The Future of FRx and Management Reporter (for Dynamics GLs)

I’ve been in New Orleans this week attending Convergence—almost didn’t go home—had to tear myself away from the food and drink and music and dance and people and history and architecture and fun, but that’s another story in itself.

But here’s what I learned about FRx’s future.

First things first: if your GL is not Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL, AX or NAV, non of this post applies. I’ll do a separate post on that. Hint: don’t think you’re going to like it.

Bottom line, FRx is being replaced by Management Reporter (aka MR). MR is the next generation FRx—it looks and feels similar but runs on a better database (SQL Server instead of Access) and is written in a better language. Just a much stronger product all around even though it doesn’t yet have all the functionality of FRx.

Here’s the timeline.

Today:  Management Reporter version 1

• Practically speaking, there are no integrations to any of the Dynamics GLs so it’s not available. 
• There are a few integrations to non-Dynamics GLs.
• Choice: stay with FRx.

2010:  Management Reporter version 2

• MR version 2 will be available with new GL releases: GP11, SL8, AX6 and NAV2009. 
• New customers receive MR2 and FRx is not an option. 
• Existing customers have the option to continue FRx or migrate to MR v2.
• V2 adds heavy XBRL support. 
• You might not want to migrate depending on your specific requirements. Aside—Need consulting? (smile)
• Choices: stay with FRx or migrate to MR.
• (Saw v2 demo’d: very cool and quite stable)

2012: Management Reporter version 3

• Forecaster is rolled into MR version 3.
• Simple budgeting is added. (I’m aware that this conflicts with the above point…question pending.)
• All FRx 6.7 and Forecaster installs are migrated by end of year.
• Choices: MR only.

2014: Management Reporter version 4

• Enterprise Reporting is rolled into MR v4.
• All Enterprise Reporting customers are migrated by end of year.

Reasons you might want to stay on FRx:

• Currency translation.
• WebPort.

Other:

• FRx won’t support 64 bit.

There you have it: the initial roadmap of the FRx to MR transition. I’m very excited. As they say in Nawlins, Laissez les bon temps roulez! aka Let the Good Times Roll!