SuiteCloud Platform
SuiteAnalytics Pivot Reporting and Analysis (Beta)
You saw it demonstrated at SuiteWorld, and now it's time to get hands-on with this exciting new SuiteAnalytics functionality!
With NetSuite Version 2011.2, analyzing your NetSuite data just got easier by letting you take saved search results and perform pivot slice and dice reporting and analysis on them directly in NetSuite.
These new pivot reports feature row hierarchy, cross-tab columns and subtotaling, together with a simple, intuitive drag-and-drop user interface that enables you to set report layout and pivot options for results fields that have been defined in a saved search. Quickly change the layout on the fly by changing the rows and column dimensions as required.
Now it's possible to combine the power and flexibility of a NetSuite saved search with multidimensional analysis and reporting, and easily create cross-tab reports that not only use standard fields, but which can be based entirely on NetSuite custom records.
Start using this new feature by deploying it from the Related SuiteApps section of the Enable Features page.
Note: In Version 2011.2, the Pivot Reports function is available as a beta feature. The beta will be available with the final phase of the 2011.2 roll-out, in mid-October. Some standard report functionality is not yet supported, and significant changes may occur between this beta version and the final version to be supported in a future NetSuite release.
SuiteFlow Workflow Management Enhancements
With Version 2011.2, NetSuite has added a number of enhancements that make it easy to manage workflows, and provides even more capabilities to improve workflow flexibility:
- "Make Copy" Functionality
It's now simple to copy a SuiteFlow workflow using the Make Copy command. This makes it easy to use an existing workflow as a starting place for creating a new workflow. Using Make Copy also makes it easy to version workflows that have already deployed, by leaving one version in production while enhancing the other. - File Attachments in Workflow Emails
In Version 2011.2, SuiteFlow now enables you to include an attachment, such as a text, PDF, or Microsoft Word file, to a workflow email. For example, a sales follow-up workflow can now include a sales collateral attachment with each sales rep email. - Mass Update: Process Workflows without a Button
There's now no more need to create workflow buttons to use the "Process Workflow" type of mass update. Now if a button is not selected, the mass update will just process the current state workflow transitions for all active instances. - Event Types and Execution Context
New event types and execution context with SuiteFlow provide even more granular control over a workflow's behavior. For example, it's now possible to create a workflow to perform additional validation on sales orders that are imported in by web services that would not apply to sales orders entered via the user interface, or to display a button on a record only in edit mode.
The new functionality is similar to creating conditions for data-driven behavior. Select one or more event types or execution contexts to restrict the situations in which a workflow will be initiated or execute an action or transition (similar to using execution context and event type in SuiteScript).
RESTlets for Integration
With NetSuite Version 2011.2, NetSuite provides support for the latest web application development standards. Starting with this release, NetSuite offers a new lightweight, flexible and standards-based framework to define custom RESTful integrations, with a new type of server SuiteScript called RESTlet. This new script type opens up many new integration possibilities. RESTlets make it easier to build integrated mobile applications and website-to-NetSuite integration.
The new script type is similar to a Suitelet. Backed with all the power of SuiteScript APIs, the RESTlet framework allows a developer to define their own procedures for the standard REST functions such as POST, PUT, GET and DELETE. Additionally, it takes care of serialization and deserialization of objects to JSON and vice versa. A custom text format can also be used as the input and output. RESTlets require a valid session and provide a means of sending authentication information in the HTTP header with every request. All the above features together create a very powerful framework to rapidly build and deploy lightweight, secure, and performant REST based web services.
Another use case for RESTlets is to utilize the JSON output to serve up data for a custom UI built using a Suitelet. This capability makes it easier to build AJAX user interfaces on the SuiteCloud platform.
All the existing SuiteScript capabilities, such as debugging, error handling, and logging, are at your fingertips when you develop RESTlets.
Support Other HTTP Methods in nlapiRequestURL
The nlapiRequestURL() call has been extended to include HEAD, DELETE and PUT as well as GET and POST. This makes it easier to integrate with external RESTful services using the standard REST functions. The signature of the API has changed to nlapiRequestURL(url, postBody, headers, callback, httpMethod). The last argument is new and optional, allowing you to specify the appropriate http method to use for your integration.
New Records in SuiteScript
New records supported within SuiteScript enable you to customize and extend NetSuite even further.
Bin, inventory number, revenue recognition template, revenue recognition schedule, inventory transfer, bin put-away worksheet and bin transfer records are now scriptable. The bin APIs account for the new functionality added to Bin Management with Version 2011.2 (see the Advanced Bin/Numbered Inventory Management feature for details).
Also, you can now provide Customer Center and Partner Center access to contacts through scripts on customer and partner records.
Entity List/Record Type Custom Fields
It's now possible to create custom fields of type Entity. When setting the list/record type for a custom field to Entity, the dropdown automatically includes all records of type contact, customer, employee, group, other name, partner and vendor. You can use the sourcing and filtering capabilities to limit the choices in the dropdown to a subset of the supported types.
For example, now you can filter using Type, where value equals customer, partner and vendor, to only show entities of these types and exclude employees, contacts, other name and group.
Custom Record Icons
Version 2011.2 now allows icons to be uploaded for custom records to blend them more seamlessly with the NetSuite user interface. This allows SuiteApp developers to blend their application even more seamlessly with standard NetSuite records.
Custom icons are shown on the Create New bar, Create New menu on record pages, list pages and list portlets, Recent Records menu, Recent Records Portlet, and QuickView pop-ups.
New Records Supported for SuiteTalk Web Services
Numerous new records have been exposed in SuiteTalk web services, providing even more integration depth and breadth. Web services access and data management are now provided for vendor credit, vendor return, serial (inventory) number, revenue recognition template and revenue recognition schedule records.
The addition of work order, inventory transfer, bin put-away worksheet, and bin transfer records provides opportunities for even deeper integration with warehouse management systems and other applications.
Finally, support for the contact roles sublist on customer and partner records allows the provision of Customer Center and Partner Center access to contacts.
New Records Exposed in CSV Import
It's even easier to import and manage data in NetSuite with Version 2011.2. The CSV Import Assistant now supports phone call, bin, support case, vendor credit and vendor return records.
Additionally, customer and partner imports now include a new contact access sublist that can be used to set access controls for contacts to the Customer Center and Partner Center.
