Introduction to NetSuite Reporting & Analytics

📝 What Is Reporting & Analytics in NetSuite?

NetSuite isn’t just an ERP — it’s also a real-time business intelligence system.
Every transaction, customer interaction, and inventory update feeds into the database, giving you the ability to analyze performance at any time.

With the right reporting setup, you can:

• Track financial health in real-time.
• Monitor sales performance by rep, region, or product.
• Manage inventory across multiple locations.
• Identify bottlenecks and risks before they affect your business.

---

🔧 Key Reporting Tools in NetSuite

1. Saved Searches
   • Flexible, dynamic queries that pull real-time data.
   • Commonly used for operational reporting, KPIs, and workflows.
2. Reports
   • Pre-built financial and operational templates.
   • Can be customized with filters, groupings, and layouts.
3. Dashboards & KPIs
   • Personalized homepages with reminders, KPI meters, graphs, and portlets.
   • Ideal for executives and role-based visibility.
4. SuiteAnalytics Workbooks
   • Advanced data exploration with pivot tables, charts, and datasets.
   • Great for trend analysis and visualization.
5. SuiteAnalytics Connect (ODBC/BI Tools)
   • External access to NetSuite data for tools like Excel, Power BI, or Tableau.
   • Best for enterprise-level analytics and data warehousing.

---

✅ Example: Real-World Scenarios

• Finance: CFO runs a P&L by subsidiary report each month.
• Sales: Sales Manager uses a Saved Search dashboard portlet showing open opportunities by rep.
• Operations: Inventory Manager monitors low-stock items with a saved search reminder.
• Executives: CEO views KPI meters for revenue growth and cash balance daily.

---

💡 Reporting vs Analytics in NetSuite

• Reporting = structured outputs (invoices, financial statements, sales reports).
• Analytics = insights and exploration (trends, pivot tables, ad-hoc queries).

👉 Reporting answers “What happened?”, while analytics answers “Why did it happen?”.

---

📌 Key Takeaways

• NetSuite has multiple reporting tools, each with a unique purpose.
• Saved Searches are the most versatile, but Reports are best for financials.
• Dashboards and KPIs provide real-time visibility.
• SuiteAnalytics adds advanced visualization and external BI integration.

---

👉 Next Page: Saved Searches Basics