Released on: October 23, 2007, 3:51 pm

Press Release Author: Alba Spectrum Group

Industry: Computers

Press Release Summary: Each ERP system should be considered as the platform, which
could be tuned to fit your company business processes through custom programming,
integration, reporting and existing logic modification.

Press Release Body: Each ERP system should be considered as the platform, which
could be tuned to fit your company business processes through custom programming,
integration, reporting and existing logic modification. Microsoft Dynamics GP isn't
exception and in this small article we would like to come through typical GP
alterations scenarios
1. Great Plains Dexterity. This is Integrated Development Environment or IDE with
its own programming language sanscript. Dexterity was designed specially for Great
Plains Dynamics in earlier 1990th and this is one of the reasons why Dex is a bit
"old-fashioned" and if you are software programmer, you should not expect to begin
programming in Dexterity over night. If you are thinking about creation GP
extension for the open market, then you should know that most of the extensions are
written in Microsoft Dexterity. In order to understand the internal side of Dex,
please take a look at Dynamics.set file, where all the products are listed. You
begin Dex project by opening Dynamics.dic dictionary and adding or modifying
resources in it: forms, reports, windows, fields, scripts, etc. Some Dex hints -
copy Dex.ini from your GP workstation folder to your Dexterity application directory
- this will allow you to launch Dex in debugging mode. Since version 7.0 Dex can
call Microsoft COM objects.
2. eConnect. This tool opens you the access GP work transactions (SOP Invoice, POP
Purchase Order, GL record, FA depreciation to name few examples) and master records
(customer, vendor, employee, Fixed Asset, General Ledger account). Initially
eConnect was designated to eCommerce developers by opening Sales Order Processing,
Inventory and Receivables Management modules, but later on it was extended to cover
most of the GP objects. You can call eConnect from your Microsoft Visual Studio C#
or VB.Net projects, as internal logic of eConnect (business objects) is written in
MS SQL Server encrypted stored procedures
3. VBA/Modifier. If you are comfortable with VBA scripting (remember MS Excel
modifications?), you can add some logic to existing GP windows, such as SOP Entry
screen, where you can put new button with Modifier and then attach VBA script to
this field. If you plan to hit GP database from Modifier-added buttons and field,
you should deploy ADO technology, where more likely you will have to hardcode user
ID and password. Modifier allows you to include GP Dexterity sanscript scriplets
into the VBA code - this allows you to use Continuum for VBA technology to switch GP
modules and manipulate Dexterity objects across your multi-module GP workstation,
however this technique is very complex and typically causes expensive version
upgrade work
4. SQL Scripting. One of the most popular routines, where you deploy SQL stored
procedures is Electronic Document Interchange or EDI. EDI has header, body and
trailer and you deploy such SQL constructions as CAST, CONVERT to address fixed
length fields EDI formatting
5. GP Integration. Microsoft Dynamics GP Integration Manager should be considered
first - it is possible to extend IM with VBA scripting and fields translation table
(you can create translation table in Excel and then import it to Integration
Manager). If IM doesn't do the job, consider eConnect, SQL scripts and Dexterity.
Please, be aware - IM validates GP business logic and this prevents you from all the
possible errors in integration. SQL scripting, in opposite doesn't validate GP
logic and by not doing so - it may compromise your data integrity
6. Modification Upgrade. Obviously you should expect some complication in GP
version update if you deploy custom GP development technologies. In the case of
Great Plains Software Dexterity alternative logic, you should keep Dynamics.dic or
Extract.dic with modification scripts in them - Dex developer should be able to
upgrade your custom logic. Talking about Modifier with VBA - if you do not deploy
Continuum modules switch tricks, upgrade should be straightforward. IM typically is
GP version proof. To give you additional version update considerations - Great
Plains versions 7.5 and earlier: 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0 and 3.2 were available on
alternative DB platforms: Btrieve (later on this DB was renamed into Pervasive SQL
Server), Ctree/Faircom, and respectively, if you are on these legacy platforms, your
modified logic might deploy programming constructions, specific to these DB
platforms only - if you are thinking to upgrade to recent GP version (10.0 or 9.0) -
you should come through custom logic porting to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2000
7. GP Reporting tools. ReportWriter is Dexterity module and it is seamlessly
integrated in GP workstation interface and GP security model. Report Writer reports
are stored in Reports.dic. RW is typically used when you need to modify GP existing
reports: SOP Invoice Long Form (place your company Logo is classical example).
Crystal Reports - you should consider good report design practice to offload report
record set creation to MS SQL Server stored procedure or SQL view. SRS or Microsoft
SQL Server Reporting Services - in our opinion this tool is competitor to CR and you
should be aware to use similar strategy - placing record set selection logic to SQL
stored procs. You can also deploy MS Excel and MS Access to do reporting for GP -
please research ODBC connection options for these tools
8. GP modules licensing consideration. Depending on your GP version - GP
professional, standard or business ready, you should be aware that custom modules
might require additional purchases, please contact you Microsoft Business Solution
partner or MBS ISV
9. Data conversion consideration. If you are switching from legacy MRP, such as
Accpac, MYOB, PeopleSoft, Oracle EBusiness Suite/Financials/Applications, JD
Edwards, QuickBooks, PeachTree, MAS 90/2000 to GP, data migration and massage might
be required. We recommend you to keep legacy accounting system for data inquiry and
lookup and do not do historical ERP data conversion to Great Plains. However if
historical transactions migration is required, please contact us for the data
cleansing quote

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com
help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving customers USA/Canada
nationwide: Illinois, California, New York, Quebec, Ontario, Colorado, Utah,
Wisconsin, Florida, Texas. Local service is available in Houston & Dallas:
Richmond, Sugar Land, Katy, Rosenberg, Missouri City, Pearland, Friendswood,
Meadows, Mission Bend, Jersey Village, Fort Worth; serving GP customers in Chicago,
IL: Naperville, Aurora, Joliet, Wheaton, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Lyons, Niles,
Downers Grove, Lisle, West Chicago, Barrington, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village,
Lombard, Morris, Ottawa, Marseilles, Seneca, Oswego, Plainfield, Darien, Winchester,
Hinsdale



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, serving customers USA/Canada
nationwide: Illinois, California, New York, Quebec