Stonefield Query for Sage Pro ERP: Ultimate Guide to Custom ReportingStonefield Query is a powerful reporting and ad‑hoc query tool designed to make data access and reporting easier for users of Sage Pro ERP. Whether you’re a finance manager, operations analyst, or IT administrator, Stonefield Query lets you quickly extract, join, filter, and format data from Sage Pro ERP to produce meaningful reports without heavy coding. This guide walks through key concepts, setup, creating queries and reports, advanced features, and best practices so you can get the most from Stonefield Query with Sage Pro ERP.
What is Stonefield Query?
Stonefield Query is a Windows-based desktop application that connects to a variety of data sources—especially ERP and accounting systems like Sage Pro ERP—to let users build SQL queries visually or write SQL directly. It provides:
- A visual query builder to join tables and define fields.
- Report designer for layout, grouping, and formatting.
- Export options (Excel, PDF, CSV, RTF).
- Scheduling and automation (depending on version/add-ons).
- Security and integration with the underlying database (read-only by default).
Why use it with Sage Pro ERP?
- Sage Pro ERP stores transaction, master, and financial data in a relational database that’s ideal for reporting.
- Stonefield Query translates that data into understandable, business-focused reports without needing deep SQL expertise.
- It speeds up report creation compared to manual exports or custom programming.
Prerequisites and setup
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System requirements
- A Windows client able to run Stonefield Query (check current version docs for specific OS and RAM/CPU needs).
- Network access to the Sage Pro ERP database server.
- Appropriate database drivers (ODBC/OLE DB) for the Sage Pro database engine in use.
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Permissions and access
- Read access to the Sage Pro ERP database and related tables.
- If using a test or development database, confirm data relevance for reporting.
- For production, coordinate with IT to ensure queries do not impact performance during peak hours.
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Installation and connection
- Install Stonefield Query on the reporting workstation.
- Configure an ODBC (or supported) data source pointing to the Sage Pro ERP database.
- In Stonefield Query, create a new connection using that data source. Test connectivity before building queries.
Understanding Sage Pro ERP data structure
Before building reports, familiarize yourself with common Sage Pro ERP table categories:
- Master tables: customers, vendors, items/products.
- Transaction tables: invoices, purchase orders, receipts, inventory movements.
- GL and financial tables: general ledger transactions, account master, fiscal periods.
- System and setup tables: users, branches, tax codes.
Tip: Keep a reference map of key table names and primary keys (e.g., customer_id, item_number, invoice_no) for faster joins.
Building your first query (step-by-step)
- Open Stonefield Query and select the Sage Pro ERP connection.
- Use the visual table chooser to add the main table (e.g., AR Invoices).
- Add related tables (e.g., Customer master) — Stonefield Query will suggest joins based on key relationships.
- Select fields you want to display (invoice date, invoice number, customer name, amount).
- Add filters: e.g., date range for the current fiscal year, status = ‘Closed’.
- Sort and group: group by customer name and sort by total invoice amount descending.
- Preview results and refine — add calculated fields if needed (see Calculated Fields section).
- Save the query with a descriptive name and optionally create a report based on it.
Calculated fields and expressions
Stonefield Query supports creating calculated fields using expressions and functions. Common uses:
- Currency conversions or formatting.
- Conditional logic: e.g., flagging overdue invoices: IF(due_date < Today(), ‘Overdue’, ‘OK’).
- Aggregations and ratios: gross margin = (sale_price – cost) / sale_price.
Example expression (pseudo-syntax):
CASE WHEN InvoiceTotal = 0 THEN 0 ELSE ROUND((InvoiceTotal - CostTotal) / InvoiceTotal * 100, 2) END Be mindful of data types (dates, numbers, strings) and null/zero handling to avoid runtime errors.
Designing printable reports
- From your query, open the report designer.
- Layout decisions:
- Use headers for company and report title.
- Grouping bands for customers, departments, or periods.
- Detail band for line-level data.
- Summary/footer for totals and subtotals.
- Formatting:
- Use consistent fonts and number/date formats.
- Add conditional formatting for negative values or exceptions.
- Output:
- Export to Excel for analysis, PDF for distribution, CSV for system imports.
- Save report templates to standardize outputs across departments.
Advanced topics
- Parameterized reports: Create queries that prompt users for input at runtime (date ranges, customer ID, region). This keeps a single report flexible.
- Subreports and joined datasets: Use subreports to combine disparate datasets (e.g., invoices with related credit memos).
- Scheduling and automation: If your Stonefield Query environment supports automation, schedule exports to run overnight and deposit results to a shared location.
- Performance tuning:
- Limit returned rows with filters and pagination when working with large tables.
- Use database indexes and work with DBAs to optimize slow joins.
- Prefer server-side aggregated queries rather than pulling all rows into the client.
Common reporting use cases for Sage Pro ERP
- Accounts receivable aging and collections reports.
- Sales analysis by item, customer, salesperson, or region.
- Purchase and vendor performance reports.
- Inventory valuation, turnover, and movement reports.
- Financial statements and GL reconciliations.
Include business-focused metrics: DSO (days sales outstanding), gross margin %, inventory turnover ratio, and budget vs actual comparisons.
Troubleshooting tips
- No data returned: check filters, date formats, and that the connection points to the correct company database.
- Slow queries: test SQL directly on the DB server, add indexes, and restrict result sets.
- Incorrect joins or duplicate rows: verify primary/foreign keys and join types (inner vs outer).
- Permissions errors: confirm the ODBC user has SELECT privileges on required tables.
Best practices
- Document queries and report logic (especially calculated fields and joins).
- Build reusable parameterized reports instead of many single-purpose reports.
- Maintain naming conventions and folder organization for queries/reports.
- Back up report definitions and templates regularly.
- Train end-users on how to run parameterized reports and export data safely.
Example: simple sales summary query (conceptual)
- Tables: SalesHeader, SalesDetail, Customer
- Fields: InvoiceDate, InvoiceNo, CustomerName, ItemNumber, Quantity, UnitPrice, LineTotal
- Filters: InvoiceDate between @StartDate and @EndDate
- Grouping: Group by CustomerName, then ItemNumber
- Summary: Sum(LineTotal) as CustomerSales, Sum(Quantity) as UnitsSold
Security and governance
- Ensure reports do not expose sensitive payroll or personal data to unauthorized users.
- Use role-based folders or connection credentials to limit access.
- Review and archive obsolete reports to reduce clutter and exposure.
Conclusion
Stonefield Query provides a flexible bridge between Sage Pro ERP’s underlying data and the business users who need actionable reports. By understanding Sage Pro’s table structure, using parameterized and well-documented queries, and following performance and security best practices, you can unlock timely insights without heavy development overhead.
If you want, I can:
- Draft a specific Stonefield Query example with exact field names if you provide your Sage Pro table names.
- Create a printable report layout template for sales or AR reporting.
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