SyteLine reporting options: DataViews, SSRS, Crystal

Short answer

Use a DataView when someone wants to look at, filter, group or export data, such as an open-orders list or a late-PO list, because users can adjust it and save their own layouts. Use a Report-type form for a new document with a fixed layout that gets printed, emailed or sent out. That's Infor's current recommendation for new custom reports. Infor now describes custom SSRS reports as deprecated: still supported for compatibility, but not the route for new work. Crystal Reports belongs to SyteLine 8.02 and earlier. And before building anything, check whether a standard report with different options already does the job. Use external BI for cross-system analysis and long-term trends. Picking the right tool up front is the cheapest way to shrink a report backlog.

The four kinds of report in SyteLine

Infor's Reports Overview describes four report categories:

System form reports: the standard reports, recognisable by "Report" in the form name or caption.
Custom reports from Report type forms: forms you build that act as the report template, run on demand or in the background.
Custom reports from DataViews: quick reports, usually generated on the fly.
Custom reports using Microsoft SSRS: Infor says these are now deprecated, and recommends the Report type of form or a DataView-based report instead.

The tools at a glance

	DataView	Report-type form	Standard report	SSRS (custom)	Crystal	External BI
Best for	Lists, lookups, ad-hoc analysis	New fixed-layout documents	Anything it already covers	Existing custom reports	Legacy only	Trends, KPIs, multiple systems
Status	Current	Recommended for new reports	Current	Deprecated, still supported	Pre-8.03	Outside SyteLine
Who changes it	Users (layouts), admins (setup)	Developer	Options by users; copies by a developer	Developer	Developer	Analyst
Output	Screen, Excel, PDF, printer	Pages on screen, export to PDF	PDF, print, email	PDF, print, email	PDF, print	Dashboards
Runs in background	Check your version	Yes, as a background task	Yes, Background Queue	Yes, Background Queue	Depends	Yes, in the BI tool

DataViews: lists people want to work with

A DataView shows SyteLine data in a grid, a bit like a spreadsheet inside the application. Users can sort, filter, group and total it, then save the layout for themselves, a group, or the whole site, depending on permissions. There are three kinds:

Predefined DataViews: set up by an administrator on DataViews Setup, starting from a base IDO, choosing its properties, and optionally linking more IDOs.
Form DataViews: generated from any form with the DataView button, showing the data that form has loaded, filters included.
Drilldown DataViews: tied to a figure on a dashboard, showing the records behind it.

Results can be exported to Excel or PDF, or sent to a printer.

Why DataViews shrink backlogs: "Can I get open orders for customer X, by due date, in Excel?" doesn't need a developer. One well-designed predefined DataView covers dozens of variations of that request.

Where they stop being the right tool: when the output must look the same every time (logo, layout, signatures, barcodes), goes to customers or suppliers, or needs calculations that don't exist as IDO properties. For "email it every Monday," check what your version supports for DataViews before promising it. A scheduled report is usually the safer answer.

Report-type forms: new fixed-layout documents

For a new custom document, Infor's recommended route is a Report type form. The form itself is the report template:

You build it in Design Mode (or the Web Designer in the web client), and Infor also provides a Report Builder wizard for creating report forms.
When the user clicks Run, Mongoose builds the report page by page: header regions, the page's data, footer regions, and standard values such as company name, logo and page numbers.
Export produces a PDF at the location you choose.
It can be scheduled as a background task like other reports. Mongoose runs it as the submitting user and publishes the output to a set destination.

Because it's a Mongoose form built on IDOs, it sits inside the same framework as the rest of the application, rather than in a separate SSRS report file and data source.

Standard reports: check these first

Before building anything, check whether a standard report with different options, or a modified copy, does the job. "Add the customer PO number to the invoice" is a modification, not a new report, and costs a fraction as much. Never edit Infor's standard reports in place. Work on a copy, so upgrades don't overwrite your change.

SSRS: support what you have, don't start new ones

From SyteLine 8.03, SyteLine's reporting moved to SQL Server Reporting Services, so many sites have a library of custom SSRS reports. Infor now describes custom SSRS reports as deprecated, still supported for compatibility.

In practice:

Keep existing custom SSRS reports running, and fix them when they break. See the SSRS report processing error guide.
Don't build new custom reports in SSRS. Use a Report-type form or a DataView.
When an SSRS report needs major rework anyway, for example at an upgrade, treat it as a candidate to move to a Report-type form or DataView.

Crystal Reports: plan to retire

If you're on SyteLine 8.02 or earlier, your reports are probably Crystal. If you've upgraded but still run custom Crystal reports, they're technical debt. Plan to move the ones still in use. See Moving off Crystal Reports in SyteLine.

External BI: when the question isn't really a report

"How has on-time delivery changed over three years?"
"Margin by customer, combining SyteLine with our CRM."
"A shop-floor dashboard that refreshes every five minutes."

These belong in a BI tool reading from reporting views or a reporting copy (see Connecting Power BI and Excel to SyteLine safely), or from the Data Lake in cloud (see Reporting in CloudSuite Industrial without direct SQL), not in SyteLine reports.

A triage rule for your backlog

For every reporting ticket, ask in order:

Does a standard report already do this with different options? Show the requester. Ticket closed.
Is it a list they want to filter or export? Build or adjust a DataView.
Is it an existing report that needs a change? Change a copy, in whatever tool it's already built in.
Is it a new document with a fixed layout, or must it arrive on a schedule? Build a Report-type form.
Is it trend analysis or cross-system? It's a BI request.

Applied to a real backlog, this usually turns a long list of "new report" requests into a few real reports, a handful of DataViews, and several tickets closed with a five-minute conversation.

FAQ

Is SSRS deprecated in SyteLine?

Infor describes custom reports using Microsoft SSRS as deprecated, still supported for compatibility, and recommends Report type forms or DataView-based reports for new custom reports.

What is a Report-type form in SyteLine?

A Mongoose form that acts as a report template. Users run it to generate the pages and export them to PDF, and it can also be scheduled as a background task.

Should I build a DataView or a report?

Build a DataView for lists people want to filter and export. Build a Report-type form for new fixed-layout documents, anything sent outside the company, or anything that must arrive on a schedule.

What is a DataView in SyteLine?

A grid of SyteLine data, built from one or more IDOs, that users can sort, filter, group, total, export to Excel or PDF, and save as their own layout.