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References & Reporting

Find information, track document connections, and generate insights from your asset data through references and reporting tools.

What's in References & Reporting​

This section contains 2 documents:

1. Asset References​

Cross-referencing assets to Business Central documents for complete traceability.

What: Automatic and manual links between assets and purchase/sales/transfer documents, complete document history per asset.

Why: Complete audit trail, warranty tracking, document verification, lifecycle documentation.

Who: Asset managers, auditors, compliance officers, purchasing teams.

2. Reporting and Analysis​

Filtering, searching, and exporting asset data for analysis.

What: Filter techniques, common reports, Excel export, data analysis methods.

Why: Generate insights, track trends, compliance reporting, decision support.

Who: Managers, analysts, finance teams, operational teams.

Understanding References vs. Reporting​

Asset References​

Asset References = Links between assets and documents

Purpose: Track which documents touched which assets

Examples:

  • Purchase Receipt PR-2024-001 → Asset SRV-001

  • Sales Shipment SS-2024-050 → Asset LAPTOP-001

  • Transfer Shipment TS-2024-100 → Asset VEH-001

Use: "Show me all documents for this asset"

Benefit: Complete document history, warranty verification, audit trail

Reporting and Analysis​

Reporting = Extracting insights from asset data

Purpose: Answer business questions with data

Examples:

  • "How many assets at each location?"

  • "Which assets are under warranty?"

  • "What's our asset distribution by industry?"

Use: Business intelligence, operational decisions, compliance

Benefit: Data-driven decisions, trend identification, forecasting

Key Concepts​

Reference Types​

Purchase References:

  • Asset received from vendor

  • Links to Purchase Receipts/Invoices

  • Warranty start date

  • Vendor history

Sales References:

  • Asset sold to customer

  • Links to Sales Shipments/Invoices

  • Customer history

  • Revenue tracking

Transfer References:

  • Asset moved between locations

  • Links to Transfer Shipments/Receipts

  • Location history

  • Movement audit trail

Manual References:

  • User-created links

  • Service orders

  • Warranty claims

  • Custom documentation

Reporting Capabilities​

Filtering:

  • By holder (location, customer, vendor)

  • By industry/classification

  • By date ranges

  • By attributes

  • By status (blocked, active)

Searching:

  • Asset No., Description

  • Serial numbers

  • External references

  • Any field value

Exporting:

  • Excel export

  • Edit in Excel

  • Data analysis

  • Pivot tables

  • Custom reports

Integration Points​

From Document Integration​

Document Integration creates Asset References:

  • Post Sales Shipment → Sales Reference created

  • Post Purchase Receipt → Purchase Reference created

  • Post Transfer Shipment → Transfer Reference created

Workflow:

Sales Order (with asset lines) ↓ Post Shipment Sales Shipment (posted) ↓ Automatic Sales Reference (created) ↓ View from Asset Card → Asset References

From Core Asset Management​

Asset Data feeds Reporting:

  • Assets created → Available for reporting

  • Holders changed → Movement reports

  • Attributes added → Custom analysis

  • Classifications set → Categorized reporting

Example:

Create 100 Fleet Assets ↓ Classify by Vessel Type ↓ Add Cargo Capacity attribute ↓ Report: "Cargo capacity by vessel type"

Use Cases​

Use Case 1: Warranty Verification​

Question: "Is this asset still under warranty?"

Process:

  1. Asset Card → View Asset References

  2. Find Purchase Reference (original acquisition)

  3. Note purchase date

  4. Calculate warranty expiration (purchase date + warranty period)

  5. Verify current date within warranty

Benefit: Quick warranty verification for service claims

Use Case 2: Customer Asset Portfolio​

Question: "What assets has Customer C-001 purchased?"

Process:

  1. Open Asset References page

  2. Filter: Reference Type = Sales, Customer = C-001

  3. View all assets sold to customer

  4. Export to Excel for customer report

Benefit: Customer relationship insights, service planning

Use Case 3: Location Asset Inventory​

Question: "How many assets at each location and what types?"

Process:

  1. Open Asset List

  2. Filter: Current Holder Type = Location

  3. Group by Location Code

  4. Export to Excel

  5. Create pivot table by location and industry

Benefit: Operational planning, resource allocation

Use Case 4: Asset Movement History​

Question: "Where has this asset been over its lifecycle?"

Process:

  1. Asset Card → View Asset References

  2. Filter: Reference Type = Transfer

  3. Chronological view of all transfers

  4. See complete location history

Alternative:

  1. Asset Card → Holder Entries

  2. Chronological holder changes

  3. Complete custody trail

Benefit: Location audit trail, asset tracking verification

Use Case 5: Industry Distribution Analysis​

Question: "What's our asset value distribution across industries?"

Process:

  1. Open Asset List

  2. Export to Excel

  3. Pivot table: Industry → Sum of Acquisition Cost

  4. Chart by industry

  5. Identify investment concentration

Benefit: Portfolio analysis, investment decisions

Common Questions​

Q: What's the difference between References and Holder Entries?​

A: Different purposes

Asset References: Link assets to documents (Purchase Receipts, Sales Shipments, etc.)

  • "Which documents touched this asset?"

  • Document-centric view

  • Includes non-holder-changing documents

Holder Entries: Track asset custody changes (who has the asset)

  • "Who had custody and when?"

  • Custody-centric view

  • Only holder-changing transactions

Both Together: Complete asset history

Q: Can I create custom reports?​

A: Yes, multiple methods

Method 1: Excel Export

  • Export any asset list to Excel

  • Use Excel features (pivot tables, charts, formulas)

  • Most flexible, no development

Method 2: BC Request Pages

  • Use built-in filter pages on asset lists

  • Filter, sort, export

  • No development needed

Method 3: Custom AL Reports

  • Develop custom AL reports

  • Professional formatting

  • Requires development

Recommendation: Start with Excel export for 90% of needs

Q: How far back does reference history go?​

A: Forever (permanent ledger)

Asset Reference Entries: Permanent, cannot be deleted

  • Complete historical audit trail

  • From go-live date forward

  • Never purged (compliance requirement)

Manual References: Can be edited/deleted

  • Temporary reference list

  • Posted references become entries

Best Practices​

Always Enable Document Integration:

  • Sales integration

  • Purchase integration

  • Transfer integration

Result: Automatic reference creation, zero manual work

Standardize Manual References​

Use Consistent Document Types:

  • "Service Order" (not "Service", "Maintenance", "SO")

  • "Warranty Claim" (not "Warranty", "Claim", "WC")

  • "Inspection" (not "Inspection Report", "Audit")

Benefit: Easier filtering, consistent reports

Export to Excel Regularly​

Monthly Exports:

  • Current asset list with holders

  • Reference summary

  • Movement report

  • Industry distribution

Benefit: Trend analysis, historical comparisons

Use External Document Numbers​

Always Fill:

  • Customer PO numbers

  • Vendor invoice numbers

  • Service ticket IDs

  • Work order numbers

Benefit: Complete cross-reference to external systems

Tips for Success​

Start with References​

Priority Order:

  1. Enable automatic document integration (Sales/Purchase/Transfer)

  2. Create manual references for historical data (if applicable)

  3. Train team on reference viewing

  4. Build reporting later after reference data accumulates

Why: References are the foundation for historical reporting

Master Excel Export​

Key Skill: Excel export is your most powerful reporting tool

Learn:

  • How to export any list

  • Pivot tables (group by holder, industry)

  • Charts (asset trends, distributions)

  • Formulas (warranty expiration, age calculations)

Training Time: 30 minutes well spent

Create Report Templates​

Excel Templates:

  • Monthly Asset Distribution by Location

  • Quarterly Asset Acquisitions

  • Annual Asset Movement Summary

  • Warranty Expiration Report

Process:

  1. Export data once

  2. Format/pivot/chart perfectly

  3. Save as template

  4. Next month: paste new data, refresh

Benefit: Consistent reporting, zero setup time

Next in References & Reporting: Learn how Asset References provide complete document traceability and audit trails for every asset lifecycle.