How to Build BC Management Reports in Excel in 7 Steps (2026)

You build management reports from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in Excel by connecting Excel directly to the Business Central API, pulling the tables you need (G/L Entry, Cust. Ledger Entry, G/L Account), laying out the report once, and refreshing it with one click every period after that. No export, no copy and paste, no IT ticket. With Exsion Reporting the add-in installs from AppSource in about five minutes, inherits your Business Central user permissions, and refreshes 700,000 G/L Entry rows in under five seconds, so the report you build today is the report you reuse for years.

This guide walks through the seven steps in the order a controller actually does them: define the requirements, connect Excel, pick the tables, design the layout, add the calculations, set up the refresh, and distribute the result. Each step names the Business Central tables and settings involved so you can follow along in your own environment.

Quick guide: the 7 steps to build management reports in Excel

1. Define your reporting requirements. Identify the specific metrics and KPIs your management team needs to track.

2. Set up your Excel-to-Business Central connection. Establish a direct link between Excel and your BC data using Exsion365.

3. Select the relevant Business Central tables. Choose the data sources that contain your financial and operational information.

4. Build your report layout in Excel. Design a clear, readable structure for presenting your data.

5. Add formulas and calculations. Create the analysis logic that turns raw data into actionable insights.

6. Configure automatic data refresh. Set up one-click or scheduled refresh to keep reports current.

7. Distribute and share your reports. Deliver finished reports to stakeholders in their preferred format.

What does each step take, and what does it replace?

The table below sets the seven steps against the manual routine most finance teams run today. The time figures for the Exsion route come from the product facts on the Exsion Reporting page; the manual figures describe the typical export and paste routine.

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Step | Manual routine (export and paste) | Live connection (Exsion Reporting)

1. Define requirements | Same effort either way | Same effort either way

2. Connect Excel to Business Central | Not possible; each report starts with an export | Install from AppSource in about five minutes, sign in with Microsoft credentials

3. Select tables | Open each list page, filter, export, repeat per company | Tick tables and companies in the query grid, filters written into the workbook

4. Build the layout | Rebuild after every export | Build once, reuse forever

5. Add calculations | SUMIF against pasted ranges that shift each month | SUMIF or PivotTable against a stable data range, plus 16 live financial functions

6. Refresh | Repeat the whole export cycle | One click, 700,000 G/L Entry rows in under five seconds

7. Distribute | Send a fresh file each period | Share the workbook or PDF snapshot, or schedule it with ExsionTime

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How to create real-time management reports in Excel from Business Central

1. Define your reporting requirements

Start by listing the exact metrics your management team requests most often. Common examples include revenue by product line, outstanding receivables aging, cash flow forecasts, and profit margins by department. Talk with your CFO and operations managers to understand which numbers drive their decisions.

Document the reporting frequency as well. Some reports work on a monthly cycle, while others need weekly or daily updates. Knowing this upfront helps you design reports that match actual business rhythms rather than the rhythm of your export routine.

2. Set up your Excel-to-Business Central connection

A direct connection between Excel and Business Central eliminates the need to export data manually. Install the Exsion Reporting add-in from AppSource through Extension Management in Business Central; the install takes about five minutes and the 30-day trial licence key arrives by email within about a minute. The connection respects your existing Business Central user permissions, so there is no second security model to maintain and data security remains intact.

Once installed, authenticate using your Microsoft credentials. The setup does not require any involvement from your IT department, and there is no data warehouse, Azure SQL replica, VM, or gateway to configure. You'll see available Business Central tables and fields directly in the Excel ribbon.

3. Select the relevant Business Central tables

Business Central stores data across multiple tables. For financial reporting, you'll typically pull from G/L Entry (table 17), Cust. Ledger Entry (table 21), and G/L Account (table 15), which holds the chart of accounts. Operational reports might draw from Sales Lines, Purchase Lines, or Item Ledger Entry (table 32). Extension tables and flowfields are available in the same way as standard tables.

Filter your data selection to include only the records you need. This keeps your reports fast and focused. For instance, if you're building a monthly P&L, filter by posting date to retrieve only the current period, using the same Business Central filter syntax you already know, such as 01-01-26..31-01-26 for a date range or 4000..4999 for an account range. For a group, tick several companies in the query grid and the result gets a company column, which is the starting point for consolidating multiple companies in Excel.

4. Build your report layout in Excel

Design your report with the end reader in mind. Place summary figures at the top where executives look first. Use clear headers and consistent formatting throughout. Group related metrics together so the report tells a logical story.

Consider creating separate worksheets for different audiences. Your CFO might want high-level summaries, while department heads need transaction-level detail. Excel's worksheet structure lets you serve both needs in a single workbook. Because the query definition (table, companies, fields, filters, joins) is written into the workbook as a readable grid, any licensed colleague can see exactly what a sheet contains and edit it later.

5. Add formulas and calculations

Excel formulas transform raw Business Central data into meaningful analysis. Use SUMIF to aggregate amounts by account or department. Apply conditional formatting to highlight variances that exceed thresholds. Build trend calculations that compare current results to prior periods. For a summary sheet, Exsion's 16 live financial functions (account balance, account name, customer balance, dimension name and others) read straight from Business Central with the same filter syntax; they stay fast up to roughly 40,000 to 50,000 calculations per workbook, so keep transaction-level detail in a data sheet or PivotTable instead.

Keep formulas simple and well-documented. Add cell comments explaining complex calculations. This makes maintenance easier when you or a colleague needs to update the report months later. If you want the numbers to explain themselves, the Show Details drill-down opens Business Central filtered to the exact account and date range behind a cell; the drill-down guide covers that in six steps.

6. Configure automatic data refresh

The real power of live Business Central reporting comes from refreshing data with a single click. After your initial setup, updating a report takes seconds rather than hours, and Excel stays responsive during the refresh. You can also schedule automatic refreshes to run overnight with ExsionTime, which uploads a workbook to Business Central and runs it on a schedule, so your morning reports always contain yesterday's final numbers.

Test your refresh process after making layout changes. Verify that new data populates correctly and formulas recalculate as expected. This small quality check prevents surprises when sharing reports with management.

7. Distribute and share your reports

Save your finished reports in a shared location where stakeholders can access them. SharePoint and OneDrive integrate well with Excel, preserving formatting and allowing version tracking. Licensed colleagues can edit and refresh the workbook; unlicensed colleagues can still read it, move pivots and drill. For recipients who don't need live data, use Formulas to Values to convert the workbook to static numbers or export a PDF snapshot.

Consider setting up email distribution for recurring reports. Recipients receive the latest numbers without logging into any system. This removes friction and increases report adoption across your organization.

Why do finance teams need real-time Business Central reports?

Finance teams spend significant portions of their week preparing reports. Research on financial reporting automation shows that reducing manual data handling frees controllers to focus on analysis and strategic advice. When your numbers are always current, you can answer management questions in minutes instead of hours. AASK, an Exsion customer, saved over 20 hours per month once its reports refreshed from live data instead of exports.

Real-time access also improves accuracy. Each manual export and copy operation introduces error risk. A direct connection to Business Central means your Excel figures always match the source system.

What are the benefits of ad-hoc reporting without IT support?

Traditional BI platforms often require developer involvement for every new report request. This creates bottlenecks and delays. Self-service tools let finance professionals build their own ad-hoc reports whenever a new question arises, and the seven-step guide to reducing IT dependency shows how to make that the standard rather than the exception.

You gain flexibility to explore data independently. If a manager asks about a specific product's performance last quarter, you can pull that information immediately. No tickets, no waiting, no back-and-forth with technical teams.

How Exsion365 helps you build real-time management reports

Exsion365 connects Excel directly to your Business Central data without complex setup. You work in the familiar Excel environment while accessing live information from your ERP. Reports refresh with one click, and your Business Central permissions keep data secure. When a report outgrows a worksheet, Exsion can load the data straight into the PivotTable data model, with up to 25 million Business Central rows in one pivot.

The solution supports multi-company reporting, so you can consolidate numbers across entities without switching between environments; for full group consolidation with intercompany eliminations and currency translation there is Exsion Corporate. Finance teams at more than 21,000 organizations use Exsion365 to reduce reporting time and improve data accuracy.

Ready to simplify your Business Central reporting? Start the 30-day trial from the pricing page, or schedule a demo to see how Exsion365 fits your specific needs.

Frequently asked questions

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Can I create multi-company reports from Business Central in Excel? | Yes. With Exsion365 you tick the companies you need in the query grid and the result gets a company column, so data from multiple Business Central companies lands in a single Excel workbook without manual merging. This works across environments as well.

Do I need IT help to set up Excel reporting from Business Central? | No. Exsion365 installs from AppSource through Extension Management in about five minutes and uses your existing Business Central credentials and permissions. There is no warehouse, gateway or VM to configure.

How often can I refresh my Business Central reports? | You can refresh on demand with a single click whenever you need current numbers; 700,000 G/L Entry rows load in under five seconds. Exsion365 also offers scheduled refresh through ExsionTime, so reports update automatically at set intervals.

What happens to my existing Excel skills and templates? | Your Excel skills transfer directly. Exsion365 brings Business Central data into standard Excel, so you use the same formulas, formatting and features you already know, and you can convert existing templates by replacing static data with live connections.

Is my Business Central data secure when using Excel reporting tools? | Yes. Exsion365 inherits the access rights configured in Business Central, so users see only the data they are authorized to view, and no sensitive information is stored outside your controlled environment.

Which Business Central tables do I need for a monthly management report? | Most management reports start with G/L Entry (table 17) for the P and L and balance sheet, G/L Account (table 15) for the chart of accounts, and Cust. Ledger Entry (table 21) for receivables aging. Add Item Ledger Entry (table 32) or Job Ledger Entry (table 169) for operational detail.

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