Management Reporting in CRM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides a number of standard, one-button reports using the inbuilt Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services as the underlying report engine. You can create custom reports that are accessible from within Microsoft Dynamics CRM through an e-mail subscription service or over a Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server site. Users can save frequently used reports, which are refreshed with current data every time they’re opened. Best of all, security clearances are built into every report. Users only have access to the data they’re authorised to see.

You can export any sub-set of Microsoft CRM data into dynamic or static Excel spreadsheets and thereby quickly identify problem areas and avenues for growth. Corrective and business development strategies can then be more confidently set based on accurate, up to the minute and incisive data.

The screenshots show how filtered data can be exported from CRM (in this case information relating to Opportunity) into Excel or Pivot Table, whereby latter is simply created with drag and drop function in a few swift manoeuvres of the mouse.

This screenshot gives a flavour of some of the report templates available via SQL Server Reporting Services and from which you can generate customised reports.

The Analytics Foundation is the newly released (February 2007) business intelligence (BI) solution within Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Dynamics CRM Analytics Foundation embodies a new way of using business intelligence tools from Microsoft to provide comprehensive analysis and management of customer-facing processes. Business tools include business scorecard management, ad-hoc analyses of aggregated customer information, predictive analytics, enhanced reporting, and more. In powerful combination they provide Microsoft Dynamics CRM users with real-time access to key information and metrics, allowing them to respond quickly to changing dynamics in today’s competitive business environment.

Distinct features and advantages of this BI engine include:

• KPIs and Microsoft Office SharePoint dashboards to track and manage business performance
• Rapid report generation utilising Microsoft Office Excel and Report Builder (part of SQL Server Reporting Services) to enable more effective decision-making
• Ability for Sales, Marketing and Service Departmental Heads to identify new opportunities to maximise revenue and increase efficiency with predictive analytics
• End-users become empowered to create their own detailed reports, perform their own data analysis and arrive at their own new customer insights without the intercession of their IT departments – a dependency which costs time and money
• Available as a no-charge, shared-source download