For data-driven companies, data insights are only as valuable as the platform that delivers them. As organizations modernize their technology stack, choosing the right reporting solution- whether SSRS, Power BI, or Paginated Reports – becomes a critical decision. With multiple options available, establishing clear evaluation criteria is essential to avoid costly missteps and future migration challenges. Are you struggling to decide which reporting tool fits your specific needs? If you’re evaluating SSRS, Power BI, or Paginated Reports for your organization, this article is for you. I’m confident this framework will help you make the right reporting tool decision and avoid common pitfalls that waste time and money. Understanding the Three Options Before we dive into the decision framework, let’s clarify what each tool actually is: SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) – The traditional Microsoft reporting platform that’s been around since 2004. It’s pixel-perfect, print-oriented, and runs on-premises. Power BI – Microsoft’s modern cloud-based analytics platform focused on interactive dashboards, data exploration, and self-service analytics. Paginated Reports in Power BI – The evolution of SSRS technology integrated into Power BI Service, combining traditional reporting with modern cloud capabilities. Step 1: Identify Your Primary Use Case Ask yourself this fundamental question: What is the report’s main purpose? Use Case A: Interactive Exploration and Analysis Best Choice: Power BI Choose Power BI when: Example Scenarios: Sales performance dashboards, Executive KPI monitoring, Marketing analytics platforms, Operational metrics tracking Use Case B: Precise Formatted Documents Best Choice: Paginated and SSRS Reports Choose Paginated Reports when: Example Scenarios: The Feature Comparison Matrix Power BI Standard Reports Strengths: Limitations: Paginated and SSRS Reports Strengths: Limitations: Cost Analysis: Making the Business Case Power BI & Power BI Paginated Reports Licensing Power BI Pro: $14/user/month SSRS Costs Important Note: If you’re already using Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Dynamics CRM, SSRS functionality is included at no additional cost. When SSRS is Already Available: Infrastructure Costs (If Not Using Dynamics): To conclude, I encourage you to take a systematic approach to your reporting tool decision. Identify your top 5 most important reports and categorize them by use case. This systematic approach will reveal the right decision for your organization and help you build a business case for stakeholders. Need help evaluating your specific reporting scenario? Connect with us at transform@cloudfronts.com for personalized guidance on choosing and implementing the right reporting solution. Making the right decision today will save you years of headaches and wasted resources.

When working on report customizations in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, one common challenge is maintaining a consistent layout regardless of how many lines are present in the data source. This situation often arises in reports like Purchase Orders, Sales Orders, or Invoices, where the line section expands or contracts based on the number of lines in the dataset. However, certain business scenarios demand a fixed or uniform presentation, such as when a client wants consistent spacing or placeholders for manual inputs. This article demonstrates how you can achieve this flexibility purely through RDLC layout design – without making any changes in AL or dataset logic. Business Requirement The objective was to design a Purchase Order report where the line area maintains a consistent structure, independent of how many lines exist in the actual data. In other words, the report layout should not necessarily reflect the dataset exactly as it is. The idea was to ensure visual uniformity while keeping the underlying data logic simple. Proposed Solution The solution was implemented directly in the RDLC report layout by creating two tables and controlling their visibility through expressions. There was no need to align them in the same position one table was placed above the other. RDLC automatically handled which one to display at runtime based on the visibility conditions. Table 1 – Actual Purchase Lines Displays the real data from the Purchase Line dataset. Table 2 – Structured or Blank Layout Displays a predefined structure (for example, blank rows) when fewer lines are available. This design ensures that whichever table meets the visibility condition is rendered, maintaining layout flow automatically. Implementation Steps 1. Add Two Tables in the RDLC Layout 2. Set Visibility Conditions To control which table appears at runtime, open each table’s properties and go to:Table Properties → Visibility → Hidden → Expression Then apply the following expressions: For Table 1 (Actual Purchase Lines) =IIF(CountRows(“DataSet_Result”) <= 8, True, False) Hides the actual data table when the dataset has fewer rows. For Table 2 (Structured or Blank Layout) =IIF(CountRows(“DataSet_Result”) > 8, True, False) Hides the structured or blank table when enough data rows are available. Note: The number “8” is just an example threshold. You can set any value that fits your design requirement. Result At runtime: The RDLC engine handles layout adjustment, ensuring the report always looks uniform and visually balanced – without any need for AL code changes or temporary data handling. Advantages of This Approach Benefit Description No AL Code Changes Achieved entirely within RDLC layout. Upgrade Friendly Dataset and report objects remain unchanged. Automatic Layout Flow RDLC adjusts which table is displayed automatically. Professional Appearance Ensures consistent formatting and structure across all reports. Key Takeaways This simple yet effective approach shows that report design in Business Central can be made flexible without altering data logic.By using two tables with visibility expressions, you can create reports that adapt their appearance automatically – keeping the layout professional, stable, and easy to maintain. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) remains a cornerstone technology in the Microsoft BI stack, and mastering its expression language is crucial for creating dynamic, professional reports. While Power BI has gained significant attention in recent years, SSRS continues to excel in pixel-perfect reporting, complex tabular reports, and scenarios requiring precise formatting control. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore practical SSRS expressions focusing on two critical areas: date handling and conditional formatting. These examples will help you create more dynamic and user-friendly reports that adapt to your data and business requirements. Key takeaways: Understanding SSRS Expression Basics SSRS expressions use Visual Basic .NET syntax and are enclosed in equal signs: =Expression. They can access: Date Handling Expressions 1. Dynamic Date Ranges in Headers Scenario: Display “Report for Q1 2024” or “Monthly Report – March 2024” based on parameter selection. =Switch(     Parameters!DateRange.Value = “Q1”, “Report for Q1 ” & Year(Parameters!StartDate.Value),     Parameters!DateRange.Value = “Q2”, “Report for Q2 ” & Year(Parameters!StartDate.Value),     Parameters!DateRange.Value = “Monthly”, “Monthly Report – ” & MonthName(Month(Parameters!StartDate.Value)) & ” ” & Year(Parameters!StartDate.Value),     True, “Custom Report – ” & Format(Parameters!StartDate.Value, “MMM yyyy”) & ” to ” & Format(Parameters!EndDate.Value, “MMM yyyy”) ) 2. Age Calculations Scenario: Calculate precise age from birth date, handling leap years correctly. =DateDiff(“yyyy”, Fields!BirthDate.Value, Now()) –  IIf(Format(Fields!BirthDate.Value, “MMdd”) > Format(Now(), “MMdd”), 1, 0) 3. Business Days Calculation Scenario: Calculate working days between two dates, excluding weekends. =DateDiff(“d”, Fields!StartDate.Value, Fields!EndDate.Value) –  DateDiff(“ww”, Fields!StartDate.Value, Fields!EndDate.Value) * 2 –  IIf(Weekday(Fields!StartDate.Value) = 1, 1, 0) –  IIf(Weekday(Fields!EndDate.Value) = 7, 1, 0) 4. Fiscal Year Determination Scenario: Convert calendar dates to fiscal year (assuming fiscal year starts in April). =IIf(Month(Fields!TransactionDate.Value) >= 4,      Year(Fields!TransactionDate.Value),      Year(Fields!TransactionDate.Value) – 1) 5. Relative Date Formatting Scenario: Display dates as “Today”, “Yesterday”, “3 days ago”, or actual date if older. =Switch(     DateDiff(“d”, Fields!OrderDate.Value, Now()) = 0, “Today”,     DateDiff(“d”, Fields!OrderDate.Value, Now()) = 1, “Yesterday”,     DateDiff(“d”, Fields!OrderDate.Value, Now()) <= 7, DateDiff(“d”, Fields!OrderDate.Value, Now()) & ” days ago”,     DateDiff(“d”, Fields!OrderDate.Value, Now()) <= 30, DateDiff(“d”, Fields!OrderDate.Value, Now()) & ” days ago”,     True, Format(Fields!OrderDate.Value, “MMM dd, yyyy”) ) 6. Quarter-to-Date Calculations Scenario: Show if a date falls within the current quarter-to-date period. =IIf(Fields!SalesDate.Value >= DateSerial(Year(Now()), ((DatePart(“q”, Now()) – 1) * 3) + 1, 1)      And Fields!SalesDate.Value <= Now(), “QTD”, “Prior Period”) Conditional Formatting Expressions 1. Performance-Based Color Coding Scenario: Color-code sales performance against targets with multiple thresholds. Background Color Expression: =Switch(     Fields!ActualSales.Value / Fields!TargetSales.Value >= 1.1, “DarkGreen”,     Fields!ActualSales.Value / Fields!TargetSales.Value >= 1.0, “Green”,     Fields!ActualSales.Value / Fields!TargetSales.Value >= 0.9, “Orange”,     Fields!ActualSales.Value / Fields!TargetSales.Value >= 0.8, “Red”,     True, “DarkRed” ) Font Color Expression: =IIf(Fields!ActualSales.Value / Fields!TargetSales.Value >= 0.9, “White”, “Black”) 2. Alternating Row Colors with Grouping Scenario: Maintain alternating row colors even with grouped data. =IIf(RunningValue(Fields!ProductID.Value, CountDistinct, “DataSet1”) Mod 2 = 0, “WhiteSmoke”, “White”) 3. Conditional Visibility Based on User Roles Scenario: Hide sensitive columns based on user permissions. =IIf(User!UserID Like “*admin*” Or User!UserID Like “*manager*”, False, True) 4. Traffic Light Indicators Scenario: Display traffic light symbols based on status values. Color Expression: =Switch(     Fields!Status.Value = “Complete”, “Green”,     Fields!Status.Value = “In Progress”, “Orange”,     Fields!Status.Value = “Not Started”, “Red”,     True, “Gray” ) 5. Dynamic Font Sizing Scenario: Adjust font size based on the importance or value of data. =Switch(     Fields!Priority.Value = “Critical”, “14pt”,     Fields!Priority.Value = “High”, “12pt”,     Fields!Priority.Value = “Medium”, “10pt”,     True, “8pt” ) To conclude, SSRS expressions provide powerful capabilities for creating dynamic, responsive reports that adapt to your data and business requirements. The examples covered in this guide demonstrate how to handle common scenarios involving dates and conditional formatting, but they represent just the beginning of what’s possible with SSRS. As you continue developing your SSRS expertise, remember that these expression capabilities complement other BI tools in your arsenal. While Power BI excels in self-service analytics and modern visualizations, SSRS remains unmatched for precise formatting, complex tabular reports, and integration with traditional SQL Server environments. Whether you’re creating executive dashboards, regulatory reports, or operational documents, mastering SSRS expressions will significantly enhance your ability to deliver professional, dynamic reporting solutions that meet your organization’s specific needs. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.