Good reporting is a cornerstone of any successful business. As technology advances, organizations are increasingly looking for greater detail and visibility into their operations, so much so that they often encounter obstacles in the tech they rely on for reporting, as recently highlighted in the results of this year’s State of the Infor Community Survey.
While significant improvements have been made to address businesses’ reporting needs, executives and functional leaders alike are still looking for more ways to parse the data.
Fortunately, there are a plethora of solutions organizations can pair with Infor’s native tools to address current gaps while preparing for the future.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the current reporting gaps across different business areas, solutions that can bridge them, and new Infor reporting advancements on the way.
Understanding Reporting Gaps in Infor
To recognize the areas where reporting could be stronger, it’s important to first understand Infor’s reporting framework, which is built around three distinct categories.
- Operational Reporting: Real-time, detailed data in tabular formats for HR managers and supply chain staff. Some common operational reporting tools include List Views, Landmark Reports, and Infor Spreadsheet Designer (ISD).
- Financial Reporting: Financial reports serve as a great source for compliance and regulatory purposes. These reports present data in precise, pixel-perfect formats for executives, board members, and auditors. Key tools for financial reporting include Application Studio (EPM) and GL Report Designer.
- Analytic Dashboards: Data visualizations and KPIs that reveal trends for deeper analysis. Powered by Birst, analytic dashboards are a great way to summarize and forecast information for C-suite leaders and department directors.
Despite the well-rounded suite of tools, reporting gaps persist. Infor’s cloud-based architecture limits direct database access, requiring users to rely on delivered tools that may lack the flexibility or detailed data needed for advanced reporting.
Native options like ISD or Application Studio for example, can be rigid, often requiring significant configuration with very limited customization. Moreover, real-time visibility may be inconsistent, particularly when data replication introduces latency or when reporting needs span multiple functional areas such as FSM, HCM, and WFM.
The absence of unified access across these modules often makes it difficult to produce cross-functional reports or executive dashboards.
On top of that, poor data quality, including outdated, inconsistent, and duplicate records, can degrade report accuracy and system performance, even when using advanced external tools.
RPI’s Holistic Approach to Reporting Challenges
To overcome reporting gaps, we take a holistic approach that combines Infor’s native capabilities with additional tools and services provided by third-party organizations whose solutions seamlessly integrate with Infor CloudSuite.
Below are a few standout tools that solve various reporting needs.
Spreadsheet Server for Financial Reporting
While Infor delivers a range of tools for operational, financial, and analytical reporting, many CloudSuite users—especially those transitioning from on-premise—still encounter limitations in flexibility and ease of access. Spreadsheet Server by Insight Software helps fill those gaps with an Excel-based reporting solution tailored for financial professionals.
Built to integrate with Infor CloudSuite FSM, Spreadsheet Server allows users to pull live cloud data directly into Excel, enabling the creation of custom reports, complex calculations, and data manipulation. It’s an ideal fit for teams already using Excel as their reporting front-end, reducing the learning curve and encouraging adoption.
Spreadsheet Server also connects securely with CloudSuite using Landmark Replication Sets, ensuring data integrity while extending reporting functionality.
For organizations that need more control than what native tools provide, Spreadsheet Server offers immediate, finance-first value.
Dashboard Gear for Advanced Reporting
For CloudSuite users managing complex implementations across FSM, HCM, payroll, or WFM, Dashboard Gear offers a powerful way to gain direct access to data for simplified reporting.
Dashboard Gear provides a purpose-built reporting database that transforms CloudSuite business classes into easy-to-use SQL tables and views. This familiar structure allows organizations to use their preferred reporting tools, whether that’s Power BI, Tableau, or Excel, while drastically reducing report development time and complexity.
The platform uses Landmark Replication Sets to securely extract data from CloudSuite, either in full or incrementally, and stages it in a dedicated SQL Server database. From there, teams can access clean, pre-modeled data ready for immediate use, without wrestling with CloudSuite’s native data structure or multi-tool limitations.
For organizations seeking to preserve the power and flexibility of direct database reporting in a cloud environment, Dashboard Gear is a strong, scalable solution that aligns well with enterprise reporting needs.
Data Cleanup & Archiving Services
Of course, reporting solutions are only as good as the data powering them. Even the most robust tools can fall short if they’re working off outdated or inconsistent datasets.
With CloudSuite’s multi-tenant architecture, organizations no longer have direct access via open database connectivity. Instead, data access is controlled through secure replication sets and vendor-managed layers, making high-quality, well-maintained data essential.
When poor data hygiene goes unaddressed, it can lead to inaccurate reports, slower processing times, and decision-making built on shaky foundations. Proactively cleaning legacy data, retiring obsolete records, and organizing what’s active ensures that reports are fast, trustworthy, and actionable.
By investing in cleanup and archiving efforts, organizations set the stage for a streamlined reporting environment that drives better business insights and system performance. Contact RPI to learn more about data cleanup and archival services.
Preparing for the Infor Data Warehouse
Organizations have a wealth of solutions to deploy in tandem with their Infor CloudSuite stack. For businesses that do not have immediate needs for this level of detail, advanced functionality native to CloudSuite is on the way.
It was recently revealed at the Infor Connect conference that significant changes to data storage are coming to CloudSuite users.
Businesses currently on the cloud-based ERP will begin migration over to the Data Warehouse, powered by Amazon Aurora through 2027. Organizations who provision CloudSuite now will have immediate access to the Data Warehouse.
The Infor Data Warehouse transforms reporting capabilities by providing a relational database in the cloud. Unlike the Data Lake, which stores raw, unstructured data, the Data Warehouse replicates structured data from Landmark applications, enabling near real-time data access and integration with JDBC-compliant tools for custom reporting.
To prepare for the Data Warehouse, organizations should take the following action:
- Invest in business intelligence training to strengthen their teams’ understanding of reporting tools and concepts as well as their confidence in using them.
- Evaluate and implement complementary reporting solutions to bridge current gaps.
- Prioritize data quality through data cleanup and archiving initiatives.
Paving A Path to Reporting Excellence
Reporting isn’t a nice-to-have but a requirement. And achieving reporting excellence, means having a multi-pronged approach that addresses your unique needs and aligns strategies with the right tools and skillsets.
With the support of RPI Consultants, your business can combine Infor’s built-in tools with complementary solutions like Spreadsheet Server and Dashboard Gear, to close today’s gaps while laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s capabilities.
At RPI, we are committed to empowering our clients with tailored reporting solutions. So, if you’re Interested in learning more about RPI’s approach to reporting within the Infor ecosystem contact us below.
