Dashboards and Generic Inquiries in MYOB Acumatica: A Practical Guide

In MYOB Acumatica a generic inquiry is the query layer: the Generic Inquiry form (SM208000) picks the tables, joins, conditions and columns without code. A dashboard is the widget layer: the Dashboards form (SM208610 in the Modern UI, Classic Dashboards SM208600) charts inquiry results by role. The Analytical Report Manager, through Report Definitions (CS206000), builds financial statements from the general ledger. Build the inquiry first.

At a glance

• Who it is for: Finance managers and system administrators on MYOB Acumatica (called MYOB Advanced until 2024) who want to build their own lists and dashboards
• Problem it solves: Reporting requests that queue behind a partner or developer, and month-end figures still built in exported spreadsheets
• Platforms: MYOB Acumatica, all editions; generic inquiries, dashboards and the Analytical Report Manager are forms inside the platform
• Typical cost: MYOB publishes no separate price for these forms; licensing is per named user and quoted through partners, and reporting configuration sits inside implementation or support scope. Our MYOB Acumatica cost guide has the ranges
• Typical timeline: In our experience a single-table inquiry takes under an hour, a role dashboard an afternoon, and a customised ARM statement set one to three days; MYOB publishes no figures
• Last verified: 20 October 2026 against MYOB’s Generic Inquiry form reference, Dashboards form reference and analytical report example

Our overview of MYOB Acumatica reporting and dashboards explains what the layers are. This guide is the build-it companion, in the order MYOB’s help uses. Where the help skips a step, we say so.

How do you build a generic inquiry in MYOB Acumatica?

MYOB’s form reference describes Generic Inquiry (SM208000) as a form for building inquiries without programming. Its single-table activity uses AR invoices.

1. Find the table and field names. Ctrl+Alt+click an element on the form showing the data; Element Properties gives the Data Class and Data Field. On Invoices and Memos (AR301000), Reference Nbr. is class PX.Objects.AR.ARInvoice, field RefNbr; Balance is CuryDocBal.
2. Open Generic Inquiry (SM208000) and type an Inquiry Title. Leave Mode at Low-Code, which uses the tabs.
3. Data Sources tab. Add Row, select the class in Source Name, save. The Alias column fills in (ARInvoice).
4. Relations tab. For a second table, click Add Related Table on the Data Sources tab and pick the class. The system inserts an Inner join; Table Relations lets you switch to Right, Left, Full or Cross.
5. Parameters tab. Each row becomes a box in the Selection area, with a control type, a required flag and a default such as @Today or @MonthEnd.
6. Conditions tab. The WHERE clause: data field, condition, value, brackets and operator per row. A parameter is referenced as [ParameterName].
7. Grouping and Sort Order tabs. Grouping returns one row per group, SUM for numeric columns and MAX for the rest.
8. Results Grid tab. One row per output column: Object, Data Field, Caption, Visible, Default Navigation. The activity adds DocType, RefNbr and CuryDocBal.
9. Preview, then publish. The eye icon on the side panel previews it. Publish to the UI sets Site Map Title, Workspace, Category, a Screen ID (GI plus six digits) and Access Rights, which default to Copy Access Rights from Screen. The inquiry then appears in the Data Views workspace.

The Interface Options tab holds Expose via OData and Expose to AI Assistant. The help does not state which roles may create inquiries, only how access to the published result is set, so check your role setup first.

How do you build a generic inquiry for invoices and memos?

The list behind the Invoices and Memos menu item is already a generic inquiry. MYOB’s entry point activity names it: the predefined Invoices and Memos (AR3010PL) inquiry sits in front of the AR301000 entry form. Its scenario adds a total tax column and a New Record button.

1. Start from the predefined inquiry. On SM208000 open AR3010PL or a copy. The general information page prefers modifying the original over a copy if you will use the operations with records below.
2. Add the customer table. If building from ARInvoice yourself, click Add Related Table and pick PX.Objects.AR.Customer. MYOB’s two-table activity does this for Sales Orders, keeps the Inner join so documents for deleted or restricted customers drop out, and adds Customer / AcctName to the grid. Read the field link off the Relations tab; the help does not print it for ARInvoice.
3. Add the column. On the Results Grid tab add Object ARInvoice, Data Field TaxTotal, Caption Total Tax. Set a Site Map Title and save.
4. Entry Point tab. Confirm Entry Screen shows Invoices and Memos (AR301000), tick Replace Entry Screen with This Inquiry in Menu and click Yes. Under Operations With Records, tick Enable New Record Creation to add a New Record button. Save.
5. Check and test. The Navigation tab now shows Window Mode as Inline, which you cannot change. Preview, then search for AR301000: it should open your inquiry.

The replacement is a row on Lists as Entry Points (SM208500) with an Active box; clear it to pause the replacement while you edit. The substitute form inherits the access rights of AR301000, and only a published inquiry can be one. The same page covers Enable Mass Record Deletion and Enable Mass Record Update, and warns that unpublishing an inquiry clears its screen identifier and can break widgets built on it. Our MYOB Acumatica accounts receivable guide covers the dunning side this list feeds.

How do you create a dashboard in MYOB Acumatica?

First check which form your site uses. MYOB’s 2025.2.1 release note introduced Dashboards (SM208610) for the Modern UI, renamed the older form Classic Dashboards (SM208600), and said the Modern UI rolls out in stages through 2026. MYOB’s add a dashboard activity covers both.

1. Create the record. On SM208610 click Add New Record, type a Name and set Owner Role. The access rights page is explicit that only the owner role can design widgets, and that owning does not grant viewing. Tick Allow Users to Personalize if wanted. Save.
2. Publish to the UI. Set the Site Map Title, Workspace and Category. The activity sets Access Rights to Revoked for All Roles, then grants the roles that should see it on the Visible To tab. Grant your own role too, or the link will not appear.
3. Enter design mode. Open the dashboard and click Design. The dashboard reference says the button appears for Administrators, the owner role and anyone who has clicked Create User Copy.
4. Add widgets. Click New Widget in a placeholder and pick a type in the Add Widget dialog. MYOB’s widget chapter documents Header, Table, Link, Embedded Page, Chart, Wiki Page, Power BI Tile and three KPI widgets: Scorecard, Meter and Trend Card. Each data widget reads an Inquiry Screen.
5. Set the properties. In the KPI activity a Scorecard takes a Caption, an Inquiry Screen, a Field to Aggregate, an Aggregate Function and Normal, Warning and Alarm levels. A Chart takes a Legend field, Date Rounding and a Value with an aggregate.
6. Arrange and exit. Drag widgets between placeholders, drag borders to resize, click Design again. The Parameters tab on SM208610 adds a Selection area.

On user-level versus shared dashboards: the original is shared and only the owner role changes it. A user covered by Allow Users to Personalize clicks Create User Copy and rearranges a private copy; an administrator can Reset All User Copies from SM208610. Anyone who cannot open the form behind a widget sees a grey lock placeholder. The same inquiries are what our AI agents for ERP in Australia read before drafting for a person to approve.

When should you use the Analytical Report Manager instead of a generic inquiry?

Use the Analytical Report Manager (ARM) when the report is rows of accounts and columns of periods. MYOB’s design example lists the predefined reports as Balance Sheet, Balance Sheet Comparative, Profit and Loss, Profit and Loss by Product and Statement of Cash Flows. A generic inquiry can list GL transactions but has no concept of a row meaning “every account in class WAREHOUSE, one line each, in bold”. ARM uses four forms.

1. Report Definitions (CS206000). Open the predefined report (code DPL), click Copy Report, give it a code and title, save. The definition links a row set and a column set and places the report on the site map.
2. Row Sets (CS206010). Click Edit beside the Row Set box, Copy Row Set, then add rows: a Caption row, or a GL row with Expand set to Account and an Account Class.
3. Column Sets (CS206020). Copy the set, add a column such as Beginning Balance, and set Type GL, a Format and the Amount Type.
4. Unit Sets (CS206030). Optional. Select a unit set such as PRODUCT on the definition to filter by product group.

Row sets and column sets are shared between reports, so copy before editing or you change the standard P&L for everyone. Dashboard widgets read inquiry forms, wiki pages and external pages, so a GL tile needs a small inquiry; keep ARM for the statement.

“The sites that get the most out of this are the ones where someone in finance owns SM208000. Not the partner, not IT. Once a controller can build the inquiry, the dashboard is twenty minutes and the argument about whose spreadsheet is right stops.”

Josh Craig, Director, Auboros

What the help does not document

The entry point activity promises mass deletion but never enables it. The two-table join is only worked through for Sales Orders and Customers, so the ARInvoice to Customer field link is not printed anywhere we found. No dashboard page names a per-widget refresh interval. Past configuration, our MYOB Acumatica customisation guide marks where development starts. We are a MYOB Acumatica partner in Brisbane, and most of our reporting work is teaching this once, then getting out of the way.

Goes well with

• MYOB Acumatica multi-entity accounting: consolidated reporting across groups
• MYOB Acumatica AI: anomaly detection on inquiries and what else is switched on
• MYOB Acumatica support: what is included and what you will pay extra for

Stuck on an inquiry that will not join, or a dashboard nobody can see?

We support MYOB Acumatica sites across Queensland, NSW and Victoria, and most reporting fixes take a short session. For a second pair of eyes on an inquiry or dashboard, book a free consultation.