How Reporting in Dynamics GP Compares to Acumatica Reporting

Reporting capabilities often make or break the decision when companies consider upgrading from Dynamics GP. It’s no surprise—your ability to extract meaningful insights from financial and operational data directly impacts your competitive advantage.

Instead of abstract comparisons, let’s take a practical approach. We’ll walk you through your familiar Dynamics GP reporting tools and show you their direct counterparts in Acumatica. It will help you determine if Acumatica is a good fit for your business.

Watch our video snippet as John DiLeo gives us a 5-minute overview of reporting features.

Why Reporting Capabilities Matter in ERP Selection

Before we get into the specifics, let’s briefly talk about why reporting features are so important in an ERP system. At its core, your ERP system is your organization’s data powerhouse—the central nervous system of your business operations. But even the most comprehensive data collection is worthless unless you can extract meaningful, actionable insights from it. Quality reporting isn’t just a feature—it’s the bridge that transforms your raw data into strategic business decisions.

Key benefits of effective ERP reporting capabilities:

• Rapid decision-making through real-time insights
• Customizable reports tailored to your business’s needs
• Drill-down functionalities for detailed analysis
• Enhanced compliance through accurate data auditing

With that in mind, how do Acumatica and Dynamics GP measure up in the realm of reporting? Let’s take a closer look, starting with what we know and currently use, Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Dynamics GP reporting features

Dynamics GP is primarily an on-premise ERP solution with a long history of delivering stability and core ERP functionality. CAL Business Solutions was a GP shop for decades. GP was our workhorse, and we were in it every single day. After we switched internally from GP to Acumatica, we quickly realized its reporting tools aren’t as modern or seamless as Acumatica’s. Here’s an overview of reporting in Dynamics GP.

1. Legacy Tools for Reporting

Dynamics GP uses legacy tools like Report Writer, Management Reporter, and SmartList to deliver its reporting capabilities.

• Report Writer is a basic reporting tool that helps create fixed-format output. However, its functionality is limited, and designing visually appealing, modern reports can be cumbersome.
• Management Reporter is the primary tool for financial reporting within Dynamics GP. While it’s fairly robust, it operates outside of GP with its own database, requiring periodic data syncing. This can lead to data duplication and syncing issues, as well as slower report generation.
• SmartList Designer and Builder allow users to create basic queries but don’t match Acumatica’s real-time dashboards or dynamic generic inquiries (GI’s).

2. Limited Interactivity

Dynamics GP reporting tools are static. Reports are generally exported to formats like Excel or a PDF, which doesn’t give you drill-down features or allow you to interact with the data.

3. Add-Ons Required for Advanced Features

To unlock advanced functionality, Dynamics GP often relies on third-party add-ons. For example, users might need SmartList to maximize reporting potential. Additionally, GP’s auditing capabilities often require external tools, increasing the system’s overall complexity and cost.

4. Performance Bottlenecks for Large Data Sets

If your organization deals with large volumes of data, Dynamics GP’s reporting tools may be slower. This can be a drawback for businesses that require rapid access to detailed reports.

Acumatica reporting features

Acumatica ERP is well-known for its modern, cloud-based functionality, and its reporting capabilities are no exception. After CAL made the switch from GP to Acumatica, we quickly realized what we were missing. For example:

1. Out-of-the-box reporting with unparalleled flexibility

Acumatica comes equipped with pre-built dashboards and reporting templates, giving you power on day one. Its Generic Inquiry capabilities (like SmartList Builder) allow you to pull data from any module in an actionable way, ensuring you get the insights you need without any additional configuration.

• Customizable dashboards: Every report and KPI displayed on Acumatica’s dashboards is completely actionable. You can drill down into data directly from the dashboard to view the source transaction, saving time and providing immediate clarity.
• Dynamic interactivity: Unlike Dynamics GP, which offers static report outputs, Acumatica delivers interactive widgets that allow users to slice and dice data dynamically. Our different teams at CAL absolutely love this!

2. Built-In Reporting Designer for Fully Tailored Reports

Beyond the pre-built initial reports, you can customize or create any report with Acumatica’s Report Designer. Once created, reports can be seamlessly incorporated into the ERP interface using Acumatica’s customizable site map. This built-in functionality stands out as you don’t need to rely on separate systems or complicated processes.

• Acumatica users (NOT developers) can create new reports, customize existing ones, and assign them to specific user groups—all without needing third-party add-ons.
• Advanced Financial Reporting: Financial reports such as Profit and Loss Statements or Balance Sheets are easy to configure and modify with Acumatica’s built-in rows-and-columns structure.

3. Field-Level Auditing for Improved Compliance

Auditing is made simple with Acumatica’s field-level auditing tools. With just a few clicks, users can select what fields and data tables to monitor, making it easy to track who changed what and when. This level of transparency supports regulatory compliance with minimal effort.

4. Speed and Scalability

Unlike Dynamics GP’s reporting, that generally slows down with large datasets, Acumatica shines when processing large volumes of data. It’s built for businesses that need scalable, cloud-based solutions and demand fast access to data regardless of size.

Side-by-side comparison of Acumatica and GP reporting

Which ERP is right for your business?

Many of our GP clients are looking at their options since Microsoft announced the end-of-life for Dynamics GP.  Whether you are thinking about switching this year, or just doing some preliminary research, determining if Acumatica is a fit for you truly depends on your business priorities and long-term goals. If your organization values real-time insights, scalability, and a modern, integrated reporting experience, Acumatica’s cloud-based infrastructure and innovative tools make it a future-proof option for businesses that want cutting-edge reporting at their fingertips.

Reporting doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Acumatica’s next-generation ERP tools are designed to make reporting seamless, scalable, and insightful for businesses of all sizes.

Want to know more?  Contact our team of experts and let’s look closer at your specific business requirements.

By CAL Business Solutions, Connecticut Microsoft Dynamics GP / 365 BC & Acumatica Partner, www.calszone.com