Dynamics GP in Distribution: Warehouse Management System and Supply Chain Management

Microsoft Dynamics GP formerly was popular under Great Plains Dynamics name.  This mid-market Corporate ERP application is powerful and at the same time very flexible.  Being matured ERP, GP also has large number of so-called Add-ons, or in other words custom modules, created and supported through so-called ISV partners.  Distribution and Wholesale trade industries often require some elements of Picking and Packing (wholesale order fulfillment), automatic or semiautomatic merchandise reordering or assembly (if you have internal production), plus probably items quantities tracking in multiple warehouses and moving items from one site to another.  All these operations should be done on the warehouse floor or at the manufacturing facility with barcode scanner.  These operations are typically implemented in so-called Warehouse Management System, we will also use WMS abbreviation.  WMS in its turn is part of Supply Chain Management concept, where you may have also such processes as optimized delivery route and time.  We would like to quote the definition of SCM, which could be found in Wikipedia “Supply Chain Management is the systemic, strategic coordination of the traditional business functions and the tactics across these business functions within a particular company and across businesses within the supply chain, for the purposes of improving the long-term performance of the individual companies and the supply chain as a whole (Mentzer et al., 2001)”.  Another definition (from the same source) has some emphasis on manufacturing “Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers (Harland, 1996).[1] Supply Chain Management spans all movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption (supply chain).”.  Let’s now review how WMS could be implemented in Microsoft Dynamics GP:

1. Direct Dynamics GP WMS extensions.  These add-ons are available from various Dynamics GP ISV partners.  We will use Alba Spectrum WMS as the example.  Typical Warehouse Management Extension extends Sales Order Processing forms, such as Sales Transaction Entry for Barcoding.  In inventory restocking it exposes to barcode scanning Purchase Order Processing Purchase Receipt and in Inventory Adjustments and Moves – Inventory Adjustment and Transfer forms respectively.  WMS has Client and Server applications, where Client runs directly on the barcoding scanner screen (in text mode, which could be preferred for budget purchase or in graphical interface).  Barcode scanner based WMS client talks to the WMS Server via ODBC connection (wireless or RFID).  WMS supports the majority of Barcode scanner brands, including Symbol (Motorola), Honeywell, Metrologic, Datalogic, LXE, IDTech

2. External Warehouse Management System.  These systems are sold and implemented by nationwide and international WMS brands (we do not want to give you a name, make your simple research, we will be giving you the comparison of the implementation checkpoints).  Standalone WMS typically is more powerful and has more features, comparing to Dynamics GP Warehouse Management Extensions.  And this is understandable fact – WMS software development company has broader range of customers, where it is winning the numbers by providing integration connectors to major Corporate ERP systems, such as Dynamics GP, Axapta, Solomon, Navision, Oracle eBusiness Suite/Financials/Applications, SAP.  External WMS does wonderful job for larger distribution and supply chain management related business.  There are some drawbacks to be aware.  If you already paid for Dynamics GP SOP, POP and Inventory Management modules software licenses, external Warehouse Management System probably will require you to pay second time for similar or parallel business logic in WMS, which will be the subject of being integrated to Dynamics GP SOP, POP and Inventory transactions.  Second warning point is this – integration and synchronization is not something apparent, these processes often require special consideration and additional consulting hours (plus readiness from your Warehouse personnel to participate in pilot project, or running two systems in parallel mode)

3. Electronic Document Interchange (EDI) for Dynamics GP.  There are numerous Dynamics GP ISV companies, providing EDI add-ons and implementation services.  We would like to make some comments here.  EDI add-on often has all the EDI protocols and delivery methods (FTP, HTTP Post, Text File, email, XML, etc.) covered.  The module, which covers everything might be pricy and if you are on the tight budget you might be better off deploying simple EDI solution, which covers only required EDI protocols and communication methods.  We recommend you the second option and we believe that mid-size and small businesses should not overpay for EDI functionality implementation on Microsoft Dynamics GP platform

4. Custom Supply Chain Management processes implementation in Dynamics GP or former Great Plains.  We recommend you to consider Dynamics GP Dexterity as major Software Development Tool, where you can modify existing Great Plains Screens (alternate forms in Dex terminology) or add new forms and windows (Dexterity form can have several windows in it).  We really believe after some historical events, such as Microsoft Dynamics Convergence in Atlanta 2010, where we asked the questions about GP customization tools evolution (Dexterity versus eConnect, Modifier, Extender or MS Visual Studio Libraries for GP) that Dexterity is back in its power and priority to be chosen as the tool of choice for Great Plains Customizations

5. Dynamics GP Integration Manager in Distribution.  IM allows you to design integration from external data source, such as text file, ODBC compliant connection (including Oracle, MS Access, MySQL/PHP/Linux, XML, Sybase, IBM DB2).  And then you can schedule IM integration to fire in quasi real time every 15 minutes or every hour.  If you have low level of SCM transactions to integrate you can run integration on demand (where Dynamics GP user opens IM interface and launches it).  Integration Manager is also great tool to consider in custom EDI interface integration scenarios.  IM could handle such complex from the technology standpoint integrations, where the data source is on non-Microsoft platform – Unix, Linux, Solaris, Mac (compliant to ODBC convention, or exposable via XML).  IM could be real help in budget EDI interface programming

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