How Popdock Helped HB Connections Create Fast Reports

Founded in 2003, HB Connections is a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of handbags and luggage for the largest fashion retailers and brands. From sourcing and manufacturing, distribution and sales, to branding and marketing, they offer complete services tailored to their clients’ needs.

Daniel Orozco, the director of operations at HB Connections, oversees everything from order management to some aspects of sales and logistics. He is responsible for creating reports using Query Builder and is the only user logging into Popdock to view those reports. Other users view the data Daniel prepares inside Dynamics 365 Business Central where they are already working.

As the director of operations, Daniel Orozco oversees everything in order management, along with certain aspects of sales and logistics. For 9 years, he was working with data inside Microsoft Excel and their in-house developed hybrid ERP system.

“It was basically just tons of tables of information—a big Excel spreadsheet,” Orozco said. “Even when we were not running only on Excel, it was like Excel. It was missing numerous things and we needed major improvements.”

Orozco and his team knew they needed a more robust system and migrated to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It was a big step to connect all their departments, but they soon began experiencing information issues.

“Very quickly, we started noticing we were having a gap in getting information the way we were used to with Excel files. All of a sudden, the transition to Business Central became tough for us,” Orozco said. “For the user, Business Central doesn’t offer all the information you need. It doesn’t allow you to play around with data as much or generate your reports and combine different information. Then our ERP implementors talked with us about Popdock and the way it works. It looked fantastic, like exactly what we needed.”

With a background in accounting, Orozco was concerned about finding software that was user-friendly enough for a non-developer to use effectively. He wanted a tool that he could easily understand and work with daily and Popdock was the answer to his wishes. With its no-code, user-friendly abilities for end users, Orozco could use Popdock to work in Dynamics 365 Business Central without a hitch.

“I needed to be able to play with the data from Business Central, which is exactly what Popdock offers. On top of that, I can do it without code,” Orozco said. “Not needing to work with coding is amazing. Even though I’m not an expert in software and coding, I am able to play with the information, data, and connections. Building the queries is super easy for me because it’s very visual. That was why we decided to go with Query Builder and Popdock.”

How Popdock improved Dynamics 365 Business Central Reporting

From their main office in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to their sourcing and operational center in Dongguan, China, Orozco is able to create the reports each team member needs using Popdock.

“It’s made a huge difference for all my departments. I can have a list for every single department and user,” Orozco said. “For example, our accounting department has accounts receivable and accounts payables and they need specific information. They’ll often ask if I can add a field or create and send a report to them quickly. I cross-reference, make the query, and boom—it’s there. I just need half an hour to work on whatever they want. Everybody is super happy about that. Everybody can have the report they want. It’s very easy for me to create them and all my departments are happy with it.”

Query Builder has also been an instrumental tool for Orozco in creating custom reports. With the ability to add & remove columns and create their own queries, HB Connections can connect tables from different places and the information from different tables.

HB Connections regularly needs to view and use information from their sales orders in Dynamics 365 Business Central. Popdock has enabled Orozco to home in on specific details with ease.

“It helps me get information from wherever I want. I just need to find something that connects the two tables and that’s it. I can add whatever information I want, filter, and even hide columns, add the columns, and create calculations—it’s just very, very good. It helps us a lot,” Orozco said.

Another vital aspect of bridging this information gap has been the ability to share specific information. This important capability in Popdock allows you to pick and choose which details you want to share with certain users. Orozco cited an example of a third-party company in China that takes care of quality control:

“We need them to have access to all of our purchase orders and all of the order details by style, quantity, and other details, but we don’t want to show the cost. We don’t want to import certain information,” Orozco said. “Giving them access to Business Central wasn’t an option. We needed to find another option and we didn’t want to have to export reports every single week or every single day for them. When we gave them access to Popdock as a user, we were able to choose the lists they should see. We can hide all the fields that we don’t want them to see and show them the specific information they need, which is great for us.”

I can have a list for every single department and user. Everybody can have the report they want. It’s very easy for me to create them and all my departments are happy with it.

Daniel Orozco, Director of Operations at HB Connections

HB Connections just onboarded a new customer with 60 different stores that need products shipped on a regular basis. Previously, working in Dynamics 365 Business Central didn’t allow them to organize specific details in the manner they needed. But with Popdock’s capabilities, they’re now able to sort through the details and needs of each store quickly and easily.

“In Business Central we can’t get a report that has details like all the styles by store, by quantity—we just can’t. In Popdock, we can create a report by just adding the store to the details. What used to take me a day to create now takes me 10 minutes,” Orozco said. “Once we create the report, just keep a table by exporting and that’s it. We get all of the information by store, by the customer. So it’s very, very useful for us.

The more Orozco uses Popdock and Query Builder, the happier his colleagues have become. Information gaps and the amount of time it takes for necessary reports to reach them have improved significantly. Not only is time being saved, but the information is reliable and accurate. “It’s so nice how easy it is to create reports, and to be able to create new queries is just fantastic. I think the best part for me is being able to create and manipulate reports and data without coding.”

For those looking for a Dynamics 365 Business Central reporting solution but are on the fence about trying Popdock and Query Builder for themselves, Orozco offered some advice.

“Get into Query Builder because this is where everything centralizes. Take advantage of it because you can create as many reports as you want from Popdock using your data in Business Central,” Orozco said. “You already have some lists created by default, but to be able to create them yourself is the best. Start digging into that, start working with it, and click around to connect tables. It’s fairly easy to understand how it works. Soon you will be creating basic connections and whatever you need.”

With the many features offered in Popdock, Orozco has yet to utilize them all, but he hopes to change that in the future. He specifically called out Popdock’s dashboards as a tool he plans to dive deeper into soon.

Learn more about Popdock and Query Builder’s Capabilities

Your company may get Popdock for one purpose; to view and work with data. However, Popdock has hundreds of other functions that can help you automate and simplify various tasks, great or small.

For more information on how Popdock and Query Builder can help you with virtual integrations and your everyday work, contact our team at sales@eonesolutions.com or 888-319-3663 ext. 1. They are always eager to provide help and answers for your migration and integration needs.