Released on: September 28, 2007, 2:28 pm

Press Release Author: Alba Spectrum Group

Industry: Computers

Press Release Summary: Great Plains Software Dynamics is predecessor of Microsoft
Dynamics GP or Microsoft Great Plains. In December 2004 Microsoft terminated
support for version 7.5, the last version available on Pervasive SQL 2000 (former
Btrieve) and Ctree/Faircom. Non Microsoft SQL Server version of Dynamics was
recommended to be migrated to MSDE (MS SQL Server with restrictions).

Press Release Body: Alba Spectrum Group: http://www.albaspectrum.com
help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918

Great Plains Software Dynamics is predecessor of Microsoft Dynamics GP or Microsoft
Great Plains. In December 2004 Microsoft terminated support for version 7.5, the
last version available on Pervasive SQL 2000 (former Btrieve) and Ctree/Faircom.
Non Microsoft SQL Server version of Dynamics was recommended to be migrated to MSDE
(MS SQL Server with restrictions). There were several licensing issues with this
transition, one of them was capping employee count at 500 employees for Great Plains
Standard (successor of Great Plains on Pervasive) - this cap made impossible for
small payroll service firms to serve their clients (including corporations with high
number of employees) out of Great Plains. We still see some number of GP Dynamics
installations and we would like to give some support highlights in this small
article:
1. How to move on and upgrade to current version of GP? There are two sides:
business and technical. Business side will require you to reenroll your company to
Microsoft Business Solutions annual enhancement program, if you are not current
(more likely the case since you are on very old version of Dynamics). Annual
enhancement is percentage of software pricelist, around 16-18%, plus expect
reenrollment fee above that. When you are back in enhancement program - you get reg
key for newest and previous versions of GP. Technical side is not very difficult -
there is migration tool, which will allow you to migrate to Microsoft SQL Server
2000 or 2005 based version (path depends on your circumstances), you will need
professional GP consulting firm to do this job
2. Typical support issues. One of the most popular support topics is Location
Translation problem. In order to understand location translation for Btrieve or
Ctree you should be aware, that these DB platforms require user workstation data
request processing (opposite to SQL Server case - where GP workstation sends tabular
text request to SQL Server and waits the response). This means that your user
computer, where you have GP workstation installed should know where server data is
located (exact directory and path to your Dynamics and companies folders). Now if
you move your GP database to new server or different stand along workstation, the
old location typically changes and you need to do so-called location translation
procedure. This location translation scenario is tipically complicated with Btrieve
kernel and requester settings, manifesting when you move GP data to new computer
3. GP on Pervasive Data repair techniques. Our favorite instrument is Microsoft
Access, where we make ODBC links to Great Plains tables. This tool will allow you
to have Access queries to GP database and if it not a full featured SQL connection,
it is in most of the cases efficient to data repair needs
4. Crystal Reports to Pervasive SQL database. Here you work through ODBC connection
to Btrieve DB. Based on the connection method you either deploy Dexterity keys or
do ad hoc select statements to the data (which is slower)
5. Microsoft SQL Server Linked Server technique. This is another hint on hooking up
Pervasive SQL 2000 data via ODBC connection, in this case you should consider
building heterogeneous SQL queries with Openrowset statements

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group: http://www.albaspectrum.com
help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving Microsoft Dynamics GP
Great Plains customers in USA/Canada nationwide. Local service is available in
Houston, TX: Richmond, Sugar Land, Katy, Rosenberg, Missouri City, Pearland,
Friendswood, Meadows, Mission Bend, Jersey Village; Chicago, IL: Naperville, Aurora,
Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Joliet, Wheaton, Lisle, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Elk
Grove, Lombard, Woodridge, Darien, Westmont, Batavia, St. Charles, Elgin, Crystal
Lake. Service is also available in Houston and Dallas metros, plus internationally
in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Oceania and UK.



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

Contact Details: Alba Spectrum Group: http://www.albaspectrum.com
help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918