You can easily change the default reports in Business Central by navigating to the Report Selections page, which allows you to define which specific report template will be used for various business documents across different functional areas.
Understanding Report Selections in Business Central
Report selections are a powerful feature in Business Central designed to give users control over which report automatically generates when printing or sending specific business documents. Instead of being stuck with a single standard report, you can designate a different default report for key documents like invoices, orders, credit memos, and more. This is particularly useful for tailoring outputs to specific company branding, legal requirements, or operational needs.
The most common functional areas where you'll typically update default reports are Sales and Purchase. For instance, you might want to switch the default report for a Sales Invoice, a Purchase Order, or a Sales Order form to ensure the correct layout and information are always presented.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Default Reports
Modifying the default report in Business Central involves a few straightforward steps:
1. Accessing the Report Selections Page
- Search for "Report Selections": In Business Central, use the Tell Me feature (the search icon or Alt+Q) and type "Report Selections".
- Open the relevant page: You'll see various "Report Selections" pages listed, categorized by functional area (e.g., Report Selections - Sales, Report Selections - Purchase, Report Selections - Service). Select the page corresponding to the area you want to modify.
2. Modifying Report Selections
Once on the appropriate "Report Selections" page, you'll see a list of different document types and their currently assigned reports.
- Identify the Usage: The
Usagefield defines the type of document you're configuring. Common usages include:- Invoice: For sales invoices or purchase invoices.
- Order: For sales orders or purchase orders.
- Quote: For sales quotes.
- Credit Memo: For sales or purchase credit memos.
- Statement: For customer statements.
- Other areas like Service and Warehouse will have their specific usages (e.g., "Service Order", "Pick").
- Select the Desired Report:
- Locate the row with the
Usageyou wish to change. - In the
Report IDfield, click the ellipsis (...) or dropdown arrow. This will open a list of available reports. - Choose the new report you want to set as the default. Each report has a unique ID and name (e.g., Report ID 1306 for "Standard Sales – Order Confirmation").
- Locate the row with the
- Consider Custom Layouts (Optional): If you've created a custom layout for a standard report, ensure the report ID points to the correct base report, and the custom layout is applied via Report Layouts in Business Central.
- Save and Test: After making your selection, the changes are typically saved automatically. It's crucial to test the change immediately by creating and printing/sending a document of the
Usagetype you modified (e.g., create a new sales invoice and print it) to ensure the new default report is being used correctly.
Key Functional Areas for Report Customization
Business Central allows for report customization across various modules. The table below highlights some of the main areas:
| Functional Area | Common Usage Types | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | Invoice, Order, Quote, Credit Memo, Statement, Confirmation | Documents related to customer transactions and communication. |
| Purchase | Order, Invoice, Credit Memo, Reminder | Documents for vendor transactions and procurement processes. |
| Service | Service Order, Service Quote, Service Invoice | Documents used in managing and billing for services. |
| Warehouse | Pick, Put-away, Movement, Shipping | Documents guiding inventory movements and logistics within the warehouse. |
| Finance | VAT Statement, Financial Statement | Reports for tax, compliance, and financial analysis (often system-defined). |
For a more comprehensive understanding of report selections and their setup, you can refer to the official Microsoft Learn documentation on Setting Up Report Selections.
Practical Tips and Best Practices
- Always Test: After changing any default report, always generate a new document of that type and print or preview it to confirm the correct report and layout are being used.
- Understand Report IDs: Familiarize yourself with the common report IDs for standard documents to make selections easier.
- Custom Reports and Layouts: If standard reports don't meet your needs, consider developing a custom report or modifying an existing report's layout. Once created, these can be assigned as defaults via the Report Selections.
- Document Your Changes: Especially in larger organizations, keep a record of which default reports have been changed, by whom, and why. This helps with troubleshooting and future updates.
- Permissions: Ensure you have the necessary permissions in Business Central to modify report selections.
By leveraging the Report Selections feature, you can ensure that your Business Central system always generates the most appropriate and professional documents for your business operations.
