# ERP Report Specification Template

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/erp-report-specification-template
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

A clean specification document for requesting a report from IT or a consultant, covering purpose, filters, calculations and acceptance tests.

## Category

erp-operations

## Audience

- ERP analyst
- Controller
- Report developer
- Business analyst

## Tool

**Kind:** template

**Output:** document

**Fields:**

#### Report name

**Key:** report_name

**Type:** text

**Default:** Open Sales Order Backlog by Promise Date

#### Requester

**Key:** requester

**Type:** text

**Default:** Controller, Plant 2

#### Business owner

**Key:** owner

**Type:** text

**Default:** Director of Operations

#### Request date

**Key:** date

**Type:** date

**Default:** 2026-10-20

#### ERP system and version

**Key:** erp

**Type:** text

**Default:** ERP name and release

#### Run frequency

**Key:** frequency

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- On demand
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Month end only

**Default:** Weekly

#### Business purpose and decision supported

**Key:** purpose

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Show open order value by promise week so operations can see backlog risk and finance can forecast revenue.

#### Audience and access

**Key:** audience

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Operations managers, finance team. View access by plant according to ERP roles.

#### Data sources

**Key:** sources

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Sales order header and lines, shipment lines, item master, customer master.

#### Filters and parameters

**Key:** filters

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Plant, customer, order type, promise date range, include or exclude blocked orders.

#### Calculations and definitions

**Key:** calc

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** Open value = (ordered quantity - shipped quantity) x net unit price. Promise week = ISO week of promise date.

#### Output format

**Key:** output_format

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- On screen grid
- PDF
- Excel
- Dashboard tile
- Scheduled email

**Default:** Excel

**Blocks:**

#### ERP Report Specification

**Body:** Report name: {{report_name}}
Requested by: {{requester}}
Business owner: {{owner}}
Request date: {{date}}
System: {{erp}}
Run frequency: {{frequency}}
Output: {{output_format}}

#### 1. Purpose and decision supported

**Body:** {{purpose}}

#### 2. Audience and access

**Body:** {{audience}}

#### 3. Data sources

**Body:** {{sources}}

#### 4. Filters and parameters

**Body:** {{filters}}

#### 5. Calculations and definitions

**Body:** {{calc}}

#### 6. Columns

**Table:**

**Columns:**

- Column
- Source field
- Format
- Sort or total

**Rows:**

#### 7. Acceptance tests

**Table:**

**Columns:**

- Test
- Expected result
- Tested by
- Pass or fail

**Rows:**

**0:** Totals tie to the source screen for one plant

**0:** Filters return correct subset

**0:** Report runs within agreed time on production volume

**0:** User without access cannot see restricted plant

#### Approvals

**Signatures:**

- Requester
- Business owner
- Report developer
- ERP administrator

**Notes:** Attach a sample of the expected output and one worked example from real data. Specifications that include an example are built right the first time far more often.

## Content

**Intro:** Most custom report problems start with a vague request. This template turns a request into a specification a developer can build and a user can accept, covering purpose, access, data, filters, calculations, columns and tests.

**Sections:**

#### How to use the template

**Body:** Fill the fields at the top, then export a Word or PDF document. Complete the column and test tables by hand or after exporting. Keep the specification short: one page for a simple list, two or three for a calculated report. Send it with a sample of the expected output so the developer sees what good looks like.

**Bullets:**

- State the decision the report supports, not only the data wanted
- Define every calculation in words and with one example
- Name the owner who will accept the report

#### Why acceptance tests matter

**Body:** A report can run without errors and still be wrong. Tie out at least one total to a standard ERP screen, test the filters, and test security with a user who should not see all data. Writing the tests in the specification also forces the requester to say what correct means.

#### Choosing the format and frequency

**Body:** Daily operational reports should open fast and show exceptions only. Month end reports can be heavier but should be reproducible: same parameters, same result. If a report is run once a quarter by one person, an ad hoc query may be cheaper than a maintained report.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** Requesting a report that already exists in the standard ERP, leaving calculations to the developer's interpretation, and forgetting access control are the most common. Before submitting, check the standard reports and inquiries of your ERP first.

**Cta:** If your report backlog is long, Netray can discuss natural language reporting over your ERP data, read-only and on your own infrastructure, for the requests that do not need a formal report.

**Faq:**

#### How detailed should a specification be?

**Answer:** Detailed enough that two developers would build the same report. Define data scope, filters, calculations and totals precisely and give one worked example. Layout can usually be shorter.

#### Does this work for any ERP?

**Answer:** Yes. It is system neutral. Add your ERP's report tool, for example SSRS, BI Publisher, Crystal or a custom tool, in the system field and list the tables or views in the sources.

#### Who should sign it?

**Answer:** The requester, the business owner who will use the numbers, the developer, and the ERP administrator who deploys it. Signatures show who accepted the definitions.

#### Can I reuse it for dashboards?

**Answer:** Yes. Choose dashboard tile as the output and list each metric in the calculations section with its definition and refresh rate.

## Search terms

report specification template, erp report request form, custom report requirements template, report design document template, functional specification report template, report request form word, bi report requirements document

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