Meet the Invoice Register Report

Okay, confession time.
Last week, I shared a list of A/R essentials—yet somehow managed to leave out my favorite report.

Like a… top tier, don’t skip it, use it regularly kind of report.

I could pretend I was saving it for its own spotlight (which it absolutely deserves). But the truth is, I just flat-out forgot to include it.

Let’s fix that, shall we?

Because if there’s one report that deserves a closer look, it’s the Invoice Register Report. Let’s walk through what it does, why it’s so powerful, and how to make it work for you.

This report gives a complete view of customer invoicing across the system—and when used properly, it can even serve as a solid control report for your revenue and COGS accounts.

Let’s walk through how it works, what to watch out for, and why I think it’s one of the most versatile reports in the system.

Not to Be Confused With …

The Invoice Register by Account Report. That version excludes manually created invoices (those entered directly in A/R), so it’s not a complete picture.

The standard Invoice Register Report, on the other hand, includes:

• Order Entry

• Accounts Receivable

• SRO

• Contract

It also provides the GL account in the output—even though you can’t filter by account up front.

If it’s a customer invoice, it’s in here.

Checking the Right Boxes

By default, this report gives you a summary—no line detail, no cost, no price. That’s not typically what we want.

No matter what other options are set, here are my go-tos:

• Check Show Detail – This gives you line-level detail (items, quantities, pricing, etc.)
• Check Print Cost* and Print Price – Especially helpful for comparing to your GL
  
  

*Don’t worry—if a user doesn’t have permission to see costs, those values simply won’t appear—even if the box is checked.

Why It Matters

This report is a great GL control tool, especially if you don’t post manual journal entries to your revenue and COGS accounts. Even if you do, it’s still a rock-solid way to verify invoicing activity by period.

Want to cross-check revenue accounts? Run the report, pivot on account codes, and compare.

DataViews for the Win

If you’re on version 10, change the Report Option to DataView. Click Preview and the output will open as another form. On version 9.01? No worries, clicking preview will do the same. But since there's no Report Option field, most users don't know about this hidden gem.

What’s a DataView? It’s like Excel inside SyteLine®.

DataViews use layouts (they're like an Excel macro, but easier to create, edit, and apply).

If you aren't familiar with DataViews and layouts, their menu is found by activating the ⚙️ icon on any column.

I highly recommend exploring the predefined layouts first. Find the one that looks the closest to how you want it and then adjust to your heart's desire (you'll be able to save your version for future use).

Layout Tips

Once you access the DataView Results:

• I recommend using the ReportOutput layout for a cleaner starting point ... and nope, that's not a typo!

• Like to the Invoice Listing form (another favorite!), header-level fields are on the left.

• Line-level details start at the Line Number column and continue to the right.

• I usually apply a filter to remove the blank Line Number rows. 

• Hide and/or rearrange columns as needed.

• Groups can be created using one or more fields. But if you're still sending the results to Excel, wait to do your grouping there.

• You can also create Custom [Expression] Columns and/or Summaries.

• Have multiple analysis needs? Create and save a layout for each scenario.

This becomes a dynamic, reusable workspace instead of a static export. The DataView version can be run directly to Excel or exported from within DataView Results.

Bonus Uses

This report also happens to be a fantastic tool for:

• Sales Tax Reporting: Includes Tax Code and Ship-To state.

• Multi-Currency: Defaults to domestic currency, but you can choose to keep it in the original currency. Currency is included in the output, so it’s easy to filter or pivot.

The Invoice Register Report is one you'll come back to again and again. If you're not using it with the details turned on—or if you're still exporting without customizing your layout—there's a good chance you're missing its full potential.

Have questions, want to know more? Hit reply or leave a comment. You know how I love to talk about DataViews and Excel!

This entry is posted. See you in the next journal.
Stacey