Dynamics GP Word Template Setup and Troubleshooting Checklist
This checklist walks a GP administrator through Word Template setup and the failures that follow it, for Dynamics GP 2013 R2 through 18.x. It follows the order Microsoft recommends: configure, assign, print, modify, then debug with the Template Processing Engine log.
0 of 33 items complete
5 critical items still open - these are the highest-risk gaps.
1. Enable templates
2. Assign the template to the company
3. Print and email path
4. Modify templates safely
5. Debug processing failures
Critical items cause most 'no template' and 'stuck processing' tickets. Work groups in order: enablement and assignment problems look like print problems.
Stuck on a template that will not process?
Send us the TemplateProcessing log and your GP build and we will point to the failing section and the fix.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use it
Start at group 1 even if templates worked before an upgrade: most tickets trace back to a report that is no longer enabled, a template assigned to one company but not another, or a user whose Alternate/Modified Forms and Reports ID points at a modified report while the template is assigned to the original. Tick items as you confirm them in the system and export the list to attach to the support ticket. Critical items are the ones that, when missed, produce the 'a Word template must be assigned' style of message or a missing Template option.
Where this lives in Dynamics GP
Template Configuration (Administration > Reports > Template Configuration) switches the feature on and lists which reports can use templates; its Images button sets company logos. Report Template Maintenance (Administration > Reports > Template Maintenance) is where you create, add, modify, assign and default templates per company. The Report Destination window shows the Template report type when everything lines up. Templates are stored as blobs in DYNAMICS..syReportTemplates and named in SY20000, not as files on disk.
- Modified vs original: set in Tools > Setup > System > Alternate/Modified Forms and Reports
- Email: module email settings must enable Word templates
- Editing: Dynamics GP Add-in for Microsoft Word, per Windows user
Reading the Template Processing log
When a template never finishes or GP shows 'One or more templates could not be processed. View the exception log for more details', add KeepTemplateFiles=TRUE and TPELogging=TRUE to the Dex.ini file used by that GP client and run the report again. A log whose name begins with TemplateProcessing, plus the intermediate documents, are written to the user's temporary folder (open it with explorer %temp% and sort by date). The log usually names the section or content control that failed, which points at a corrupt field, a missing XML source or an unsupported control. Remove the two settings afterwards.
Version differences and gotchas
Office security updates in 2020 broke template output until GP 2016 build 16.00.0814 or 18.3.1200 and later, so very old builds need an update rather than a workaround. Microsoft notes that after upgrading to 18.8 on SQL Server 2016, template XML sources and field lists may appear blank; SQL Server 2022 or later is recommended for editing. Open XML SDK 2.5 installed alongside the required 2.0 breaks templates and copy/paste. Templates saved without Maintain compatibility mode fail when Word versions differ between server and workstation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Template option missing in the Report Destination window?
Usually the report is not enabled in Template Configuration, no template is assigned and defaulted for the current company, or the user's Alternate/Modified Forms and Reports setting points to a report version (original or modified) that has no assigned template. Check all three for that user and company before reinstalling anything.
Where is the Dynamics GP Word template exception log?
There is no permanent log by default. Add KeepTemplateFiles=TRUE and TPELogging=TRUE to Dex.ini, rerun the report, then look in the user's %temp% folder for a file starting with TemplateProcessing alongside the intermediate .docx files. Remove the settings when finished so temp files do not accumulate.
Do I need Microsoft Word installed to print GP Word templates?
The Template Processing Engine builds the document using Open XML, so rendering does not rely on Word automation. You need Word, or a viewer, to open the result, and the Dynamics GP Add-in for Microsoft Word to edit templates. Email and PDF output depend on your GP build and email setup, so test those paths after changes.
Why did my modified Word templates stop working after a GP upgrade?
Upgrades can change the Report Writer report definition, so the template's XML source no longer matches. Test the original report with the default template, then update the modified template by exporting the report as XML and replacing its data source. Also check the Open XML SDK version and repair GP if the template processing DLL is damaged.
If you want users to ask GP for invoice or order details in plain English on your own servers instead of printing documents to find them, we can set that up.
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