ReportsNow Vs Microsoft Power BI for JD Edwards Reporting
Choosing the Right BI Tool for JD Edwards: A Practical Comparison
When it comes to JD Edwards (JDE) reporting, not all BI tools are created equal. Business Intelligence (BI) has transformed dramatically over the past decade, and modern BI should deliver self-service capabilities where business users can create, customise, and share insights independently.
For JD Edwards customers, two popular options often come up — ReportsNow DAS (Data Access Studio) and Microsoft Power BI. While both are well-regarded, they are built for very different purposes. Recognising those differences is essential to selecting the tool that truly delivers value in a JDE environment.
The Challenge of JD Edwards Reporting
JD Edwards data is stored across thousands of tables, while the data is consistent and reliable, extracting meaningful insights requires deep system knowledge.
For JDE end users, the biggest challenge is balancing accessibility with accuracy:
- Can you build reports without relying on IT every time?
- Do the tools handle JD Edwards tables correctly?
- How quickly can you move from raw data to actionable dashboards?
This is where the ReportsNow vs Power BI debate takes centre stage.
The recorded webinar, which you can view on the Ndevr YouTube channel, demonstrates the exact same report in both products:
- See the differences of each product throughout the steps involved in creating reports; row and column configuration; and table and field alias look-ups.
- Learn about data disparities when importing from JD Edwards, what formula creation involves, and how to build advanced calculations.
- Evaluate the usability of both tools and the level of experience required to create reports and dashboards.
- Compare the steps, the clicks and the time spent when using each tool.
ReportsNow VS Power BI Direct Comparison
ReportsNow is Built for JD Edwards
ReportsNow DAS is purpose-built for JD Edwards. It connects natively, understands JDE’s data model, and speaks the same language end users do.
Key features include:
- Google-like search: Look up tables by business name (e.g., “Accounts Payable”) or by table code (F0411).
- Associated descriptions: Pull vendor names or document type descriptions with a double-click, no joins or coding required.
- Pre-built content: Access to 500+ templates and out-of-the-box reports.
- Dashboards: Interactive maps, charts, and cards that are created in minutes.
- ETL handled: JDE decimals, dates, and field formats are automatically interpreted correctly.
In the recorded demonstration, ReportsNow users create a complete Accounts Payable report with vendor details, calculated fields, and an interactive dashboard in under 10 minutes.
For finance executives, the biggest advantage is time-to-value. Reports can be built quickly and reliably, by end users, without any extensive technical overhead.
Power BI is also a Visualisation Powerhouse
There is no argument that Microsoft’s Power BI is one of the most widely used BI platforms globally. Its strength lies in its rich visualisation library, AI-enabled insights, and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.
However, when applied directly to JD Edwards, Power BI faces several hurdles:
- No native JDE connection: Users must connect via SQL Server, which exposes raw tables with cryptic field names.
- Complex data prep: Pulling vendor names, document descriptions, or address details requires multiple joins and transformations.
- Decimal and date handling issues: JDE stores values in ways that Power BI does not automatically interpret. Fixing these requires writing formulas in DAX or Power Query (M).
- Steeper learning curve: End users must understand multiple coding languages (M, DAX, and visualisation logic) to get accurate results.
In the webinar comparison, creating the same Accounts Payable report in Power BI took significantly longer, required several technical steps, and introduced risks of errors if field conversions were missed.
Combining ReportsNow and Power BI
For JD Edwards customers, the real advantage comes from starting with ReportsNow. Because DAS is built specifically for JDE, it removes the pain points that Power BI struggles with — messy decimal handling, cryptic field names, complex joins, and JDE’s unique date formats. ReportsNow delivers clean, accurate, business-ready data in minutes without coding.
Where Power BI shines is in visualisation variety and Microsoft ecosystem integration. But these strengths only matter once the data is already trustworthy. That’s why many organisations use ReportsNow as the data engine — to prepare, calculate, and validate JD Edwards data — and then layer Power BI on top for presentation and sharing.
This approach means finance teams and end users don’t waste time fixing errors or learning new query languages. Instead, they can rely on ReportsNow for reliable JD Edwards reporting, while still taking advantage of Power BI’s extended visualisation options when needed.
Which Tool Is Right for You?
When comparing ReportsNow vs Power BI for JD Edwards reporting, the difference is clear. ReportsNow is purpose-built for JDE, offering fast, accurate, and self-service reporting that business users can trust. It eliminates the technical hurdles that make Power BI challenging for JDE environments — from handling decimals and dates to joining tables and pulling meaningful descriptions.
Power BI, while excellent for visualisation and part of many organisations’ Microsoft strategies, is not optimised for JD Edwards data on its own. It becomes most effective when paired with ReportsNow, which ensures the data it consumes is already correct and business-ready.
For JD Edwards end users and financial leaders, the priority should be ReportsNow first — the tool that empowers teams to get answers quickly and accurately. Power BI can then be layered on top if your organisation needs advanced charting or integration with broader enterprise BI initiatives.
Ndevr can assist in your JD Edwards Business Intelligence comparison journey, as we have extensively researched and evaluated all the major competing ReportsNow products and can provide you with a full report into the strengths and weaknesses of each of the ReportsNow major competitors.
We became an official ReportsNow partner after many years of working with the product and have the largest most experienced team of ReportsNow developers and trainers outside the USA.
We provide ReportsNow training services, implementation, support as well as being resellers of licenses for the entire ReportsNow product Suite.
