Report Distribution Overview

Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting includes automated report distribution features that allow you to generate and deliver financial reports on a scheduled basis. This guide introduces the distribution capabilities.

What is Report Distribution?

Report distribution automates the process of:

Generating financial reports
Converting to various file formats
Delivering to recipients via email or SharePoint
Running on a schedule

Key Features

Multiple Output Options

Reports can be delivered via:

Email: Send directly to recipients
SharePoint: Upload to document libraries (requires the separate Hougaard SharePoint companion app)
Zip: Package multiple reports into one zip file that is downloaded to your browser; only useful for interactive runs, since a Job Queue run has nowhere to download to and discards the zip

Multiple File Formats

Reports can be generated in:

PDF: For printing and sharing
Excel (XLSX): For further analysis
Word (DOCX): For editing and formatting
HTML: For web viewing
XML: For data interchange

Flexible Scheduling

Run manually on demand
Schedule via Job Queue
Configure custom run frequencies

Components

Print Jobs

Print Jobs define what reports to generate:

Which financial report
Date range (using date formulas relative to today's system date)
Dimension filters
Output format and destination

The output is always the standard Account Schedule report rendered as HTML, PDF, Word, Excel or XML.

Explode by Dimension

The Explode by Dimension action duplicates a print job into one job per dimension value of a shortcut dimension, with the dimension value set as filter on each new job (Run ID suffixed with -<value>).

Job Queue Integration

Connect to Business Central's Job Queue:

Automate report generation
Set schedules (daily, weekly, monthly)
Monitor execution

Email Scenario

The app adds one email scenario, Financial Reports Print:

Assign an email account to it in Email Scenario Setup, or let the default account handle it
Any Business Central email connector works (Microsoft 365, Current User, SMTP)
Sent and failed emails are tracked in the standard Email Outbox and Sent Emails pages

How It Works

Print Job Definition
        ↓
Trigger (Manual or Job Queue)
        ↓
Generate Report
        ↓
Apply Filters & Date Range
        ↓
Convert to File Format
        ↓
Deliver (Email/SharePoint/Zip download)

Use Cases

Monthly Financial Package

Automatically send monthly financial statements:

Income Statement
Balance Sheet
Cash Flow Statement
Delivered to executive team

Weekly KPI Updates

Send weekly performance dashboards:

Sales performance
Operational metrics
Delivered to department heads

Daily Management Reports

Generate daily operational summaries:

Open orders
Receivables aging
Delivered to operations team

Quarterly Board Package

Prepare quarterly board reports:

Comprehensive financial statements
Comparison to budget
Uploaded to SharePoint for board access

Benefits

Time Savings

Eliminate manual report generation
No need to remember to run reports
Consistent delivery schedule

Consistency

Same reports generated the same way
Standardized formatting
Reliable date range calculations

Accessibility

Reports delivered where users need them
No need to log into Business Central
Archive capability via SharePoint

Getting Started

Step 1: Access Print Jobs

Search for Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting Print Jobs, or open Print Jobs from the Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting menu page
The Print Jobs page opens

Step 2: Create a Print Job

Click New
Enter a Run ID (unique identifier)
Select the Financial Report
Configure date formulas
Set output format and destination

Step 3: Test Manually

Select the print job
Click Manual Run Single to download the generated file to your browser (the Output setting is ignored by this action)
To test the actual Email or SharePoint delivery, filter the list to the job and click Manual Run All

Step 4: Schedule (Optional)

Select one or more print jobs (Ctrl/Shift-click)
Click Add Job Queue; a Job Queue Entry for codeunit "AFR Print Jobs Hgd" is created with Status On Hold and the selected Run IDs in its Parameter String, and the message "Job Queue Entry created!" is shown
Open Job Queue Entries, set the recurrence and set Status to Ready

Detailed Guides

For detailed instructions, see:

Requirements

Email Delivery

Email account configured in Business Central
Optionally an account assigned to the Financial Reports Print email scenario
Valid recipient email addresses (several separated by ;)

SharePoint Delivery

The separate Hougaard SharePoint companion app installed and configured; without it a SharePoint job errors with "Print job %1 has Output = SharePoint, which requires the Hougaard SharePoint app to be installed."
Appropriate permissions
Valid SharePoint paths

General

Valid Advanced Spreadsheets and Reporting license
Permission to run print jobs
Access to configured financial reports

Best Practices

Design

Clear Naming: Use descriptive Run IDs
Consistent Scheduling: Align with business rhythms
Appropriate Formats: Match format to usage

Operations

Monitor Job Queue: Check for failures
Validate Delivery: Confirm reports arrive
Update Recipients: Keep email lists current

Maintenance

Review Periodically: Ensure reports are still needed
Archive Old Reports: Manage SharePoint storage
Update Date Formulas: Adjust for fiscal calendar changes

Troubleshooting

Reports Not Generating

Check Job Queue status
Verify print job configuration
Review error messages

Email Not Delivered

Verify email account setup
Check email scenario configuration
Review recipient addresses
Check Email Outbox and Sent Emails: an email failure only shows a message and does not fail the job

Wrong Date Range

Review date formula syntax
Check relative date calculation
Test with manual run first