We realized that there are many customers, who are still deploying old versions of Great Plains Dynamics: 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0 (including GP on Pervasive SQL Server/Btrieve and Ctree/Faircom) and even Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Mac and Windows: 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 and earlier.
In this small publication we would like to review typical services for these old Corporate ERP platforms. This article is for Great Plains consultant and for internal IT support in your organization, so it may look a bit technical for non IT GP users, and at the same time it may look as lacking important technical details for technical consultant - we are trying to make it readable for each group:
1. Data Repair. When you did posting (something like your Vendor Check or Payroll Check Batch) and computer crashed in the middle of the batch posting routine. In all these situations you may potentially need Database transaction level repair: removal and modification. If you are on Pervasive SQL DB platform, you should consider creating DDF files for your Great Plains tables to be available through Pervasive SQL ODBC driver and in this case you can make tables available as Linked Tables in Microsoft Access, for example (or another powerful ODBC connection tool, like Microsoft SQL Server Linked Server and Query). Before you run update or delete SQL statement (or simply alter records in MS Access) - we recommend you to save btrieve file and index file for your table to be repaired. Data repair on Pervasive SQL or Ctree (you can install Faircom ODBC driver for Ctree) should be given to Great Plains Technical Consultant. If you are Dynamics GP Technical consultant, you should be able to perform that type of work, assuming that you are doing similar repair on Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2000 for your Dynamics GP 10.0 and 9.0 customers
2. Great Plains redeployment on new server. Let's assume that you need to move Great Plains Dynamics 7.5 from one server to another. You would need to install Pervasive SQL Server, register it. If you are upgrading user workstations (from Windows 2000 to XP for example), you would need to reinstall them from Great Plains CD1 (if you use advanced set of module, potentially from CD2, however we recommend another method). Then you copy your old Dynamics workstation folder, rename newly installed on XP GP workstation folder and copy into the same folder (just create it as empty folder) contents of old GP workstation. Then, open Dynamics.set file and make necessary path changes. Next step is Locations Translation - outside of the scope here, however you can read about this procedure in Administrator Guide. Please, also take care about moving central version of Modified Forms (Forms.dic) and Reports (Reports.dic). For FRx - please move system directory (Sysdata) to new server, install FRx on user workstations and change Sysdata from local path to central Sysdata directory on new server (actually FRx is sensitive to all sorts of Paths, especially when for your favorite reports you selected Drill Down Viewer documents to be stored in your personal document - assuming that you are now moved to new Domain with Active Directory - your personal documents are now in different directory, so you should open each document and make changes to the paths)
3. Miscellaneous Services, such as Payroll Tax update for GP 8.0, 7.5 and earlier - as you know at this time October 2009 only version 10.0 and 9.0 are supported and you can download Payroll Tax update directly from MBS technical support pages (Customer Source or Partner Source)
4. Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Mac and Windows. If you are on Macintosh, then it is very difficult to help you with data repair, all you may expect is if your error is described in GPA techknowledge Database (we have it so you can try and see if we are able to help you). If you would like to export GPA for Mac important data; customers, vendors, POP Receipts, Sales Orders, AR documents, you should consider printing reports on master date and historical transactions. However for those of you who are on GPA for DOS or Windows - you have more options: redeployment it on new Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP or even Vista client workstations. Plus, for GPA 9.1 and later versions: 9.2, 9.5 - you can create DDF files and hook all your GPA tables in Microsoft Access for data archiving and migration to non Microsoft Dynamics GP platform. If you plan to migrate GPA to Dynamics GP 7.5 - you do not need to do data extraction, migration tool will connect to your GPA database and move all the records to Dynamics GP Great Plains 7.5. And just one note before we go to the next paragraph - if you would like us to help you with New GPA company registration key, or upgrade, you would need to sign change VAR form to Alba Spectrum
5. Great Plains Dynamics old version upgrade. Yes, it is possible, however first think about possible show stoppers: Dexterity Add-ons (such as your own unique custom modules, coded in Great Plains Dexterity, Intellisol POP and Project Accounting). If you have add-ons (you can call us for helping you identify if custom modules are there), then you should find out if your old Great Plains ISV has upgrade path, or if you have the source code for you in-house Dex custom module. Next step is to understand the cost of being reenrolled into Dynamics GP annual enhancement program (as it is the only way to get new version registration key and open you the way to the realm of Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Support). Next step is to determine with your Dynamics GP Partner upgrade path and here you go. Let us give you the scenario: if you are on GPA for DOS 9.2. You upgrade to GPA for DOS 9.5, then migrate to Dynamics GP 7.5 on SQL Server 2000, next step is upgrade Dynamics GP 7.5->9.0, then you apply required service packs and move to Dynamics GP 10.0 which is current version
6. How we serve you USA, Canada nationwide? If you are in Chicago, Houston, San Diego, Los Angeles, we have local presence. If you are in other business metro, we serve you via web sessions and phone or skype conferences. We are reasonably available for USA, Canada travel to your location to establish relations and then serve your remotely (preferred)
7. International Environment. Please, note that Dynamics GP Dexterity doesn't support Unicode characters, or hieroglyphs: such alphabets as Chinese, Japanese, Korean. Plus it is only localized (user interface translation plus local tax and reporting compliance) for English Speaking Countries, French speaking Quebec, and Spanish Latin America. If your international subsidiary is located in such regions and countries as Brazil, Russia, China, Continental Europe, Kazakhstan, Central Asia - we recommend you to consider SAP Business One as it localized for these countries or even local ERP application, assuming that it support reasonable transaction export into text files to be consolidated via Dynamics GP Integration Manager
8. How to get help? Please, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com We are very technical and real Dynamics GP Dexterity, SAP Business One SDK programming gurus. We have Great Plains Software Development Factory and could support unlimited Dynamics GP Customization and Programming needs. Plus we speak English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and not only as native speaking sales folks, but as real technical consultants. If you prefer skype: albaspectrum
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