ERP Implementation Strategies Poll

The Manufacturing Blog has a new poll up looking at ERP implementation strategies. There is a great look at the typical implementation options in the accompanying article. Go take the poll, it’s four whole questions.

Safepay Integration

Over at Developing for Dynamics GP, David Dusek looks at customizing Safepay.

 

A Word About Backups

I was worried that too many of you don’t care enough about backups. Based on the small number of responses to our latest Facebook poll I’m right. You either don’t know or don’t care enough to even vote in the poll. It makes me wonder about your backups.

In many companies, the problem is that Finance is responsible for the financial system, not I.T. Consequently, I.T often washes its hands of backing up financial data. Backing up Dynamics GP is important. Whether it is your responsibility to manage the backup or not, the risk management requirements placed on finance and accounting departments and your responsibility for the financial statements means that you have a requirement to understand how you Dynamics GP data is being preserved..

I’ll  leave the poll up for a few days to let the guilt set in and then I’ll put a new one up.

Weekly Review: Change Your Role on the Home Page

In Dynamics GP 9.0 and higher, when you first login, you are prompted for a role to preset the reports and info on your homepage. But roles change over time, people get promoted (hopefully!), responsibilities change or maybe you just picked the wrong role!


You can change your role by picking Customize This Page in the upper right of the home page. Then pick Change Role in the lower right. Select a new role and your off.

You will lose custom settings on your homepage and GP will warn you about this when you pick Change Role. If you don't want to do this, click cancel.


Originally Posted by Mark at 9/27/2006 03:40:00 PM

Update to Support Debugging Tool For Build 12

David Musgrave has posted an update to the Support Debugging Tool For Build 12.

When Does a Microsoft Dynamics GP Support Incident Become a Consulting Engagement?

Mariano Gomez has a great new article on MSDynamicsWorld.com. His article

Inside Scoop: When Does a Microsoft Dynamics GP Support Incident Become a
Consulting Engagement? looks at the line between support and consulting at Microsoft.

Miscellaneous Charges, Services, & Flat Fees

 Frank Hamelly has a nice look at the difference between Misc. Charges, Services and Flat Fees in the Inventory module.

 

The Dynamics GP Blogster: New Site Features!

Mariano Gomez is upping the ante with new site features at The Dynamics GP Blogster.

 

SmartList Shows Duplicate Year End Journal Entry Distributions

David Musgrave has coverage of a recent situation where SmartList Shows Duplicate Year End Journal Entry Distributions.

Suppressing CTRL+Break or CTRL+C in VBA Customizations

 Mariano Gomez has a great look at suppressing CTRL+Break or CTRL+C in VBA Customizations

Auto grant access to users on newly added Analytical Accounting Codes

 Mohammad Daoud points us to a macro generator to Auto grant access to users on newly added Analytical Accounting Codes.

Implementing Landed Costs in mid stream

Ian Stewart has a new post up looking at issues when Implementing Landed Costs in mid stream.

Tips on Discontinued Items

Mohammad. Daoud: has tips on working with Discontinued Items in Dynamics GP.

Dynamics GP 2010: Microsoft Office Word Templates

 Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP has a look at the Microsoft Office Word Templates for documents like P.O.’s and Invoice in GP 2010.

How to filter Dynamics GP Notes - Not!

Emily looks at issues when filtering notes in Dynamics GP at Developing for Dynamics GP.

 

Weekly Dynamic: Copy an Integration with a New Source

When working in Integration Manager, it’s not uncommon to need a copy of an integration with differences in the source file. Maybe the source records need to be filtered one way for Company A and another way for Company B but they share a source like a CRM package.

Most people’s first step is to try Save As in in IM. Save as makes  copy of the integration but use the same source. Changes to the source file in the copied integration affect the original as well since they are sharing a source. Removing the source and adding in a different one removes all the destination mapping so users might as well start from scratch.

The way to copy an integration and adjust the source is with the Export feature.

1. In IM, select Tools->Options and note the location of the default IM database
2. Close the window and click File-Export Integration
3. Select the integration and click Export
   
4. The export will ask for a file, enter or navigate to the IM.mdb file where the original integration is housed.
5. When prompted, name the new Integration and provide new names for each source.
   
6. When this is finished, make changes to the sources without worrying about affecting other integrations

Only Transactions that have special characters in the Number field are displayed in Bank Statement Reconciliation

Mohammad Adour is wresting with odd Bank Rec issue in Dynamics GP.

Dynamics GP 2010: Excel Report Builder Report Publishing

 Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP lets us know that anyone can publish Excel reports if they have the right database role in Dynamics GP 2010.

 

Support Debugging Tool Portal

The Support Debugging Tool is one of my favorite tools because it makes advanced features more accessible. Now the Support Debugging Tool has it’s own portal. Think of it as one location to point folks too for all things related to the Support Debugging Tool for Dynamics GP.

 

Differentiating Companies in Microsoft Dynamics GP

David Musgrave reminds us of the benefits of coloring different companies with the Support Debugging Tool. This is a feature that I’m a big fan of.

Weekly Review: Favorites in Lookups

Smartlist Favorites are great when you want to come back to a set of data that you've used before. They are also useful in regular lookups. For example, if you regularly use a certain set of accounts, you can create a Smartlist favorite with those accounts. Then, when you hit the hourglass to lookup accounts, pick the arrow in the upper left and hit Favorites. All your Smartlist favorites are there to better control your lookups.  Simply pick the one you want and you have a much smaller list of accounts to work with.

This is not limited to accounts. It works throughout the system with Accounts, Vendors, Customers, just about anything you can lookup in a Smartlist.

Originally Posted by Mark at 9/18/2006 10:36:00 PM

Dynamics GP 2010 Sneak Peek

I.B.I.S. is providing a pre-launch Sneak Peek seminar for companies who want an early look at Dynamics GP 2010 before it’s May launch date. These are in person seminars in Charlotte and Atlanta on March 18 and March 25 respectively. You can find all the details on the registration page.

 

DEXVBA.ini Switches

Fellow MVP Leslie Vail has a look at switches in the DEXVBA.ini file in Dynamics GP.

 

Dynamics GP 2010: Excel Report Totals

Excel Report Totals is next new feature in the spotlight at Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP.

 

New Podcast on Dynamics GP Business Intelligence

The February DynamicAccounting.net podcast made it up right before the end of February. I was waiting until after the MVP Summit so I could add anything I learned there (and was allowed to share) in the podcast. February’s episode takes a look at Business Intelligence in Microsoft Dynamics GP along with some of the cool stuff coming.

FRx Training Manuals from FRx Buzz

Jan Harrigan has a new follow up training manual for FRx. The new manual is FRx in 8 hours – Intermediate, a sequel to the Basic version. Jan’s an expert at all things FRx and if you want a handy FRx resource to carry around this is a great place to start.

 

Dynamics GP 2010: Preventative Maintenance Generation for Contracted Equipment only

Continuing their look at new Dynamics GP 2010 features, Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP looks at the ability to control preventative maintenance and ensure that

field maintenance is only done on equipment covered by a maintenance contract.

Welcome Guest Blogger Bob McAdam

For those of you who missed is guest post yesterday, my friend and fellow consultant Bob McAdam had his first guest post here on DynamicAccounting.net. Bob had a great look at Navigation Lists. If you missed his post, make sure to check it out.

Fixed Asset Cube Webinar

It’s not too late to register for tomorrow’s webinar on I.B.I.S.’ Fixed Asset cube.
If you have been curious about the Fixed Asset Cube or just want a look, this is the place to do it. The webinar is free and open to anyone.

 

Auto Generating Customer IDs in Dynamics GP

Mariano Gomez has a great look at code to auto generate Customer IDs. 

Localisation of Dynamics GP

Ian Stewart has a great new post up covering the localization (or localisation) of Dynamics GP. Check it out at DynamicsGP.IE

 

Dynamics GP 2010: Kit Item Support in Field Service

 Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP takes a look at Kit item support in Field Service, new in GP 2010.

Leveraging Navigation Lists in GP v10.0

My transition from Dynamics GP customer back into the GP partner world with Tribridge occurred just after Dynamics GP v10.0 emerged on the scene in the summer of 2007, and since my previous employer was running GP v9.0 and not upgrading anytime soon, I had a lot of catching up to do in order to get up to speed on all things new. In the process of doing so, I found the new Navigation Lists within Dynamics GP v10. My initial thoughts centered on how they could possibly co-exist with SmartList, the reputable and trustworthy query tool most everyone already utilized.

Three years later while at GPUG Summit 2009 just outside Chicago, I stumbled across more users than expected that had either never used the no-longer-new Navigation Lists or hadn’t even heard of them! I had time during presentations or in discussion groups at the Summit to elaborate a little about what I liked/disliked about them, but still believe the pros far outweigh the cons here and more time and energy is certainly warranted for this area of Dynamics GP v10...so here goes.

SmartList isn’t headed to an early grave by any means, but Navigation Lists in Dynamics GP v10 are useful, easy to learn, and even have their own, third party-friendly Builder available. They’re not perfect yet, but my thought process has always been that if a positive spotlight was placed on them and more GP users knew about the power they possess, Microsoft (and others) would continue to build upon them and make Navigation Lists in Dynamics GP even better in the future. Here are a couple of functions I admire most that SmartList simply cannot compete with:

1) As long as SmartList (introduced originally as ‘Explorer’) has been in the box, the ‘Search’ button has never offered more than four data filters per query. Most of the time this is sufficient, but anyone who has used SmartList before has encountered a time when a fifth or even sixth filter would have been handy. With Navigation Lists, if you require more than four filters, you can have more than four, which means filtering in Excel doesn’t have to be your primary fall-back plan. An example of six data field filters against the ‘Customers’ primary list and saved as my own, modified list is shown:

2) SmartList queries can be shared with other GP users across all companies, within a specific company, or within a specific User Class if the author so chooses, but that opens the door to potentially uninvited edits, which are never fun to discover. Navigation List queries don’t have this issue, however, allowing for authors to not only decide which GP users can see their creation but also determine which of these users can write to a saved Navigation List and which ones can simply read.

a) A Navigation List can be ‘Private’ (author only) or ‘Public’ (shared) within the ‘Sharing Details’ window
b) If Public, Users can be added - ‘bmcadam’ and ‘sa’ have permission to make edits as the ‘Write’ box adjacent to their respective User ID is checked, but ‘malstott’ and ‘dbrooks’ only have read permissions as the ‘Write’ box adjacent to their respective User ID is not checked
c) The ‘Everyone’ option is always available for Public list distribution
d) If Public, Roles can be added, too - users tied to the ‘Accounts Payable’ Role only have read permissions as the ‘Write’ box is not checked. Roles, a hard-coded, validated list within Dynamics GP v10, are not user-defined as User Class IDs are and have been over the years, thus they’re easier for all to manage

These functions, additional search filters and more robust sharing capabilities, are just a couple of items within Dynamics GP v10 Navigation Lists that make them worthwhile to learn more about and utilize. While I’m optimistic that more improvements can and will be made in this area, I’m still somewhat perplexed with the number of users I’ve encountered that haven’t discovered the power and simplicity of this superb functionality. Perhaps pieces like this, accompanied by some enthusiastic knowledge sharing, will help get the word out to users while also informing Microsoft that new, exciting functionality is always welcome, not to mention highly encouraged!

Bob McAdam is a Manager at Tribridge in Tampa, spending the majority of his time working in the GP delivery area with existing customers. He is also an active contributor to the Dynamics GP User Group (GPUG). Bob has been fortunate enough to be involved with Dynamics GP as both partner and customer since 1998. One sincere 'hat tip' goes out to friend & former colleague Mark Polino for all his blogging encouragement.

Dynamics GP 2010: Cash Receipts Batch Entry

Amy Walsh takes a look at the new Cash Receipts Batch Entry feature in the Dynamics GP 2010 beta, up now at DynamicsCare.

Copy and Paste Issues in Remote Desktop

Many folks use Dynamics GP over a Citrix or Terminal Server connection. At Dynamics GP Land, Steve Endow takes a looks at the problem of copy and paste breaking between the server and the local machine. Usually, stopping and restarting the RDPClip service will work but sometimes you just have to disconnect and reconnect.

Weekly Dynamic: Amortization vs. Straight Line Depreciation

Folks often have questions about the difference between Amortization and Straight Line Depreciation in the GP Fixed Assets module. This is how the various calculations work:

For Amortization:

Amortization Code	Calculation
Daily	Amortization Amount * 365 (or 366 if leap year)
Weekly	Amortization Amount * 52
Monthly	Amortization Amount * 12
Quarterly	Amortization Amount * 4
Yearly	Yearly Depreciation Amount = Amortization Amount
Percentage	(Cost Basis - (LTD Depreciation - YTD Depreciation)) * Percentage
Rate	(Cost Basis - Salvage Value - Special Depreciation Allowance) * Rate

For Straight Line:

Depreciation Method	Calculation
Straight-line Orig Life	(Cost - Salvage Value - Special Depreciation Allowance) ÷ Original Life in Years If the Original Life includes days, the days will be converted to a fraction with days as the numerator and 365 as the denominator. For example, if the number of days is 146, the fraction would be displayed as 146/365.
Straight-line Rem Life	(Cost - Salvage Value - (LTD Depreciation Amount - YTD Depreciation Amount)) ÷ Remaining Life in Days This calculation determines the daily depreciation rate, which must be multiplied by the number of days in the year. This method is used when you select the Switch to Straight-Line option.

Since Amortization doesn't consider the life of the asset, only the cost, users need to calculate the life of an asset when using amortization, unlike depreciation.

[H.T. to Xen Osorio who clarified this beyond the help documents in a Partner newsgroup post.]