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Great Plains Implementation Firm in San Diego, Ca

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:11:24 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP implementing has several phases and it should be entrusted to professional consultant. Microsoft Business Solutions sells GP software through certified VAR channel, where each reseller demonstrated required level of proficiency in Dynamics GP MRP functional and technical areas. We would like to present Alba Spectrum as nationwide GP integrator with local office in San Diego, Southern California. Let’s review GP ERP:

1.       GP database platform. Currently Great Plains Dynamics GP is available exclusively on Microsoft SQL Server. Obviously your organization should have reasonable Microsoft expertise to host and support MS SQL internally: DB backup and recovery, SQL querying, SQL security, optimized hardware and Windows server, disaster recovery for the server and other areas of general Microsoft IT support should be covered by your IT team or ask our reps for external support

2.       GP as ERP platform for customized business processes. Here you should make your homework and consider two options. First, try to detect existing add-on or extension to GP, which supports your proposed altered GP business logic, and if you can not find existing extension on the market, consider customize Great Plains internally. Next paragraph will give your highlights in GP customization design

3.       Great Plains Dexterity modifications. There are several tools available to do the job: GP Dexterity, eConnect, SQL Server Stored Procedures, GP Integration Manager, VBA with Modifier, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports, SRS. If you have good experience in MS Visual Studio .Net programming and carry C# or VB programmers in staff, try to review eConnect SDK first. If you need seamless integration with GP user interface and security realm, consider Microsoft Dexterity (here in-house expertise is unlikely as Dex is proprietary tool, it is practical to outsource it to GP ISV partner)

4.       GP data conversion and migration. We recommend you to stick to beginning balances and masters records entry approach, and do not do historical transactions conversion

Great Plains Reseller Chicago, San Diego News: Verticals

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:55:49 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP in its core set of modules is ready for implementing in industries as ERP and MRP platform, however every business is unique with its business processes and workflows. If you are on the edge of your industry, chances are high that existing GP add-ons do not exist or do not do the job for your company. In this case Dynamics GP implementation requires customization, and new unique add-on development specially for your company. These add-ons are often referred as vertical ERP solutions or verticals. In the case of Microsoft Great Plains we would like to give you GP add-ons programming highlights:

1.       Customizations. If we are talking about intervention into Great Plains user interface, then this is technically customization (not integration, where it is happening on data feeding or exporting level). Great Plains customizations traditionally are written in Great Plains Dexterity with SQL stored procedures and sometimes eConnect extensions. Dex allows you to plug in your add-on into GP user interface and security realm. If you need Dexterity modification, you should probably seek professional Great Plains consultant help, as Dex learning curve is pretty long and not practical in most of the cases

2.       Integrations. You can use Dexterity for integration development, however you can deploy also eConnect or SQL stored procedures, which you could call directly from C# or VB.Net MS Visual Studio project

3.       Reporting. Reports design could be done again in Dexterity, however you can use more open tools, such as Crystal Reports, MS SQL Server Reporting Services (SRS), MS Access and even MS Excel reporting plug-ins (Pivoted Tables, for example). Integrated Reports are written in GP ReportWriter (which is Dexterity based interface), where you modify such popular and needed forms as Check, Sales Invoice, Purchase Order, Aging Reports, Bill of Lading, to name a few

4.       Financial Reporting. Here you use FRx, which is naturally linked to your General Ledger accounts and their summaries, plus it allows you to create reporting trees and consolidate multiple GP companies

Dynamics GP Partner Chicago, San Diego News: Integration Manager

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:32:31 +0000

Great Plains integrations, especially in Edi and ecommerce scenarios are very popular and in our opinion they are not overly too complex to design and implement. If you are MS Visual Studio C#, VB .Net programmer with some SQL and XML skills, you should be able to program real time or batch mode integrations in eConnect SDK for Dynamics GP, and as such your integration could be called directly as part of your ecommerce web site instruments. However if you do not carry programmer in your IT department, but have some SQL expertise, you do not even have to touch eConnect, as most of the job could be done in Great Plains Integration Manager directly, and you could schedule integration as macro, and the rest of work for EDI or ecommerce integration could be done in SQL Views. Read this small publication as orientation session in GP IM:

1. Simple integration scenarios. If you have text CSV or tab delimited file as integration source, then all you need to do is to establish simple text file source and if your target has header and lines, where you have only single file, you need to look at grouping feature. For example, if you plan to import GL transactions – one per each day of Retail operations, natural grouping would be transaction date. Two sources will be based on one text file, where header will be grouped by date and transactions will be as they are and you link header and lines by Date field

2. Advanced ODBC over text file. Imaging that you have CSV or Excel file, which has several columns, staying for SOP Invoice Item lines each column. In our opinion, this one is pretty challenging in creating Advanced ODBC Source and then creating unions over the same text file, pulling specific column in first select, then unionize it with the second column in the second select and so on. This natural technology of building unions is unfortunately complicated by bugs in ODBC Text driver, where you cannot save Select statement field format in INI file. The work around – have driver guess on field format every integration once again

3. Advanced ODBC over SQL View. This is the most advanced scenario, when you can expose transactions from ODBC compliant DB: MS SQL Server, Oracle, Linux PHP MySQL, Microsoft Access, Lotus Notes (with repetitive records). Our favorite technique is this – create linked server in MS SQL Server 2005 Management Studio or SQL 2000 Enterprise Manager and then create heterogeneous, meaning cross-platform SQL View and base Advanced ODBC Source on that view. Here you can practice with EDI (precisely formatted SQL Select statement). To make your integration more powerful, consider creation SQL DTS package, where you expose specific day transactions set and mark them as exposed and when integration is accomplished with success flag, mark those transactions as integrated

4. VBA scripting in IM integration. Here you have additional alteration options in even driven scripts: Before Integration, Before Document Commit, etc. Good example would be something like this – imagine you are in Collection business and you have to issue checks to your customers with 30 days payment delay. In Before Document commit script you can increase check date accordingly

Dynamics GP in Chicago, San Diego suburbs: Corporate ERP for mid-size firm notes

admin — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:02:26 +0000

If you have Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise) implemented in your organization and plan for additional modules deployment and Great Plains integration with you legacy systems: ecommerce websites, Barcode scanners and Barcoding servers, Logistics and Warehouse Management, Consignment, EDI, Shipping and Receiving, Picking and Packing, integration with Oracle based custom applications, CRM, POS and Retail applications (including Microsoft Retail Management System or MS RMS), need custom add-ons programming service, Integration Managers advanced integration design, Crystal, SSRS, or GP ReportWriter reporting, including Barcode labels printing for your newly received or recounted merchandise, light manufacturing and assembly, please feel free to read this orientation article. if you are in Corporate ERP selection process, feel free to request executive or technical presentation from your selected Dynamics GP Partner. We would like to begin our technical and functional highlights:

1. DB Platforms and Versions. It is available on Microsoft SQL Server exclusively. Current version Dynamics GP 10.0 is supported on MS SQL Server 2008, 2005, and 2000. Older versions, such as GP 7.5 were supported on Pervasive SQL 2000 and Ctree. If you have these legacy versions: 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0, 3.2 or Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows or Mac: 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 or earlier, please consider upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics GP, you will get discounted price for currently owned GPA modules, however discount percent might be changed by Microsoft Business Solutions, so we do not specify discount percent in this publication

2. Does GP fit to my industry? If you are generic mid-size business: wholesale and retail, light or heavy discrete manufacturing (not process manufacturing), not for profit organization: grant funds management, membership services, charities, church, deli foods store, international freight forwarding firm, recruiting and placement. Please, request your industry and industry niche case study and requirements analysis to see if Dynamics GP fits your organization Corporate ERP requirements.

3. Local and Remote Service in USA, Canada and Internationally. We serve you locally in Chicago, San Diego, Houston, Atlanta (SAP Business One and remote support with Great Plains). However we have Dynamics GP and SAP B1 customers USA nationwide and internationally, so local presence is not a decisive criterion for our existing customers. Remote support is typically requested by our customers with Customizations, Integrations, Reporting requirements. We carry Great Plains Software Development factory, where we program Microsoft Dexterity, formerly known as Great Plains Dexterity, SAP Business One SDK, Microsoft CRM SDK, Great Plains Integration Manager, SAP B1 Data Transfer workbench, Dynamics GP eConnect

4. International Support specifics. US, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand corporations, who have Dynamics GP as their Corporate ERP, are typically requesting ERP implementation for their subsidiaries in such regions as Brazil, Russia, East Europe, China, India, South East Asia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand. Dynamics GP is localized for English and Partially Spanish speaking countries (except motherland Spain), plus it is available for Quebec in French. However for the rest of the World Microsoft Business Solutions recommend Axapta, Navision, plus check for current policies for Small businesses. Dynamics GP Great Plains doesn’t support Unicode, and this was probably one of the reasons, why Microsoft BS preferred AX and NAV as general direction for the future for international ERP, MRP and Accounting applications markets

5. Manufacturing: Discrete versus Process one. If you are engaged in Process manufacturing, please review Microsoft Dynamics GP AX, formerly known as Axapta. Microsoft Business Solutions targets Axapta to Process Manufacturing (typically food processing) clients

6. Dynamics GP eCommerce options. If you are doing B2B ecommerce, please consider first Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Portal Order Management module, as here you are virtually expanding GP Sales Order Processing and Inventory Control modules to the web customers. Formerly this module was known as Great Plains eOrder, however with GP 8.0 it was redesigned on Microsoft Dynamics Business Portal platform. If BP is not a good fit, we recommend you to consider eConnect ecommerce integration programming in C#, VB.Net as eConnect is generic MS Visual Studio programmer friendly. For those of you who need automatic posting from eConnect ecommerce we have Alba Spectrum Posting Server or Autopost

7. Intellisol APOP and Project Accounting migration. If you are still on GP 7.5 and earlier, you may have Intellisol Advanced Purchase Order Processing or Project Accounting deployed. Intellisol was in business presence phasing out in around 2002, so consider Intellisol APOP migration to Great Plains POP, migration tool is available for GP version 7.5 and some earlier

8. EDI notes. Of course you can purchase Electronic Document Interchange Add-ons for Dynamics GP, or SAP Business One. However we recommend you first to consider budget option where you code your EDI lines in SQL formatted Select and Insert statements

9. Great Plains Accounting Support options. We respect your decision to stick to historical version of GPA on DOS, Windows, or Macintosh. We have consultants in staff who had supported this ERP application in the past, plus we have access to GPA Customer Support knowledge base. If you are on GPA we could move you from obsolete Novell server to Windows 2003 or 2008

10. Mexican Cheese Distribution Chicagoland and USA Nationwide. This one of the favorite customers in Chicago Southern Suburbs. We have designed and programmed catch weight utility for them in earlier 2000th

11. How to get help? Please feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@ albaspectrum.com internationally 1-630-961-5918 or skype Albaspectrum . We speak English , Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese

Dynamics GP Chicago, San Diego eCommerce Technology Partner Notes

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:42:08 +0000

If you have Microsoft Dynamics GP, formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise, implemented or scheduled to g into production, next step is integration with your Sales Order Processing System, including B2B or B2C ecommerce website. We would like to offer you highlights or options, which you should in our opinion consider. Ideal World expect you to slash existing systems and implement new exciting ecommerce product, but we respect real situation, when you have already invested into something like Custom ecommerce website programming and web design, and you would like to make a research on how to have existing (maybe not perfect, but still doing the job, and plus you have original ecommerce developer and ecommerce enthusiast in staff) ecommerce application to talk to Dynamics GP via either eConnect or Dynamics GP ecommerce ISV product. This is the situation, which is our ideal Great Plains ecommerce customer profile case study:

1. Do it yourself scenario. If you are fairly large organization, with dedicated ecommerce development and customer support department, then you may decide to have somebody to be you Dynamics GP ecommerce Guru as external consultant. You may need quick start with introduction to eConnect Dynamics GP SDK, specially initially dedicated to ecommerce software developers (and later on extended to other GP module), Great Plains Integration Manager (this is good option to start with, especially when you would like to turn around in few days or weeks, and launch GP ecommerce integration in Batch Mode). In this scenario, please, be sure that you got your Dynamics GP version to be current, at this time Dynamics GP 10.0, as eConnect is pretty innovative tool and it is not really a good idea to use this SDK in its first versions (7.5, or 8.0). As extension to eConnect ecommerce programmed website we recommend you to consider our Posting Server, which allows you to post Dynamics GP batches directly from ecommerce C#, VB.Net or other programming language applications.

2. Buy a trusted Dynamics GP ISV ecommerce connector product scenario. At this time you may decide to select ecommerce shopping cart, catalogue and price list application separate from your Corporate ERP. Dynamics GP and other ERP options are catching up reasonably priced generic B2B and B2C ecommerce leaders, but nobody can predict the future, and maybe existing ecommerce product vendors will have their market, or maybe they will be acquired by leading Corporate ERP vendors, such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle and others. We believe that for 2009 and 2010 (and probably another five years), you should consider purchasing Dynamics GP eCommerce connector. We offer you Dynamics GP Order Connector, which is currently is under redesign to cover intuitive ecommerce mapping interface. It should allow you to map you generic ecommerce website and shopping cart to Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing module

3. Dynamics GP ecommerce integration USA Nationwide remote support. Normally, you do not expect your local Dynamics GP Partner folks to be on the edge of Dexterity or eConnect programming technologies, this is why we offer eCommerce integrations programming via remote support USA, Canada and even Internationally. In our opinion Remote Support has certain benefits, as you do not have to pay for consultant commute time, plus service is theoretically available in minutes or in complex cases hours

4. Great Plains eCommerce local service in Chicago, San Diego and Houston. For larger customers with shake hands Dynamics GP partners selection requirements we are available locally in Houston, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Atlanta (SAP Business One ecommerce concentration)

5. Upgrade to current Dynamics GP version. It may sound like very banal topic, however we got a lot of problems with Great Plains legacy version customers, who are on GP 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0, 3.2 and Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows or Mac: 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 and earlier. If you are about to assign budget to ecommerce integration, in our opinion you should not be investing into archaic Great Plains version, as this is similar to investing to your 10 years old car – every time you have to service it – you pay comparable or more to what its fair market value is. With Corporate ERP application, you typically have to stay current with your Provider Annual Enhancement program, if not – you should expect reenrollment fee. We support legacy Great Plains Dynamics, eEnterprise and Great Plains Accounting (GPA) versions, but we do not recommend you to stake on these old applications in new ecommerce projects

6. How to get help? Please, give us a call 1-866-528-0577, outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918, email us: help@albaspectrum.com We speak English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian

Great Plains Reseller Chicago, San Diego Newsflash: Add-ons Development

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:58:59 +0000

Traditionally, Microsoft Dynamics GP or former Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise customizations were programmed in Great Plains Dexterity, where you can make your screens working integrated into GP workstation and user security rules. Dexterity modifications are typically outsourced to Great Plains Technology Partner and Certified GP technical consultant. If you are doing modifications on your own and your are technically comfortable with Great Plains, then you can review eOne Extender. If you are engaged in ecommerce website integration project, then your tool of choice should be eConnect. In this small publication we would like to give your technical highlights:

1.       Dynamics GP Dexterity customizations. GP Dexterity has its own scripting language Sanscript, which is cursor like in the manner of database access. When Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software, Dexterity was enriched with MS SQL Server direct SQL code calls, COM objects access library and other features, facilitating integration with Microsoft .Net programming. Dexterity add-on is distributed via so-called chunk file, which should be copied into GP workstation directory to be automatically integrated on the next GP user login. The best practice is to create new Dexterity forms and windows and place triggers in order to modify existing GP tables. However you can also modify or alter existing GP forms, but if you do so – likely that you will come in conflict with other add-ons and third party module, plus there will be more work in Dex customization version upgrade

2.       Extender. With eOne version you can extend GP form, and make it intuitively. But in fact Extender is the shell over Great Plains Dexterity and behind the scenes you are creating Dex objects

3.       eConnect programming. It is advisable to have Great Plains eConnect programmer or consultant to be involved at least in the tech specification writing and be available to help on case-by-case when programming is in progress. eConnect is written in encrypted SQL stored procedures and replicates Dexterity logic, but is more object oriented and so, more friendly to C# or VB.Net programmers, who are also familiar with MS SQL Server stored procedures. eConnect doesn’t post batches, so you will need Great Plains Posting Server or Autopost

Great Plains Consultant Chicago, San Diego News: Dynamics Gp Reporting

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:37:06 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP has multiple reporting tools: Report Writer, Crystal Reports, MS SQL Server Reporting Services, FRx, Microsoft Access reports, Excel reporting. Seeing such a variety of tools, you need to know that report design tool selection depends on the report nature. For example if you need to link several modules in Dynamics GP, such as Sales Order Processing and Purchase Order Processing (when your project is done for sales commission release, when items and services are sold and goods are delivered by your vendors) – then you should consider Crystal Reports or SRS, where you can create SQL Stored Procedure or View as report background. Let’s briefly review reporting tools selection and their capabilities:

1.       FRx. FRx report designer links directly to Great Plains General Ledger. This means that you should consider this report design tools for GL level reports, including consolidated reports, working over FRx reporting tree. Also it works with GL budgets as well as has an option to consolidate your GP companies with virtual companies, which are exported into Excel worksheet – FRx has Excel linking mechanism.

2.       Dynamics GP ReportWriter. The strong points of this tool are direct call of existing reports from GP user workstation with parameters screens. RW is seamlessly integrated with GP interface and user security realm. Such reports as SOP Invoice Blank form is one of the most popular for RW modification – you got to place your company logo on Sales Invoice Form. You can also create RW compatible report in Great Plains Dexterity customizations and these reports will be available via GP Customize menu. Such Dex reports are known as GP Alternate Modified reports. RW is less flexible than Crystal Reports or SRS, but it can have GP parameters entry screen within GP user security realm

3.       Crystal Reports and SRS. You may think that these two tools are coming from different vendors and unlikely are comparable. However in the case of Great Plains report design they are similar in report programming technology – the best reports are based on MS SQL Server Stored procedure or SQL view

4.       MS Access, Excel and generic MS Visual Studio .Net report publishing. Excel and MS Access can hook up ODBC compliant DB platform, such as MS SQL Server in VBA scripting. C# or VB .Net programmer or Great Plains Technical Consultant can build GP report via SQL select statement in ADO.Net. If you are .Net MS Visual Studio developer, please consider eConnect programming versus direct SQL select statements. If you need GP tables structure, please install GP SDK from CD #2

Great Plains Partner in Chicago, San Diego, Houston Newsflash

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:54:16 +0000

We welcome all new prospect, considering Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation, software licenses purchase, as well as existing Great Plains customers, who are looking for second opinion, especially, facing technologically challenging GP modification project: Dexterity customization, Crystal Reporting, EDI integrations, on-going data migration as well as initial historical data massage and conversion, ecommerce batches autoposting and generic shopping cart integration to GP Sales Order Processing module. We would like to share with you the specifics of the season of 2008:

1.       Ecommerce integrations. Numerous cases, when customers have existing and probably to some extent “legacy” ecommerce website, where they have to stick to the historical ecommerce website development and programming investments. In this situation, they have to design and code the interface between ecommerce and GP back office ERP. This is eConnect C# or VB.Net programming routine with some reinforcement by custom SQL stored procedures. Plus, often customer wants complete eCommerce automation, meaning that they need automatic Great Plains batch posting from ecommerce web application code – in this case you need Alba Spectrum posting server

2.       Trading companies. Several Chicago down town and Chicagoland trading companies implementation moves us to the point of offering our expertise in this vertical industry niche to other prospects in Houston, San Diego and across the USA and Canada. AP integration seems to be important for trading companies, as well as such large scale modules implementations as Fixed Assets, Electronic Document Interchange, Analytical Accounting

3.       Light and precise manufacturing and assembly. As distribution warehouses are moving down toward highway 55 in Chicago area, San Diego becomes more attractive for venture capital type of scenarios and Houston attracts energy industry businesses, the need in precise manufacturing and custom manufacturing processes are in high demand this season

4.       Microsoft CRM integrations with Great Plains Dynamics. As MS CRM takes its market share, friendly Dynamics GP MRP platform is becoming more exposed to CRM to GP integration needs. This service is available internationally, and we offer project organization Microsoft CRM based timesheets integration to GP Sales Order Processing module orders or invoices

Dynamics Gp Implementation in Orange County and San Diego, Ca

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:34:17 +0000

Dynamics GP Integration Partner Chicago, San Diego News: eConnect programming

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:07:02 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP, formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise has good selection of custom programming and integration tools, plus from the SQL Server itself you could try Stored Procedures integration. Consider Dynamics GP Integration Manager, where you can simply setup integration without programming or even add some integration logic alteration via VBA scripts in Before Integration, Before Document Commit and other events. If your integration requires very deep interaction with Great Plains tables and custom tables, you can try Dynamics GP Dexterity programming (where you create custom tables and handle integration on both standard and custom ones) or eConnect Microsoft Visual Studio C# or VB.Net programming. This publication is not intended as eConnect eCommerce programming guide, we would like to give you the orientation in what to expect from eConnect, and we assume that you as software developer will be able to include eConnect libraries to your MS VS project and work with eConnect sample codes on your own:

1. Work Transactions and Master Records. eConnect allows you to create so-called work transactions, place them into the batch: Sales Order Processing Order or Invoice (this is especially valuable in ecommerce website programming), Purchase Order, GL transaction, etc. and if required create or alter existing master records: customer, vendor, GL account, Payroll Employee, Address

2. eConnect versus SQL Stored Procedures. If you think that there is no need to deploy eConnect and instead code your own custom SQL Stored Procedures, please note, that you in essence will be recoding GP business logic, which is already coded by Microsoft Dynamics GP programmers in Microsoft – in our opinion it is waste of time, unnecessary learning curve and potential source of numerous bugs and even data integrity threat. And again in our opinion Stored Procedures should be coded only when your integration project is very simple – and even here, please look at Great Plains Integration Manager first

3. eConnect versus Integration Manager. The tendency is the following – IM is in process of being rewritten with eConnect connectors, and walking away from legacy OLE Server based approach. This fact should mean for you that IM is as fast as custom eConnect application. eConnect application, however might be triggered in real time, where IM should be either called by IM operator or scheduled with Windows scheduler or special Windows Macro based application

4. Automatic Batch Posting in ecommerce. This is something that eConnect doesn’t have, you should deploy Dynamics GP ISV add-on, Alba Spectrum Posting Server, which will allows you to place batches in Autopost queue and then posting process will be launched by Posting Server GP workstation

5. If you feel that you need Dynamics GP consultant help, please call your Great Plains Guru, or if you do not have one, consider calling to Great Plains Resellers in your area or who are familiar with your industry. Feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com