One of the most important learning tools available is experimentation. Report development is one area where experimentation will be extremely valuable. We need to know which Report layouts, control settings, and field formats work well for our needs and which do not. The best way to find out is by experimentation.

Create a variety of test reports, beginning with the very simple and getting progressively more complex. Document what you learn as you make discoveries. You will end up with your own personal Report development Help documentation. Once we've created a number of simple reports from scratch, we should modify test copies of some of the standard reports that are part of the NAV system.

Some reports will be relatively easy to understand, and others that are very complex will be difficult to understand. The more we test, the better we will be able to determine which standard NAV report designs can be borrowed for our work, and where we are better off starting from scratch. Of course, we should always check to see if there is a Pattern that is applicable to the situation on which we are working.