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Econnect Ecommerce Posting Server for Dynamics Gp

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:44:16 +0000

If you are eCommerce .Net c#, VB or SQL developer, you need to know eConnect – Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains SDK for e-commerce developers architecture and limitations. eConnect was specially built up for eCommerce programmers, however at the same time it complies to GP Dexterity architecture frameworks, such as GP batches and transactions posting is GP user prerogative. If you as eCommerce designer plan to post Gp transactions or batches automatically from your e-commerce web application, you will nee either Albaspectrum autoposting server or program Great Plains Dexterity source code with your internal programmers or Dex subcontractors. If you expect eCommerce website just to create so-called working orders or invoices in backend ERP Great Plains SOP Sales Order Processing module, then you are fine with eConnect development and deployment only. However if you only expect GP to fulfill invoices with goods delivery, then autoposting might be required. The rest of this article is dedicated to technology highlights:

1. Autoposting as Microsoft Dynamics GP Dexterity source code application. There is the way to command GP engine to post specific batch in any GP module: GL, SOP, POP, AR, AP, Payroll, Inventory control. However if you think this is easy solution, this is not the case, you need at least 5 years of Great Plains Dexterity programming with exposure to source code (DYNAMICS.DIC with all the sanscripts code not stripped out)

2. After Hours Posting in GP user interface. This is natural solution, when you have limited number of orders per day, let’s say 20 or up to 100. In this case if order size is feasible to sustain your business, you can hire Great Plains users, who will manually post your daily or weekly Sales Orders batches and transfer them for fulfillment and shipment to shipping department.

3. eCommerce integration to GP notes. There are several tools for you to consider, each has pluses and minuses as you can expect: eConnect – if you have developers inhouse, consider first eConnect as it is what Microsoft Business Solutions recommends in long run. If you think you are low level orders per day business, consider Great Plains Integration Manager (10-1000 transactions, maybe more if you consider IM automated integration with some custom logic to launch IM)

Dynamics GP ecommerce integrations: eConnect, Posting Server notes

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:01:28 +0000

It is often good idea to start ecommerce from scratch, however for some of us it doesn’t work as we work for established ecommerce retailers and wholesalers, where ecommerce application might be custom developed and hosted on Linux/PHP/MySQL, Oracle or another non Microsoft solution. In this situation you would rather consider custom integration with existing ecommerce web site and we would like to share with your some highlights. We are trying to write this small publication for programmers and IT people as a review:

1. eConnect SDK. If you are comfortable with Microsoft Visual Studio C#, VB or another .Net language programming, plus you are fluent with XML and have good SQL querying background, you should take a class or try self study on eConnect. With this Software Development Kit you can program virtually all core modules Great Plains objects: GL Accounts, Customers, Vendors, Employees, Addresses. SOP Invoices, Purchase Orders, etc. eConnect might seem a bit complex, especially when you are very brave and would like to try coding custom SQL Stored Procedures, in this case, please consider the following fact – eConnect is written in SQL Stored procs (that are encrypted) and you probably do not want to do it second time, especially taking into consideration the fact, that in Microsoft Business Solutions programmers have access to all the Dynamics GP Dexterity source codes and got appropriate training

2. eConnect Posting restriction. eConnect doesn’t post Dynamics GP batches, as this is how Great Plains architecture was built. Batch posting is prerogative for GP user, who supposed to review the batch (print batch edit list report), get sufficient evidence that all the transactions are correct and ready for posting and then post the batch from Great Plains user interface. If you really think that you need to post GP batch from ecommerce application directly, please read the next paragraph about Dynamics GP Posting Server, or Autopost

3. Great Plains Posting Server. We developed this Add-On in Dynamics GP Dexterity, it deploys native Dex posting routines and by doing so eliminates the problems with Software QA, as it is not exposed to programming bugs. Posting Server or Autopost is for Software Developer and it allows programmers to flag Dynamics GP work transactions batch for posting. Batch posting checker is running every few minutes and it looks at batch ready for posting table and if batch is there, it triggers Dynamics GP regular batch posting routine

4. SQL Scripts in ecommerce integrations. We have several scripts collections, one of them is Order Connector, which allows you to deploy scripts to move ecommerce orders or invoices to Dynamics GP SOP Orders and Invoices accordingly. Order connector runs faster in our opinion that eConnect methods, as we are not validating all Dynamics GP business logic and instead give you green light with simple Orders and Invoices

5. If you have concerns, or would like to get more info, see presentation, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

Great Plains Development: Dexterity, Vba, Econnect, Sql ? Highlights

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:19:24 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP, current version 10.0 as of June 2008 is pretty flexible platform if you are looking for modifications, custom modules programming, add-ons and extensions. As many mid-size ERP GP has multiple customizing tools and you have to get some excurse into each one of them to select the best in your situation. Before rushing into modifications overview, please think through the fact, that GP is owned and supported by Microsoft Dynamics subdivision (former Microsoft Business Solutions) and as such you should expect it to be tightly linked with such Microsoft technologies as .Net, MS SQL Server, MS Office, Sharepoint, SRS (or SQL Server Reporting Services). Plus, you should know the history of GP design – it was originally designed by Great Plains Software in earlier 1990th with popular shell IDE and programming language approach: Great Plains Dexterity (compare to SAP ABAP or Navision C/Side – shells were believed to resolve computer platform dependence). Now is the time to review:

1.       Microsoft Dexterity. As we already mentioned this IDE was written in C programming language and so it is theoretically portable to any computer platform, however in practice Great Plains tried it one or couple of times (to translate Dexterity from Watcom C to Microsoft Visual C) 1998. Dexterity is virtually all-mighty in GP customization and programming, however it is not really simple language and tool to learn, if you do not have previous experience. We recommend Dex programming if your customization needs to be tightly integrated with GP interface and security realm. If this is not a concern, and what you are designing is rather integration with third database or product, then consider eConnect

2.       eConnect. This is SDK with encrypted stored procedures and it has exposure to various development tools: SQL developer (obviously can call stored procs directly), MS Visual Studio C# or VB – you should do your pleasant research as programmer

3.       VBA. This customization option typically comes together with Modifier Module. In essence Modifier exposes GP screens as old-good-days OLE server. Modifier uses Dex forms, however it is not obvious to VBA developer, until he or she has to refer to GP objects descriptions: tables, forms, variables

4.       SQL Stored Procedures. Theoretically SQL can do everything on the database level (obviously it is lacking user interface, comparing to GP fat client or Dexterity). If your objective is just integration routine, then, please review first GP Integration Manager and you do not find relevant functionality there (which is very unlikely event), go down to SQL scripting

Microsoft Dynamics GP Integration Methods: IM, eConnect, Dexterity

admin — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 05:26:44 +0000

Formerly this mid-market Corporate ERP application was known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise. In this small publication we would like to review advanced integration options, available in Dynamics GP Integration Manager, eConnect, as well as custom integration programming in Great Plains Dexterity. Plus, we will try to address options for older versions of Great Plains Dynamics on Pervasive SQL 2000/Btrieve and Ctree. Please, note that Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows and Mac is technically predecessor of Great Plains Dynamics for Windows and Macintosh, however GPA business logic and interface are different from Dynamics core functionality: GL, PM, RM, SOP, POP, Inventory Management. GPA is out of scope for this article (where we would like to make several observations)

1. Integration Manager. We understand that most of Great Plains Technical Consultants know how to setup simple integration, where the source are text tab or comma delimited files, including building document header by grouping text lines (by document date for example: General Ledger Transaction, Sales Order Processing Invoice, etc.). However, we saw pretty tough situations, where Dynamics GP integration consultants had hard time in complex data conversions, where transactions and master records are in SQL tables or ODBC compliant databases: Oracle, MS Access, Pervasive SQL/Btrieve, Ctree, MySQL, or when they are exported into very complex text files (where you have to weed out formatting lines, as reports are exported in human readable format, which is not something that text integration accepts without data massage). Good advice in our opinion in such scenarios is to import these text files into MS Excel, weed out formatting lines and then import the data into staging MS SQL Server tables. Then you create SQL View to pull data from staging tables and use it as a base for Advanced ODBC Data Source. We had cases, where we were able to import up to the whole year of mid-size company GL transactions via that method. We would like also to share IM ongoing and close to real time integration methodic via Integration Manager. If you have in-house programmed ecommerce website application, which requires close to real time or batch mode integration to Sales Order Processing (customer orders, invoices and returns) and new customers creation (where transactions are coming from Linux/PHP/MySQL based ecommerce application) – consider either exporting transactions in text file or even establishing ODBC connection from Dynamics GP hosting MS SQL Server to MySQL via Linked Server mechanism, and schedule IM Integration to run every 20 min or few hours via Windows Macro third party add-ons. We know that for some of you these complex technical passages might be too deep, but our mission here is to let you (as struggling ecommerce programmer) know what is possible with Dynamics GP ecommerce integration. And finally, the last observation, before we move on to eConnect technology, please know that IM for GP version 10.0 is available in two connection blends – traditional OLE Server and eConnect connectors. eConnect connectors are faster by their technology architecture and technically you may be achieving the same results as if you are programming eConnect directly from your ecommerce web application, where the advantage of Integration Manager is apparent – it is user friendly in integration design and doesn’t require programming (except simple VBA scripts, or data translation tables, which could be composed in MS Excel)

2. eConnect Integration Programming. eConnect was introduced for Dynamics GP version 7.5 and 8.0 as the Software Development Kit, initially dedicated to eCommerce software developers. eConnect was under certain evolution for Dynamics GP versions 9.0 and 10.0, where it was adopted as integration technical platform strategy (and it was announced by Microsoft Business Solutions that eConnect should replace earlier integration platforms: Integration Manager, Dexterity – as middle tier). And now as we are writing these lines (October 2009), eConnect is triumphing among Dynamics GP integration low level technologies and connectors. eConnect technology is in fact simple – it is the collection of SQL Server encrypted stored procedures, replicating Great Plains Dexterity Dynamics GP business logic (often in Object Oriented Programming style, and this is good improvement to Dex, which is not technically Object Oriented Programming compliant with some exceptions). In our opinion eConnect came to its maturity as reliable Dynamics GP ecommerce and generic integration Software Development Kit with Great Plains Dynamics GP version 10.0 and probably 9.0. If you got certifications and experience as Microsoft .Net VB or C# programmer, you should find very useful code samples and prototype Microsoft Visual Studio eConnect projects: Dynamics GP Sales Order import, Customer import and update (including addresses) to give you start up ideas

3. Dexterity integrations. Dex is capable to do the ultimate and the most complex programming surgery in Dynamics GP system environment. If Integration Manager and even eConnect don’t do the job or incapable to do the job (and this is possible as these tools have natural limitations). However, please recognize the challenges of Dexterity. In Dynamics GP realm there are no limits to Microsoft Dexterity customizations, and if you contact with Great Plains Dexterity programmers (who have access to Dexterity Source Code and have experience in Dex source code programming), please go ahead to evaluate these channels. The only advise we would like to feature here is fact that Dexterity requires too long learning curve for newcomers, and it is not recommended for small or mid-size companies IT department to do Dexterity custom programming inhouse

4. Direct SQL Data Feeding. If you are experienced Microsoft SQL DBA, please review Dynamics GP Tables Structure Tools->Resource Description->Tables (or install Dynamics GP SDK from DC#2, where tables structure is formally documented). We would like to make comments and recommendations, before you try direct SQL data feed via SQL Stored Procedures. Please, consider the fact that eConnect is already doing this job via its methods and Stored Procedures. Also take into consideration the fact that Dynamics GP business logic and data flow is quite complex and it is unlikely that you can do imitate this logic in couple of day, couple of week or even in couple of months. If you have unlimited IT budget, then please disregard and go all the way through until you consider yourself experienced eConnect programmer with comfort to send records directly to Dynamics GP tables: GL10000, GL10001, SOP10100, SOP10200, SOP30200, SOP30300,etc.

5. Great Plains Integration options for Old GP versions: 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0 and Great Plains Dynamics on Pervasive SQL Server 2000/Btrieve and Ctree. If you are on archaic version, it is unlikely that you can get support directly from Microsoft Business Solutions Dynamics GP subdivision (as you are likely not current in MBS annual enhancement program)

6. Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows or Mac integration options. GPA has its own integration module, and if this is your Corporate ERP, please contact us separately, we have access to GPA knowledge base, inherited from Great Plains Software – if your case is known and documented (plus if you can recognize your problem in GPA after 10+ years of GPA and Dynamics GP Consulting), we are uniquely positioned to support Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows and Mac: 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 or earlier versions USA and Canada nationwide and internationally most likely Central, South America, Mexico, Caribbean, Pacific, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Casablanca, Agadir, India, Bangladesh)

7. Unicode characters integ
ration notes. Great Plains Dexterity doesn’t support hieroglyphs: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Thai. All we can do for you is enable hieroglyphs in Crystal Reports or Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (often abbreviated as SSRS)

8. Dynamics GP Great Plains in Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Poland, Czech republic, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Georgia, Armenia. Great Plains Software tried to market and localize Great Plains (version 4.0 and 5.0) in Common Wealth of Independent States (most of the former Soviet Union territory, except East Baltic States) . When Great Plains Software was in its order acquired by Microsoft Business Solutions, MS recommended Navision as the Corporate ERP of choice back in earlier 2000th, and later on MBS localized Axapta Microsoft Dynamics AX for most of Western, Central and Eastern European Corporate ERP markets. To avoid further complexities, we recommend you to chose SAP Business One in former CIS, Baltic States and in Arabic World as good local branch Corporate ERP, which has simple integration tools and options to your Dynamics GP ERP in the headquarters

9. How to get help? Please, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com We are very technical and real Dynamics GP Dexterity, SAP Business One SDK and Microsoft CRM programming gurus. We have Great Plains Software Development Factory and could support unlimited Dynamics GP Customization and Programming needs. Plus we speak English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, and not only as native speaking sales folks, but as real technical consultants. If you prefer skype: albaspectrum

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Great Plains Customization Tools: Dexterity, Modifier, Econnect, Auto Posting Server

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 09:50:27 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP, or former Great Plains Software eEnterprise, Dynamics has proprietary EDI: Microsoft Dexterity. This tools really requires skilled programmer to do the job, and we do not recommend you to do dex modification on your own or try to come through Great Plains Dexterity programming learning curve. Instead you should probe yourself as GP developer with eConnect – C#, VB and SQL skills are helpful here, or even in VBA – this programming technique comes together with GP Modifier module. Let’s review the tools:

1. eConnect. This is Software Development Kit with sample codes in VB and C#.Net. At the end of the chain eConnect calls encrypted SQL stored procedures, which you can not modify, and you shouldn’t as these procs replicate Dexterity business logic, where eConnect has some features of Object Oriented Programming. eConnect was initially dedicated to eCommerce Microsoft Visual Studio developer, who is given the objective to integrate e-commerce website with GP ERP at the back end. eConnect has some restrictions, one of them is lack of batch posting ability, so we recommend you Alba Spectrum Posting Server

2. Auto Posting Server. Again, GP is written in Microsoft Dexterity and it has its internal logic, which is available for Dexterity source code developer. Posting Server calls GP Dex batch posting native logic to post batches in the queue. You, as SQL programmer should place batches, created in eConnect or Integration Manager into this queue table. In our opinion, this product is more flexible and gives you more control, than Autopost, developed by Parity Software, GP VAR from South Africa

3. Modifier with VBA. If you have comfort level in VBA scripting and past experience programming and modifying MS Excel, Access, Word or other office applications with VBA, the research this option of GP customizing. Modifier allows you to place new fields to GP forms and screens and then you as programmer can associate VBA scripts with these new fields. If you plan to alter DB, by clicking or filling up new fields, please be sure that you are familiar with Microsoft ADO technology

Microsoft Dynamics Gp Coding: Dexterity, Econnect, Vba, Sql

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 23:21:39 +0000

Dynamics GP Corporate ERP application is open for modifications and custom programming via various SDK and development tools. In order to orient yourself in Great Plains custom programming and tool selection you have to make your homework – Dynamics GP is mid-market ERP application and its business logic is quite complex. You do not really want unnecessary experiments, which could potentially (or even likely) lead to data integrity compromise and even corruption. This small article is intended as orientation session:

1. Microsoft Dexterity. Sometimes we hear opinions that eConnect should be prioritized as the programming tool of choice over Great Plains Dexterity. In our opinion, at this time April 2010 for Dynamics GP version 11.0 eConnect is replicating Dexterity logic and is to some extent restricted, comparing to Dexterity itself. Dex is EDI and programming shell, specially designed and introduced for Great Plains Dynamics back in earlier 1990th (it is coded in C programming language to provide computer Operating System and Graphical platform independence, as it was believed in 1990th). Dexterity is very powerful, but it is sort of semi proprietary and not very friendly (at least it requires several years of Dexterity new programmer learning curve) for generic programmers. Additional complexity to Dex programming entry point – you may need to have access to Dynamics GP Dexterity Source Code (which is only available for limited number of Dynamics GP Source Code Partners). Dexterity is all-mighty in modifying GP user interface, especially when you need seamless integration with Great Plains security realm

2. Dynamics GP eConnect. This Software Development Kit is more friendly to generic Microsoft Visual Studio C# or VB programmer with some experience with XML and SQL scripting. eConnect is recommended tool for real time eCommerce integration to Microsoft Dynamics GP. We recommend you to upgrade to Dynamics GP 11.0, 10.0 or at least 9.0, prior to investing into eConnect programming (as we believe that you would like to deploy SDK which is at its maturity point). eConnect has code samples in C# and VB – this is why we recommend it for the programmer experienced in those languages

3. VBA with Modifier. This is a bit outdated technology, however it still does the job, when you are looking for simple GP interface modifications and comfortable with VBA scripting (remember – in pre .Net years you had nice options to automate MS Excel or Access with VBA scripting – the same option is available to Great Plains Dynamics)

4. SQL direct statements. We only recommend this method for pulling records from Dynamics GP for reporting: Cristal Reports, MS SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). We positively discourage you from pushing data to Great Plains company tables (instead consider Dynamics GP Integration Manager or eConnect programming, where GP business logic is validated and you are blocked from data compromising)

5. How to get help? Please, call us: 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com

Econnect Posting Extension: Alba Spectrum Autoposting Server

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:43:44 +0000

If you are ecommerce developer, who are programming in C# or VB.Net with some SQL stored procedures, then more likely you are deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP eConnect SDK to integrate eCommerce website with Microsoft Great Plains. There are certain restrictions in eConnect, and they are in essence related to Great Plains Dynamics architecture. One of the restrictions is inability to post Sales Order Processing batches from your eCommerce web development project. Alba Spectrum is proud to offer GP Posting Server, which deploys Microsoft Dexterity native posting logic. Here are some highlights:

1. GP Dexterity posting engine. All you need to do as developer is place the batch records, which is ready to be posted into queue table. Posting is done the same way as in native GP interface and by the same technology – Great Plains Dexterity. Dex is the shell and it interprets business logic from its dictionary – DYNAMICS.DIC. All the source sanscript code in this dictionary is stripped out and if you, as Dexterity programmer would like to call native posting logic, you must have access to Dex source code

2. Supported modules. As Posting server deploys Dex internal logic, there are no restrictions on the origin of the batches to be posted. In many cases you can even autopost batches with origin from GP add-ons or third parties, developed and supported by GP ISV

Great Plains Custom Development: Dexterity, Econnect, Sql, Vba and Modifier

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:17:46 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP programming and software development is typical as GP ERP system itself is for wide variety of businesses: manufacturing, shipping & receiving, warehouse management & logistics, project organization, non-profit to name few popular. Great Plains has large number of horizontal and vertical solutions, often referred as third party modules or add-ons, however in some scenarios to tune standard logic or develop small in-house modification to GP is more feasible. To give you a flavor of what GP customization is, let’s review tools and scenarios:

1.       GP Dexterity modifications. Dexterity is the architecture of Great Plains Dynamics today and also at the time when Dynamics was just born – earlier 1990th. Dex has its own programming or scripting language – Sanscript and it has Integrated Development Environment, where Dex programmer do their software coding job. Dex customizations were very popular since the introduction of Great Plains and they are equally popular nowadays. Dex mods are seamlessly integrated into GP user workstation and security realm. If you are Microsoft Visual Studio C# or VB .Net programmer, then you should review eConnect and its customization options, as we assume that learning curve to get Dex programming skills might be too long and less desirable

2.       eConnect. At the SQL Server side, eConnect is in essence the collection of encrypted stored procedures, in one or another way imitating original Dexterity logic. This technology allows GP integration to be designed and called from eCommerce application, for example: creating master records (customer, vendor, project, GL account, etc.) and so-called work transactions (SOP invoice, POP receipt, Payroll transaction for instance)

3.       SQL stored procedures. This approach was typically extending Dexterity in the past, prior to eConnect introduction. When eConnect was introduced around 2004, then SQL programmer was encouraged to call eConnect stored procedures versus developing new ones from scratch. However there are a lot of areas where direct SQL coding is feasible, especially if it is very simple integration, or where eConnect logic is not available (yet).

4.       VBA and Modifier. This is traditional tool, related to OLE technology days and still popular and powerful today. It works like that – you add new buttons or fields to existing GP screens with Modifier and then you append VBA scripts often with ADO logic to access GP tables to add business logic to new object

Great Plains Reseller: Econnect Integrations and Customizations Highlights

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:39:51 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP could potentially go beyond its out-of-the-box standard functionality and you as software programmer and developer could deploy it as ERP platform for your company ecommerce, EDI, wholesale and other extensions and integrations. In this publication we would like to concentrate on eConnect programming and technology. Please, note that eConnect should be considered as solid SDK for C# and VB.Net developers, however for older versions of GP, such as 7.5, 8.0 and probably even 9.0 – we recommend you to upgrade to version 10.0, prior to investing into eConnect research and programming:

1.       GP 10.0 Integration Manager. Here you already have eConnect connectors in place. If you are familiar with old OLE based IM, then you need to know that eConnect Integration is per company, opposite to the old way when you login the company and run integration just for this company. Plus, cancelling old restrictions – Integration, based on eConnect connector doesn’t require you to run Great Plains client workstation. If you are OK with what Integration Manager gives you, then you probably should stop reading. For the rest of us, please know – if you need custom fields population via IM, then you have to deploy old way ADO in before document commit script

2.       Beyond IM. Deploying eConnect, you can combine GP data feeding with eConnect methods and custom tables updating via SQL custom stored procedures or update statements. In this scenario eConnect becomes one of the players

3.       eConnect technology. You probably already have read bunch of whitepapers and technical manuals, where you saw multiple eConnect technology layers. At the beginning of the way, eConnect has a set of encrypted SQL stored procedures, allowing you to create, update and delete GP objects

4.       eConnect restrictions. Here you need to know GP architecture and especially batch posting logic. Batches supposed to be posted by GP users exclusively, this is why eConnect doesn’t have posting features. In order to post batches from your eCommerce, EDI or another programmed application, you should deploy Alba Spectrum Batch Posting Server

5.       eConnect and GP Dexterity. Dex can call DLL libraries, and so eConnect could be exposed to Dexterity customizations. This is especially helpful for GP developers, who are trying to automate Great Plains intercompany transactions via dex custom add-ons

6.       Technology notes.   If you are not technical in GP integrating projects, this article could be potentially too challenging to read through. However we believe that IT technicians, who are facing the GP integration project would benefit from reading this publication

Great Plains Integrations Tools: Im, Econnect, Dexterity ? Overview for Programmer

admin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:22:51 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP is good platform for integration with your current and legacy applications: ecommerce, CRM, EDI, Microsoft Access and even non-Microsoft platforms, such as Oracle, Lotus Notes Domino, MySQL/PHP, DB2. In this small publication we would like to review Dynamics GP or Great Plains (as it was previously known) integrating tools and scenarios:

1.       Dynamics GP Integration Manager text integrations. This module is user friendly and you can easy build CSV or Tab delimited text files integrations. IM has predefined destinations to such popular GP objects as Customer, Vendor, Employee, GL Account, plus Transactions: Sales Order Processing (Quote, Invoice, Sales Order), Purchase Order Processing (Purchase Order, Receiving Transaction). If you are Payroll outsourcing company – you can easily integrate your customers’ employee time cards to give you the idea about typical industry case

2.       Integration Manager Advanced cases. Here you have more challenging scenarios, when you have to pull data from external database. In IM you likely will need to deploy Advanced ODBC queries, based on Microsoft SQL Server Views (which might be heterogeneous: SQL Linked Server to Oracle DB, for example). Plus advanced ODBC query should be considered when you have Text file to be integrated, which has non-structured format (you have to weed out comment lines, headers, footers and other attribute of human report). Also, consider the case, when you have to produce document header and lines from single text file – Advanced ODBC query with union construction should be considered

3.       eConnect. This SDK has various exposures, however the core of this connector is set of encrypted stored procedures. Great Plains 10.0 installation automatically installs eConnect stored procs, for earlier versions, such as 9.0 you can install eConnect Runtime manually. We do not recommend eConnect to Great Plains customers, who are on version, earlier than 9.0. So, if you are on GP 8.0 or 7.5 – you can consider deploying eConnect, but just the fact of SDK maturity should incline you to the idea to upgrade your Great Plains installation to 10.0 or 9.0. eConnect is open for C# or VB.Net Microsoft Visual Studio programmer, who is also familiar with XML and SQL Stored Procedures concept. Just one warning – eConnect doesn’t post GP batches, consider Great Plains Auto Posting Server to fill this gap

4.       Dexterity. Great Plains Dexterity is the EDI and fundament of GP architecture. Dex is almighty, when you are thinking about Great Plains customization and integration. However Dex requires professional Great Plains Dexterity programmer to be involved, and it might be not feasible to train your IT internal programmers to begin software development in Dexterity. Dexterity is good fit to program integration, when eConnect doesn’t provide functionality – good example is GP invoicing module

5.       SQL Stored Procedures. As Great Plains, since version 8.0 is available exclusively on MS SQL Server DB platform, it is natural temptation to try program integration in SQL stored procedures. The drawback of this method is long learning curve in understanding the nature of programmed transactions, the disadvantage of “competing” with eConnect stored procedures, where all the work is already done