Now that Management Reporter has released with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, what’s next? During Convergence 2010 in Atlanta, we presented the roadmap for Corporate Performance Management. As a product team, we are not only focused on financial reporting, but budgeting, planning, forecasting and consolidations as well. This roadmap represents a staged approach to achieving our vision of a Microsoft Dynamics corporate performance management solution.
Let’s take a closer look at Feature Pack 1 (due out later this year) which is focused on financial reporting.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Integration
The integration to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, will include a live link to the ERP data. This differs from the integration between Microsoft FRx and AX 2009. Also, users will be able to design financial reports using the totaling accounts and dimension hierarchies defined in AX 2009.
Currency Translation in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010
The approach we are taking with currency translation is to push the functionality back into the ERP. Enhancements are being made to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 to perform the translation of data. At the same time, enhancements are being made to Management Reporter to pull data from GP 2010 in a pre-defined reporting currency.
Microsoft Forecaster Integration
Instead of releasing a separate integration for Microsoft Forecaster, we are going to deliver a tool that pushes Microsoft Forecaster data back into the general ledger. Once data is in the general ledger, Management Reporter can pull this data to create budget to actual reports.
Along with these enhancements, bug fixes will also be included in Feature Pack 1.
How will FRx's Historical Rate currency translation be handled in MR/GP2010 when currency translation is pushed back into GP?
How will MR/GP2010 support rates so that reports can be run on the same calendar day for 2 different periods with 2 different exchange rates? Example - Fiscal year end is March 31, 2010. Rate is 1.5 EUR to USD on this day. For April 31, 2010 it is 1.3 EUR. On the same day, I need to run reports for auditors for year end (MAr 2010) as well as for management for April 2010 . FRx handles this well. How will MR/GP2010 handle this?
Maybe GP needs the currency functionality for those that want to do it as a hard process, but for those that have learned the benefits of a reporting soft process for currency translation, this will be a step backwards, I would encourage Microsoft to develop the currecny translation functionality for Management Reporter soon.
I like the old saying if it's not broke don't fix it. The DAX translation tables in FRx worked fine. I remember spending a lot of time working to get this right with Microsoft, now they have broken it again. Please just put the tables and functionality back as they were in FRx.
Robert / Wade / Philip - do any of you know how currency translation actually works in MR? I want to do what Robert explains above but cannot work it out - unless the functionality is just not there in MR yet? If this is true, what is the purpose of the additioanl fields on the multi-currency setup window in GP2010?
Am I reading the slide correctly? in that, Forecaster will be replaced by some other budgeting took within management reporter?
My income stmt reports for Dec prior years show $0. How does MR filter out closing/opening transactions in AX?