Reporting Options for GoldMine (Part 1)
Posted on Wed, May 30, 2012
DID YOU KNOW…that there numerous reporting options for GoldMine? While CRM is a great productivity booster for individuals, the real key is the ability for management to report on the data being entered.
GoldMine’s open database architecture and available API allows for a wide range of options when it comes to reporting. There are reporting tools that are built-in to GoldMine and Microsoft SQL Server, GoldMine-specific tools and more generic Business Intelligence tools available. If even those do not work for you, a custom solution is always an option.
With all of the options available, how does a manager determine which option is right for the business?
In today’s article, we will cover the following reporting categories/types:
We will cover the following in part 2 of this article:
- Excel-based Reporting
- Third-party GoldMine Reporting
- Generic Business Intelligence Systems
GoldMine’s Filters/Groups/SQL Query/Contact Search
Many people do not realize this, but reporting is simply the display of existing data in a specific manner. Reporting can be as simple as showing a list of records that meet a certain criteria. Sound familiar? GoldMine tools can all show lists of records in a customizable fashion. In addition, GoldMine Premium allows for grouping and Excel-style filtering.
Pros:
- Included with GoldMine
- Fast & Easy to use (SQL Query tool contains a nice wizard for complex searches)
- Configurable
- Click-through right to the GoldMine record
- GoldSync-friendly for undocked remotes
Cons:
- Limited output options (column-based format only; Excel)
GoldMine reports (Legacy)
A good nickname for this tool would be “Old Faithful”. The GoldMine report designer has been around in its current form from at least version 4.0! It has been relied-upon for basic reporting and continues to do so even in GoldMine Premium.
Quick Tip: Back-up your report files! By default, these are accessible to users and can be modified/deleted easily.
Pros:
- Included with GoldMine
- Many pre-built reports
- Able to run against a GoldMine Filter and/or Group
- GoldSync-friendly for undocked remotes
Cons:
- Advanced report building is tedious (hint: spend your time elsewhere)
- Numerous quirks that make usage difficult
GoldMine Dashboards (Premium)
Dashboards are all the rage. In an earlier Did You Know blog post, we introduced GoldMine’s Dashboards.
Pros:
- Included with GoldMine Premium
- Well-designed, comprehensive, out-of-the-box Dashboards
- GoldSync-friendly for undocked remotes
- Can query multiple data sources (i.e. not just GoldMine)
- Drill-down capable
- Click-through to the actual record (e.g. Contact record, History record, etc.)
- Highly-configurable
- Grids allow for Group/Filter/Summary capability
Cons:
- Designing dashboards may require some technical knowledge
Microsoft SQL Server/Crystal Reports
Crystal Reports has always been the de-facto reporting tool used by GoldMine administrators across the globe. In most cases, a license of Crystal designer has been included with Corporate and Premium editions. In addition, with the Crystal DLLs installed to workstations, Crystal Reports can be published alongside GoldMine reports in the GoldMine Report Center.
When Microsoft began shipping SQL Server 2005, SQL Reporting Services (MSSRS) was included. GoldMine Corporate and Premium now have “hooks” for MSSRS built-in that allow for report scheduling right from GoldMine.
Pros:
- Very professional output is possible (a more powerfuls alternative to document merging)
- Wizards simplify the process of creating basic reports
- [MSSRS] Report scheduling and auto-delivery capabilities are included
- Can query multiple data sources (i.e. not just GoldMine)
- Can be run within GoldMine:
- [Crystal] Published through the Report Center
- [MSSRS] Accessed via GM+View and/or GM+Browser
Cons:
- The report designers show only the “raw” database tables, so some technical expertise/experience is needed
- [MSSRS] Reporting Services must be configured on the SQL Server
Always Remember: “Garbage In, Garbage Out”…if your data is a mess, don’t expect useful reports.
Need more? Do you have a specific report you wish to generate? Speak with us and get our opinion! Let us help you make the right choice for your reporting needs!