EpicorAFR_FeatureSummary_

Epicor Advanced FinancialReporting Feature Summary10.0.700

Disclaimer

This document is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. This document and itscontents, including the viewpoints, dates and functional content expressed herein are believed to be accurate as of itsdate of publication. However, Epicor Software Corporation makes no guarantee, representations or warranties withregard to the enclosed information and specifically disclaims any applicable implied warranties, such as fitness for aparticular purpose, merchantability, satisfactory quality or reasonable skill and care. As each user of Epicor software islikely to be unique in their requirements in the use of such software and their business processes, users of this documentare always advised to discuss the content of this document with their Epicor account manager. All information containedherein is subject to change without notice and changes to this document since printing and other important informationabout the software product are made or published in release notes, and you are urged to obtain the current releasenotes for the software product. We welcome user comments and reserve the right to revise this publication and/ormake improvements or changes to the products or programs described in this publication at any time, without notice.The usage of any Epicor software shall be pursuant to an Epicor end user license agreement and the performance ofany consulting services by Epicor personnel shall be pursuant to Epicor's standard services terms and conditions. Usageof the solution(s) described in this document with other Epicor software or third party products may require the purchaseof licenses for such other products. Where any software is expressed to be compliant with local laws or requirementsin this document, such compliance is not a warranty and is based solely on Epicor's current understanding of such lawsand requirements. All laws and requirements are subject to varying interpretations as well as to change and accordinglyEpicor cannot guarantee that the software will be compliant and up to date with such changes. All statements ofplatform and product compatibility in this document shall be considered individually in relation to the products referredto in the relevant statement, i.e., where any Epicor software is stated to be compatible with one product and alsostated to be compatible with another product, it should not be interpreted that such Epicor software is compatiblewith both of the products running at the same time on the same platform or environment. Additionally platform orproduct compatibility may require the application of Epicor or third-party updates, patches and/or service packs andEpicor has no responsibility for compatibility issues which may be caused by updates, patches and/or service packsreleased by third parties after the date of publication of this document. Epicor® is a registered trademark and/ortrademark of Epicor Software Corporation in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. All othertrademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © Epicor Software Corporation 2014.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent ofEpicor Software Corporation.

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Revision: June 23, 2014 8:26 a.m.

Total pages: 36

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Contents

Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature Summary.....................................................6Version 10.0.700.............................................................................................................................................6

Replicate Data from Enterprise Databases.................................................................................................6

Version 10.0.600.............................................................................................................................................7

Single AFR Installer...................................................................................................................................7

Request License from Installer...................................................................................................................7

Multiple Source Replication.......................................................................................................................7

Daily Balances Replication.........................................................................................................................8

Replicate Data from Prophet 21 Databases...............................................................................................8

Change Replication Task Credentials.........................................................................................................8

Default SSRS Folder..................................................................................................................................9

Enable Segment Display Order..................................................................................................................9

Single From/To Parameters........................................................................................................................9

Rounding..................................................................................................................................................9

Override Numeric Format for Excel..........................................................................................................10

Unposted Balances Support....................................................................................................................10

Expression for All Companies..................................................................................................................11

Period and Book Filters for Rows.............................................................................................................11

Handling of Hide Rows with Zero Value Setting......................................................................................11

Override Numeric Format in Columns......................................................................................................12

Apply Separate Style for Column Headers...............................................................................................12

Account and Expression Fields in Reporting Trees....................................................................................12

Catch-All in Reporting Tree Wizard.........................................................................................................13

Inline Drill Down Reports........................................................................................................................13

RDL Merge Tool......................................................................................................................................13

View Reports in Web Browser.................................................................................................................14

Select Styles............................................................................................................................................14

Page Size and Orientation.......................................................................................................................14

Adjust Column Width.............................................................................................................................14

Adjust Header/Footer Width...................................................................................................................14

Batch Report Export................................................................................................................................15

Query User-Defined Tables in Reports.....................................................................................................15

Select Segments for Group By.................................................................................................................16

Version 9.05.702c..........................................................................................................................................16

Specify Location for Snapshot Scripts......................................................................................................16

Access Reports on Multiple SSRS Servers.................................................................................................16

Version 9.05.702...........................................................................................................................................17

Additional Row Set Wizards....................................................................................................................17

ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel.............................................................................................................18

Column Expression Assistant...................................................................................................................18

Column Set Wizard.................................................................................................................................19

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ContentsEpicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature Summary

Version 9.05.701...........................................................................................................................................20

Upgrade Support for Previous Versions...................................................................................................20

RDL Advanced Presentation Options.......................................................................................................20

Advanced Currency Conversion..............................................................................................................21

Row Grouping........................................................................................................................................22

Row Set Wizard......................................................................................................................................23

Reporting Tree Wizard............................................................................................................................24

Date and Period Formatting....................................................................................................................24

Select and Edit Multiple Rows or Columns..............................................................................................25

Renumber Rows.....................................................................................................................................25

Pre-Defined Report Templates.................................................................................................................25

Version 9.05.607a.........................................................................................................................................26

AFR Financial Data Security Manager......................................................................................................26

Multi-Currency.......................................................................................................................................27

Report Security.......................................................................................................................................27

Import from FRx Database......................................................................................................................28

Specify Row Number Increment..............................................................................................................28

Include RDLs in Export/Import.................................................................................................................28

Report Description in Header/Footer.......................................................................................................28

Version 9.05.607...........................................................................................................................................28

Import from Management Reporter Database.........................................................................................28

Version 9.05.606...........................................................................................................................................29

Display Only Natural Segments...............................................................................................................29

Format Date in Header/Footer.................................................................................................................29

Hide Columns With Empty/Zero Values...................................................................................................29

Open Balance Updated to Opening Balance............................................................................................30

Version 9.05.605...........................................................................................................................................30

Hide Columns.........................................................................................................................................30

Opening Debit and Credit Balance..........................................................................................................30

Display Currency.....................................................................................................................................30

Version 9.05.604...........................................................................................................................................31

User Properties.......................................................................................................................................31

Version 9.05.603...........................................................................................................................................31

SQL Query Timeout Setting.....................................................................................................................31

Version 9.05.602...........................................................................................................................................31

Local Language Support.........................................................................................................................31

Multi-Company Reports..........................................................................................................................32

Report Security.......................................................................................................................................32

Format Numeric Values...........................................................................................................................32

Convert RDLs..........................................................................................................................................32

Refresh RDL List......................................................................................................................................32

Version 9.05.601...........................................................................................................................................33

Multiple Books........................................................................................................................................33

Report Header and Footer.......................................................................................................................33

Updated Availability of Report Parameters...............................................................................................33

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Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature SummaryContents

Language Globalization..........................................................................................................................33

IF Function..............................................................................................................................................33

Version 9.05.600...........................................................................................................................................34

Supported Epicor ERP Applications..........................................................................................................34

Report Designer......................................................................................................................................34

Report Viewer.........................................................................................................................................34

Logon Server..........................................................................................................................................35

510.0.700

ContentsEpicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature Summary

Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature Summary

Advanced Financial Reporting (AFR) is a financial report writer for complex management and financial reporting.Use AFR to create, manage, and view custom GL reports for your Epicor ERP applications.

Advanced Financial Reporting Overview

Epicor AFR is a tool you can use to create general ledger (GL) reports, for example, a balance sheet or a cashstatement with multiple rows linked to the account schedule. GL reports differ from other data reports in thateach line in a GL report is typically defined in terms of an account range for which you must calculate a total.AFR uses row sets, column sets and reporting trees to consolidate GL data.

Advanced Financial Reporting components include:

• Epicor Financial Report Designer

• Epicor AFR Viewer

• Logon Service

• Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Database

• SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio (optional)

AFR simplifies report creation with a user interface that uses familiar financial terms and does not requirefamiliarization with SQL query syntax or the database structure. A Reporting Database passes data from theapplication to the Report Designer. The reporting database is an optimized for reporting performance databasecontaining financial data aggregated on the daily and period basis. This database is maintained by the FinancialReport Subscriber which is a plug-in for the existing Epicor Database Replication server.

To support several varieties of report browsing scenarios, AFR offers a web interface for viewing generatedreports.

The output of reports you design in Epicor Financial Report Designer (EFRD) is generated using Microsoft® SQLServer Business Intelligence Reporting Services (SSRS). All report designs can be managed using Microsoft SQLServer Management Studio connecting to SQL reporting services. Reports can be published to the SQL reportingservices web site or to Microsoft SharePoint. You can optionally do more formatting of the report definition filein SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio.

Additional components of AFR include the ability to import/export report definitions and the scheduling anddistribution of reports. This dependence on SSRS requires you to license Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (Standard orEnterprise) and Epicor Replication Server.

Version 10.0.700

The following topics describe the Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting functionality released with the 10.0.700service pack.

Replicate Data from Enterprise Databases

A new plugin was added to the AFR Replication Monitor, which enables replication of data from Enterprisedatabases.

When you launch the AFR Replication Wizard from within the AFR Replication Monitor, select Enterprise inthe Source ERP Type window. Follow the subsequent wizard windows to select the source Enterprise (Control)database. The Control database contains sytem information and currency rates. Company information from each

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Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature SummaryEpicor Advanced Financial Reporting Feature Summary

Company database is then loaded automatically. For replication purposes, all the databases must be located onthe same SQL server, with the same security credentials.

Once you have initiated the replication tasks (in the same way as tasks for replication from other Epicor ERPdatabases), you can create reports in the AFR Report Designer.

For details of which tables are replicated from an Enterprise database, view the application help for the AFRReplication Monitor.

Version 10.0.600

The following topics describe the Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting functionality released with the 10.0.600service pack.

Single AFR Installer

You can now install multiple AFR components from a single installer.

When you launch the AFR installer, in the Product Features window you can now select the components to install,including the Logon Server, Report Designer, AFR ODBC Driver, and AFR Report Server.

Note By default, the AFR Report Viewer is not installed, because you can now view reports in a webbrowser. However, you can still install the Report Viewer if required.

Request License from Installer

You can now request an AFR license direct from the installer.

When you run the AFR installer and have selected the product features to install, you reach the AFR Licensewindow. Click Request to launch the Epicor AFR License Requester from the installer. Once you have requestedthe license by email, and received the license file (.frlic), save it to the LogonServer folder, and enter the filepath in the License File field. Click Next to proceed with the installation.

Multiple Source Replication

You can now create replication tasks for multiple source databases of different types.

When you launch the AFR Replication Wizard, you can now select the Source ERP Type, for example Epicor 10or Prophet 21. If you select the Epicor ERP option, you can select from both Epicor 9.05 or Epicor 10 sourcedatabases.

You can also create replication tasks for multiple source databases, to replicate to one single target database.

Important Each company ID must be unique.

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Daily Balances Replication

When you create AFR replication tasks with the Replication Wizard, you can now select from two options onhow to aggregate daily balances.

In the AFR Replication Wizard, when the Type of Aggregation window displays, there are two options forAggregation behavior:

• AFR 9.05 behavior - Aggregate using the full accounting string taken from transaction lines.

• Aggregate using Balance Segment settings in ERP - Only balance segments are used to aggregate theamounts. Other segments, for example a dynamic segment for customer, are not treated separately.

To view an illustrated example of the different treatments, view the online help in the AFR Replication Monitor.

Replicate Data from Prophet 21 Databases

A new plugin was added to the AFR Replication Monitor, which enables replication of data from Prophet 21databases.

When you launch the AFR Replication Wizard from within the AFR Replication Monitor, select Prophet 21 inthe Source ERP Type window. Follow the subsequent wizard windows to select the source Prophet 21 databaseand select which companies to replicate.

Note Because the Book concept is not part of Prophet 21, you make selections of companies and fiscalyears only.

Once you have initiated the replication tasks (in the same way as tasks for replication from other Epicor ERPdatabases), you can create reports in the AFR Report Designer.

Due to the data that is replicated from a Prophet 21 financial database, there are some small differences thataffect report creation in the Report Designer:

• As the multiple book concept does not exist in Prophet 21, when you have to enter a book definition in theAFR Report Designer, simply use 1 as a hard-coded book ID.

Example On the Reports > Detail > Parameters sheet, you have to enter at least one Company.Bookstring. So, for company Acme, enter Acme.1

• As Prophet 21 replicated data does not include Currency Rate Type and Currency Conversion data, it is notyet possible to use the Advanced Currency Conversion functionality in AFR with P21 data. Therefore, use theSimple Currency Conversion, which involves manual entry of currency exchange rate details.

For details of which tables are replicated from a Prophet 21 database, view the application help for the AFRReport Designer or AFR Replication Monitor.

Change Replication Task Credentials

In the AFR Replication Monitor you can now change the Windows credentials for existing replication tasks, whichremoves the need to recreate tasks when a password expires.

This feature is especially useful if your organization requires regular password changes to Windows accounts.

In the Replication Monitor, when the ERP Databases sheet is in focus, click the Change replication taskcredentials button to open the Task Security window. Here you can update the windows login and passworddetails, thus ensuring ongoing data replication.

10.0.7008


Default SSRS Folder

A new Default SSRS Folder field was added to the Settings > RDL sheet, which enables users to specify the folderwhere all newly-generated or imported RDLs are placed.

If you do not specify a value, the default SSRS folder is called AFR.

Note If you change the default folder, it has no effect on RDLs that were already generated. They remainat the path which was current at the time of their generation.

Enable Segment Display Order

The new Enable segment display order setting enables you to display GL accounts in AFR reports with thesame segment order as they display in your ERP system.

On the Tools > Settings > General sheet, select the Enable segment display order check box. GL accounts willnow display in the same segment order as you use in Epicor 9.05 or Epicor 10.

Note In a multi-company scenario, it is expected that the same accounts will use the same segment displayorder. If this is not the case, each different display order displays as a separate row in the report.

Single From/To Parameters

There is now just one From and one To field in the report parameters. These fields accept both date and periodexpressions.

This provides greater flexibility for selection of the start and end point for a report, as combinations of date andperiod are now possible.

Conversion of these parameters from AFR 9.05 to AFR 10 is handled automatically when you upgrade to AFR10.

Rounding

In the Numeric Format section for reports, rows, and columns, a new Rounding option field enables you toselect the rounding for numeric values.

To set rounding at the report level, use the Rounding option field on the Reports > Detail > Options sheet.

To set rounding for a specific row, navigate to the Row Sets > Detail > Row Definitions > Detail > Generalsheet, select the Override report numeric format check box, and select an option from the Rounding optionfield.

To set rounding for a specific column, navigate to the Column Sets > Column Definitions > Detail sheet,select the Override row numeric format and Format as text check boxes, and select an option from theRounding option field.

Note For numeric format options, column settings override row settings, and row settings override reportsettings.

The rounding options are:

• No Rounding

• Nearest Hundred

• Thousands

• Millions

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• Billions

Tip To display the above options as whole numbers, combine the Rounding option with the appropriatesetting in the Decimal places field.

The following table gives examples of how numbers display, according to selections made in the Rounding Optionand Decimal Places fields.

Example number: 33,135,712.25

Decimal Places = 0Decimal Places = 2Rounding Option

33,135,71233,135,712.25No Rounding

33,135,70033,135,700Nearest Hundred

33,13633,135.71Thousands

3333.14Millions

00.03Billions

Override Numeric Format for Excel

In column definitions, a new Format as text check box is enabled when you select Override row numericformat.

If you generate reports for use in Microsoft® Excel®, and you want numerical data to transfer to Excel in theNumber format, select Override row numeric format on the Column Sets > Column Definitions > Detailsheet for each column, and clear the Format as text check box.

When you generate the report in Excel, you can do any necessary numerical formatting within Excel.

Note The above combination of settings is specifically for users who generate reports in Excel, so thatnumerical data can be formatted within Excel. If you use SSRS to view reports, and want to set the numericformat for a specific column, select both Override row numeric format and Format as text. The NumericFormat section for the column definition is then enabled.

Unposted Balances Support

Unposted transactions in Epicor ERP databases are now part of the data replicated to AFR the financial database,where they are stored in separate tables.

Some report users require the ability to see posted balances separately from unposted balances. Therefore, inthe report parameters, you can select what kinds of balance data will display in the report - posted, unposted,or both. Also, in each column, you can override the report parameter. Therefore, you can create separate columnsto view posted and unposted balances side-by-side.

In the report parameters (Reports > Detail > Parameters), a new PostedStatus field was added. There arethree options available in the drop-down list:

• Posted - Only posted items are included in the balances.

• Unposted - Only unposted items are included in the balances.

• Both - Both posted and unposted items are included in the balances.

Note The option you select in the report parameters applies to the whole report, unless you override thesetting in a specific column.

10.0.70010


In each column definition (Column Sets > Column Definitions > List or Detail), use the new Posted Statusfield to override the report parameter just for that column. The options are the same as for the report parameters,with an additional <Default> option, which means the column uses the option selected in the report parameters.

Expression for All Companies

You can now select all company/book combinations in the report parameters Book field, using the * (asterisk)as a wildcard.

On the Reports > Detail > Parameters sheet, in the Book field, enter * to denote all company/book combinations.

You can also limit the expression to a specific book within all applicable companies, with the expression *.BookID(where BookID is the book you require).

In addition, if you enter only the company ID, you set the expression to include all books within that company,for example, Epic06.

Click ... (ellipsis) to launch the Expression Builder. Here you can select <All Companies>, individual companies,or a particular chart of accounts (COA). If you select a COA under a particular company, all company/bookcombinations which use that COA within the company are included. Select a book ID under the <ANY COA>node to include all company/book combinations that use the selected book.

Period and Book Filters for Rows

You can now filter individual rows by GL book and/or Period From/To. This works in a similar way to the filtersthat already exist for columns.

On the Row Sets > Detail > Row Definitions > Detail (or List) sheet, you can enter filter values for a specificrow in the new Book, Period From and Period To fields. The same functionality already exists for columns.

To filter by book, simply enter or select the required Company.Book string.

To filter by period, enter the required date or period expression in the Period From and Period To fields. You canalso use the Expression Builder to assist you.

These row filters override the report-level Book, From and To parameters (set on the Reports > Detail > Parameterssheet).

Important If period filters are specified for both rows and columns, the results are intersected. For example:

• Row.From = Period (2013,1) and Row.To = Period (2013,12)

• Column.From = Period (2013,4) and Column.To = Period (2014,4)

The effective filter for the cell is: Period From (2013,4) - Period To (2013,12).

Note The Book row filter does not pass to drill down reports in the current release.

Handling of Hide Rows with Zero Value Setting

The Hide Rows with Zero Value setting, on the Reports > Detail > Options sheet, was adjusted to insure rowswith an empty Expression field are not hidden by this setting.

This enhancement is especially useful if you like to create titles or sections using rows with empty expressions.Now such rows will remain visible even if the Hide Rows with Zero Value check box is selected.

1110.0.700


Override Numeric Format in Columns

You can now override the numeric format for individual columns. This works in a similar way to the existingfunctionality for rows.

To set formats for a particular column, navigate to the Column Sets > Column Definitions > Detail and selectthe Override row numeric format check box, then set the Numeric Format fields as required. As with row sets,you can override the following:

• Decimal Places

• Thousand separator symbol

• Negative number wrap symbol

• Show zero as

• Currency symbol

Important As the check box suggests, column override settings take precedence over row override settings,which in turn take precedence over the report parameters.

Apply Separate Style for Column Headers

You can now set the style for column headers, independent of the style for the column data.

On the Column Sets > Column Definitions > List sheet, click in the Header field, then set the required stylesfor the header - font size, face, color, background, alignment, and so on. To set different formatting for thecolumn data, click in another field in the column, for example Expression, then set the required style.

To set the same formatting for both the column header and data, select the entire column in the tree view (orclick the arrow to the left of the column in the List sheet), then set the style.

Note Column style overrides row style settings.

Account and Expression Fields in Reporting Trees

Two new fields were added to the Reporting Trees > Nodes sheets: Account and Expression. These fields replacethe Group By field in previous service packs. You can now enter account filters and/or logical expressions withina single reporting tree node.

On the Reporting Trees > Nodes > Detail ( and List) sheet, use the Account field to enter an expression tofilter by GL account, account category, or dictionary definition. This aspect is similar to expressions in AccountSum and Account List row sets. Click the ellipsis button (...) to launch the Expression Builder if needed.

Use the Expression field to enter a filter based on a logical expression based on database fields. For example,you can create a filter for a particular company or fiscal period. Enclose the value part of the expression in invertedcommas (" ").

Example

• Company ="EPIC03"

• FiscalPeriod = "11"

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Catch-All in Reporting Tree Wizard

A Catch-All check box was added in the Reporting Tree Wizard. Select the check box to create an extra nodeon a reporting tree level. This node will display data for all segments which did not exist when the reporting treewas created.

This option is important for levels with dynamic segments, especially if they are linked to ERP entities.

Inline Drill Down Reports

You can now create inline drill down reports, so the parent report and its drill down load together and can beviewed in the same report window.

When you select a drill down report on the Row Sets > Detail > Drill Down sheet in the Report Designer, thereis a new check box Display as inline subreport. If you select this check box, when you upload an RDL file forthe report, the child report is also uploaded.

When you display such a report in a web browser, or as a preview (or in the Report Viewer), each row in theparent report can be expanded (+/-) to display the relevant child report details.

Note There is no obligation to update existing reports which have separate drill-down reports. The inlinemethod is optional. Whilst convenient, bear in mind that all connected reports load at the same time, sothe overall load time will be slightly longer.

If you change this setting for existing reports, the RDL files are updated automatically.

Note In this release, if you use inline drill down reports, it is not possible to use a different drill down forindividual rows (via Row Sets > Detail > Row Definitions > Detail > Drill Down). If you have such requirements,stick to the non-inline drill down method. Also, column filters in the parent report do not pass to an inlinedrill down report.

RDL Merge Tool

When you make certain changes to a report structure in the Report Designer, which would require an update tothe RDL file in MS Visual Studio, you can now update the RDL file within the Report Designer, using the Mergetool.

This functionality applies especially to changes in the report definition's building blocks, for example:

• Adding / removing a column

• Adding / removing a header or footer row

The Merge on Save field, on the Reports > Detail > RDLs sheet, determines how the system synchronizeschanges to the report definitions with the associated RDL file(s).

Select Automatic from the drop down list to update the RDL according to default behaviors when you clickSave.

If you select the Manual option, when you save the RDL file the Merge window displays, which enables you toselect which aspects of the RDL file to overwrite or keep, with details of the Existing RDL value and the ResultRDL value that will overwrite it.

1310.0.700


View Reports in Web Browser

The AFR Report Server, part of the AFR installation pack, creates a web service, which enables users to viewAFR reports in a web browser.

You connect to the web service via the AFR Report Server option in the Windows Start menu. This launches yourdefault web browser, and displays the SSRS Home page. From there, you can access and view your AFR reports.

Internet Information Services (IIS) is required to use this functionality.

The AFR Report Server removes the need to view reports in the AFR Report Viewer. Therefore, the AFR ReportViewer is not installed by default, though you can still install it if required.

When you select a report RDL in the Report Designer and click View Report, the report launches in your defaultweb browser.

Note If it is installed, the AFR Report Viewer is used instead.

Select Styles

You can now select from various style themes in Report Designer, Replication Monitor, and Data Security.

From the Tools menu, select Load Style Theme. By default, the AFR folder displays, with several themes alreadyavailable for selection. The default theme is Inspired.isl, which is also the default for Epicor 10.

Page Size and Orientation

On the Reports > Detail > Options sheet, you can now set page orientation and paper size for your report.

In the Page Size section, select either Portrait or Landscape (the default is portrait).

In the Paper Size field, select from a number of standard page sizes. Alternatively, manually enter the page size(in inches) in the Width and Height fields.

Adjust Column Width

Use the new Reports > Detail > Body sheet to view and adjust column widths for the selected report.

The Body sheet displays the current width for all columns in the selected report. Drag column dividers to changecolumn widths. A dotted line on the right of the page shows the current page width limits. If you make theoverall column widths wider than the page width, when you click Save a warning displays, with the option tokeep the changes, reduce the column size to fit the page, or return to the Report Designer.

If the total width of the columns is higher or lower than the page width, select Fit Columns from the Actionsmenu to automatically change the columns to fit the page width exactly.

Adjust Header/Footer Width

On the Reports > Detail > Header Footer sheet, you can now adjust the width of header and footer columns.

Drag column dividers in report headers or footers to adjust their width. A dotted line on the right of the pageshows the current page width limits. If you make the overall header or footer wider than the page width, whenyou click Save a warning displays, with the option to keep the changes, reduce the width to fit the page, orreturn to the Report Designer.

If the total width of the header or footer is higher or lower than the page width, select Fit Header and Footerfrom the Actions menu to automatically change the width to fit the page width exactly.

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Batch Report Export

You can now set up schedules and subscriptions in MS SSRS to run AFR reports unattended, and export themto a folder in a selected format.

This feature makes use of the Report Server Delivery extension in SSRS.

Note To use this feature, you must have an AFR license which is enabled for Report Scheduling. See thelatest AFR Install Guide for details on how to request such a license.

In simple terms, the following steps are required.

1. Your AFR license must include the Report Scheduling capability.

2. Within SSRS, set up suitable Windows credentials on the Properties sheet of the relevant AFR data source.

3. In SSRS Site Settings, create a schedule to use in the subscription

4. In SSRS, in the required report(s), create a subscription for each report, to determine the output type (forexample, PDF), the save location (write access required), access credentials, and the schedule to use.

Important You must also fill in the AFRLogonServerUri field. You can see the AFR Logon Serveraddress in the Report Designer window, on the status bar at the bottom. For example:tcp://serverA:12345/.

Query User-Defined Tables in Reports

A new property was added to the Row Sets > User Properties function. The Query property enables users to querydata from non-AFR tables in the ERP database, using standard SQL query syntax.

On the Row Sets > Detail > User Properties sheet, you can now create a user property called Query. Onceyou select a query in the Name field, and enter an Alias, click the ... (ellipsis) button in the Default field tolaunch the Query Builder.

In the Query Builder, you can enter details for the SELECT, FROM, and WHERE sections of your SQL query.

• In the SELECT field, specify the fields to retrieve from the table.

• In the FROM field, right-click to select from a list of all non-AFR tables found in the Preview AFR financialdatabase.

• In the WHERE field, you can right-click to select from report parameters, for example Company ID, Row orCell values, to include in the WHERE expression.

Example SELECT Name FROM MiscTable WHERE AccountField = {Row.Account}

Once you complete the details, click Check to verify the validity of the query, then click OK to accept the query.This populates the Default field with the query (read-only).

Important Non-AFR tables are not part of the standard replication tasks set up with the AFR ReplicationMonitor. Therefore, to replicate other tables from your ERP financial database, use SQL Management Studioto create a new table within the AFR financial database, and set up a replication task to replicate therequired tables from your ERP database to your AFR financial database.

1510.0.700


Select Segments for Group By

In Account List rows, you can now select which GL account segments to group by in the Settings field.

When you create an Account List row type, click the ... (ellipsis) button in the Settings field to launch the Groupby the following window. Here you can select which GL account segments to include in the group by expression.The default value is All. In previous AFR service packs, only Natural Segment (segment 1) was available to limitthe group by expression.

Once you select the segments you want to include, click OK to populate the Settings field. The format for theexpression is * (asterisk) for included segments, and - (dash) as the separator symbol. The expression is read-only.

Example If you include segments 1, 2 and 3 only, the expression is *-*-*------------- .

Version 9.05.702c

The following topics describe the Epicor Financial Report Designer functionality released with the 9.05.702cservice pack.

Specify Location for Snapshot Scripts

In the AFR Replication Wizard, when you create replication tasks, you can now specify the location to storesnapshot scripts.

By default, the snapshot scripts folder is located on the publisher (Epicor ERP) server. However, you can specifyan alternative location on a different server. Change this location in the AFR Replication Wizard - Miscellaneouswindow (where you also set the Replication Task Name Prefix). In the Select path for shared folder field, specifythe snapshot scripts location, or click the ... (ellipsis) button to search for a location.

Access Reports on Multiple SSRS Servers

You can now link to multiple SSRS servers, while using just one AFR Logon Server. You can also specify the fullReport Manager URL.

In the AFR Logon Server config file (Epicor.FinancialReporter.LogonServer.WinService.exe.config, located in theLogon Server folder), locate the <ReportViewer> element. In the <WebServiceUrl> element, enter additional SSRSserver URLs after the existing URL. Each URL must be on a separate line.

In the <ReportManagerUrl> element, you can specify the full URL. This can be, for example, an HTML file whichcontains links to each of the SSRS servers.

In addition, you can specify a particular SSRS server, or individual report, in the command line for the ReportViewer. Simply right-click on the Report Viewer icon on the desktop or Start menu, select Properties, thenappend the full URL for the server or report at the end of the Start in string.

If you make changes to the AFR Logon Server config file, you must restart the Epicor AFR Logon Server service.

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Version 9.05.702

The following topics describe the Epicor Financial Report Designer functionality released with the 9.05.702 servicepack.

Additional Row Set Wizards

Two new wizards were added, which enable users to create row sets based on account categories or on segmentvalues.

Access the Row Set Wizard from the Tools > Wizards menu. This launches the Welcome window, where youselect the Chart of Accounts, and select which version of the wizard to use. All three versions work in a similarway, with several windows where you specify settings.

Account Categories

In the Welcome window, select Build Row Definitions using Account Categories Hierarchy.

In the second window, Build Row Definitions using Account Categories Hierarchy, select which type ofaccount categories to include in the row set:

• For all Categories

• Only for Balance Sheet Categories

• Only for Income Statement Categories

You can limit the number of sub-levels of categories to include, using the Restrict depth by field.

You can determine which type of rows are created in the row set: No Details (Account Sum rows); Summarizedby Natural Account (Account List rows which display only natural segments); Full Details (Account List rows).

In the third window, Row Definitions Formatting, specify how different levels of the row set will display. Thereare four row types: Header, Summary, Details, and Footer. You can determine whether to show Title Only,Title and Totals, or to Hide particular header or footer rows.

On the fourth and final window, Create Row Set, name and generate the row set.

As with the other versions of the Row Set Wizard, three user properties are created: LineType, Level, andReverseSign.

Segment Values

The Row Set Wizard based on segment values works in a similar way to the wizard for account categories. SelectBuild Row Definitions using Segment Values in the Welcome window.

Instead of selecting categories in the second window, you select the segments on which to base the row set, forexample Chart, Department. You can also set an Effective Length for each segment. For example, if a segment'smaximum length is 4, and you set an effective length of 2, separate rows are created only where the first twocharacters of the segment differ.

Also, the Catch-All check box enables the capture of all segments not available at the time of generation. Thisis important for dynamic segments, especially if they are linked to ERP entities.

As with the wizard for account categories, you can filter which accounts are used: All Accounts, Balance SheetAccounts, or Income Statement Accounts.

Subsequent steps in the creation process are similar to those for the account categories version.

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ODBC Driver for Microsoft Excel

The new ODBC Driver for Excel enables users to generate a Microsoft® Excel® file for a report in the ReportDesigner, which contains a predefined connection to the AFR data sources.

This driver enables end users to work with AFR reports in Excel, to view and adjust financial data in the reports,and to customize the report using Excel functionality. This is significant for countries where reports must followstrict presentation templates, for example, displaying a column set in two parts side-by-side.

To generate an Excel file with a predefined connection to the data source, open a report in the Report Designer,then click Actions > Generate Excel file.

The generated file has two sheets:

• Report Parameters - Displays the report parameters in the same way as the Report Designer. You can changethe parameters and click Refresh All (on the Data tab) to display updated report data.

• Report - Displays the report data. The data update after you change the parameters and refresh.

To make the most of this tool, you can link fields on the Report sheet to an existing Excel report template, whichis formatted to your reporting requirements. Simply copy the report template sheet to the Excel worksheet yougenerated. Then copy cells from the Report sheet to the required location on the template sheet. When youchange the report parameters and click Refresh All, the updated data displays on the template sheet as well.

Note To use this functionality, the Epicor AFR ODBC Driver must be installed. For details, refer to theAFR Installation Guide.

Column Expression Assistant

The Column Expression Assistant is a powerful tool which simplifies the creation of columns and column definitions.Users can set basic column options, such as accounting metrics, column header text, and fiscal period rangesand fiscal years.

Launch the assistant from an existing column set. There are three versions, all accessed from the Actions menuwhen a column set is selected in the Report Designer.

All versions of the Column Expression Assistant use three key concepts, which refer to aspects of the columnsetup:

• Reporting Indicator - Consists of several predefined accounting metrics, for example OpeningBalance,DebitAmount.

• Fiscal Period Range - Consists of selection of the period range itself (within a fiscal year), for exampleFrom/To Period. The period range can include Rolling Periods ranges, which enable creation of multiplecolumns, each to cover a period in the range. Use the Split By field to group these periods, for example byfiscal quarter. Use the Progressive Total functionality to display cumulative totals in rolling period columns.

• Fiscal Years - Consists of selection of the fiscal year (relative to the Reporting Year, which is determined bythe report parameters). This works on the Offset principle, where 0 is the Reporting Year, previous yearshave a negative value, and future years have a positive value. Use the Compare options to compare otherfiscal years with the Reporting Year.

The three version of the Column Expression Assistant are:

• Generate Multiple-User Defined Columns - The user manually selects the required Report Indicators, FiscalPeriod Range, and Fiscal Year(s), with appropriate parameters and options. The Column Expression Assistantgenerates columns with the selected properties.

• Generate Predefined Groups of Columns - The user selects the required predefined group(s) of columns,for example the period ranges required, and the comparisons required. The Column Expression Assistantgenerates the required columns.

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• Single Column Update - Select the required details for a single column. This can be used to replace anexisting column, or add a new one.

Note If you select Start Column Expression Assistant for new columns on the Settings > Generaltab in the Report Designer, the Single Column Update window launches whenever you create a newcolumn in a column set.

The assistants for multiple columns also have a Review option, which enables you to view, edit, rearrange ordelete particular columns. From the Review window, you can also launch a different version of the assistant, toadd additional columns.

The number of columns created depends on the reporting indicators selected, the number of different fiscal yearsincluded, and the complexity of the fiscal period range.

Note The Column Expression Assistant is also accessed from within the Column Set Wizard, anotherfunctionality new in version 9.05.702.

Column Set Wizard

Use the Column Set Wizard to generate column sets, including column definitions complete with columnheaders and period ranges, in a few simple steps. You can also determine the columns that are created, basedon the type of report you want to make.

Within the wizard process, you can also access the Column Expression Assistant, a powerful new tool whichenables you to create multiple columns with header and period expressions.

Access the Column Set Wizard from the Tools > Wizards menu.

You can specify which identification columns to include in the column set, then select which kind of report forwhich the column set is to be used, for example, Balance Sheet, Trial Balance.

At this point, you can generate the column set. This creates columns with the Expression and Header fieldspopulated.

Alternatively, to create more columns in the set, select Activate Column Expression Assistant to review andadjust columns. When you proceed, the Review Generated Columns window launches. From here, you canedit, rearrange, or delete columns. More importantly, you can launch any of the three Column ExpressionAssistants, which enable you to add alternative accounting metrics, fiscal periods, and fiscal years. See the ColumnExpression Assistant topic above for further details.

As with all wizards in AFR, in the final window, Create Column Set, name and generate the column set.

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Version 9.05.701


Upgrade Support for Previous Versions

To upgrade to the latest AFR version, it is no longer necessary to export reports before upgrading, then importthem into the new version. After upgrade, when you launch the Report Designer, you can now select a databasefrom a previous version, rename it, and convert it to the latest AFR version.

When you launch the Report Designer after upgrade to AFR version 9.05.701, on the Log on to Report DefinitionDB window there is a new Show previous versions check box.

If you select this check box, you can select a previous database from the Database drop down list. When youselect such a database, and click OK, the Upgrade the report definition database window displays. Enter aname for the database in the New Database Name field. Click Yes to create the new database, or No to cancel.

Note The new database must have a unique name. The old database is retained; it is not overwritten ordeleted.

RDL Advanced Presentation Options

Advanced Presentation Options have been added to the report parameters, which enable the use of drop downlists for all the report parameters in the Epicor AFR Viewer at runtime.

On the Reports > Detail > Parameters sheet, there are two presentation options: Standard and Advanced.

With the Standard option, each report parameter (except Reporting Tree Node) is presented as a simple text-boxin the Epicor AFR Viewer, in which you can manually type the required values. This is the functionality found inall previous AFR versions.

The Advanced presentation style enables you to decide what kind of drop-down list, check box, or calendarpop-up is available for each parameter, as well as what currency conversion options are available, according tothe particular report requirements. For example, you can determine whether the report's book selection ismulti-book, or restricted to just one book. Similarly, you can decide whether to have drop-down lists to selectthe fiscal year and period, or a calendar pop-up to select specific dates. You can also specify how currencyconversion is executed for the report. Set all these options in the Advanced Presentation Options section.

In the Book Selection Type field, specify whether users can select a single book or company, or multiple booksor companies, from a drop down list. In the Period/Date range selection type field, specify what period ordate options will be available on the report.

Select the Use Fiscal Year combo-box and Use Fiscal Period Number combo-box check boxes to enableselection of values from drop down lists at report runtime, instead of requiring manual entry.

For more details of the options available for selection, refer to the Reports > Parameters topic in the ApplicationHelp.

Once you have generated an RDL file, you can change the presentation options on the Reports > Detail > RDLssheet, then save the changes. You do not have to regenerate the RDL file after making such changes.

When you select Generate RDL File from the Actions menu, the RDL Generator window displays. There is anew RDL Parameters sheet in this window, where you can change the presentation options for the particularRDL generation, without changing the default options on the Reports > Detail > Parameters sheet.

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Advanced Currency Conversion

Multi-currency support has been significantly expanded. The Advanced Currency Conversion Definition option- part of the new Advanced Presentation Options - enables the use of actual currency master and exchange ratedata replicated from an Epicor ERP application database.

In addition, you can separately set each report column to display in a different currency, which greatly improvesthe options for side-by-side multi-currency reports.

The multi-currency logic now uses an additional parameter in all currency conversions: the CrossRateCurrencyvalue. Conversion works according to the following logic: The source book currency is converted to the cross-ratecurrency, which is then converted to the specified report or column currency.

There are two methods of using multiple currencies in your reports: Simple Currency Conversion Definitionand Advanced Currency Conversion Definition.

On the Report > Detail > Parameters sheet, in the Advanced Presentation Options section, select a methodin the Currency Conversion Definition field.

Simple Currency Conversion Definition

Recommended when currency and exchange rate data is not replicated from your ERP system. This methodrequires manual entry of the report currency, cross-rate currency, and exchange rate values.

This method is essentially similar to the multi-currency functionality introduced in AFR version 9.05.607a. Thereport currency is still specified in the Currency field, but you must also specify the cross rate currency.

On the Column Definitions sheet, the new Currency field replaces the Convert to Report Currency check box.From the drop down list, select Report Currency to display the column in the report currency at runtime. Youmust also specify a GL book in the Book field.

Advanced Currency Conversion Definition

Recommended when currency and exchange rate data is replicated from your ERP system, for example, Epicor9.05. This method enables selection of various currency-related values via drop down lists at report runtime.

You can specify the report currency and cross rate currency at report runtime. Apart from the currency itself, thefollowing data is also available for selection via drop down list at report runtime:

• Rate Type - Corresponds to the Rate Type in Epicor 9.05, and specifies the conversion methods for currencypairs. Epicor 9.05 allows for more than one rate type, therefore this option is also available for AdvancedCurrency Conversion.

• Rate Calculation Type - Two options are available. Select Spot Rate to use the exchange rate based on theRate Date parameter. Alternatively, select Period Average to apply an exchange rate based on a weightedaverage for the specified report period or date range.

• Rate Date - Enables you to select a date from a calendar pop-up. The exchange rate from this date is usedfor the Spot Rate calculation.

On the Column Definitions sheet, in the Currency field, select a currency in which to display the column atruntime. By default, this field is blank, which means no conversion is made in the column. If you specify a currency,you must also specify a GL book in the Book field.

When you launch the report in Epicor AFR Viewer, the currency parameters can be selected from drop down listsor entered manually. This makes multi-currency support far more flexible and versatile.

Note Advanced Currency Conversion Definition can only be used for data replicated from Epicor ERP. Fordetails on how to set up replication to include the required currency fields, refer to the AFR 9.05.701 InstallGuide.

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Row Grouping

A new row grouping functionality was added which enables users to group data in rows by each unique valueof a financial database field.

To set up a group, use the new Group Start and Group End row types to enclose required data rows in thegroup. In the Group Start row's Expression field, specify the database field by which you want to group data.You can also specify whether you want the grouping to be in ascending or descending order.

The following financial database fields can be used for row grouping:

• Company

• BookID

• FiscalYear

• FiscalPeriod

• SegValue1 to SegValue16

• JEDate (only usable if you use FromDate and ToDate in Report Parameters)

Data from Account List or Account Sum rows included in a row group is filtered and grouped according to thefield(s) specified in the Group Start row expression.

Example You want data on your report to be grouped by fiscal period, in ascending order. In the GroupStart row Expression field, enter FiscalPeriod ASC. To display groups in descending order, use the keywordDESC.

You can place groups within other groups. Both the Group Start and Group End rows of a child group must beinside the parent group's Group Start and Group End rows.

In the Description field of data rows, right-click to select the database field value(s) specified in the Group Startexpression. This enables users to identify which value is represented in each row.

To separate each grouping in the report, enter a formatting row before the Group End row.

If a Row Sum row is included in a group, or a Row Sum expression references a row found in a group, the resultis calculated according to a specific algorithm, and is dependant on the relative positions of the Row Sum elementand the group(s).

• If the Row Sum element contains a link to a row in the same group, the value used by the Row Sum elementis equal to the value for the linked row in the group.

• If the Row Sum element contains a link to a row in a child sub-group, the value used by the Row Sum elementis equal to the value for the linked row in the child sub-group.

• If the Row Sum element contains a link to a row in a parent group, the value used by the Row Sum elementis equal to the value for the linked row in the parent group.

• If the Row Sum element contains a link to a row outside a group, the value used by the Row Sum element isequal to the value for the linked row.

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Row Set Wizard

A Row Set Wizard was added which enables users to create a row set based on a chart of accounts (COA),using sections.

To create a row set with the wizard, select Wizards > Row Set Wizard from the Tools menu.

The process consists of five main stages:

1. Select Chart of Accounts

2. Define Partitions and Sections

3. Fill Sections

4. Define Formatting

5. Name and Create Row Set

In the Select Chart Of Accounts field, select the COA you want to use to create the row set.

Click Next to move on to the Report Sections Definition window. In the Specify Partitions grid, create newpartitions. These represent the high-level headings in the row set. Select the Reverse Sign check box if the signshould be reversed for all accounts under the partition.

In the Specify Sections grid, enter details of sections which come under each partition. Sections representspecific headings in the row set. Each section has a sequential number, with a prefix of the partition number towhich the section belongs, for example, 2.4. You must select the appropriate partition in the Specify Partitionsgrid, in order to create each section.

Alternatively, you can load hard-coded partitions and sections based on typical balance sheet or income statementreport structures. When you click Load Balance Sheet Sections (default) or Load Income Statement Sections(default), the partitions and sections automatically load into the grids. For details, refer to the Default Sectionstopic in the Application Help.

Click Next to move on to the Report Sections Filling window. Specify which natural accounts belong in eachsection. The Balance Sheet Accounts or Income Statement Accounts check boxes enable you to filter theavailable natural accounts by their type. To assign accounts to a section, you must first select a value in thePartition and Section fields.

The Specify if details for each account to be included in Report field determines which row type is createdfor all the rows. There are three available options:

• No details - Creates Account Sum rows in the row set.

• Summarized by Natural Account - Creates Account List rows with NS (Display only natural segments)selected in the Row Definitions > Settings field.

• Full Details - Creates normal Account List rows.

Click Next to move on to the Row Definitions Formatting window. Specify how the different levels of therow set will display. For formatting purposes, there are three levels:

1. Partition (Header and Footer)

2. Section (Header and Footer)

3. Summary or Details - Represents the data rows in the row set, of either Account Sum or Account List type.

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In the Exposition field, specify how the partition or section header or footer will display in the row set. You havethe option to display only the description (Title Only), the description and the sum total (Title and Totals), orfor the row not to display at all (Hide).

Click Next to move on to the Create Row Set window, where you specify a name for the row set. Click Finish.

Reporting Tree Wizard

A Reporting Tree Wizard was added which enables users to create a reporting tree based on a chart of accounts.This greatly reduces the time taken to create reporting trees, especially those with a large number of nodes andlevels.

To create a reporting tree with the wizard, select Wizards > Reporting Tree Wizard from the Tools menu, Onthe Tree Constructor screen, select the chart of accounts (COA) from which you want to create the reportingtree.

Create at least one level in the grid. Levels correspond to node levels in the reporting tree. Specify an accountingsegment in the Source Segment field for each level, for example, Department. The Max Length field displaysthe maximum number of characters for the selected segment. By default, the Effective Length field displaysthe same as the Max Value field. If you reduce the Effective Length value, the resulting node expression uses theasterisk (*) wildcard to the right of the digits. For example, 13*.

In the Node Name Template field, specify a format for naming each node in the reporting tree. Right-click toselect from several keywords. The default is [SegmentName]:[XXXX]/[AccountMask].

Note Each node must have a unique name. If the template you enter does not enable this, an error messagedisplays when you create the reporting tree.

Click Next to move to the Create Reporting Tree screen. In the Reporting Tree Name field, enter a name forthe reporting tree, then click Finish.

The new reporting tree displays in AFR Report Designer. Click Save.

Date and Period Formatting

A new functionality was added which report designers to specify how dates and fiscal periods display on reports.This includes the ability to set default formats for an entire report definition database, for a particular report, orfor particular column headers, rows, or header/footers.

To set default display formats for a report definition database, select Settings from the Tools menu, then navigateto the Default Formats sheet.

In the Date Format field, use the right-click menu to select from a variety of standard or custom date formats.The Sample field displays an example of the selected format, or the system default if the Date Format field isleft blank.

In the Fiscal Period Format field, enter a default display format.

To set default formats for a particular report, navigate to the Reports > Detail > Options sheet, where you canspecify formats in the Date Format and Fiscal Period Format fields.

To set the format in a particular field, such as a column header, right-click in the field, select the required dateor period keyword, for example, @FromDate, and select the desired format from the menu.

The formatting of dates and periods follows this hierarchy:

1. Format specified in a particular row, column header, or header/footer expression.

2. Format defined on report definition level (Reports > Detail > Options).

3. Format specified on report definition database level (Tools > Settings > Default Formats).

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4. For dates: Formatting specified in the Short date field in Region and Language settings in Windows®

Control Panel.•

• For fiscal periods: YYYY[-S]/PP format string. For example, 2012/07.

For details of available date and period formats, refer to the application help.

Select and Edit Multiple Rows or Columns

You can now select multiple rows, columns, header/footer lines, or RDL files at once. This enhancement alsoenables you to copy, paste, delete, and apply styles to multiple rows.

In the AFR Report Designer, in Row Definitions, Column Definitions, RDLs, Security, and Header/Footersheets, hold SHIFT to select a range of lines, or CTRL to select discrete lines.

Where styling is applicable, for example in row sets, you can apply styles to all the selected lines.

To delete multiple selected lines, click Delete. A confirmation window displays, to protect against accidentaldeletion.

Note If you switch to the Row Definitions > Detail sheet, then click Delete, only the single displayedrow is deleted, even if you have selected multiple rows in the Row Definitions > List sheet.

To copy and paste rows, select the required rows, and select Copy from the Edit menu. Select the row underwhich you wish to paste the additional rows, and select Paste from the Edit menu. The new rows keep theformatting of the copied rows, and are re-numbered appropriately.

If you want to paste new rows between existing rows, there must be enough unused row numbers between theexisting rows to accommodate the new rows.

Example You copy ten rows, and try to paste them between rows 25 and 30. An error message displays.Consider renumbering existing rows first, using the new Renumber Rows function.

Renumber Rows

A new option was added to the Actions menu which allows you to renumber the rows in an existing row set,according to an increment value you specify.

To renumber rows, select Renumber Rows from the Actions menu. This option is only available if a sheet underRow Sets is in view, or a row set is selected in the tree view.

In the Renumber using increment field, enter the value by which each row number will be incremented. Thedefault value is 10.

Select Adjust references for loaded associated Column Sets to apply the row number changes in columnset expressions which reference the row set.

Note The column sets must be open in the AFR Report Designer for changes to be applied.

Pre-Defined Report Templates

A new set of pre-defined Report Templates was created which you can download from EpicWeb for use withAdvanced Financial Reporting version 9.05.701.

The report templates are in .xml format. Once you have downloaded and saved the package, import the filesthrough the File > Import > Exported AFR reports option.

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The reports included in the download package are:

• Standard Balance Sheet Summary Report

• Detailed Balance Sheet Report

• Standard Income Statement Report Summary with Detailed breakdown and General Ledger Journal Detail

• General Ledger Journal Detail Report

• General Ledger Trial Balance Report

• Multi-Company/Multi-Book Income Statement Report Summary with Detailed breakdown and General LedgerJournal Detail

The reports include standard account numbers, based on the Epicor 9.05 demo database. Once you have importedthe reports, you can adjust certain parameters and settings to fit your business needs. These reports come providedwith Epicor-built RDL files included, which are formatted in Landscape mode and specifically designed so minimaleffort is required in formatting or designing these types of financial report.

Instructions on how to modify the reports to match your business accounting structure are embedded within theReport’s Description. Additional Report Templates will be released with each future AFR release.

Version 9.05.607a

The following topics describe the Epicor Financial Report Designer functionality released with the 9.05.607aservice pack.

AFR Financial Data Security Manager

A new program was added to the AFR suite: AFR Financial Data Security. This enables you to restrict access toparticular financial data in reports to certain users and user groups. You can do this at the database, company,book, and account level.

This standalone program, which installs automatically with the latest AFR service pack, uses three key elementsto set up restricted portions of financial data, and assign permissions to particular users or groups:

• Account Sets - A portion of financial data, made up of one or more general ledger (GL) account maskexpressions, such as account ranges, account masks, account categories, and so on. Set up account sets foreach particular chart of accounts (COA). The pre-defined account set, <ALL ACCOUNTS> represents accessto all accounts in the particular COA. Set up account sets on the COAs > Detail and List sheets.

• Account Masks - Expressions created for a particular account set, such as account ranges, account masks,account categories, and so on. Use the Expression Builder to create more complex account masks. Thesyntax used is the same as that in the Expression Builder in the AFR Report Designer. Set up account maskson the COAs > Detail sheet.

• Users or Groups - Users are identified by their Windows® user login, which can belong to several user groups.Grant permissions to users or user groups. Assign users to account sets on the Books sheet, in the particularbook.

To activate the data security settings set up in this program, you must select the Activate AFR Financial DataSecurity check box.

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Multi-Currency

Multi-currency functionality was added which allows users to set a report currency for displaying reports, andthe ability to convert data from books with different currencies into the report currency.

Two new fields were added to the Report > Detail > Parameters sheet:

• Currency - You can select the report currency from the drop down list or enter a value manually. The list ofavailable currency codes is made up of the currency codes from all books available in the AFR financial database.

• CurrencyConversions - Manually enter currency exchange rates in this field. Each unique currency assignedto any selected books is displayed in the format <CurrencyCode>/0.00. You must specify an exchange ratevalue that is not zero (0.00). You can use either the * (multiply) or the / (divide) operator. The report currencyexchange rate displays as <CurrencyCode>*1.00.

These two fields were also added to the AFR Report Viewer, so you can select currencies and alter exchange ratesat runtime.

A new check box was added to the Column Sets > Column Definitions > Detail and List sheets.

• Convert to Report Currency - Select this check box to convert the financial data in a column to the reportcurrency. For example, use this functionality when you specify in the column a book with a currency differentfrom the report currency.

Report Security

The existing security settings for editing reports now include separate security settings for editing each elementassigned to a report, namely row sets, column sets, reporting trees, and dictionaries.

In the AFR Report Designer, a Security tab displays under the sheet for each report element, namely Row Sets,Column Sets, Reporting Trees, and Dictionaries.

The security settings work according to the logic in the following example:

• There is a report, Report1.

• RowSet1 and ColumnSet1 are assigned to Report1.

• Users JSmith and HSanchez have Edit and View rights to Report1.

• Only user JSmith has Edit rights to RowSet1.

• Users HSanchez and KChu have Edit rights to ColumnSet1.

Based on the above settings, the behavior is as follows:

• User JSmith can add other column sets to Report1, and can remove Columnset1 from Report1. They cannotedit ColumnSet1.

• User HSanchez can assign a different row set to Report1, but cannot edit RowSet1 .

• User KChu can edit ColumnSet1. They cannot edit Report1, cannot add/change row sets/column sets inReport1, and cannot edit RowSet1.

When you create a new element or report, the username of the Default Edit Access Role (set up in the Settings> General window) and the currently logged in user are assigned Edit rights in the Security tab for the element.

To assign edit rights to additional users or user groups within a report or element, select New XXX Edit Accessfrom the New menu (where XXX is Report, Row Set, Column Set, Reporting Tree or Dictionary).

An element cannot be edited or deleted if the user does not have Edit rights for that element. This includesadding, editing, or deleting Edit rights to the element itself.

This expansion does not affect View rights, which remain at the report level only.

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Each element must have at least one Edit permission. Otherwise, the element cannot be saved.

Import from FRx Database

The import functionality was extended to allow you to import and convert reports and dimensions from Microsoft® FRx ® for use in Advanced Financial Reporting.

To import reports and report dimensions, in the AFR Report Designer, select Import > FRx DB... from the Filemenu, then select the FRx report definition database to open.

Select the reports and report dimensions you want to import and convert for use in AFR.

After conversion, the report and/or dimensions are available in the AFR Report Designer.

View the log file which is created to determine items which require attention before an AFR report can be created.

Specify Row Number Increment

You can now specify the sequence gap between new row sets when defining settings for your report. This isbeneficial to allow for a larger number than the default of 10 to avoid resequencing in the future when creatinglarge reports.

A new field has been added to the General Settings sheet. From the New row number increment in a rowset field, enter the number of rows you would like in-between row sets.

Include RDLs in Export/Import

It is now possible to include RDL files in the Export and Import functionalities in AFR Report Designer.

When exporting reports, select the Include RDLs check box on the Export Reports window to include RDL filesin the XML file you export and save.

When importing reports, select the Include RDLs check on the Import window to include RDL files in the import.

Report Description in Header/Footer

The ReportDescription value was added to the values available for selection in report header and footer fields.

On the Reports > Detail > Header Footer sheet, right-click to access the context menu which contains valuesfor selection in the header or footer cell.

The ReportDescription value displays the contents of the Description field on the Reports > Detail > Generalsheet.

Version 9.05.607


Import from Management Reporter Database

An import functionality was added to allow users to import and convert reports and dimensions from a MicrosoftManagement Reporter database, for use in Advanced Financial Reporting.

To import reports and report dimensions, select Import > Management Reporter DB... from the File menu.

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Select the reports and report dimensions you want to import and convert for use in AFR.

View the log file which is created to determine items which require attention before an AFR report can be created.

Version 9.05.606


Display Only Natural Segments

A Settings field was added to the Row Set > Row Definitions > Detail and List sheets to allow users to displayonly the natural account segment on rows in the report.

To display only natural segments, in the Settings field, enter NS. Alternatively, click on the ... (ellipsis) buttonand select the Display only natural segments check box.

Note This option is only available in rows with the Account List row type.

Format Date in Header/Footer

A Format option was added to the context menus for fields in the Reports > Detail > Header Footer sheet,to allow users to display the date and time in various different formats.

To select a date and format, right-click in the required header or footer field, select Format, select one of theoptions: @FromDate, @ToDate, or Now, and select the required date format.

The @FromDate and @ToDate values are taken from the report parameters.

The formats available are based on the Standard Date and Time Format Strings in Microsoft®.NET.

Hide Columns With Empty/Zero Values

New values were added to the Visible text box in the Column Set > Column Definitions > Detail and Listsheets.

In addition to the True and False options, the following expressions are available, all of which return a result ofeither true or false, which determines whether a column displays or not:

• Column.IsNotZeroOrEmpty - The column only displays if there is at least one field in the column whichcontains a text value or non-zero integer.

• Column.FromPeriod >= @FromPeriod - The column only displays if the column's Period From filter is equalto or later than the FromPeriod value in report parameters.

• Column.ToPeriod <= @ToPeriod - The column only displays if the column's Period To filter is equal to orearlier than the ToPeriod value in report parameters.

• <Expression...> - Opens the Expression Builder, where you can specify other parameters to create an expressionwhich evaluates as true or false.

Example Column.FromPeriod = @ToPeriod

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Open Balance Updated to Opening Balance

Previously, when building a column set, one was allowed to choose debit, credit, or open balance as a financialkeyword expression. The name open balance has now been changed to opening balance, since the balanceamount refers to the open sum at the end of the month/ period.

Also in this release, a new expression selection called open balance was added. This calculated balance refers tothe open sum at the beginning of the month/period.

Version 9.05.605


Hide Columns

A Visible text box was added to the Column Set > Column Definitions > Detail and List sheets to allow usersto optionally hide columns in AFR reports.

To hide a column, in the Column Sets > Column Definitions > Detail or List sheet, click the button next tothe Visible text box and select False.

The purpose of the hide column option is to enable the hiding of columns which should not display on the finalreport, such as columns containing complex expressions which lead to final results in other columns.

Opening Debit and Credit Balance

Two new keywords were added to the Financial Data Keywords in Column Definitions - Expression Builder:OpeningDebitBalance and OpeningCreditBalance.

The purpose of separate opening balances for debit and credit is to meet reporting requirements in some countries,such as Russia.

This feature also facilitates the reporting of amounts in different locations on the report, according to whetherthere is a debit or credit balance.

Display Currency

A new keyword, Book.CurrencyCode, was added to allow users to display the currency code of the report,based on the book(s) specified in the report parameters.

This keyword is available for selection in the context menu on the Reports > Detail > Header Footer sheet,and also in the Header field in Column Sets > Column Definitions sheets. The path in the context menu isBook > [CompanyID] > [BookID] > CurrencyCode.

When used in a report header or footer cell, this keyword returns the currency code defined for the book specifiedin the report parameters. If there are multiple books with different currencies specified, a comma delimited listof currencies displays.

When used in a column header, the keyword returns the currency code of the book specified in the column'sBook Filter. If no book is specified in the filter, the keyword returns an empty string.

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Version 9.05.604


User Properties

A User Properties sheet was added to the the Row > Details sheet to allow users to optionally define rowproperties in AFR reports.

To create a new user-defined property, from the New menu, select Row Set User Property.

The purpose of user-defined properties is to enable the display of values other than those provided by the normalfunctions, such as Row Number, Row Description, Account Description, and so on. Once you create a newproperty, you can assign values the properties on each row in the Row Definitions > List sheet. You can referencethese properties in column expressions to display the values on your reports or use them as variables in expressions.

There are four types of user-defined properties available: Character, Number, Boolean, and DateTime. Youcan create up to ten properties of each type.

Version 9.05.603


SQL Query Timeout Setting

You can now define how long a SQL query (executed AFR report) can be idle before it stops, or times out.

You enter this value in seconds on the General sheet (found under Tools > Settings) and the default number ofseconds is 180 (3 minutes).

Version 9.05.602


Local Language Support

The Report Designer interface can be localized to display various languages. You do this by purchasing a languagepack from Epicor, uncompressing these files, and then copying over various string files within your Epicor AdvancedFinancial Reporting installation.

Epicor AFR is delivered with English as the default language. Other languages are available for installation usinglocal language packs. The process includes downloading and installing the language pack into the environmentso that it can be accessed by Epicor AFR.

For installation instructions, review the Epicor Advanced Financial Reporting Installation Guide. The Install LocalLanguage Support section describes how you install the localization files within your AFR environment.

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Various languages are currently available from Epicor for the Advanced Financial Reporting application and morelanguages will be released in the future. To find out which languages are available, contact your Epicor customeraccount manager.

Multi-Company Reports

Each report can display the financial results from multiple companies. You do this by first defining the companyand then the specific book from that company you want included on the report.

You define which companies and books you want to display within each row. To do this, launch the ExpressionBuilder within the specific row and select the specific company and book you want to display in the row.

Be sure the books you select to include on the report share the same fiscal period structure. If they do not, youwill receive poor results on the report.

Report Security

You can restrict which users view and/or edit each advanced financial report. To do this, you limit access to eachreport by selecting Windows users and/or Windows local groups.

You assign security to each report within the Report Designer. Under the Report tab, a Security sheet is availablewhere you can assign specific Windows users and/or local groups to the report. Only the specific users and userscontained within the selected local groups can then run the financial report.

Users can either have Edit or View permission on the report. The users who have View permission can only runand display the report, while users with Edit permission can make changes to the report within the ReportDesigner.

Format Numeric Values

You can define the numeric format for all row values in a report or on a row by row basis.

You define the default numeric format for all rows on the Reports > Options sheet. You select the Overridereport numeric format check box on a specific row definition to override the numeric format for that row.Once you override the numeric format on a row you can define a different numeric format in the row definition.

Convert RDLs

Use the Convert RDLs action to transform report definition language files previously customized by users, to thenew version of AFR. The conversion process backs up the RDL by copying the original file to the /AFR.bak folderlocated on the server where Microsoft SQL Reporting Services is installed.

Refresh RDL List

Select the Refresh RDL list action to update the list of RDLs for a selected report.

Selecting Refresh RDL list activates a search of all RDLs saved to the \AFR folder that reference the selected report.The \AFR folder is located on the server where Microsoft SQL Reporting Services is installed.

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Version 9.05.601


Multiple Books

You can display the financial results from multiple books together on the same report.

To leverage this functionality, you define the parameters to include results from the specific books you want toappear on the report.

Report Header and Footer

You can define a header and footer for the report and specify what you want to print in the left, middle, andright sections of the report.

You have the ability to enter multiple lines and insert images in any section of the report's header and footer.Formatting (such as font selection, size, color, and spacing) is available for each cell in the header and footer.

Parameter values, based on the parameter values from the application, are also available to select in each cell.

Updated Availability of Report Parameters

A new option to use report parameters in Column Period From and Period To expressions is now available inEpicor Advanced Financial Reporting (AFR).

Use of report parameters in the column period expressions improves the inflexible static definition of columnfrom and to periods, such as Period(2011,1). You can now add dynamic column definitions, such asPeriod(FiscalYear(@ToPeriod),1.

Language Globalization

The Report Designer interface can now be modified to display using different languages.

You leverage this feature by first installing a file that contains the language strings translated for the ReportDesigner. You then run the VantageLocalizer utility to make these strings available for display within the ReportDesigner. This translation utility is installed with your Epicor application.

You then configure the Report Designer to see this new language file by modifying its Culture Code value tomatch the code for the installed language. When users launch the Report Designer, the interface displays usingthe new language.

IF Function

The IF function is introduced.

In certain cases, the calculated values are to be shown in different places depending on the sign or other conditions.For example, amount must be shown in the Gain or Loss column depending on its sign.

Another case where conditional operations are strictly required is in the replacing of zero-values in some cells bya specified indicator. In Russian reports, some cells which are always zero by nature, or when zero value isexpected, shall be filled by 'X' sign.

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Version 9.05.600


Supported Epicor ERP Applications

You use the Epicor Financial Report Designer to create reports for Epicor ERP. Leverage this application to createunique financial reports that display the information you need.

Report Designer

Report authors use the report designer to create SQL Server Reporting Services report definition files (.rdl). Youcan view the rdl files through the Report Viewer or generate them for display in a variety of other formats.

Row sets, columns sets and reporting trees

The main building blocks for AFR reports are row sets, column set and reporting trees. Once these items aredefined, you can combine them for view in a report.

Row sets - Row sets can be created of types: Account Sum, Account List, Row Sum, Single under score, Doubleunder score, single underline, double underline or page break. Rows are pre numbered to 200, but you can addadditional rows if you need. Row set versions can also be created to accommodate multiple GL books. Use theExpression Builder to select the account(s), account category(s), or dictionary definition for each report row. Afont control is available for the formatting of font type and size.

Column sets - Column sets can be based on summarized balances or transactions lines. Column definitions canuse Expression Builder, Header, PeriodFrom, PeriodTo, FilterAccounts and FilterBooks.

Reporting trees - Use reporting trees to create reporting hierarchies by company and chart of accounts. Youcan further define reporting trees by account ranges, account categories, and dictionaries you define.

Putting the report elements together and creating .rdl

You give each report a name, select the reporting tree, and row set. You can then add one or more column setsand set parameter values. You can also set the option to hide rows with zero values.

You can also preview the report within the Report Designer by highlighting it, clicking the Actions menu, andselecting the preview option. When you are satisfied with the report, use the Actions menu again to generatethe .rdl file. You can save the .rdl to the file, system and/or upload to SQL Server Reporting Services report serversite. Optionally you can choose to further format the .rdl file in SQL Server Business Intelligence DevelopmentStudio or SQL Server Report Builder.

Report Viewer

The Report Viewer is configured with the URLs to the SQL Server Reporting Services Report Manager and ReportServer.

Users open the report viewer and can select to view published reports they have been enabled to see.Administrators can manage user access to reports using the SQL Server Reporting Services Report Manager.

Once a report is opened, users can use the SQL Server Reporting Services Report toolbar which allows them tonavigate through reports by page, search for words or numbers, zoom and print. Depending on the report, theReport toolbar also may allow them to enter report parameters.

Also on the Report toolbar is the capability to export reports to the following formats:

• XML

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• CSV

• Acrobat (PDF)

• Microsoft Excel

• TIFF

Logon Server

The AFR Logon Server service is installed on a server on your network. It provides centralized license management.

The Logon Server tracks both Report Designer and Report Viewer concurrent license use.

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Additional information is available at the Education andDocumentation areas of the EPICweb Customer Portal. To access

this site, you need a Site ID and an EPICweb account. To create anaccount, go to http://support.epicor.com.

http://support.epicor.com

EpicorAFR_FeatureSummary_

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