Released on: October 24, 2007, 5:01 pm

Press Release Author: Alba Spectrum Group

Industry: Computers

Press Release Summary: Each ERP application should be open for tailoring:
modifications, custom logic, reporting, integration with legacy systems, EDI
interface, etc. In some cases you may expect special modules or third party
extension, however if you have simple customization need - you may undergo in-house
GP programming project to make job done. This article intended to be orientation
session for IT people and internal software developers. In the best case scenario
you should balance external GP consultants and internal programmer and project
managers to realize your projects.

Press Release Body: Each ERP application should be open for tailoring:
modifications, custom logic, reporting, integration with legacy systems, EDI
interface, etc. In some cases you may expect special modules or third party
extension, however if you have simple customization need - you may undergo in-house
GP programming project to make job done. This article intended to be orientation
session for IT people and internal software developers. In the best case scenario
you should balance external GP consultants and internal programmer and project
managers to realize your projects. Let's begin:
1. Great Plains customization tools. GP similar to other MRP and accounting
applications is the combination of proprietary and open technologies. Main
proprietary technology is Microsoft Dexterity, which requires special license and
Great Plains Dexterity certification is recommended to do Dex programming.
Dexterity is core technology, however as Microsoft .Net platform advances, open
technologies open the GP customization door. Open technologies typically require MS
Visual Studio development skills plus ADO.Net and some SQL scripting expertise.
These tools are: eConnect, Modifier with VBA (this one is not a .Net based - it is
rather legacy but should be considered open platform as VBA is popular for MS Excel
modifications). There are other enablers, opening Great Plains Dexterity objects to
MS Visual Studio C# or VB developers - use them at your discretion
2. Programming GP Integration Manager. IM could be considered as end-user tool
however it is very powerful and customizable, so if you are VBA programmer you can
consider IM as custom integration platform. VBA modification can intervene IM
events: before document, after document, etc. Plus you can do incoming records
translation - create your customer or vendor translation table in Excel and then
import it to Integration Manager
3. SQL Scripting. This technique requires advanced familiarity with GP tables
structure and records distribution. You should be aware that SQL insert statement
simply populates SQL tables, but it doesn't validate GP business logic. So, SQL
scripting may cause data integrity problem and typically requires longer Quality
Assurance (QA) and debugging cycle. As a hint for you - eConnect does validate GP
business logic, so if you could deploy eConnect and not SQL stored procedures - you
will be on the safe side of the programming project
4. GP reports design. There are several tools and you got to get the idea on their
usability. First of all - GP ReportWriter. This tool is integrated in GP
workstation interface - you can modify such popular reports as SOP Invoice, POP
Purchase Order, GL trial balance, AP historical trial balances to give you few
examples. RW is Dexterity application and it has Dex limitations, so if you get to
break through, you should consider FRx for strictly financial reports (linked to
General Ledger GL), Crystal Reports (unlimited in theory, however you have to do all
the work in SQL views or stored procedures from scratch) or Microsoft SQL Server
Reporting Service or SRS (at this time we are inclined to consider SRS to be
catching up in competition with Crystal, especially considering Microsoft plans to
promote its own report design tool)

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