We are all creatures of habit. Sometimes we do the same thing without realizing there might be a better alternative. For example, each morning, you pack your gym bag. It is kind of a pain to get your shoes to fit in with your clothes, and you usually wind up forcing everything in after a struggle.

Over the weekend, you decide you need new shoes and go shopping. While you are debating whether to get the same pair you just wore out, or try something new, another item catches your eye. It is a rack of gym bags. In a brief instant, you imagine having a tote big enough to actually hold all your stuff. That would pretty much eliminate the unnecessary battle with the bag every morning, which would be glorious! It just hadn’t occurred to you there might be another product out there that would replace hassle with ease.

Similarly, many business folks struggle with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). It is a server-based report generating software system that has been around for a while. In this age of digital transformation and automated report generation, it can make simple report generating tasks much harder and more complicated than they have to be, partially because it is meant for developers. But there is a much more user-friendly, modern alternative.

Here are five ways Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows for Microsoft Dynamics 365 eliminate the struggle of dealing with SSRS reports:

1. Anyone can use Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows: Who likes writing SQL sub theories? Not me! And not you, either, unless you are a developer and you do that for your job. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows for Dynamics 365 are for business users. You don’t have to know SQL code – or any code, for that matter. Instead, you would start with the intuitive platform, create your data set, build your template using “drag and drop” functionality, and start your document flow.
2. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows are user-friendly and convenient: Our Smart Flows for Dynamics 365 offer dashboard-style reporting, so you always know where you are at a glance. SSRS has no such thing, as you are expected to have developer-level skills and interpret code for that information. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows’ user interface is both web and mobile-ready. SSRS requires more work to run on mobile devices, as the capability isn’t built-in. Specifically, you would have to implement SQL Server Mobile Publisher. This is not for the average bear.
3. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows can combine multiple data sources: SSRS has limitations aggregating and sorting data, which makes getting the data into the documents for report generation problematic. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows for Microsoft Dynamics 365, by contrast, can combine multiple data sources, so data can be moved from point A to point B. This functionality is useful when creating document flows, because it ensures data from different sources are routed into the automated document reports without a hitch.
4. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows don’t have upgrade issues: Despite an update in 2016, SSRS is hard to upgrade. So hard that when the subject comes up, most folks just start looking around for other options. In addition, the interface, with its outdated visualizations, is probably nearing end of the line, too. 2016 wasn’t yesterday. Our Smart Flows are new, and connected to Microsoft Dynamics 365, so upgrade issues are manageable if they come up at all.
5. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows fit in your gym bag – that is, your system: SSRS can be a space hog, or “resource intensive”, meaning it can use up a lot of server resources. Experlogix Document Automation Smart Flows for Dynamics 365 cause no system strain.

With their ease of use and powerful modern capabilities, our Smart Flows for Microsoft Dynamics 365 are definitely the better alternative for any business user.