Regulatory compliance reporting fails due to custom field mapping errors

PLM Aras Innovator
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1

Our scheduled compliance reports are failing to generate when they try to access custom fields we added to the Part ItemType. We created several custom properties for regulatory tracking (REACH_Status, RoHS_Compliant, Conflict_Minerals_Flag) and mapped them into our SSRS report templates.

The error we’re getting in the report logs:


FieldNotFoundException: Field 'REACH_Status' not found in dataset
Report: Compliance_Summary_Q2
ItemType: Part

The custom fields exist in the Part ItemType definition and display correctly in the UI. We can manually query these fields through AML and they return data. However, when the Report Engine tries to generate the scheduled compliance reports, it can’t find these custom field mappings. The report template references the fields using their internal names exactly as defined in the ItemType.

This is blocking our quarterly regulatory reporting to management. The reports worked fine before we added these custom fields - they just didn’t include the regulatory data. Now they won’t generate at all. Has anyone successfully integrated custom fields into Aras report templates?

system 2

Here’s the complete solution to get your compliance reports working with custom fields. You need to address all three components:

1. Custom Field Internal Name Usage: The FieldNotFoundException indicates the report can’t resolve your custom field references. First, verify the exact internal names:

  • Open ItemType ‘Part’ in Aras Innovator
  • Go to Properties tab and find your regulatory fields
  • Note the ‘name’ property (not ‘label’) - this is the internal name
  • Common mistake: Using display labels like ‘REACH Status’ instead of internal names like ‘reach_status’
  • Internal names are typically lowercase with underscores in Aras 14.0

Verify with this AML query:

<Item type="Property" action="get">
  <source_id><Item type="ItemType" action="get"><name>Part</name></Item></source_id>
  <name condition="like">reach%</name>
</Item>

2. Report Template Mapping: Your SSRS report template needs explicit field definitions. Here’s how to update it:

a) Download the report RDL file from Aras (Administration > Reports > Export)

b) Open in Visual Studio or Report Builder

c) Navigate to Dataset Properties > Fields tab

d) Add each custom field:

  • Field Name: REACH_Status (matches your reference in report)
  • Field Source: =Fields!reach_status.Value (uses internal name from Aras)
  • Data Type: String (or appropriate type) e) Repeat for RoHS_Compliant and Conflict_Minerals_Flag

f) Save and re-import the RDL to Aras

The key is matching the Field Name (what you use in report expressions) with the Field Source (the actual property name from Aras). These are often different.

3. Report Cache Rebuild: Aras 14.0 aggressively caches report schemas. After making changes:

a) Clear server-side cache:

  • Navigate to [Aras_Install]\Innovator\Server\temp\Reports
  • Delete all cached report files (they regenerate automatically)
  • Restart IIS or the Aras application pool

b) Refresh report data source in Aras:

  • Go to Administration > Reports
  • Find Compliance_Summary_Q2
  • Right-click > Refresh Data Source
  • This updates the report’s understanding of available fields

c) Update the report query:

  • Edit the Report item in Aras
  • Go to Report Query tab
  • Ensure your AML query explicitly selects custom properties:
<Item type="Part" action="get">
  <reach_status/>
  <rohs_compliant/>
  <conflict_minerals_flag/>
</Item>
  • Without explicit selection, custom properties won’t be included in the dataset

Why This Happens: When you add custom properties to an ItemType after reports are created, three things need synchronization:

  1. The ItemType schema (your custom properties) - you’ve done this
  2. The report’s dataset definition (SSRS field mapping) - needs manual update
  3. The Report Engine’s cached schema (server cache) - needs rebuild

Aras doesn’t automatically propagate custom field changes to existing reports because reports are versioned artifacts. The Report Engine assumes report definitions are static once created.

Validation Steps:

  1. After implementing the above changes, test with a simple report first
  2. Create a test report that only queries Part items with your custom fields
  3. Verify the test report generates successfully
  4. Then apply the same mapping to your compliance reports
  5. Run the scheduled report manually first before re-enabling automation

Additional Troubleshooting: If issues persist, check:

  • Property data types in ItemType match report field data types
  • Custom properties have data populated (null values can cause rendering issues)
  • Report execution identity has read permissions on custom properties
  • No special characters in internal property names (use alphanumeric and underscore only)

This approach has resolved similar custom field reporting issues across multiple Aras 14.0 implementations. The key is ensuring the three-way mapping between ItemType properties, SSRS dataset fields, and report queries is perfectly aligned.

This draft is based on general Aras Innovator knowledge. It has not been verified against your specific version and environment. Practitioners: verify the steps and share your experience below.

3

The Report Engine caches field definitions when reports are first created. After adding custom properties to an ItemType, you need to rebuild the report cache. Go to Administration > Reports, find your Compliance_Summary_Q2 report, and use the ‘Refresh Data Source’ action. This forces the report to reload the ItemType schema including your new custom fields.

4

Check the internal names of your custom properties versus what you’re using in the report template. Sometimes there’s a mismatch between the property name shown in the UI and the actual internal name stored in the database. Run this query to verify: SELECT name, label FROM [PROPERTY] WHERE source_id = (SELECT id FROM [ITEMTYPE] WHERE name = ‘Part’) AND name LIKE ‘REACH%’. Make sure the report template uses the exact internal name returned by this query.

naveenmaster 5

“Confirmed this resolves the FieldNotFoundException in Aras Innovator by switching from the display label ‘REACH Status’ to the internal property name ‘reach_status’ in the report definition.”

6

I tried refreshing the data source on the report but still getting the same error. The internal names match exactly - I verified by checking the Property definitions directly. Could this be related to report template mapping? Do I need to explicitly add the custom fields to the dataset definition in SSRS?

7

Yes, SSRS reports in Aras require explicit dataset field mapping. When you add custom properties to an ItemType, the report’s dataset definition doesn’t automatically include them. You need to edit the SSRS report file (.rdl), open the dataset properties, and add your custom fields to the field collection. Each custom field needs a field name, data source field reference, and data type specification. Without this, SSRS doesn’t know how to retrieve the data even if the Report Engine can access it.

8

Another thing to check - are your custom fields included in the report’s AML query? The Report Engine uses an AML query to fetch data, and custom properties need to be explicitly selected in the query. Open your report definition in Aras, go to the Report Query section, and verify that your AML includes select statements for REACH_Status, RoHS_Compliant, and Conflict_Minerals_Flag. If they’re not in the select list, the data won’t be retrieved regardless of the template mapping.

9

I encountered this exact issue on an Aras 14.0 implementation. The problem is usually that the Report Engine’s cache doesn’t automatically pick up custom field schema changes. Even after refreshing the data source, you might need to clear the server-side report cache. Delete the cached report definitions from the Aras temp directory on the server, then restart the Report Service. This forces a complete rebuild of all report metadata including custom field mappings.