Dynamics GP to Business Central – The Arrival of Smartlist Features via “Add Fields from Related Tables in Analysis Mode”
Business Central introduced 'Add fields from related tables in Analysis mode', a feature that mirrors Dynamics GP's Smartlist tool, enabling users to create custom reports by combining columns from related tables directly within list pages and analysis views without third-party tools.
"The real power of this functionality comes when you want to include data from other related tables."
Key points
- The feature allows adding columns from related tables to list pages in Analysis mode after activating it via Feature Management
- Users can save custom report views as Favourites to avoid recreating them repeatedly
- The real power lies in joining data from multiple related tables, similar to Smartlist Designer in Dynamics GP
- Users can manually link to tables that Business Central doesn’t automatically suggest, expanding reporting possibilities
Quotes
- “The real power of this functionality comes when you want to include data from other related tables.” (Identifies the key differentiator and primary value proposition of the feature beyond basic personalization)
- “Lots more reporting requirements can be fulfilled without the need for third party reporting tools.” (Demonstrates the practical business impact of reducing dependency on external solutions)
AL objects mentioned
As named in the post. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.
Context
- Features: Add fields from related tables in Analysis mode, Analyse button on list pages, Add columns from related tables, Save Favourites, Custom table linking via Other source option, Data filtering and export
Source: The Dynamics Explorer, community blog. Summary, key points and quotes are derived (CONTENT-NOTICE.md); read the original for the full text.