Released on: November 16, 2007, 5:42 pm

Press Release Author: Alba Spectrum Group

Industry: Computers

Press Release Summary: As more midsize and small business organizations are
deploying open platform operating systems and tools, such as Linux with various
blends and PHP/MySQL, we would like to share our experience implementing Microsoft
Great Plains in these combined OS environments. If you are using Oracle and Unix,
you may also consider the methodology, however it deserves separate article just for
brief overview, especially about Java, EJB nuances

Press Release Body: As more midsize and small business organizations are deploying
open platform operating systems and tools, such as Linux with various blends and
PHP/MySQL, we would like to share our experience implementing Microsoft Great Plains
in these combined OS environments. If you are using Oracle and Unix, you may also
consider the methodology, however it deserves separate article just for brief
overview, especially about Java, EJB nuances.
1. MS Great Plains platform overview. GP workstation is written in C Shell, named
Great Plains Dexterity. It was designed in earlier 1990th, when DB and OS platform
independence was the paradigm. However, when Microsoft acquired Great Plains
Software seven years ago, Microsoft Dexterity was kind of de-emphasized and GP
itself was open for .Net platform and for Microsoft Visual Studio C# and VB
developers, especially via eConnect. Plus, GP is available on Microsoft SQL Server
DB platform only. Saying these, Microsoft Great Plains version 10.0 and 9.0 should
be considered as committed to Microsoft technologies: SQL Server, .Net, Windows, MS
Office: Sharepoint, Excel, etc.
2. Cross Platform SQL Queries. If you do it from Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or 2000
side, the construction you typically use is Linked Server, where you should first
try ODBC connection to Linux World. If you are on Oracle, then similar construction
will allow you to hook up MS SQL Server
3. Web Services. eConnect allows you to open GP objects for non-Microsoft developer
via XML web services - you can either use eConnect interface directly or wrap it in
custom web service interface
4. eConnect excurse. The core of eConnect is set of MS SQL Server encrypted stored
procedures, allowing you manipulate GP master records and work transactions: SOP
Entry, POP Receivings, Customers, Vendors to name a few. eConnect has restrictions
of GP architecture, one of the typical FAQ is why we can not post GP batches in
eConnect? Well, this is the restriction, but you can break it utilizing
Albaspectrum posting server. eConnect was dedicated initially to eCommerce software
developers, to enable GP ERP platform as backoffice accounting for e-commerce front
end
5. Integration technology. Here again eConnect comes to the scenes. GP Integration
Manager, which is rather traditional Great Plains integration tool, was recently
redesigned partially in eConnect and so IM performance was substantially increased.
IM can read tab and comma delimited text files as well as ODBC compliant queries.
When you are programming integration, be sure that you select eConnect destination
connector as preferred, versus deploying regular destination connector
(old-fashioned connectors use GP workstation as OLE Server to validate Great Plains
business logic directly in GP screens, which obviously slows down the performance)
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, Ontario, Colorado, Utah,
Wisconsin, Florida, Texas