Streamline Your Dynamics GP Reporting: A Guide to Microsoft Management Reporter Migration

Table of Contents

Information on Using the Microsoft Management Reporter Migration Wizard¶

This article provides a detailed guide on utilizing the Microsoft Management Reporter Migration Wizard, a tool designed to facilitate the transition from FRx financial reporting to Microsoft Management Reporter. The Migration Wizard is crucial for organizations seeking to upgrade their financial reporting capabilities within the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem. This guide will walk you through the necessary steps, potential issues, and best practices for a smooth migration process. Understanding the nuances of this migration is essential for maintaining data integrity and ensuring continued access to critical financial reports.

Symptoms¶

Encountering errors during the migration process using the Microsoft Management Reporter Migration Wizard can be a sign of underlying issues. Furthermore, if not all of your FRx reports and associated data are successfully transferred, it indicates a problem with the migration. A common symptom is observing missing information within reports and building blocks after they have been migrated to Management Reporter. These symptoms suggest that the migration process may not have been fully successful and requires further investigation and potential remediation.

Cause¶

Data integrity issues within Microsoft FRx can be a primary cause of migration problems. The Migration Reporter is designed to transfer data, but pre-existing data corruption in FRx can hinder this process. Moreover, fundamental architectural differences between FRx and Management Reporter can lead to certain information not being directly transferable. These inherent disparities and potential data inconsistencies are the core reasons why some migrations may encounter errors or incomplete data transfer.

More Information¶

Migration Preparation¶

Prior to initiating the migration process, thorough preparation of your FRx environment is crucial for a successful transition. Proper preparation minimizes the risk of data loss and ensures a smoother experience with the Migration Wizard. The following steps outline the essential preparatory actions you should take within FRx.

• Remove Unused Companies: It is highly recommended to eliminate any companies within FRx that are no longer actively used in your business operations. Specifically, demo companies like FW, FWC, or SolDemo are known to cause upgrade issues and must be removed before proceeding with the migration. Removing these unnecessary companies simplifies the migration process and reduces potential conflicts.

• Verify Segment Names Across Companies: For organizations migrating multiple companies where reports are shared, ensuring consistency in segment names within Microsoft Dynamics GP is vital. Navigate to Tools > Setup > Company > Account Format in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Carefully check that the ‘Name’ of each segment is identical across all companies involved in the migration. Inconsistent segment names can lead to reporting errors and data mismatches in Management Reporter.

• Clean Up Specification Sets: Remove any specification sets from Company > Specification Sets that are not actively assigned to a company under Company > Information. Orphaned specification sets can clutter the migration process and may introduce unnecessary complexity. Streamlining your specification sets to include only those in current use improves efficiency.

• Eliminate Unneeded Building Blocks: Conduct a thorough review and remove any building blocks (catalogs, rows, columns, and trees) that are no longer needed or actively used in your reporting. Redundant building blocks can increase migration time and potentially lead to confusion in the new Management Reporter environment. A clean and streamlined set of building blocks simplifies the migration and post-migration management.

• Remove Leading Spaces in Building Block Names: Carefully inspect all building block names and remove any spaces that may exist at the beginning of the names. Leading spaces can sometimes cause issues during the migration process and are best eliminated to ensure smooth data transfer. Consistency in naming conventions is always beneficial in data management.

• Address Unassociated Building Blocks: Rows, columns, and trees that are not currently associated with a catalog will still be migrated. However, they will be missing their dimension codes, which are crucial for accurate reporting. To ensure dimension codes are migrated, a recommended approach is to create temporary “dummy” catalogs in FRx. Link these dummy catalogs to the unassociated rows, columns, and trees. After the migration is complete, these dummy catalogs, which will be called “Report Definitions” in Management Reporter, can be safely removed. This ensures all necessary data is captured during migration.

• Review Company Field in Catalogs: Within each catalog in FRx, carefully examine the ‘Company’ field. If any are set to ‘@ANY’, it is essential to change this to an actual, specific company. Failing to replace ‘@ANY’ with a concrete company designation will result in the dimension codes disappearing during the migration process, leading to incomplete or inaccurate reports.

• Recreate .G32 Files: Close FRx completely. Navigate to the SysData directory, which is typically located within your FRx installation folder. Delete all files within this directory that have the extension ‘.G32’. After deleting these files, restart FRx and log into each company individually. This action will force FRx to recreate the .G32 files. Recreating these files can resolve potential corruption issues and ensure data integrity for migration.

• Clean Up SysData Directory - File Extensions: Close FRx once again and return to the SysData directory. Delete all files in this directory that do not have one of the following extensions: .cfg, .dax, .f32, .g32, .mdb, .pmm, .tpl. This step removes unnecessary files that could potentially interfere with the migration process. Keeping only essential files ensures a cleaner and more efficient migration.

• Clean Up SysData Directory - Folders: With FRx closed, navigate to the SysData directory one last time. Delete all folders within this directory except for the following two folders: LogFiles and Report Book Design Files. Removing extraneous folders further streamlines the SysData directory and minimizes potential migration complications.

• Remove Unused .F32 Files: Close FRx and browse to the SysData directory. Identify and delete any ‘.F32’ files that are not currently in use by any specification set. To verify if an .F32 file is in use, check the ‘Location’ field under Company > Specification Sets. Deleting unused .F32 files helps to declutter the data environment and ensures that only relevant files are considered during migration.

• Compact Specification Sets: Compacting the FRx database can improve performance and data integrity before migration.

  1. Ensure only one user is logged into a company in FRx.
  2. Go to File > Compact FRx Database > Current Spec Set Database.
  3. Click Yes to proceed with compaction, and then click OK when the process is complete.
  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each remaining company in your FRx system. Compacting each specification set ensures data consistency and prepares the database for a smoother migration.

Migrating FRx 6.7 Data¶

It is assumed that Management Reporter is fully installed and functioning correctly before you initiate the migration from FRx 6.7. To confirm this, log into each company within Report Designer and create a simple test report. Examine the Management Reporter Configuration Console for any errors in the Service or Data Mart Logs sections. If you identify any issues, resolve them or contact support for assistance before attempting the migration. A stable Management Reporter environment is a prerequisite for a successful migration.

For the actual migration process, carefully follow the “Migrate the data” section detailed in the MRforDynERPInstGuide.pdf document. This guide is available for download from the Microsoft website. This document provides step-by-step instructions and best practices for executing the migration using the Migration Wizard.

Migration Limitations¶

It is important to understand that certain features and settings from FRx do not directly translate to Management Reporter during the migration process. These limitations should be considered when planning your migration and post-migration report adjustments. The following items are known not to migrate:

FRx Report Designer:

• FRx Security settings (User permissions and access controls)

Reports:

• Report chains (Sequenced report execution)
• Locked or password-protected rows within reports
• Web publishing settings (Configurations for online report delivery)
• Page breaks between reporting units
• ‘Allow column text overflow’ setting
• Effective dates (Date-based report filtering)
• Subtotal and filter account detail options
• Email delivery configurations
• Currency Translation rates

Rows:

• Account sets (Predefined groups of accounts)
• Account Types (e.g., Balance Sheet, Income Statement classifications)
• Currency format codes (Specific formatting for currency values)
• Row linking (Interdependencies between row definitions)
• XBRL link (eXtensible Business Reporting Language associations)
• Locked or password-protected rows within row definitions

Columns:

• XBRL column definitions
• Locked or password-protected columns within column definitions

Trees:

• Page breaks within reporting trees
• Locked or password-protected trees
• E-mail/Security settings (Column P in FRx)
• Additional Text (Column Z in FRx)
• Specific handling of ampersand (‘&’) and question mark (‘?’) characters within segment definitions. If a segment contains a combination of ampersands and question marks (e.g., ‘&&???’), Management Reporter may not return data for that unit. These characters have special meaning in FRx for dimension selection, and this behavior may not be directly replicated in Management Reporter.

Items that need to be manually configured once the migration completes¶

After the migration process is complete, certain settings and configurations will require manual adjustment within Management Reporter to ensure reports function as expected. These post-migration tasks are essential for fine-tuning your reporting environment.

• Report Output Options: Migrated report definitions (formerly catalogs in FRx) will, by default, not automatically open reports upon generation. To revert to the behavior of automatically opening generated reports, you need to modify each Report Definition in Management Reporter. Navigate to Report Definitions, select the Output and Distribution tab. Under Other options, check the box labeled View report when generated. This will reinstate the automatic report viewing feature.

• Updating Report Definitions in Bulk (SQL): To efficiently update all Report Definitions to automatically open reports upon generation, you can execute a SQL statement directly against the Management Reporter database. The specific SQL statement varies slightly depending on your Management Reporter Cumulative Update (CU) version:

  • CU12 or prior:
    

    UPDATE ControlReport SET ActivateBrowser = 1
    

  • CU13 and later:
    

    UPDATE Reporting.ControlReport SET ActivateBrowser = 1
    

    
    Caution: Directly modifying the database requires caution. Ensure you have a backup of your Management Reporter database before running any SQL scripts. Consult with your IT administrator or database specialist if you are not comfortable executing SQL commands.

• NP DES and NP REM Row Errors: In row definitions, “NP DES” (No Print Description) or “NP REM” (No Print Remark) rows in FRx that are not of format type “FD” (Financial Detail), “TOT” (Total), or “CAL” (Calculation) will migrate to Management Reporter. However, they will be flagged with errors. The error message will state: “Print control options can only be used if the format code is TOT, CAL, or blank”. To resolve these errors, you may need to adjust the format codes of these rows or reconsider the use of print control options for non-TOT, CAL, or FD rows.

• Column Range Limitations in Calculations: Management Reporter does not support column ranges within calculation formulas. If your FRx reports utilized column ranges in calculations, these will need to be revised in Management Reporter to use explicit column references or alternative calculation methods.

• WKS or CALC Column Headers: Worksheet (WKS) or Calculation (CALC) columns with headers will migrate, but they will not validate in Management Reporter. To resolve this, remove the headers from WKS and CALC columns within your column definitions. Headers are not supported for these column types in Management Reporter.

• Period Range Adjustments: Period ranges in column definitions only function correctly with PERIODIC columns in Management Reporter. Any period range, such as “1:BASE YTD” (Year-to-Date), used in a column definition must be changed to “1:BASE PERIODIC” to ensure accurate period-based reporting. Review all column definitions with period ranges and make this adjustment as needed.

• Unknown Company Message in Trees: During tree migration, if an “unknown company” message appears, Management Reporter will automatically use “@ANY” for the company assignment in the migrated tree structure. Review your migrated trees and manually adjust company assignments if “@ANY” is not the desired company for specific units in the tree.

• Row Definition Consistency in Trees: In FRx, it was possible to specify different row definitions within a reporting tree. However, Management Reporter enforces consistency. If you have specified different row definitions within a migrated reporting tree, you will encounter errors. To resolve this, you must either use the same row format for all units in the tree or remove all row formats from the tree definition to rely on the default row format specified in the main report definition.

Known issues when you use Microsoft Dynamics products:¶

• Reports not opening automatically: Migrated reports may not automatically open after generation, especially if accessed through the Report Library. To enable automatic opening, ensure the “View report when generated” option is selected under the Output and Distribution tab in the Report Definitions. Additionally, in the Specify Connection window of the Migration Wizard, entering an incorrect SQL Server name for the ManagementReporter database can cause the wizard to become unresponsive for an extended period (up to 10 minutes) before allowing re-entry of credentials.

• Missing ellipsis button in Migration Wizard: In the Select FRx Data window of the Migration Wizard, you might not see the ellipsis (“…”) button next to the “Path to the FRx 6.7 FRxSys32.mdb file” field. This can be a display issue, but you should still be able to manually type or paste the path to your FRxSys32.mdb file into the field.

• Validation failure after migration: If you choose the “validate building blocks using cached credentials” option in the Migration Wizard after already completing the “migrate and convert your FRx 6.7 data” step, the validation process will fail. In this scenario, users will need to re-enter their credentials and attempt validation again.

• Migration Wizard crash due to version mismatch: If the Migration Wizard version is not the same as the Application Server version of Management Reporter, the Migration Wizard may crash during operation. Ensure that both the Migration Wizard and the Application Server are running the same version of Management Reporter to avoid compatibility issues.

• Report generation errors with BXB and BXC: Building Block eXtender Block (BXB) and Building Block eXtender Calculation (BXC) elements in migrated reports from FRx can sometimes cause report generation errors in Management Reporter. If you encounter such errors, try the following workaround:

  1. Open the associated Row Definition that is causing the issue.
  2. Select File > Save As.
  3. Give the Row Definition a new, distinct name.
  4. Generate the report again, this time using the newly saved Row Definition.
  5. If the report generates successfully, you can then delete the original Row Definition. This “Save As” process can sometimes resolve underlying issues with migrated BXB and BXC elements.

Known Migration issues when you use Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009¶

• Wildcard account rows: A row definition using all wildcards to represent all accounts in FRx will migrate as a blank line in Management Reporter. You will need to manually edit these rows after migration to correctly specify the wildcard account selection.

• Attribute filters in columns: Columns containing attribute filters in FRx will require those attribute filters to be removed before migration. Migrated columns with attribute filters may cause errors when opened in Management Reporter. Remove attribute filters in FRx column definitions prior to running the Migration Wizard.

• Budget book codes in columns: Columns containing budget book codes in FRx may require adjustments. Specifically, the word “Budget” may need to be removed from the budget name in the column definition. Review and rename budget book codes in migrated columns as needed.

• Base period references: The base period in migrated reports might reference different periods in certain scenarios, especially in reports spanning multiple years. Carefully validate period references in migrated reports that cover multiple fiscal years to ensure accuracy.

• Trailing white space in accounts and dimensions: Migrated accounts and dimensions may not be automatically trimmed to remove trailing white spaces. This can sometimes lead to issues in data matching and reporting. Manually review and trim trailing white spaces from accounts and dimensions in Management Reporter if necessary.

• Question mark wildcard rows: A row containing all question marks (??????) as a wildcard for account selection in FRx will not migrate correctly. After migration, you will need to manually update these rows. For six-character accounts, replace “??????” with “??????” in the row definition. Alternatively, you can use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard to select all accounts, regardless of length.

Troubleshooting:¶

• No General Ledger/Dimension accounts displayed: If, after migration, no General Ledger or Dimension accounts are displayed in your reports, this can indicate potential corruption within the .f32 report file. Data corruption in the .f32 file can prevent Management Reporter from correctly accessing and displaying account data.

  To address potential data corruption and re-create your .f32 reports file, follow these steps:

  1. Export Catalogs: Navigate to Company > Specification Set.
  2. Select the specific Specification Set from which you want to export reports.
  3. Click the Export button.
  4. In the Export Selection dialog box, select the Catalogs tab and check the Select All box. Repeat this for the Rows, Columns, and Trees tabs, selecting all items in each.
  5. Click Export.
  6. In the Create Export File dialog box, choose the desired Drive, Folder, and File Name to save the exported catalog data. It is crucial to save the file with a .TDB (temporary database) extension.

  7. Click OK to begin the export process.

  8. Import Catalogs into New Specification Set: Go to Company > Specification Set again.

  9. Click the New button to create a new Specification Set. You must provide a different Name for the new specification set. However, you can rename it back to the original name later after deleting the old specification set. Ensure that the Location field points to a new .F32 file named MRFrxrpts.f32. You should keep the path the same but rename the existing frxrpts.f32 file to create a new one.
  10. Click the Import button.
  11. In the Select Import File dialog box, locate and select the .TDB file that you saved in step 6.
  12. Click OK to start the import process.
  13. Finally, navigate to Company > Information and select the company that should use this newly imported Specification Set. This associates the newly created .F32 file and imported data with the chosen company.

  By exporting and re-importing your catalogs to a new .F32 file, you effectively rebuild the report file structure and can often resolve issues related to data corruption that may be causing the “No General Ledger/Dimension accounts displayed” error.

For more detailed information on migrating to Management Reporter, consult the official Management Reporter Migration document, which is available at the following link:

Management Reporter 2012 for Microsoft Dynamics ERP: Installation, Migration, and Configuration Guides

Download and review the MRforDynERPMigrfromFRxGuide_ENUS.pdf document for comprehensive migration guidance.

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Have you encountered any of these issues during your migration from FRx to Management Reporter? Share your experiences and questions in the comments below!