Account Aliases in Dynamics GP are shortcuts to accounts in the chart. They are setup in the chart of accounts window (Cards-Financial-Account). Aliases are designed to be a friendlier, faster way to access accounts. Up until recently I've not been a big fan for several reasons. You still have to hit an arrow to enter the alias, you can do it in the account box. Also most companies lean toward one of two extremes, they use them so little that their useless or build so many that instead of finding accounts quickly, it's just as fast to lookup an account in the chart.
However, after spending time using Account Aliases recently, I've come to the conclusion that they can be extremely useful IF you put a little work behind them.
IF you standardize the setup of aliases to deal with all your departments, divisions, etc., you can still get a short alias that people can figure out and actually use. Alternatively, if you limit aliases to a few key accounts, you can still get a nice speed boost. However, if you simply set them up haphazard, you'll have useless mess. It won't break anything but it won't help either.
The key with aliases is changing user's habits. You need to get people to use the alias which is why it needs to be setup in a way that is intuitive for a user, not necessarily an administrator. It will take time to change people habits, but the end result is worth it.
Originally Posted by Mark at 2/03/2008 08:06:00 AM
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