-premises versions of Microsoft Dynamics 365.

• Share a personal report with other users, or make it available to everyone in your organization.

• Publish a report so that it is available for use with external applications, such as Microsoft SharePoint or custom programs.

Reports in solutions

In Microsoft Dynamics 365, reports are solution aware. Adding a report as a component to a solution makes it become a single unit of software that extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 functionality and the user interface. Only reports that are organization owned or visible to the organization can be added to solutions.

You can add, import, or export snapshots of reports as part of a solution. In Microsoft Dynamics 365, reports, sub reports, report category, report display area, and report-related record type are considered as components of a report set. When you import a solution update in non-overwrite mode, any updates by the solution to a report will be ignored if any component of the report set has been customized.

See Also

Create, edit, or copy a report using the Report Wizard
Report writing with CRM 2016 for online and on-premises