How to take control of your ERP reporting — faster, smarter, and without IT bottlenecks
On September 10th, the Hot Seat Podcast hosted an expert panel discussion sponsored by FYIsoft that pulled back the curtain on one of the biggest frustrations finance leaders face: ERP reporting. For decades, running a report meant logging a ticket with IT, waiting days (or weeks), and hoping the final output matched what you actually needed. With the removal of Management Reporter in Business Central, that challenge only grew.
Today, new tools are putting control back into the hands of finance leaders—no coding, no Power Platform build-outs, and no IT bottlenecks. This panel explored how.
About the Speakers
Marie Wiese – Host of the Hot Seat Podcast and founder of Marketing Copilot. With over 30 years in tech, Marie brings a business-owner’s perspective to reporting challenges, specializing in CRM, marketing automation, and digital transformation.
Stephanie Clark – Founder & CEO of Elliott Clark Consulting. With 20+ years and 500+ ERP projects, Stephanie helps manufacturers and distributors simplify complexity and build durable processes. She also authors the popular LinkedIn newsletter ERP Gone Wild.
Cari Corozza – Founder of PowerLift Solutions. A former controller and end-user turned consultant, Cari brings a finance-first lens to Business Central, helping users streamline processes and solve reporting challenges.
Cynthia Priebe – Consultant & Owner of MGC Group, LLC, and a Microsoft MVP. Cynthia is known for “Sharing the Righter Way,” specializing in permissions, accounting automation, and turning ERP confusion into confidence.
Key Takeaways from the Panel
1. The complexity of ERP reporting
ERP reporting isn’t difficult because the tools are bad—it’s difficult because of how broad ERP systems are. A single ERP must capture transactions from every corner of the business: finance, operations, sales, supply chain, and manufacturing. Each of these functions has its own requirements and definitions of what “useful” reporting looks like.
- Finance leaders want accuracy and visibility into the general ledger.
- Operations leaders want to track consumption, inventory, and process efficiency.
- Executives want high-level KPIs that roll up across departments.
Reconciling all of these views introduces complexity. Multiple ledgers and data sources create confusion about where to pull information from. For example, should analysis start with item ledger entries, value entries, or the GL? Without consistency, reporting efforts often stall, and trust in the data erodes.
2. Shifting ownership from IT to finance
Traditionally, ERP reporting was considered an IT responsibility. Business leaders submitted requests, IT interpreted them, and eventually a report was produced. This process was slow and often left users frustrated, either because of the delay or because the final product didn’t match the business question.
In today’s environment, that model no longer makes sense. IT departments are already consumed with higher-value tasks:
- Enforcing security and compliance.
- Managing data integrity across systems.
- Setting guardrails for AI adoption.
ERP reporting doesn’t belong on that list. Finance leaders need tools that allow them to run reports independently—without coding, without long waits, and without constant translation between business needs and technical execution. When reporting ownership shifts to finance, IT gets time back for strategic initiatives, and finance gains the agility to make faster, better-informed decisions.
3. The enduring role (and risk) of Excel
Excel is familiar, flexible, and comfortable, which is why so many organizations still use it as their default reporting tool. But this reliance comes with major risks. Static spreadsheets often contain errors, circular references, or outdated numbers. Once a single error is spotted, leadership trust in the entire report can collapse.
There are also governance issues: auditors may refuse Excel-based reports because the data can be easily manipulated. And even when controls are in place, reports vary by user—each person has their own formula style, formatting preferences, or shortcuts, which makes standardization impossible.
Excel does still have a place in modern reporting. When linked dynamically to Business Central or other ERP systems, it can deliver flexible views that stay connected to live data. But the key is integration. Businesses that treat Excel as the primary reporting tool instead of one piece of a broader reporting strategy risk undermining both accuracy and confidence.
4. AI as a reporting assistant, not a replacement
Artificial intelligence is beginning to change how finance leaders think about reporting. It can analyze vast datasets quickly, surface anomalies, and highlight trends or variances that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, AI can:
- Flag when salaries rise unexpectedly in a given month.
- Identify inventory items that are slow-moving and may need a promotional push.
- Suggest consolidations in GL accounts to simplify reporting structures.
But AI is not a replacement for human judgment. Forecasting, budgeting, and decision-making still require context, nuance, and experience. AI can provide a starting point—an “assistant” that reduces manual work and accelerates insights—but every output must be verified. The foundation of trustworthy reporting is still clean, structured, accurate data. Without that, AI only amplifies existing problems.
5. Building for the future of reporting
The session emphasized one consistent theme: start with the end in mind. Organizations often jump into ERP implementations or reporting tool rollouts without clearly defining the goal. Do you need faster month-end close? Real-time cash flow visibility? Predictive forecasting capabilities? The answers to those questions determine not only which tools to use, but also how to structure the underlying data.
A future-ready reporting strategy involves:
- Structured data – Data must be consistent, reliable, and accessible.
- Clear reporting objectives – Tools should align to business goals, not the other way around.
- Balanced toolsets – Use the right mix of ERP-native reports, Excel integrations, and AI-enabled solutions.
- A trust-first culture – Reports only work if leadership believes in the numbers.
As reporting tools evolve, new features and technologies will appear rapidly. But the real competitive advantage doesn’t come from adopting every new tool—it comes from ensuring reporting is accurate, trusted, and tied to the strategic outcomes the business actually cares about.
Why FYIsoft Matters
As we learned from this conversation, ERP reporting is only as strong as the tools behind it. For years, finance leaders relied on Management Reporter in Dynamics GP, but with Business Central, that option is disappearing—leaving many organizations scrambling to fill the gap.
This is where FYIsoft comes in. As a sponsor of this panel, FYIsoft is focused on solving the exact challenges discussed during the session: eliminating IT bottlenecks, empowering finance leaders to take control of reporting, and building a bridge to the future of AI-enabled insights.
Ultimately, we offer more than just software—we provide a way forward for finance leaders who want to run their ERP reporting faster, smarter, and without compromise. For organizations navigating the transition from Management Reporter or struggling with fragmented reporting approaches, it’s a practical, future-proof solution.
Watch the Panel On Demand
This conversation was filled with real-world stories, candid insights, and practical advice from experts who live and breathe ERP reporting every day.
