Phase 9: Analytics | NetSuite Implementation Guide

Chapter 9.1

Saved Searches

Master NetSuite's most powerful reporting tool: saved searches with filters, formulas, summarization, and scheduling.

Saved Searches Overview

Saved searches are NetSuite's Swiss Army knife for data retrieval. They power reports, KPIs, portlets, dropdowns, script data sources, and mass updates.

Lists › Search › Saved Searches › New

Use Case	Description	Example
Reports	Ad-hoc and scheduled data retrieval	Open invoices by customer
Dashboard Portlets	Real-time KPIs and lists	Top 10 customers this month
Form Dropdowns	Filter available selections	Active vendors only
Script Data Sources	Query data in SuiteScript	Process pending orders
Mass Updates	Identify records for bulk changes	Inactive customers to archive
Workflows	Condition evaluation	Escalate overdue tasks

Search Components

Component	Purpose	Configuration
Criteria	Filter which records appear	Standard filters, expressions
Results	Columns to display	Fields, formulas, summaries
Available Filters	User-facing runtime filters	Dropdown parameters

Filter Types

Filter Type	Description	Example
Standard	Simple field comparisons	Status = Open
Date Range	Relative or absolute dates	Created within last 30 days
Is Empty / Not Empty	Null value checks	Email is not empty
Contains / Starts With	Text pattern matching	Name contains "Corp"
Any Of / None Of	Multi-value selection	Type is any of: Invoice, Credit Memo
Formula	SQL expression	CASE WHEN {amount} > 1000 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END = 1

Formula Patterns

 -- DATE CALCULATIONS
Days Since: {today} - {trandate}
Days Until Due: {duedate} - {today}
Month Name:      TO_CHAR({trandate}, 'Month YYYY')
Fiscal Quarter:  'Q' || TO_CHAR({trandate}, 'Q')

-- TEXT MANIPULATION
Concatenate: {firstname} || ' ' || {lastname}
Extract:         SUBSTR({tranid}, 1, 3)
Upper/Lower:     UPPER({name}) / LOWER({email})

-- CONDITIONAL LOGIC
Simple IF:       CASE WHEN {amount} > 0 THEN 'Credit' ELSE 'Debit' END
Nested CASE:     CASE
                   WHEN {daysoverdue} > 90 THEN 'Critical'
                   WHEN {daysoverdue} > 60 THEN 'High'
                   WHEN {daysoverdue} > 30 THEN 'Medium'
                   ELSE 'Current'
                 END
Null Check:      NVL({memo}, 'No memo')

-- NUMERIC CALCULATIONS
Percentage:      ROUND({amount} / NULLIF({total}, 0) * 100, 2)
Absolute:        ABS({amount}) 

Summary Types

Summary	Function	Use Case
Group	Group by this field	Customer name, Month
Sum	Total numeric values	Total sales amount
Count	Count of records	Number of transactions
Average	Mean value	Average order value
Maximum/Minimum	Highest/lowest value	Largest order, oldest invoice

💡 Search Performance

Limit results to improve performance. Use date filters on transaction searches. Avoid "contains" on large text fields. Use "any of" instead of multiple OR conditions.

Chapter 9.2

Reports

Standard reports, Financial Report Builder, and custom report configurations.

Reports Overview

NetSuite provides hundreds of standard reports across all functional areas. Understanding report types and customization options helps deliver the right information to stakeholders.

Report Type	Description	Examples
Financial Statements	GAAP-compliant financial reports	Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow
Transaction Reports	Lists of transactions with details	Sales by Customer, A/R Aging, Open POs
Summary Reports	Aggregated data by dimension	Sales by Item Category, Expenses by Dept
Comparative Reports	Period-over-period analysis	Budget vs. Actual, YoY Comparison
Register Reports	Detailed transaction registers	General Ledger, A/P Register

Financial Report Builder

Reports › Financial › Financial Report Builder

The Financial Report Builder creates customized financial statements with full control over row/column structure.

Feature	Description
Row Layout	Define account groups, subtotals, headers, calculated rows
Column Layout	Define periods, subsidiaries, dimensions, calculations
Filtering	Restrict by subsidiary, location, department, class
Calculated Rows	Sum, difference, percentage of other rows
Drill-Down	Click amounts to see underlying transactions
Export	Excel, PDF, CSV formats

Key Financial Reports

Report	Purpose	Key Filters
Balance Sheet	Assets, liabilities, equity at point in time	As of date, subsidiary
Income Statement	Revenue and expenses for period	Date range, subsidiary
Cash Flow Statement	Cash movement by activity	Date range, subsidiary
Trial Balance	All account balances	Date range, include zeros
General Ledger	Transaction detail by account	Account, date range
A/R Aging	Outstanding receivables by age	As of date, aging periods

Report Customization Process

Run Report

→

Customize

→

Add/Remove Columns

→

Save As

ℹ️ Report vs. Saved Search

Use standard reports for financial statements and pre-formatted layouts. Use saved searches for custom queries, portlets, and data exports.

Chapter 9.3

Datasets & Workbooks

SuiteAnalytics Workbook for advanced multi-dataset analysis with pivots and visualizations.

SuiteAnalytics Workbook Overview

SuiteAnalytics Workbook provides a modern, Excel-like analytics experience within NetSuite with multi-dataset joins, advanced pivoting, and rich visualizations.

Analytics › Dataset Builder › New Dataset

Feature	Saved Searches	SuiteAnalytics Workbook
Data Sources	Single record type with joins	Multiple datasets with joins
Joins	2 levels maximum	Unlimited dataset joins
Pivoting	Basic summary grouping	Full pivot table functionality
Visualizations	Highlighting only	Charts, graphs, conditional formatting
Interactivity	Limited	Drill-down, slice and dice
Performance	Can be slow with complexity	Optimized for large datasets

Dataset Components

Component	Description
Record Type	Primary record (Transaction, Customer, Item)
Fields	Columns to include in dataset
Formulas	Calculated fields using SQL expressions
Criteria	Filters to restrict records
Joins	Related records to include

Workbook Structure

 WORKBOOK
├── DATA
│   ├── Dataset 1: Transactions
│   │   ├── Fields: Date, Amount, Customer, Item
│   │   └── Filters: Date range, Status
│   ├── Dataset 2: Customers
│   │   └── Fields: Name, Industry, Sales Rep
│   └── Joins: Transactions.Customer = Customers.ID
│
├── PIVOT TABLES
│   ├── Sales by Month x Customer
│   └── Sales by Item x Region
│
├── CHARTS
│   ├── Monthly Trend Line
│   ├── Top 10 Customers Bar Chart
│   └── Category Pie Chart
│
└── TABLES
    └── Transaction Detail List 

Visualization Types

Chart Type	Best For	Example
Line Chart	Trends over time	Monthly sales trend
Bar Chart	Category comparisons	Sales by region
Pie Chart	Part of whole	Revenue by product line
Area Chart	Cumulative trends	Stacked revenue by source
KPI Tile	Single metric highlight	Total revenue, Order count

💡 Dataset Performance

Create focused datasets with only necessary fields. Use criteria to limit records. Reuse datasets across multiple workbooks.

Chapter 9.4

Analytics Warehouse

NetSuite Analytics Warehouse (NSAW) for high-performance analytics with pre-built data models.

NSAW Overview

NetSuite Analytics Warehouse provides a separate analytics database optimized for reporting workloads, eliminating the performance impact of complex queries on the production system.

Feature	Standard NetSuite	Analytics Warehouse
Query Performance	Competes with transactions	Dedicated analytics engine
Data Model	Normalized (operational)	Star schema (analytical)
Historical Data	Limited by performance	Optimized for historical analysis
Complex Joins	Limited by performance	Pre-built fact/dimension joins
Refresh	Real-time	Near real-time (minutes)

Pre-Built Subject Areas

Subject Area	Key Facts	Key Dimensions
Sales	Amount, Quantity, Margin	Customer, Item, Time, Location
Purchasing	PO Amount, Receipt Qty	Vendor, Item, Time
Inventory	On Hand, Available, Committed	Item, Location, Lot
Financials	Balance, Debit, Credit	Account, Period, Subsidiary
Projects	Hours, Cost, Revenue	Project, Employee, Time

ℹ️ Licensing

Analytics Warehouse requires a separate license. Evaluate your reporting needs and current performance challenges before investing.

Chapter 9.5

SuiteAnalytics Connect

Connect external BI tools to NetSuite data using ODBC/JDBC.

SuiteAnalytics Connect Overview

SuiteAnalytics Connect enables direct database connectivity from external BI tools like Tableau, Power BI, and custom applications using ODBC and JDBC drivers.

BI Tool	Connection Type	Notes
Tableau	ODBC	Native connector available
Power BI	ODBC	Requires ODBC driver setup
Excel	ODBC	Query and refresh data directly
Custom Apps	JDBC	Java-based applications

Connection Architecture

BI Tool

→

ODBC/JDBC

→

Connect API

→

NetSuite Data

Key Considerations

Consideration	Details
Query Governance	Queries consume governance units; monitor usage
Row Limits	Large queries may hit row limits; use pagination
Performance	Complex queries impact NetSuite performance
Schema	Uses normalized operational schema
Authentication	Token-based authentication required

⚠️ Performance Impact

External queries run against the production database. Schedule large extracts during off-peak hours. Consider NSAW for heavy analytics workloads.

Chapter 9.6

Industry Reporting

Industry-specific reporting patterns and KPIs for different business types.

Industry KPIs

Different industries require different key metrics. Configure reports and dashboards to highlight industry-relevant KPIs.

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