Convergence 2010: 50 MORE Tips in 50 Minutes

I told you today that the 50 More Tips presentation would be up tomorrow.

I lied.

It’s up now! Get 50 More Tips in 50 Minutes for Dynamics GP from this link or from the link on the right side of DynamicAccounting.net.

Reflections on Convergence 2010

I’m sitting at the airport exhausted after Convergence 2010 so I’m disclaiming responsibility for anything dumb that I say. I want to get these thoughts out before I lose them.

• The excitement around Dynamics GP 2010 was incredible. There was an electricity in the air that I’ve never seen with a GP release. Several clients who are typically one release behind are now pushing to go GP 2010 now. And I mean pushing. You know who you are.
• There was a surprising amount of excitement around the AX retail solution. I suspect that AX will see an uptick as manufacturers with some retail presence move in that direction.
• The Support Debugging Tool is officially top of mind for a ton of customers. David Musgrave and Mariano Gomez’s sessions were phenomenal. They did a fantastic job and looked like they were have a lot of fun. Well done gentlemen.
• At one point we had Mariano Gomez, Frank Hamelly, Leslie Vail, me and David Musgrave at lunch together. If the chicken had been bad the GP blogosphere would have been very quiet. Fortunately, the chicken was delicious.
• All versions of the 50 tips presentations were a big hit and it seems to have been a breakout year for the buzz around this session. I’m very grateful to Errol and Pam at Microsoft and Andy at I.B.I.S. for giving me the opportunity to do this. I’d  like the opportunity to come back and do something similar.
• Roughly 800 people saw EACH VERSION of the 50 tips.
• Please remember, attending the 50 tips sessions automatically makes you more attractive. Doubly so if you sat near the front.
• Presenting 4 sessions is more than twice as hard as presenting 2.
• I had the chance to meet Andy Nifong, Matt Landis and a host of other people that I see on blogs and twitter. How come all of you are better looking in person and I’m not?
• If you see any Facebook photos of me leaving the women’s restroom, assume that they were photoshopped.
• If you haven’t filled out your evaluations you still can. Hurry.

Convergence 2010 50 Tips Presentation

Here is what you have been waiting for. Now that the original 50 Tips sessions are over I can post the PowerPoint resource for

CSGP06 – Getting More out of Microsoft Dynamics GP: 50 Tips in 50 Minutes.

There is also  a long time link on the right side of DynamicAccounting.net to make it easy to point other people to this file.

The resources for CSGP07 will go up tomorrow since there is still a repeat session today.

Weekly Dynamic: Portable Excel Reports, the Best of Both Worlds Part 1

With Convergence 2010 going on this seemed an appropriate time to tackle a really technical post.

• Dynamics GP provides refreshable, Excel reports based on the native SQL connection. They use a portable data connector making them easy to share in the organization. To limit records you have to use filters or change the underlying SQL.
• Excel provides an MS Query tool that allows Crystal Reports style reporting in Excel. It uses a wizard to pick the tables AND allows user changeable parameters within the report. When a user changes a cell, the report updates with the latest data. These are based on ODBC and not very portable making them hard to share.
• Excel 2010 allows you to create an MS Query based report in Excel with parameters. Once you are done, you can save the connection to a file making it possible to have portable reports with user controllable parameters.

As an Example:

• Open Excel and type Date in cell A1 then type the date 4/12/17 in cell A2. This will be a parameter we use to control the report.
• In Excel and pick Data | From Other Sources | From MS Query
• Pick Dynamics GP as the source and check the box to use a trusted connection
• Find the GL20000 and use the double arrows to add all the fields

• Click Next until you get to the finish screen and choose to View data or Edit in Microsoft Query
• Click View | Criteria
• In the Criteria Field put TRXDATE and in Value put [GLDATE] with the brackets. This is the name of the parameter.

• Excel will ask for a value for the parameter. If using Fabrikam, put in 4/12/17
• Click the little door icon to send this to Excel.
• GO SLOW HERE
• When asked, set the data location to cell A5 in the same worksheet as your date info at the top.

• Click Properties | Definition | Parameters
• Check the box to get the value from a cell. Pick cell B2 and check the box to automatically refresh.

• Click OK all the way through to put data in Excel.
• Change the date in cell B2 hit tab. The data will refresh in Excel.

Save this file and we have a refreshable, live Excel report with parameters to control the data. If you already have SQL code, you can skip through the wizard and paste in your code. Be aware that parameters won’t always work with complex code so you may have to roll everything into a view to simplify it.

Now that we have this, next week we will look at making this file portable.

Guidelines for Bloggers

Blogger extraordinaire Michael Wade has some terrific Guidelines for Bloggers over at Execupundit. Some of you may get the blogging bug after Convergence and if you Michael has some great advice. He’s a few years to late for me. Maybe he can put you on the right path. Oh yeah, it’s also a fantastic blog day in and day out.

Shootout: An FRx and Management Reporter Comparison

FRxBuzz continues to lead the way as FRx migrates to Management Report. Up now at FRxBuzz is a shootout between FRx and Management Reporter.

Copying Microsoft Dynamics GP Navigation Bar shortcuts from one user to another

Fellow MVP Mariano Gomez shows us how to Copy Microsoft Dynamics GP Navigation Bar shortcuts from one user to another using SQL. Yeah, you really need to read this. Go do that and then come back.

Redmond Channel Partner has a look at Dynamics GP 2010 and Convergence.

With Convergence 2010 coming up, Redmond Channel Partner takes a look at the Dynamics line and Convergence.

GP 2010 Reporting Ledgers in Management Reporter

Dynamics Corporate Performance Management has a great look at how the new GP 2010 General Ledger Reporting Ledgers work  with Management Reporter.

Everything is Changing at Once!

We knew they were going to be releasing near one another but this is ridiculous.

• Dynamics GP was released to manufacturing and will be generally available May 1
• Office 2010 is released to manufacturing and is available on MSDN and Technet now
• PowerPivot has been released to manufacturing
• SQL Server 2008 R2 has been released to manufacturing

It looks like I’ve got a bunch of install work to do after Convergence to replace all the betas on my system.

So, I have one disappointment with the release of GP 2010…it marks the end of the terrific feature of the day series on Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Weekly Review: Help | About

Don't ignore Help | About Microsoft Dynamics GP when you start working in GP. This is more than just the version number. Included in About are all major version numbers (GP, Dexterity, Smartlists, SQL, etc). You can check these against the version data on the DynamicAccounting.net homepage to make sure you're up to date.


Also included is the database size for company you're logged in to. This can be very important if your SQL server or backup device is short on space. This is actually harder to find than you think in SQL.

The Options button shows all the products and modules you're registered for. This is very helpful when you can't remember if you bought that module and just aren't using it of if you put off the purchase until the next budget cycle. If you bought it, it has a checkbox next to the item.
 
Originally Posted by Mark at 11/20/2006 02:35:00 PM

Microsoft, Dynamics and Electronic Medical Records

In a new article at Software Advice, Austin Merritt looks at Microsoft’s lack of presence in the Electronic Medical Records field and uses Microsoft’s entrance into ERP to project some options for Microsoft’s entrance into electronic medical records. It’s an interesting analysis of why, based on their ERP moves, they may try to buy their way into this market.

Management Reporter on Partnersource

I see today that Management Reporter now has a dedicated page on PartnerSource. Make sure to visit to learn more. I’ve been hard on the Management Reporter team so it will be nice to see what gets delivered.

Cash Receipts & Bank Deposits

Two different people in the past two weeks have inquired with me about the exact same process, so it seems like a good topic to briefly discuss – the Cash Receipts Entry window & the Bank Deposit Entry window are good, well-integrated friends.

Once a cash receipts batch has posted, one needs to tell Dynamics GP which receipts have been physically taken to the bank.  A cash receipts batch updates the A/R subledger and gives your customers credit for paying invoices due, but it doesn’t also assume that these receipts have been deposited.  The job of recording these deposits at the bank belongs solely to the Bank Deposit Entry window.

The Bank Deposit Entry window doesn’t create a journal entry when the ‘Post’ button is punched, but it does update the Select Bank Transactions window with “DEP’- type transactions so your bank reconciliation task can be finalized.  Paying a stack of bills via Payables Management, for example, places check documents into Select Bank Transactions window once posted, but whenever cash is received – be it from a customer via Cash Receipts Entry or for a non-trade receipt that is processed via Bank Transaction Entry - things aren’t 100% complete until this one extra step is performed.

I hope this clears things up a little.  Time to begin packing for Atlanta…hope all who are headed in that direction enjoy uneventful travels.

 

Bob McAdam is a Manager at Tribridge in Tampa, spending the majority of his time working in the GP delivery area with new & 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 & customer since 1998, but still remains quite anxious to see what his friend & former colleague Mark Polino has ready with his newest ‘50 Tips in 50 Minutes’  session @ Convergence 2010.

Solution Provider or Software Vendor: A Dynamics Partner Dilemma

In a new article at MSDynamicsWorld.com Pam Derringer looks at the dilemma that Dynamics partners face when choosing to concentrate on implementation or software creation. The article is Dynamics AX focused but the questions and issues apply to all of the Dynamics products so it’s definitely worth a read.

Unexplained Temp Table Errors

Allan Cahill bursts on to the GP blogging world with a great, detailed article dealing with Unexplained Temp Table Errors from Developing for Dynamics GP. Apparently David Musgrave is wearing off on his colleagues and we’re seeing more bloggers on the site.

By the way, starting your post with “Hi, my name is Allan Cahill (pronounced "Carl")” is a great way to get my attention?

Dynamics GP 2010 – May 1

It official now, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 will be available to customers on May 1. What’s more impressive to me is that Errol Schoenfish gave me the May 1 date back in September. He asked me not blog about it and I didn’t. I suspected that the date might slip to mid-May. Errol proved me wrong, even when I started hearing rumors in February that it might be delayed, the GP team managed to deliver. Based on the betas I’ve seen, GP 2010 is going to be great release building on the promise of features added in GP 10. I’m impressed that they were able to deliver on schedule.

Consultant Utilization part 2

The eOne Dynamics GP and CRM Blog is back with another look at consultant utilization. I generally agree but would add that it’s important not to lose sight of customer satisfaction in pursuit of squeezing out the last dollar.

SQL Views – Inventory Mulitbin

Real Life Dynamics User brings us a SQL view that lists all the inventory bin quantities for installations that use Multi-bin in Dynamics GP.

GP 2010 New Features, System Requirements, and Videos!

Jivtesh has compiled a host of links related to Dynamics GP 2010 in one spot. Make sure to check out his new post on GP 2010 New Features, System Requirements, and Videos!

New Look for DynamicAccounting.net

Everything will be fresh and new with Dynamics GP 2010 at Convergence. With that in mind I gave the blog a minor makeover to look fresh and new as well. The background is a tribute to the Great Plains roots of Dynamics GP.

If you normally read this blog via RSS, take a moment to enjoy the new look at DynamicAccounting.net.

Paul Walker to step down at Sage

I try not to do too much competitive stuff because most of my readers care more about getting info out of Dynamics GP. But I felt that I did need to highlight that CEO Paul Walker to step down at Sage.

In typical form, AccMan has the scoop.

Consultant Utilization

The eOne Dynamics GP and CRM blog has an interesting look at Consultant Utilization up now. In it they recommend moving to daily timesheets as a mechanism to capture hours that are invariably lost, uncounted or glossed over in a weekly timesheet.

As someone who regularly pushes companies to move to daily bank reconciliations I have to admit to being somewhat resistant to this because well…it affects me.

I typically mark down my time and what I did daily but I don’t necessarily transfer it to my timesheet daily for lots of reasons, good and bad. These include the time it takes to connect and enter time, the schedule (not all planes have WIFI and the LAST thing my wife wants to hear when I get home at midnight is that I need to submit my time) and some clients truly do lock down internet availability. Some hotels also struggle to reach dial up speeds with their WIFI.

Having said all of that, it’s not a bad idea. Good enough that I’m willing to eat the dog food and give it a try. I can at least enter my time daily even if we only submit weekly.

Microsoft Visual Studio Tools window does not open

Over at Developing for Dynamics GP, Patrick Roth takes a look at what to do when

Microsoft Visual Studio Tools window does not open.

Returning Ole Notes File names in Dynamics GP

In Touch with Dynamics GP looks at Returning Ole Notes File names in Dynamics GP in their latest blog post.

GP 2010: Electronic Signatures Workflow

Electronic Signatures Workflow is the latest feature of the day at Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Dashboard Metric Drill Down

ComputerationDynamics has a look a the new Dashboard Metric Drill Down in GP 2010.

GP2010: Fiscal Year Tracking in U.S. Payroll

Up now at Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP is a look at the new Fiscal Year Tracking in U.S. Payroll feature.

Weekly Dynamic: More Custom Links

We’ve looked at Custom Links before but it’s time to a few more tips. The field on the Custom Link window is name Internet Address but in reality this doesn’t have to be a website. It can be a link to a local file, an application, an email address (using mailto://), etc.

For example this could be used to launch a banking application from a link to a checkbook. In the example below, the custom link will launch a remote desktop session.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 has been released!

It’s official, one of the most anticipated releases of Dynamics GP is finally loose. Convergence 2010 is going to be one big GP 2010 release party!

Purchase Order Returns Enhancements

The new GP 2010 features just keep coming. Today Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP looks at Feature of the Day: Purchase Order Returns Enhancements

Implementation Methodology Certification coming in April

I see from the Microsoft Dynamics UK Blog that a new Implementation Methodology Certification is coming in April for Microsoft Dynamics. This seems like it’s the long awaited Sure Step certification.

Weekly Review: Unit Accounts

We've looked at Fixed and Variable Allocation accounts and now it's time for Unit Accounts. Strictly speaking, Unit Accounts are not financial accounts. They hold non-financial data that is still important to the company. Typically this would be items like headcount, square footage, etc. They can be entered and reported on and they can be used with allocation accounts to split entries based on the units.


Setting up unit accounts is easy. Cards->Financial->Unit Account gets you in. From there you enter an account number, description, and number of decimal points. You also select which series to apply them too. Pick all series unless you have a really good reason not to. Leaving out a series will come back to bite you unless you're very consistent because these account will be missing from the lookups in the series you didn't include.

Keep in mind that you can also budget against unit accounts.

Transactionally, a unit account functions like an asset account. Debits increase, credits decrease and it doesn't clear at year end. If you want to reset a unit account at year end you'll need to do a clearing entry.

Unit account transactions in the GL are one-sided entries. Because they're not financial accounts, they don't have to balance. Yes this freaks some people out the first time they see a unit transactions. The "Unit" is a measure or fraction of 1. Whatever you designate it to be (1 sq ft, 1 individual, 1000 ads). It may be helpful to include a unit of measure description in the account name if it's not obvious.

Unit accounts are pretty straightforward but powerful. Because they are accounts, FRx can see them and can use them. I've used this to report headcount by department on our internal financials. Happy Headcounting!

Orginally Posted by Mark at 11/10/2006 03:02:00 PM

Safe Pay and Absolute Value of all Documents

Up now at The Dynamics GP Blogster, Mariano Gomez looks at issues with Safe Pay and Absolute Value of all Documents

MS Excel files in GP v10 - refreshing indeed

Let me offer my friend & the host here, Mark Polino, a ‘hat tip’ on the front end of this blog posting instead of at the end as I did last month during my inaugural post on this GP site of his. Recently, he was kind enough to invite me to think out loud on these pages, so I'm taking him up on his offer again. Being a periodic guest blogger here is quite flattering to say the least, so thanks again, Mark.

When I have the opportunity to discuss all things GP with GPUG members or others I don’t officially call customers, I like to inquire about industry, current code version, likes, dislikes (if any), etc. Invariably, if the version response is ‘v10’, I ask about the usage of the refreshable Excel sheets that debuted with this code release…and sometimes, I get a blank stare.

In case you hadn’t heard by now, the GP v10 code release contains lots of new features, not the least of which are the nearly 200 refreshable, real-time MS Excel worksheets – and if you’re someone who works in a GP shop and you’re constantly receiving requests for back office data from those outside the department who only wished they had a GP User ID at their fingertips, then this post is for you! Real-time data is no longer just a phone call or email away, and enabling these secured files, regardless of the number of entities, is nearly effortless.

From the ‘Administration’ area page (with system password credentials, of course), simply find the Reporting Tools Setup window. Once here, real-time Excel workbooks and their Data Connection partners are two tabs away from full deployment (the first tab listed, ‘SQL Reporting Services’, is not applicable in this particular case). The 2nd of 3 tabs here, labeled ‘Data Connections’, deploys the *odc files that retrieve real-time data from your database(s) – run these first, please. The 3rd tab, labeled ‘Reports Library’, deploys the Excel files themselves, and should be run after the data connections. Both tabs offer system level or user level deployment (the former obviously reaches out to others much better), and formal deployment of either is as easy as checking the ‘enable’ checkbox near the bottom just prior to punching the ‘Run Deployment’ button. Deployment of these files can be to someplace fancy like Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or as simple as a network share. There’s even a checkbox on both tabs to deploy all out-of-the-box files for all companies simultaneously, and if you’re managing numerous entities, this is a nice time saver to say the least. Honestly, deployment of these files is just that quick.

When SmartList users open the various folders within, they find beaucoup, pre-defined queries that loaded with the application, but only those with GP clients can leverage SmartList, which leaves a lot of others in an organization out in the virtual cold. With GP v10 however, refreshable MS Excel workbooks mirror these same built-in SmartList queries, which means those without a GP client can query data easily now, too.

If your organization is licensed for SmartList Builder, you have even more reasons to enable these refreshable Excel files:

*Data Connections can be utilized within SmartList Builder and Excel Report Builder just like a native GP table or SQL Server object.

**Excel Report Builder, a free add-on to SmartList Builder if you’re running GP v10 SP2 or higher, allows you to supplement the out-of-the-box refreshable Excel sheets you’ve (hopefully) deploying soon just as SmartList Builder helps to expand your usage of SmartList – especially with 3rd party modules.

***GP 2010 is bringing even more ‘builder’ tools to the table as Navigation List Builder and Drill Down Builder are added to the mix, the latter of which will take refreshable Excel files to the next level with pop-up windows that help reveal record details! Personally, I’m anxious to get my arms around this new functionality.

So, if you haven’t rolled these out-of-the-box, no assembly required, refreshable MS Excel sheets out for your colleagues yet, what are you waiting for?! In the time it took to read & digest this blog posting, you could’ve had them deployed by now...but I’m glad you stuck around to the end.

Good luck with your deployment - not that you’ll need any!


Bob McAdam is a Manager at Tribridge in Tampa, spending the majority of his time working in the GP delivery area with new & 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 & customer since 1998. Thanks again to friend & former colleague Mark Polino for all his blogging encouragement, which has obviously generated some interest on these pages this year.

Dynamics GP 2010 Payables Select Checks Enhancements

Proving that even the mature modules are getting new features in Dynamics GP 2010, Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP look at new Payables Select Checks Enhancements

FRxBuzz.com » My Favorite FRx Shortcuts

FRx guru Jan Harrigan has a look at her favorite FRx shortcuts. FRx will be with us for a long time so there are plenty of reasons to learn more about FRx.

 

Management Reporter Formatting, Organization and Report Groups

Dynamics Corporate Performance Management has a look at Formatting, Organizing and using Report Group in Management Reporter.

 

Business Intelligence - Who Cares?

Martin at the eOne Dynamics GP and CRM blog looks at BI and  asks Business Intelligence - Who Cares?
I think the number of people interest in BI is higher than his 2% estimate. Based on the interest we’re seeing in Analysis Cubes and Excel Reports the key to BI seems to be accessibility and ease of use. I expect PowerPivot and Excel 2010 to make BI even more accessible over the next year.

Microsoft Dynamics Most Influential

Last year DynamicsWorld.co.uk released a list of the most influential people in the Microsoft Dynamics space. This year they are back and looking to improve the process.

One improvement is an element of user voting. Use votes aren’t the be all and end all, this isn’t a popularity contest but it is one element being used to narrow down the list from 250 possibilities.

Here is your chance to go vote. The voting lists are randomly selected from the full list. If you want to vote for a particular person, refresh your browser and keep looking. It should cycle through everyone before restarting.

There are lots of people you know on the list like me, Mariano Gomez, Frank Hamelly, Victoria Yudin, Leslie Vail, Dwight Specht, Mohammad Daoud and more. If you feel that these folks are influential in helping your understanding of Microsoft Dynamics, please go vote. I’m sure they will appreciate it. I know that I will.

Dynamics AX MVP Brandon George has some more specifics so hit the link if you want to learn more about the process.

Weekly Dynamic: Budget Modifications

This Weekly Dynamic is a guest post by fellow GPer and long time friend of Dynamic Accounting.net, Zubin Gidwani.

When you open the budget maintenance window, you have the ability to modify one account at a time, however the method button brings up the ability to do a mass modify on all accounts in the budget.

If you hit Calculate and do not understand the implication, you may corrupt your entire budget.  Not so bad with an increase or decrease, that you can reverse, but pray you didn’t use Set Amount, or start looking for your backups. 

FYI

Budget ID table is GL00200, Budget Details table is GL00201 for fast dumps of your data.

The Safe way to modify a single account using the calculation method is on the Single Account Budget Maintenance screen, which can be found linked to the account maintenance screen.

Eight Best Practices for Planning Your Microsoft Dynamics ERP Project—And Staying Focused on the Big Picture

New at MSDynamicsWord.com, Tim Hourigan examines Eight Best Practices for Planning Your Microsoft Dynamics ERP Project—And Staying Focused on the Big Picture.

New Management Reporter Web Seminars for Partners

Also up at Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP are links to New Management Reporter Web Seminars for Partners.

Making the Dynamics GP User ID field blank on Terminal Servers

At Dynamics GP Land Steve Endow looks at options for Making the Dynamics GP User ID field blank on Terminal Servers.

Modifying Active Routings via the Routing Sequence Edit window

Another talented colleague of mine, David Duncan, takes a look at Modifying Active Routings via the Routing Sequence Edit window in the Manufacturing module of Dynamics GP. With all of these smart colleagues I’m going to have to step up my game.

Dynamics GP 2010: Benefit Enrollment Summary

Up now at Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP, they look at the new Benefit Enrollment Summary feature coming in GP 2010.

Dynamics GP 10 – Custom Links

My talented colleague Amy Walsh is back with a look at  Custom Links at the DynamicsCare website.

GP Hints and Tips No10

Over at Gyrosoft’s blog they are looking at Smartlist this month in their article GP Hints and Tips No10

Revisiting: Translating Dynamics GP

Over at Developing for Dynamics GP David Musgrave looks at another option for translating Dynamics GP with Multilingual GP in his latest post Revisiting: Translating Dynamics GP.

IM Error - Argument 'Index' is not a valid value.

Vaidy looks at an Integration Manager error he had to work through in his latest posted titled IM Error - Argument 'Index' is not a valid value.

What's New in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 is Now Available for Partners and Customers

From Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP I see that What's New in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 is Now Available for Partners and Customers. Get the hot news and see what’s new.

SQL View – SOP to POP Links

It’s been a busy week and promises to stay busy through Convergence 2010 so I’m just trying to keep up. I see that Ron at Real Life Dynamics User has a SQL view up with SOP to POP Links.

Weekly Review: Integration Manager Resources

If you've used Integration Manager, you know that it's really cool, in a flaky hippie kind of way. When it works it's fantastic, when it doesn't, it's usually for an odd reason.


IM flakiness often keeps people from using it's full potential. Despite its quirks, it really can be a great app. It's one of the more complete import tools I've seen.

But to really get the most out of IM, you need some tools. You need to do a little research. I hope to spend more time covering IM, but I will have to be in a different forum. This one is too short.

As for resources, start with the IM user guide. Its really very good at covering the basics and includes info about running integrations from the command line and scheduling integrations.
When you need to get a little creative with VBScript, use the VBScript library provided with IM. This is a set of prebuilt scripts, you just have insert your information. The script library is installed in your IM directory by default. Mine is at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics\GP\Integration Manager\Script Library\imscriptlibrary.exe.

IM scripts are really useful for auto numbering, marking records as imported in a source database, all kinds of things.

Finally, my 2 favorite books are O'reilly's VBScript in a Nutshell and VBScript Pocket Reference. When you want to get really creative with VBScript, this is the way to go.



Originally Posted by Mark at 10/25/2006 10:54:00 PM

New Convergence Video

Make sure you check out the new Convergence video with my co-presenter from last year Pam Misialek of Microsoft. Pam owns the GP track at Convergence and she’s a blast to work with. Even better Pam has helped build an absolutely killer track of sessions for Convergence 2010.

(It doesn’t suck that she mentions my name and David Musgrave in there too!)

Helping Peachtree customers make a “Smart Move”…

Similar to the Quickbooks migration tool, Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP introduces us to the new Rapid Migration Tool that now includes Peachtree.

 

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 System Requirements are now available

From Developing for Dynamics GP, I see that the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 System Requirements are now available.

GP Partner Connections Lunch @ Convergence

All Dynamics GP Partners are welcome to join the GP Partner Connections group for a meeting over lunch on Monday April 26 from Noon to 1pm. We’ll be in the Convergence Meal Hall in the reserved section for User Groups (look under the large User Group banner).

GPPC is a peer-to-peer professional networking group for Dynamics GP Implementation Partners & ISVs dedicated to increasing the knowledge and competency of Implementation Professionals, Consultants, & Technical Sales Engineers. We will use this casual time to re-invigorate old relationships or ignite new ones. We’ll also begin talking about the ‘Connections Conference’ already set for October 23-25 in Orlando.

Hope to see you there!

http://www.gppartnerconnections.com

Dynamics GP 2010-Maps link in Address

The Dynamics GP – Knowledge Share blog looks at  the new Maps link in Address being enhanced in GP 2010.

More Excel 2010 Posts

The official Microsoft Excel Team blog points to some great video looks at Sparklines coming in Excel 2010. These could be a great combination to the Excel report functionality found in GP 10 and enhanced in GP 2010.

Management Reporter Overview

The Corporate Performance Management blog has an early look at Management Reporter up now on their site.

 

New and Renewed GP MVP’s

Congratulations to new Dynamics GP MVP Ian Stewart. Welcome to the club Ian! Also, congratulations to returning MVP Mohammad Daoud. His status was renewed for another year and its great to see Microsoft’s recognition of his contributions.

Dynamics GP 2010: Employee Onboard Workflow

As part of their look at new Dynamics GP 2010 features, Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP looks a the new Employee Onboard Workflow functionality.

Weekly Dynamic: Integration Manager Support

When working with Integration Manager to bring in transactions it’s not uncommon to get stuck while building an integration. Because of its power, IM can be finicky. A great idea when you’re asking for support from someone is to simply copy the messages from the progress screen like below:

Opening source query...
Establishing source record count...
Beginning integration...
DOC 1 ERROR: Are you sure you want to match deposits by amount within the eight day grace period?
Integration Failed
Integration Results
    1 documents were read from the source query.
    1 documents were attempted:
        0 integrated without warnings.
        0 integrated with warnings.
        1 failed to integrate.

Simply taking a screen shot of the progress screen helpful but often it isn’t enough since message can get cut off.

Of course, sending the log file works fine too but many people don’t realize that they can highlight the detail in the message box and copy/paste the information into an email for help.

Help me send my kids to Africa

I do almost no personal posting on this site. There are plenty of opportunities for folks to follow me personally on Twitter, Facebook or my personal blog without cluttering up this space. With that, please indulge me with this one personal post. My chidren Micah (15) and Angelina (14) are going to Kenya this summer to work with World Hope in Nairobi's largest slum. They'll be helping feed over 400 children a day and assisting their medical clinic.

We feel that this is a fantastic opportunity for them to grow by giving to others. Now I have one request of you. All of the content on this site is free. If it's been valuable to you over the last 4+ years, please donate toward their trip. Your donation is tax deductible in the U.S. We will simply forward it to World Hope in your name. To make this easy I've included a secure Donate option below. Please include your information so that World Hope can send you a receipt.

I appreciate all of you as part of the Dynamics GP community. Please help us do some good work in the larger community.

Don’t Be Lonely, Go to Convergence!

I’ve been saving a post around Bill Kennedy’s fantastic article 2 > 2 X 1 (Accounting Can Be Lonely) for Convergence. In it he talks about how associating with other like minded professionals can spark new ideas and remove those lonely feelings that you’re the only one battling through tough accounting issues.

Well, take heart, Microsoft’s Convergence 2010 will be filled with other Microsoft Dynamics users just like you. Some of them may have answers to your issues and maybe you’ll get to solve some of their problems. You’ll at least get a chance to get out of the office and decompress a little before tacking those issues again.

Read Bill’s article then go register for heaven’s sake.

Blogger Jello Wrestling

By a strange coincidence, Amy Walsh, who blogs at DynamicsCare, Frank Hamelly of gp2themax and I are working on different aspects of the same project. It’s all under NDA so don’t expect any project specifics. Yesterday however, we ran across two interesting items worthy of blog posts. Three bloggers, two posts and it was on. It was the blogger equivalent of Jello wrestling.

So who won? Why you did of course, you get two great tips and this story with a catchy headline. Frank and Amy get to tackle the tips and I’ll link to them as soon as they come out. Just know that we are here wresting to get the most out of Dynamics GP for you and Frank looks funny covered in virtual Jello.

Unposted Cash Display in Collections Main

Coming in Dynamics is GP 2010 is a new Unposted Cash Display in Collections Main. Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP has the scoop.

High Level Headaches

Up now at Dynamics GP Land, Christina Phillips looks the headaches of responding to a request for a high level design.

 

Weekly Review: Account Alias

No, not Jennifer Garner, these are account aliases. Account aliases are shortcuts to account numbers. They've been around forever but they seem to be rarely used. It may be that accountants just get in the habit of memorizing a select group of account and looking up everything else. I confess, I fall into that group, but I think with a little discipline, I could learn to like account aliases.


Account aliases are set when you create an account and they're optional. (Cards-Financial-Account). For example, if I want a shortcut to my bank operating account, I could call it "ops". So next time, I do an entry, rather than entering in a long account number like 1015-CA-LAXBAL, I simply hit the arrow (->) next to the account lookup and in the alias box I type: ops . When you tab off, the box closes an the account is placed in the form. There is also a keyboard shortcut, Ctrl-Q so you don't have to pickup the mouse. The CTRL-Q shortcut only works in transactions windows not inquiry windows. Go figure.

If you have really long account numbers I can see this as a time saver. You could quit remembering accounts and simply remember your shortcuts.

They are also useful when changing the chart as part of an implementation. Whenever there is a one to one correlation between and old and new acocunt, put the old account in the alias to provide a mechanism to improve the switch to a new chart.

Aliases are used system wide and you'll find them just about everywhere.
Orignally Posted by Mark at 10/16/2006 09:34:00 PM