Report Formatting

Report Formatting

Maintaining a consistent user interface helps improve usability and user acceptance, and this rule applies to reports too. When you create custom reports, format your reports so that they have a look and feel that is consistent with your other reports. You saw earlier in this chapter that just accepting the default formatting of a Reporting Services report can turn out a visually unappealing report.

Fortunately Microsoft provides detailed style and formatting specifications in a Report Style Guide document if you want your custom reports to match the default reports in Microsoft CRM. We have included a few sample specifications from that document in Table 7-5 and Table 7-6, but you can get the entire style guide by downloading the Microsoft CRM SDK.

You don't have to spend a lot of time guessing about which fonts and colors Microsoft CRM uses in the default reports. You can find all of the information and specifications you need for consistent report formatting in the Report Style Guide.