EDI Support is Critical to Your Business, But Is It to Your EDI Provider?

This is a guest post from Glenn McPeak of Data Masons.

When you evaluate and select ISV solutions to complement your Dynamics GP investment, a majority of the time your focus is on finding a remedy to a particular pain point. Unfortunately, this means that a majority of the time you focus mainly on the solution – its cost, integration, reputation, etc. – but what you may be doing in the process is diminishing the value of support as it relates to the ROI of your investment, and the success of your business.  

Evaluating EDI solutions can be a daunting task with multiple solution providers claiming the same capabilities – integration, ease-of-use, outsourcing, etc. However, take it a step further and talk support and you’ll begin to see a wide gap between what different providers offer.  It’s not about how quickly you can access your provider’s technical support line, or how many holidays for which they provide coverage, “support” goes far deeper and wider, from the solution’s design, integration, and then finally, to traditional support.

For example, when evaluating an EDI provider’s commitment to supporting your business, ask yourself, does the provider: 

• Have a fully-automated solution designed to eliminate ERP customizations?  
• Offer plug-and-play set up as opposed to a time-consuming, resource-heavy project?
• Employ a dedicated support team that keeps your business top-of-mind; and 
• Deliver day one support for any future version GP releases and updates, as well as ongoing support for Microsoft's sunset versions?      

To protect your Dynamics investments and your bottom line, you need an EDI provider that makes your business, their business. This means having the dedicated, fast-acting support, including full compliance management services, required to maintain the competitive advantage EDI should deliver. With any other level of support, your business' EDI investment is at risk.

Compare EDI Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics GP and see how providers stack up against each other. And don’t wait to introduce the discussion around support, for if you do, you may find that it’s not that easy after all to get the answers you need when it comes to EDI and your business.

Talk with Data Masons’ Dynamics EDI experts next week at Convergence 2013.  Data Masons will be exhibiting in Expo Booth #742.    

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Data Masons is a huge supporter of this site and the Dynamics GP community in general. If you can spell the letters 'EDI' I would encourage you to drop by their booth at Convergence. - Mark

 

EDI and GP 2013

This is a guest post by Glenn McPeak.

As we welcome the arrival of GP 2013, it’s critical that the community also welcome the opportunity to evaluate whether or not their complementary ISV solutions align with Microsoft’s strategy with this latest release. When it comes to Dynamics GP specifically, both Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and Data Masons’ Vantage Point EDI solution offer on-premise or in the cloud deployment for expanded availability, enhanced core functionality for improved productivity and data accuracy, and accelerated ROI with faster implementations.

Integrated EDI is a perfect example of how some business challenges are truly opportunities to help improve your company’s competitiveness, especially when your EDI solution aligns strategically with Dynamics GP. Read how Data Masons has extended its GP version support to include day one integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 to provide innovative, agile and easy-to-use solutions.

Trend Alert: Dynamics GP Users Changing Course in How They Manage EDI Requirements

 

This is a guest post by EDI Expert Glenn McPeak

I’ve been keeping my eye on it and given the uptick of questions I’ve been receiving and discussions I’m having, I’m now going to call it a “trend” - the Microsoft GP user community is changing the way they want to manage EDI. Until now, it seemed that companies were selecting one of numerous options to meet their EDI mandates, but after hearing a lot about what EDI is not doing for their company, I’m seeing a shift in what they are looking for when it comes to Dynamics GP EDI, especially now that we’re on the cusp of the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 release.  With pending future upgrades in consideration, companies are also thinking about how they can best manage EDI now, while also setting themselves up for a potential upgrade down the road, cost-effectively killing two birds with one stone.

From the discussions I’m having out in the community, I understand that GP customers are discovering more and more about what EDI should be delivering to their business. What was once acceptable is no longer the case, as technology has changed to support evolving business needs and Microsoft’s development strategies.

Here are the latest trends in what GP users are looking for when it comes to EDI:    

#1 – End to end automation
Pushing a button to integrate a transaction used to be great as it saved time over manual entry.  But now users are asking, “Why do I have to push a button and who is going to do it at 2am?” They want automation of key EDI process that gives them the flexibility and security they’re looking for. 

#2 – Manage EDI by exception
GP users don’t want to deal with every transaction, only the issues that need attention. Managing by exception lets the transactions without discrepancies continue without interruption and eliminates unnecessary manual touch points.

#3 – Leverage standard Microsoft integration framework
Writing directly to tables and bypassing business logic is not best practice. By leveraging integration tools such as Microsoft’s e-Connect, users can avoid custom routines that populate data and bypass standard business logic.

#4 – Deeper and broader integrations
Users need more advanced logic, such as touching specific values in a sales order or handling advanced three-way matching logic.  They also need broader document integrations so they can get new documents integrated quickly and easily to avoid jeopardizing trading partners relationships.   

#5 – Avoid transaction fees
EDI data is a lot like email – would you pay to send an email? Right, then why pay for transactions when you don’t need to, especially when your trading partners support direct connect?  

#6 – Audit the transactions Too many companies complain about the lack of tools available that can identify issues before they become problems. They wonder why they can’t find out that an invoice was not transmitted and/or received by a partner before it is overdue. They would rather receive an email alerting them when a document has failed.

#7 – Guaranteed support turn-around times: In the world of EDI where delays and errors can result in unnecessary and costly expense, organizations don’t have the flexibility of waiting for support responses.

Responding to these trends is an innovative EDI technology model that GP users are rapidly adopting. Users are looking to an EDI solution that is based on leveraging the native integration framework of the GP platform while providing all of the EDI transaction functionality outside the application¸ an alternative to other EDI technologies that provide similar functionality inside the application. With this approach, companies can:

1.     Implement a single, plug-and-play, truly integrated solution that doesn’t utilize 3^rd party translator tools;  

2.     Leverage a fully-automated EDI solution with predictable ownership costs; and

3.     Benefit from a non-embedded design and XML data storage within SQL that avoids ERP requirements and customizations, simplifying daily use and providing flexibility when managing ERP update/upgrade projects

Learn more about this growing trend in Dynamics GP EDI and what you can gain by expecting more out of an EDI solution. Take a look at how other GP-based companies have successfully implemented a new strategy to increase the impact EDI has on their business and how they have exceeded their expectations in simplifying EDI integration and compliance.             

 

 

[Glenn McPeak, Jon Rivers and the rest of the folks at Data Masons do a great job at being the go to EDI experts for the GP community. They are also sponsoring the upcoming GP Technical Airlift this week in Fargo, N.D. If you're going, make sure to say Hi and bring your EDI questions. - Mark]

 

EDI News | EDI Events for Dynamics and Exact ERP

DataMasons has updated their terrific EDI solution with the launch of Vantage Point EDI 2012.

When It Comes to Dynamics GP 2013, a “Like Father, Like Son” Approach

This is a guest post from Glenn McPeak.

Coming off of the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 sessions at Convergence, and anticipating the GP technical Airlift event in September, I’m with all the other GP professionals anxiously awaiting the expected product launch in December 2012.  

One of Microsoft's key goals with this release is to position GP as a more competitive and flexible ERP solution for the SMB market. For these organizations, hopefully GP 2013 will transform their business practices by building a strong foundation that supports growth, increasing operational efficiencies and significantly lowering the burden on IT. But for organizations looking to implement GP 2013, it’s important to not only look at the new web client release and the other 150+ features, but also the other opportunities that come along with a new ERP platform implementation.  

A critical step during any ERP implementation is to ask the question, “Do my ISV solutions align with Microsoft’s own strategy with the ERP?” I sometimes refer to it as the “like father, like son” approach. If the two solutions don’t align strategically, then I encourage you to take a look at other technology options, for both short and long-term success. When it comes to EDI for Dynamics GP specifically, it’s 100% possible to integrate a solution that aligns with Microsoft’s strategy – a “like father, like son” scenario that: 1) scales to support business expansion, 2) increases processes efficiencies and 3) eliminates unnecessary IT hassles. 

To achieve this synergy between solutions, whether evaluating your current EDI technology or considering EDI integration at the time of ERP implementation, it’s critical to understand the most frequent approaches to EDI and their impact on your business:

1. Customization – the client / partner develops a one-off, non-commercial solution utilizing a set of tools and custom ERP code. 

Result: Reliance on a tool set, not an all-in-one solution¸ which creates long-term compatibility and upgrade pitfalls, and challenges scalability to support business expansion.

2. Web-based application – accessible via Internet connectivity and typically requires a lower initial investment than other technology models. 

Result: Often requires manual data entry using web-forms and/or websites to make EDI work end-to-end.  Long term cost of ownership can be extreme when factoring in transaction fees, manual entry labor and errors resulting from the duplicate keying of information.  

3. Commercial ISV solution built inside Dynamics – solution is built with full integration inside Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Result: GP platform integrity is jeopardized by database and code changes to accommodate each and every EDI request.  Compliance mandates and new partner integration can force unplanned customization and/or GP version upgrades which can disrupt ERP activities, delay new business relationships and trigger potentially costly fines.

4. ISV solution leverages the native integration framework of the ERP platform while providing all of the EDI transaction functionality outside the application

Result: Eliminates unnecessary ERP customizations to enable EDI integration and compliance while simplifying daily use and ERP update/upgrade projects.

The first three approaches have their obvious challenges, especially the customization of Dynamics GP. Applying service packs and version upgrades will be a challenge plus, the addition of other necessary solutions can be compromised.  Only the fourth option – an ISV solution built outside Microsoft Dynamics - aligns with Microsoft’s strategic focus in releasing GP 2013 as a more agile platform to drive real value into your business execution. 
Some business challenges are truly opportunities to help improve your company’s competitiveness.  Integrated EDI is a perfect example – taking something that could be a daunting question mark and turning it into a huge labor and cost saving win!  By selecting a well-architected solution that tightly integrates your business relationship transactions without customization – you can be a big winner.  The long-term relationship between your ERP and EDI solution will only thrive if you walk in your “father’s” shoes and embrace the strategic value proposition to which Microsoft has committed themselves with GP 2013. 

Data Masons Earns Certified for Microsoft Dynamics Accreditation | EDI Integration with Microsoft Dynamics | Data Masons EDI Software Blog

Data Masons is a great sponsor and supporter of DynamicAccounting.net and it’s great to see that Data Masons Earns Certified for Microsoft Dynamics Accreditation for EDI Integration with Microsoft Dynamics

An Interview with Glenn McPeak of Data Masons

Data Masons provides EDI solutions for all of Microsoft’s Dynamics ERP offerings. Their products are well respected by users and partners alike, and they are big supporters of the Dynamics Community.

I had the opportunity to interview Glenn McPeak from Data Masons to talk about EDI, community and GP ‘12’. Here is the interview:

Glenn, can you give us a brief overview of what Data Masons does and what makes you special?

What makes Data Masons unique in the industry is our particular focus on EDI compliance & integration for the Microsoft Dynamics marketplace. We are the only Microsoft Dynamics ISV with a solution (Vantage Point EDI) that integrates EDI documents to each of the Microsoft Dynamics ERP platforms. As a company, you can say we are an EDI provider, but from an execution standpoint, our focus is on Microsoft Dynamics and from a technology standpoint, we can integrate EDI documents without having to customize the host ERP. This advantage gives Dynamics customers a competitive edge by putting them in a strong position of flexibility, whether it’s responding to their trading partners’ requirements or their own internal needs, such as taking advantage of the next version of their ERP. Either way, Microsoft Dynamics customers can use EDI as a business advantage.

Data Masons has been around for some time, how has EDI and its importance changed over the past few years?

EDI, which Data Masons broadly defines as the exchange and integration of common business transactions, has grown dramatically in regards to its importance and breadth in business relationships.  Today it is quite common for larger organizations to mandate EDI capability as a prerequisite for new suppliers and business partner relationships.  While a few years ago most companies traded only a few documents, such as purchase orders, invoices and ship notices,   today there are many more documents that can drive labor efficiencies. EDI comes into play because these documents also require more flexible and comprehensive software applications.

Companies that embrace EDI successfully find that they can streamline activities with key partners.  EDI technology replaces manual transaction entry, lowers the cost of doing business and eliminates many of the risks that commonly result from human error and miscommunication.  Instead, they can run their business 24/7 and manage business transaction flows via exception, for example, receiving an alert when an order is received with price errors or a supplier invoice does not match the purchase order and receiver.

Are there specialty areas where Data Masons excels?

We have the largest trading partner document library for Microsoft Dynamics GP in the market today. No one has more types of documents, integrated in and out of GP, then Data Masons. Beyond that, there are industries where we have particular expertise, both from a software and personnel perspective. Most EDI providers shy away from Automotive and Industrial Equipment Industries because of the complexity of the documents that are important to these companies, but Data Masons has a competitive strength in these areas. Our integrated EDI solution, Vantage Point EDI, has out-of-the-box functionality that gives a Dynamics GP customer multiple ways to handle their 830’s and 862’s. We also have consultants that have worked in Automotive EDI for more than 20 years. Data Masons has a similar story in the Consumer Packaged Goods and Hardlines areas. If you are supplying a Big Box Retailer, then we have the expertise and solution to cover all your needs.

Microsoft is hard at work on GP ‘12’ scheduled for release sometime in 2012. Is Data Masons going to be ready for that release on time?

Yes, Data Masons will be ready shortly after the official release of GP ‘12’. Due to the way we have architected our solution, there is minimal effort on our part to become compliant with the next version of Microsoft Dynamics GP. Because we are not physically coded inside of Dynamics GP, we remain flexible enough for our customers to upgrade with little to no disruption to their current business process.

I know that Data Masons has a significant community presence in social media and working with GPUG. Will you have a presence at this year’s Convergence conference in Houston?

Data Masons is fully supportive of using Social Media to help build awareness for the Dynamics GP community, as you’ll be hearing from now until after Convergence on our Blog (http://www.datamasons.com/blog/) and Twitter Feed (@datamasons). For anyone attending the event, please stop by our expo hall booth (#445) as we’ll be attending again as a bronze sponsor.

And yes, you’re correct about our involvement with GPUG, so expect to see us at DayOne at Convergence, at chapter meetings throughout the year, on Webinars and the group’s promotions via Social Media.

Lastly, let me share a little about some exciting news… We are in the final stages of having our Blog syndicated by the Microsoft Dynamics Community - making it easier for you to follow us. This process has been in the making for months now as we had to meet various requirements before our blog could be considered, for example, not only showing expertise in EDI but with regards to Dynamics GP as well. A big win for us!

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I want to thank Glenn again for being willing to talk about EDI, Community, GP ‘12’ and for all of the support they provide to Dynamics users.

Dynamics GP EDI Blog

Dynamics ISV, eBridge, now has an EDI related blog for Microsoft Dynamics GP. If you're looking at EDI solutions for GP that's not a bad place to start. (For the acronym challenged, ISV is independent software vendor and EDI is Electronic Data Interchange)