Great Plains Dynamics Gp Consultant Chicago Newsflash: Working With Comments

Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains ERP was designed in earlier 1990thwith new Shell Great Plains Dexterity.  Dex was in turn programmed in C++ to resolve operating system and Database platform dependency.  However C programming language was in time and probably now, especially when you are trying to use platform independent functions – not perfect in working with new Windows drivers: PDF printing, pictures formats, working with Unicode and International ASCII collations, web publishing, etc.  In this small publication we would like to review long text attachments, which you can do in Dynamics GP – comments:

1.       OLE and Pictures.  Great Plains was initially supporting and currently supports these technologies, however OLE compliant applications and pictures are stored in the files, and not in SQL database

2.       Text attachments or Notes.  Comments are stored in MS SQL Server company database.  Dynamics GP supports only four lines of notes, plus you should be aware that they are stored in the following table: SY04200 – comment master.  Here you can assign comment id to each specific comment.  However when you are attaching comment to, let’s say, SOP invoice line – you are copying its contents to the comment instantiation table – SOP10202 in our example.  However on this instantiation level GP actually splits comments text into four comment lines: COMMENT_1, 2, 3 and 4 – system makes a judgment and decides if the line should be split

3.       Updating comments on the existing documents.  If you have a need to update comment on Sales Invoice line level you will have to produce the algorithm from SY04200 comment master table, where you will be splitting comment text field into four comment lines.  These four comment lines will be used by GP workstation to print popular reports, such as SOP Invoice Blank form

4.       eConnect eCommerce programming.  Here you have encrypted stored procedures, which you can call from MS Visual Studio C# or VB .Net project, however comment restrictions apply and you still have to deal with four comment lines.  If you decide to introduce customization, then you can potentially break trough

Tags: Chicago, Comments, Consultant, Dynamics, Great, Newsflash, Plains, Working

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