Acumatica Generic Inquiry Design Template
A Generic Inquiry in Acumatica is easy to build and easy to build badly. This template captures the purpose, tables, joins, conditions, parameters and security up front so the build takes an hour and the result matches what the business asked for.
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Acumatica Generic Inquiry Design Template
Generic Inquiry Design Specification
Company: Northfield Fabrication Inc. Inquiry: Open Production Orders by Work Center Author: A. Rivera Date: 2026-10-20
1. Business purpose
Give the production supervisor a daily list of released production orders with remaining quantity and promised date, grouped by work center.
2. Data source
Primary table: AMProdItem
Joins: InventoryItem on InventoryID, Customer on CustomerID (left join)
3. Conditions and parameters
Conditions: Status equals Released, Quantity Remaining greater than 0
Parameters (shown above the grid): Warehouse, Promised Date From, Promised Date To
4. Result grid columns
| Column heading | Source object.field | Sort | Total | Link to screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order number | Asc | |||
| Item | ||||
| Remaining qty | Sum | |||
| Promised date |
5. Access and publishing
Roles with access: Production Supervisor, Planner Site map location: ______ Expose via OData: Yes / No Expose to Power BI: Yes / No
6. Test cases
| Test | Input | Expected result | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default parameters | |||
| Date range with no data | |||
| User without role | Not visible |
Approvals
Table and field names are examples; confirm the actual DAC and field names in the Generic Inquiry designer on your version. Treat this as a design starting point and adapt it to your change control process.
Get a second opinion on your inquiry design
Optional: send the completed spec and we will flag join and performance risks.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the template
Fill the fields at the top, then print or export the document and complete the grid column table with the business user. Writing the column list first forces the conversation about what the user really needs to see. Hand the finished spec to whoever builds the inquiry on the Generic Inquiry screen, and keep it with your configuration documentation so the next consultant understands why joins and conditions exist.
Design choices that matter
The primary table decides performance and the shape of the result. Join only what you display or filter on, use left joins when the related record may be missing, and add conditions in the inquiry rather than filtering on screen. Parameters should be limited to what the user changes daily. Decide early if the inquiry is also exposed through OData for Power BI or Excel, because that affects naming and security.
- Start from the most selective table
- Prefer fewer joins, test with real volumes
- Name columns for the business, not the database
- Set navigation links so users can drill to the source screen
Testing and handover
Test with empty results, a large date range and a user who lacks the role. Compare totals to an existing report or screen before release. Record the access rights and the site map location in the spec so support can answer who can see it. When data volumes grow, revisit the joins first, since an extra join on a transaction table is the most common cause of slow inquiries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Generic Inquiry in Acumatica?
It is a configurable query tool, opened on the Generic Inquiry screen, that lets an administrator combine tables, set conditions and define result columns without writing code. The result appears as a screen with a grid, and can be exported or exposed through OData.
Should I use a Generic Inquiry or a report?
Use a Generic Inquiry for interactive lists, filtering and export. Use a report designed in the report designer when you need a pixel-controlled printable layout with grouping and headers, such as an invoice or a formal document.
Why is my inquiry slow?
Usually too many joins on large transaction tables, missing selective conditions, or sorting on non-indexed fields. Remove joins you do not display, add a date or status condition, and test the filter against production-sized data.
Can I secure a Generic Inquiry by role?
Yes. Access is granted through the access rights for the inquiry screen, so you can limit it to specific roles. Remember that data visibility for the underlying records can also be restricted by branch or restriction groups.
If your team keeps building one inquiry after another for the same questions, we can show you how a read-only natural language layer over Acumatica data reduces that backlog.
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