Blogs

Jet Basics vs Jet Reports – Should You Upgrade?

Global Data 365
March 26, 2021

Jet Basics is a free introductory and extensional reporting tool, part of insightsoftware’s Jet software product line, available with Microsoft Dynamics which works with Dynamics NAV and Dynamics GP to create basic financial reports and business queries inside of Microsoft Excel.

While it serves as an excellent starting point, Jet Basics is not a comprehensive solution for complex reporting and analytical needs. Understanding its limitations is crucial for determining when to upgrade to Jet’s premium offerings.

Understanding Jet Basics

Jet Basics is an exploratory tool intended to familiarize users with Dynamics NAV or GP while working within Excel. It delivers accurate and consistent data, helping businesses streamline basic processes and maintain a competitive edge. However, attempting to use Jet Basics beyond its scope can be counterproductive. Some limitations of Jet Basics include:

Inability to handle multiple companies or data sources.
Lack of support for multiple currencies.
No self-service reporting or advanced analytics capabilities.
Limited options for process automation.

If you find yourself frustrated with these limitations, it’s time to explore why Jet Basics might not meet your needs and consider upgrading.

However it is important to note that one should not take Jet Basics for what it is not, i.e. a fully operational reporting or analytic tool which a company needs for thorough reporting and analyses. It is an exploratory tool meant to acquaint one with Dynamics NAV or GP while working in Excel, which if used correctly and not overestimated, provides accurate and consistent data to stay on top of competition and streamline processes.

What is counterproductive to that goal of creating accurate reports is using Jet Basics for what is does not accommodate, for example, multiple companies, sources of data and currencies, self-service reporting and analysis, and streamlining processes.

If you’re struggling with using Jet Basics for your reporting needs, first you should find out the most common explanations behind those difficulties, and then we at Global Data 365 will provide you a better-suited solution.

Why Jet Basics Is Not Meeting Your Needs?

It should be kept in mind that as Jet Basics is a ‘freemium’ product, it is not built as a complete solution to a company or organization’s reporting and analytical reporting needs. While there is an inexhaustible number of users who can use Jet Basics as an introductory product, users forget that there is a limit to its capabilities, and to work around that often look for quick fixes such as making it work with corrupt, unstable and oft-times ancient software, and thus invest more time than is needed on this product which is not meant to do what the user is trying to make it do.

For example, users commonly export a table of data into Excel using Jet Basics, and then format the data using VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP and the more basic, primitive to be exact, functions such as ‘Find and Replace’ and ‘Copy and Paste’. Not only is this more time-consuming, but also results in data inaccuracies and errors which can negatively affect their reporting, and thus decisions based on those reports.

After Global Data 365 researched into why this was an issue, users admitted to using workarounds in Jet Basics and admitted they weren’t obtaining any accurate results and just wasting more time. So now we are going to offer a simpler solution to your reporting problems, which are our premium products.

When You Should Switch from Jet Basics to Jet Reports?

Instead of spending important resources (not fiscal) such as time on freemium products, users should be able to tell when to switch to Jet’s premium products, and have a stronger foundation for your reporting processes from the get-go rather than wasting multiple resources (yes, including fiscal).

We are going to give you three scenarios where a user should consider switching to Jet Reports or Jet Analytics:

- Flexible Formatting and Automation

When they need flexible formatting and automated processing, Jet Reports is the solution to their problem. With this product, users can automate and schedule real-time reports without any issues. In addition to that, there’s the option of building, formatting and updating reports with user-friendly tools.

- Self-Service Reporting and Analytics

When they need detailed self-service reporting and analytics and data governance, Jet Analytics is the solution to their problem. With this product, any beginner who does not possess technical expertise can build reports and dashboards in Excel and Power BI, and gain important understanding into data with pre-built cubes, a data warehouse and an extensive framework of dashboard and report structures. And lastly, they can manage, organize, share, compile and customize data a lot faster with the data warehouse automation tool.

- Multiple Companies or Multiple Data Sources

When users have multiple companies, or are working with multiple sources of data, they can upgrade to Jet Analytics from Jet Basics. Using Jet Analytics, they can easily integrate data from multiple sources and achieve complete data management and collaboration for reliable reporting and budgeting reports, and access data from the databases of multiple companies.

- Saving Time and Resources

Spending excessive time on manual tasks with Jet Basics can drain valuable resources. Upgrading to Jet Reports or Jet Analytics automates many of these processes, allowing your team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive tasks.

- Enhancing Collaboration Across Teams

For teams that require seamless sharing and collaboration, Jet’s premium tools allow users to easily share reports and dashboards. This ensures that all stakeholders have access to accurate, up-to-date information, improving efficiency and alignment.

Check out the detailed comparison between both of the products: Jet Basics vs. Jet Reports.

Key Differences: Jet Basics vs. Jet Reports

To help you make an informed decision, here is a detailed comparison of Jet Basics and Jet Reports:

Feature	Jet Basics	Jet Reports
Cost	Free	Premium Subscription
Real-Time Data Access	Limited to basic queries	Comprehensive and real-time
Automation	Manual processing required	Automated scheduling and distribution
Data Sources	Single source	Multiple sources and databases
Ease of Use	Beginner-friendly	Advanced but intuitive tools
Advanced Analytics	Not supported	Full analytics capabilities

Benefits of Upgrading

Upgrading to Jet Reports or Jet Analytics unlocks the full potential of your reporting capabilities. Benefits include:

Enhanced Accuracy: Automated processes reduce human error, ensuring reliable data.
Time Efficiency: Spend less time on manual workarounds and more on strategic decision-making.
Scalability: Handle complex reporting needs as your business grows.
Integration: Leverage data from multiple sources, creating unified and actionable insights.
Better Collaboration: Share reports seamlessly across teams using intuitive tools.

In Conclusion

Reporting doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task, provided you know when to upgrade from Jet Basics. Jet Reports offers the user to unlock full potential of the reporting tool, help create flexible reports and automate the distribution with Jet scheduler. While, Jet Analytics offers the user to combine data from multiple data sources, improve performance and use Power BI.

Get 30 days free upgrade to Jet Reports.

Share this blog on:

Search Blog

About Us

Global Data 365 is composed of highly skilled professionals who specialize in streamlining the data and automate the reporting process through the utilization of various business intelligence tools.

Related Resources

Jet Reports Training

June 27, 2024

Automated Forecasting with Jet Reports

April 3, 2021

How to install Jet Reports for Dynamics 365 Business Central?

February 3, 2021

Still using Jet Basics?

Get Free Upgrade
to Jet Reports

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Jet Basics vs Jet Reports – Should You Upgrade? Read More »

Increase Revenue with Financial Reporting Tools

Global Data 365
March 26, 2021

Profitable companies recognize that technology can be a strong competitive game-changer. Technology is widely thought of as a crucial enabler of performance. It is, but software technology also provides new revenue streams. Financial Reporting tools and technologies are an underrated key to unlocking value as businesses aim to maximize sales, expand their customer base, and retain customer loyalty.

Listed below are the five main strategies for increasing profit using your ERP system and comprehensive financial reporting tools.

- Drive Sales Team

There is a gap between different silos within a company in far too many cases. For example, between sales and finance or between sales and supply chain management. When information isn’t passed back and forth effectively, revenue opportunities are often lost. Think about what happens when a user attempts to order an item that is no longer available. Sales should, in principle, have good visibility into planned delivery dates and be able to position orders on an available-to-promise (ATP) level without compromising customer satisfaction. This fits well if the ATP numbers are reliably correct, but if they aren’t, it can lead to missed delivery dates, cancelled orders, and disappointed customers.

If a business is mindful of the problem, sales can be notified, and consumers can be directed to alternative products. Direct replacement object feature is available in many modern ERP systems. MD365 Finance & Supply Chain Management (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management) is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance; it is referred to as an alternate item (F&SCM), but the effect is the same. However, without good insight into ATP accuracy and missed delivery dates, management can be unaware that a problem exists.

What percentage of delivery dates are missed due to incorrect ATP numbers, and what is the root cause? Off-the-shelf ERP reports are unlikely to provide you with enough detail to determine if this is happening, why it is taking place, and whether it needs to be addressed. Both the sales and finance divisions have good insight into the program’s success by closely tracking it with custom reports.

- Customer Demands Compliance

Customers usually also create vendor specifications to simplify the management of incoming inventory. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the default for obtaining the sales order and delivering advanced shipping notices (ASNs) to customers used by big-box retailers. Larger consumers also enforce barcoding conditions. Although those are well-known examples, large companies are increasingly requiring suppliers to adhere to other requirements as well. Walmart declared its plan to reduce CO2 emissions in 2017. Project Gigaton, as the program is called, aims to reduce the company’s carbon footprint across the supply chain. In other words, Walmart will demand that its suppliers keep track of the carbon footprint of the goods they sell to the company.

Only a few ERP vendors have built processes into their software to monitor this type of data. It is starting to happen in the biggest, most costly programs, but for most organisations, the problem can be solved with a blend of custom user-defined fields and versatile financial reporting tools. Whatever potential requirements can entail, reporting tools may help companies remain in compliance.

- Understanding Customer Demands

From the day of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most firms ramped up their efforts to boost customer loyalty, with a particular emphasis on their biggest and most profitable customers. Smart companies searched for ways to diversify sales and preserve consumer loyalty as a wave of shutdowns and rapid swings in demand swept the economy. Understanding who the most valued clients are is the first step in attending to them.

Basic ERP reports aren’t designed to include that degree of complexity and depth. The data is available, but it may be distributed around your organization. When many software systems are involved, it’s difficult to get a comprehensive picture of the situation. Nonetheless, having that exposure is important for customer-focused companies. It’s possible thanks to reliable reporting tools. In addition, having easy access to consumer data opens up new possibilities.

The situation has drastically changed in the global marketplace. Although determining the effectiveness of media ads and direct mail remains difficult, digital marketing has revolutionized the business world with possibilities for targeting customers with highly targeted messages and assessing the effectiveness of such promotions quickly.

To provide a basis for digital marketing automation, a new generation of CRM software has emerged. Despite this, many businesses also regard ERP and CRM as separate roles. As a response, there are untapped opportunities to recognize buying habits and common desires among subsets of consumers and create revenue-generating marketing strategies to meet their needs. The correct reporting tools can act as a catalyst for data to be aligned through multiple silos within an enterprise.

- E-commerce Integration

With the arrival of COVID-19, online shopping has exploded. Many forward-thinking businesses were already trying to strengthen their e-Commerce capabilities before the pandemic. The coronavirus, on the other hand, was a call to action for anyone with a small online presence. Many ERP vendors have taken the finest integration approach to e-Commerce, allowing consumers to choose from among a variety of online sale platforms.

This allows sellers more versatility and, in certain cases, provides new business possibilities (via Amazon or eBay, for example), but that also makes it more difficult to get a clear picture of product revenue across platforms. When businesses use the automated reporting tools offered by each e-commerce platform provider, they get a much-distorted vision of their online business. Business executives will obtain consistent visibility into all their sales operations, through all sales channels, including e-commerce, by putting data together under one platform and then validating it so that it offers an apples-to-apples comparison.

- Data Visualization

Efficient reporting tools ensure that important performance metrics are accessible across the entire enterprise. It is more important than ever for business leaders to have a real-time understanding of what is going on. Management needs to know whether the supply chain isn’t running smoothly, whether backorders are piling up, or whether consumer quotes aren’t converting into purchase orders.

Simple ERP and CRM report also provide routine preliminary data, but they fall short when it comes to calculating the distinctive numbers and features that are specific to each sector. The ability to run ad hoc queries, ask questions specific to your company, and receive answers that represent reliable, up-to-date data from your ERP, CRM, and other systems is critical to running a successful business in today’s fast-paced world.

- Automate Processes

Reporting takes up a lot of time for most organisations because it requires time-consuming manual procedures such as copying and pasting data from exported CSV files or device reports or manually inserting data into Excel spreadsheets. These types of processes often create errors, resulting in a lack of trust in the data being recorded. Business leaders often share dissatisfaction with their software systems’ inability to provide clear information on time. If an organisation has straightforward, reliable, and timely information based on real-time data, everybody in the organization will function on the same collection of facts. As a result, the management team will be able to spend less time discussing numbers and more time-solving issues and improving business outcomes.