July 1, 2008 at 2:26 am · Filed under software
Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Solomon and Axapta are Microsoft Business Solutions ERP applications, serving to the whole spectrum of vertical and horizontal markets. Assuming that you already have one of these systems installed and implemented we would like to give you - IT director, Database Administrator, Programmer, Software Developer, Controller your options in supporting/upgrading Microsoft Great Plains for your company
It is always good idea to install everything on your own - however Great Plains requires combination of computer networking, some programming, good accounting/distribution/logistics/reporting background - so it is not a surprise that Microsoft Business Solutions requires their customers to have specially assigner Microsoft Great Plains Partner/VAR/Reseller to serve the account.
First Scenario. Due to the recession your former MBS partner went out of business, leaving you without support and you lapsed in payment annual enhancement fee. This is very common scenario - in fact Microsoft Business Solutions introduced direct quoting to the companies like yours - just to insure that you have an option to pay this required maintenance fee. In this situation - you can not get new version/migration tool, etc. until you get your company reinstated in MBS enhancement program. What you need to do is these:
1. Find reasonably inexpensive MBS partner and switch to it as your MBS VAR - it is very easy to change your VAR - you compose the letter stating that you would like to switch to company ABC as your MBS VAR, sign it and fax to your new VAR.
2. MBS Promotions - Microsoft has promotion programs for orphans like your company to be re-enrolled into annual enhancement program, usually with small additional charge, for example in October 2004 you could get your reinstatement for 20% of the software list price (normal price is 16%)
Second Scenario. You need to migrate from Pervasive SQL/ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE. It is known fact that Microsoft decided to breach contract with Pervasive Software and stop supporting Microsoft Great Plains 7.5 and earlier versions on Pervasive SQL 2000. You need to migrate to MS SQL Server ASAP - or you will be out of support
1. As in the first scenario - select your MBS partner or ask you old partner to give you the quote on Migration tool (k$1.5-k$2)
2. Migrate on your own - or send your data to migration specialist - your partner may provide these services - normal price is 8 hours of consulting fee
Third Scenario. You have bunch of Great Plains Dexterity, VBA, SQL customizations and need upgrade and your former GP reseller is not providing customization upgrade services (due to the fact that all developers were laid off several years ago)
1. Locate customization partner. Usually you have to find small nation-wide VAR, who serves you via remote support. Switch to this partner
2. Ask for customization analysis - most of the old customization pieces should be migrated to new technologies, like Dexterity to SQL and Crystal Reports, web publishing, eConnect, etc. Don’t pay for upgrade “as is” - you will lock yourself with the problems
Also couple of hints about how do you switch the partner. It is actually more easy than you may think - you just send to your new proposed partner the letter in free format saying that you would like to switch to you as my Microsoft Business Solutions partner - and this is it.
About The Author
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, Arizona, Georgia, California, Texas, New York, Florida and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. Andrew can be reached: 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, akarasev@albaspectrum.com
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April 10, 2008 at 2:21 am · Filed under software
Microsoft Retail Management (RMS) and Microsoft Great Plains are retail and accounting/ERP solutions coming from the same Microsoft subdivision - Microsoft Business Solutions. There is often common need to do integration between the two. Despite the fact that both systems come from the same software development company - the integration is not as simple as it probably should be.
In each case you have to use set of new Microsoft technologies: web service, SQL stored procs, C#, VB.Net programming, etc. In this small article we give you customization overview when you receive Purchase Order Receivings in Great Plains and automatically transfer them to the RMS Store Operations via web services. Plus we can push serial number info from Great Plains to Store Operations (there is no way to store serial number in Headquarters)
Item Transfer Trigger in Great Plains
Microsoft Great Plains is written in Great Plains Dexterity - proprietary programming language and development environment, which has strong ties with SQL stored procedures and queries
When Items are transferred in Great Plains via the Item Transfer Entry window, the interface must recognize this transaction. This can be accomplished via two mechanisms:
1. Dexterity Trigger, which would identify that the transfer occurred and it would populate an interface table
2. SQL Trigger on IV00200, which would populate an interface table. The assumption is that all transferred items will be serialized
Handling Headquarters Initiated Inventory Transfer Requests
Once the interface table is populated, there might be either a timed procedure or a trigger that will push the transfer from Great Plains into RMS Headquarters and it will create automatically a Style 307 Worksheet in Headquarters.
The next time that the store “receiving” the inventory communicates with Headquarters, it will receive the Inventory Quantity Adjustment notification, which will increase the item’s quantity on hand.
In each store, a web service should be installed to handle transfer of Serial Number information. Therefore, when communication is established between Store Operations and Headquarters, an application that continuously monitors Stores (in the computer hosting Headquarters) will communicate with the web service at the Store level to transfer the Serial Number information and to update the serial number tables in Store Operations.
About The Author
Luis Leung is Lead Software Developer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Microsoft RMS, CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, with offices in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Madrid, Moscow, Europe, Brazil, Mexico (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Microsoft CRM SDK, C#, VB.Net, SQL, GP Dexterity developer. Luis can be reached: 1-866-528-0577 or help@albaspectrum.com.
Tags: great plains, microsoft, Microsoft RMS Customization, RMS, softwaregreat plains, microsoft, Microsoft RMS Customization, RMS, softwareShare This
March 28, 2008 at 2:03 am · Filed under software
Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way to popularize it’s ERP systems implementation. Right now such products as Microsoft CRM and Small Business Manager (cheap version of Microsoft Great Plains, based on the same Great Plains Dexterity runtime and DYNAMICS.DIC dictionary) are targeted to self-implementation by in-house IT group. This is short article, written in question/answer/FAQ style to give IT Director/Controller balanced top level information on Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains implementation. If you have decided on Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and ERP system you need to know some technical details on Great Plains installation and implementation and what is going on behind the scenes. As of right now the current version is Microsoft Great Plains 8.0. Plus you probably should know about programming language of Microsoft Great Plains - Great Plains Dexterity
If you are developer who is asked: how do we customize Great Plains with its native programming language - Great Plains Dexterity - read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.
The history of the Dexterity. Great Plains Dexterity - is proprietary programming language and technology, designed back to earlier 1990th with the goal to build platform independent graphical accounting package - Great Plains Dynamics. Dexterity itself is written in C (following popular those days hope - that C will provide platform independence). You can install Dexterity from Great Plains 7.5 CD #2. Obviously it requires a lot of learning / training, but it allows your custom piece be seamlessly integrated with Great Plains interface.
1. Native Dexterity Cursors. Dexterity was designed as platform independent programming language and so if you want your code to be operable on all currently supported databases - you use Dexterity ranges and loops to manipulate the records
2. Great Plains Dexterity with SQL Stored Procs Nowadays, most of Great Plains installations are moved to SQL Server - so you can use Dexterity for custom forms drawing only and make the buttons run SQL stored procedures.
3. COM Objects calls. Beginning with version 7.0 Dexterity supports COM objects - you register them as libraries in Dexterity. Refer the manual. This technique allows you to call such nice things as web services across the internet.
4. Dexterity Forms - if you like VBA and are comfortable to do all the business logic in VBA - you can use Dexterity as new forms creator/editor. This is OK - but you have to purchase VBA/Modifier and Customization Site Enabler from MBS.
Some restrictions. Great Plains is actually integration of multiple dictionaries: DYNAMICS.DIC, ADVSECUR.DIC, EXP1493.DIC, etc. In your Dexterity customization you can deal with one dictionary - DYNAMICS.DIC. If you need cross dictionaries customization - consider using SQL Stored Procs for crossing dictionary borders and pulling data/making changes in the other dictionary..
Happy customizing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
About The Author
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, UK, Canada, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer; akarasev@albaspectrum.com
Tags: developers, great plains, it, it solutions, microsoft business solutions, microsoft software, pro, softwaredevelopers, great plains, it, it solutions, microsoft business solutions, microsoft software, pro, softwareShare This
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