Dynamics GP Remote Tech Support: Current and Old Versions

Nowadays if you are end customer – you should consider opening the case on Customer Source.  Well, all that is great news, however there might be complication for you, as the customer to get support directly from Microsoft Business Solutions.  In this small paper we would like to revisit support options and media.  Let’s begin with the recommendations, where your company doesn’t have current annual support contract with Microsoft:

1. You do not have annual support contract.  Well, this doesn’t mean that you cannot have support directly from MBS.  You can, but have your credit card ready when you call and expect full list price (if you have support contract the case might be included in the plan or you have substantial discount per case).  Unfortunately you cannot do self-support by searching Knowledge Base (formerly known as techknowledge)

2. You do have current support plan with Microsoft, but you are on outdated version, such as 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0.  Microsoft might be in position just to make recommendation to call one of the Technical partners, who is still supporting older releases.  You should understand that MBS cannot support all ever released version (it has to train and certify its technicians to be able support specific version; the majority of the support requests are associated with couple of new versions for you to understand the challenge)

3. Who is out there to help me with my old Great Plains version?  Well, typically the reseller who carries consultants with ten plus years of active practice offers old releases support.  The oldest versions we ever seen in the five recent years were Great Plains DOS (9.5, 9.2, one customer was on GPA on Mac and one was using Windows interface of GPA 9.5).  There is certain number of customer on Great Plains Dynamics Select on Pervasive SQL 2000: 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5 (and some of them on pretty old version 5.0 and 4.0, where the database platform was Btrieve – in essence it is predecessor of Pervasive)

4. Popular Support Issues.  Current versions 2010/11.0, 10.0, 9.0 are pretty stable, where old known issues are resolved (or work around is suggested and included into the user interface).  If you are on the old release, then popular topics are: Batch Recovery, Ghost user deletion (to re-enable the user login the system), data repair via SQL Server Management Studio 2008/2005 (or Query Analyzer in SQL 2000), MS Access ODBC Linked Tables (for Pervasive SQL/Btrieve or Ctree).  Also we have reasonable proportion of FRx technical consulting (G32 files deletion and recreation, Sysdata move, corrupt catalogue file export and recreation).  If you are on Pervasive SQL 2000 – you may need to call in case when you are moving your Dynamics folder (with system and company subfolders) and you are receiving error messages about Location Translation.  Report Writer Reports.dic file often requires consultant touch (making it central via placing this dictionary on the network – settings need to be changed in Dynamics.set file; rebuilding corrupt dictionary via exporting and re-importing all the report definitions)

5. Dexterity, eConnect, Modifier with VBA, Integration Manager with VBA, Extender customizations and modifications support.  Here you need to locate VAR or ISV, who has Dexterity programmers in staff (as well as eConnect, Extender, VBA coders).  You need to do your homework, but as general observation – only regional and nationwide resellers have the luxury to carry Dexterity Software Development Factory with the access to so-called Source Code (Dynamics.dic with Dexterity Sanscript codes not stripped out and available to trusted programmers)

6. Remote Support FAQ.  Please, read whitepapers on web sessions and their technology.  Such tools as Gotomeeting (Citrix) allow you to open web session, invite consultant into it, share your desktop (allowing consultant to take control over your keyboard and mouse), and let her/him do the job as if consultant sits next to you in your office cubicle.  Web sessions and such things are phone conferences (Skype, Tango, Microsoft Office Communication Services) allow you to have virtually free VOIP phone forums, including customers in remote USA and Canada rural areas and internationally (assuming that your overseas location has decent internet bandwidth).  Skype and other VOIP tools also provide the option to show your consultant phase and mimics via web camera (this is normal accessory for modern laptop or desktop Windows 7 computer)

7. 64 versus 32 bit Windows Platform (Windows 7, Vista, or XP).  First of all, please note, that if you are on legacy version of Great Plains on Pervasive SQL or Ctree – stay with 32 bit Windows.  We conducted several tests, indicating – you can redeploy GP Select on Pervasive SQL 2000 on Windows 2008 Server 32 bit.  You can also deploy archaic Great Plains Accounting for DOS on Windows 7 32 bit

8. Microsoft Management Reporter.  This tool is recommended for 2010 version as replacement to FRx Financial Reporting.  We conducted several pilot migrations from FRx to MMR and so far they went so good.  Management Reporter migration wizard from FRx looks at Sysdata and migrates all its objects (catalogs, trees, row formats, column layouts, account sets) to MR meta base.  Management Reporter is guaranteed by Microsoft to be compatible with 64 bit Windows (both server and client sides), while FRx is not guaranteed or even supported (directly by Microsoft Business Solutions Technical Support department) on 54 bit Windows (however we found that it works in all the cases, where we had do install FRx on 64 bit Windows server or client)

9. Supporting Great Plains Dynamics GP Internationally.  There are two aspects here to consider.  First one is multinational corporation expansion and its desire to deploy GP for its overseas or South American location.  If GP is not localized as Corporate ERP offering by your local country Microsoft office (and in fact it is not localized in such regions as Brazil, China, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea, Taiwan) – we do recommend you to pick another accounting system, as localization could be too expensive to be done for single corporation.  Instead consider Dynamics AX (formerly known as Axapta), NAV (formerly known as Navision – this ERP was especially popular in Western Europe back in late 1990th and earlier 2000th)

10. Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows and Mac support (here we are talking about versions 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 and earlier).  There are just a few technology partners out there on Corporate ERP technical support market who have access to GPA knowledge base (finalized and saved as MS Excel file).  If you need support, feel free to call the number or email us – see information below

11. Sure Step.  This tool is recommended for project management for all Dynamics projects.  If you are looking for ERP recovery and engagement with new partner or reseller, we recommend you to check if your potential consulting company is certified with Microsoft Sure Step 2010 (or newer edition, as we are writing these lines in April 2011)

12. If you feel that your concerns are not addressed or your question is not answered, please feel free to contact our office.  Support domestically in the USA, Canada, Mexico and internationally.  This option is possible via Web Sessions, Skype or Phone conferences and direct visits onsite (in the case of the large scale project).  Our consulting team speaks English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Filipino.  Feel free to call us 1-866-304-3265, 1-269-605-4904, or email help@efaru.com