Developer Tools Provided by Pivotier

21st Century Tools for Developers

NAV developers have been working in the dark ages when trying to create new reports.  SQL Server does not see critical NAV data such as flowfields, option fields and Boolean fields easily and the C/SIDE Report Designer is out-dated and cumbersome to use.  Customers using SQL Server do not realize all the benefits of technologies like SQL Server Reporting Services that they already own.

Pivotier uses the power of the latest – and true - Microsoft reporting technologies like Report Definition Language (RDL) and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) to improve developer productivity.  All of this with SQL Server database versions from 4.x upwards in familiar Classic or Role-tailored NAV user interfaces.

Report design and deployment is easier because Pivotier addresses the following critical success factors:

1. Complex data sets are designed within NAV using the Pivotier Query Designer and then published to SQL Server using Transact-SQL, SQL Views, SQL data sets and SSRS Report Models
2. Design-time and run-time evaluation of filter and option values to accurately generate NAV data sets including flowfields, option fields, Boolean fields and language captions
3. Modern Microsoft reporting technologies are used with your current database versions
4. Data is secured by respecting NAV roles and permissions during report execution

In short, Pivotier provides the best report designer for both end-users and developers.  Isn’t it time you used 21st century tools for report development?

Eliminate the C/SIDE Report Designer

Pivotier integrates directly from the Dynamics NAV client to Visual Studio Report Designer (VSRD) thereby allowing you to stop using the antiquated C/SIDE report Designer immediately.  Pivotier handles the passing of a complete data set to VSRD at design time, allowing you to create complex reports with the ability to preview and test reports against real data.  When done, your VSRD report definition is imported into NAV and end-users may then run your reports with the ability to enter run-time filters and options.

Generate RDL, SMDL and Transact-SQL

Pivotier Queries are used by power users to define data sets.  These queries can then be used to dynamically generate SQL statements for use with other SQL applications, or to create Report Definition Language (RDL) files which may be used as models to build more complex reports.  Report Models for SSRS (i.e. SMDL files) may also be generated from a Pivotier Query.

Create SQL Views from NAV Tables

Pivotier’s Query tools allow you to select multiple tables and fields from C/SIDE table definitions, define JOIN and UNION conditions and then support reporting or create SQL View definitions for use in defining additional table objects.  For example, a query may be used to define a UNION of posted sales invoice and credit memo tables, and the resulting data set may then be used as a single table to report on true combined sales history.

Integrate with SSRS and Sharepoint

All Pivotier reports may be published to Mail, Excel, PDF or SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).  Consequently, Pivotier supports a Microsoft-standard report format which easily allows integration to SSRS for web reporting and report scheduling/distribution and to other standard server applications such as Sharepoint.

Sharing and Distributing Reports

Customers have people who need reports and may not be day-to-day NAV users.  Adding user sessions can be an expensive proposition and training dozens of casual users can become impossible to sustain.  All Pivotier reports can be published to SSRS, and then run by users with a lower cost SQL user connection to your data.  SSRS also allows you to define subscription rules to automatically execute and distribute reports via email or file transfer.

All reports can also be saved directly to Excel and PDF, or emailed directly using our mail client.