Released on = July 1, 2007, 3:03 pm

Press Release Author = Alba Spectrum Group

Industry = Computers

Press Release Summary = This small article on Microsoft Great Plains is written for
corporate IT departments and technology strategists, rather than for end-programmer
(who mostly deals with tactical goals realization). If you work or consult large
public corporation, the dilemma of MRP evolution versus ERP "revolution" is common
and you are not the first and not the last one to deal with this

Press Release Body = Alba Spectrum Group, 1-866-528-0577,
http://www.albaspectrum.com help@albaspectrum.com

This small article on Microsoft Great Plains is written for corporate IT departments
and technology strategists, rather than for end-programmer (who mostly deals with
tactical goals realization). If you work or consult large public corporation, the
dilemma of MRP evolution versus ERP "revolution" is common and you are not the first
and not the last one to deal with this. If your company is currently selecting new
ERP for implementation from scratch, then this is different situation - in this
article we consult you on options available, when your company has historical
investment into Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise (current product name is Microsoft
Dynamics GP). Let's begin
. Evolution philosophy. It is typically safer (and less expensive) to do one step
at the time (with the option to roll back if something will turn bad with new
piece). In the case of your ERP system, it means that it is good strategy to look
at your newly acquired subsidiaries and their current ERP legacy, and try to
integrate them into your corporate ERP (try to avoid aggressive approach, when you
replace them immediately with your ERP template solution - it is always good idea to
respect the acquired business model and try to achieve synergy versus suppressing
the synergistic potential)
. Consolidation. If you will keep subsidiaries ERP running in production, then your
strategy is consolidation. There are multiple pros to keep overseas international
ERP: compliance to local countries legislation, localization (local language
support, sophisticated payroll taxes, monetary control compliance to name a few
international ERP peculiarities - if you disrespect one of these "international
business rules" - you may expose your overseas subsidiary to extensive and
non-desirable government audit). Consolidation, or GL transactions migration from
local ERP to GP GL allows you to respect international rules and at the same time
place tight managerial control. You should understand what GL consolidation is -
you will see General Journal transactions only, not original Sales or Purchasing
records - but this is already a very robust control. When you have GL
consolidation, you should design advanced FRx report with reporting tree, this will
allow you to build consolidated Balance Sheet and P&L reports for the whole
corporation (where you will eliminate intercompany transactions)
. Customization. You should familiarize yourself with GP customization technologies
- it is important to understand the pluses and minuses of each one and the longevity
potential. Our recommendation is customization technologies balance - do not stake
on one technology (VBA/Modifier, for example), instead try various technologies and
give them the opportunity to compete for the best solution: Microsoft Dexterity,
eConnect, Crystal Reports, ReportWriter, FRx, Business Portal, GP Integration
Manager
. Shift to Integration paradigm. Nowadays you expect to see unique business
processes to be automated in either inhouse made custom applications, or in
peripheral ERP extensions form proven industry specific software vendors. This
should mean that you don't have to replicate your unique business logic in GP custom
module, but instead you should integrate existing system with GP backoffice. We
will try to give you your industry specific case in our future publications, so
please check our website

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, 1-866-528-0577, http://www.albaspectrum.com
help@albaspectrum.com , serving GP customers US nationwide in the following
industries: Aerospace & Defense, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Distribution &
Logistics, Recruitment & Placement, Advertisement & Publishing, Oil & Gas,
Entertainment & Hospitality, Non-for-Profit, Banking & Finance, Collection
Management, Healthcare, Microbiology, Public Facilities, Transportation, Beverages,
Hotels, Retail Chains, Nationwide Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Wholesalers,
Jewelry & Gifts, Textile. We serve USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa from our facilities in Chicago & Houston. If local service is needed in
Pacific - we send you GP consultants from our Manila facility



Web Site = http://www.albaspectrum.com

Contact Details = Alba Spectrum Group, 1-866-528-0577, http://www.albaspectrum.com
help@albaspectrum.com