Great Plains Accounting for DOS and Windows Data Export Notes

Sep 13
16:53

2009

Andrew Karasev

Andrew Karasev

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If you still have GPA for DOS or Windows versions 9.5, 9.2, 9.1 and earlier as your Corporate ERP, MRP Sales Order Processing, Inventory Control, Purchase Order Processing and Accounting application, we are offering you this small publication where we compile our experience on Exporting data from GPA

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If you are on archaic platforms,Great Plains Accounting for DOS and Windows Data Export Notes  Articles such as Windows NT, Novell, Windows 95 (as GPA user workstation), please know that there is technology which allows you to redeploy Great Plains Accounting on Pervasive SQL 2000 and new Windows 2003 Server, and have DOS user interface redeployed on Windows XP - however this subject is outside of the scope for this publication, please call us if you need this service.  Let's begin GPA data export opus:

 

1.       Accounts Receivable export.  Open GPA, Open AR, Reports->Customer List, fill in selection criteria or simply enter through each field to select All customers, click Print->Screen or Export File, mark Titles, Legends, Headers, Footers and print all your customers.  If you printed to the file, you should be able to import it to Excel and do necessary data massage for using it as source file for new Corporate ERP data conversion (if you are migrating to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, 9.0, 8.0, 7.5, you do not have to do it, as Great Plains Dynamics has GPA migration tool, simply call your Great Plains Partner for details) to Oracle Financials/Applications/eBusiness Suite, Accpac, QuickBooks, Lawson, Epicor, Navision, Axapta, etc.  Now, for Historical AR records, simply select Transaction History report

 

2.       Accounts Payable, Purchase Order and (Sales) Order Entry, use the same report: Transaction History in each section.  For GL Transaction history we recommend you to use Trial Balance report - this is GL traditional naming convention for Posted Transactions analysis report, and it should give you enough supporting info for GL history records.  Chart Of accounts is exportable via Account Lists report.  In our opinion, you do not even have to come to direct data reading consideration, as GPA reporting is reasonably robust and versatile, and you can use reporting even if you are on such exotic versions as Great Plains Accounting for Mac (Macintosh OS: PowerPC etc.).  If you still would like to read your GPA Btrieve files in Microsoft Access, let's move to the next paragraph

 

3.       Setting up GPA ODBC driver.  Here you need to create DDF files, as they are required by Pervasive SQL and its predecessor Btrieve.  Please, insert your GPA CD, and go to Docs section Btrieve.  Below is the quote from ODBC2000NT Manual:  Install the Data Definition Files (DDFs)  Install the Data Definition Files (DDFs) for Great Plains Accounting. Great Plains has produced DDF files for Versions 9.1 and later that are ODBC-compliant and differ from prior versions of the DDF’s. Because these files differ from earlier versions, we are NOT claiming compatibility with ODBC on versions of Great Plains Accounting prior to Version 9.1. To install these DDFs, go to a DOS prompt and switch to the directory of a company whose data you wish to access. Insert the diskette labeled “ODBC Disk 1 of 2.” Type A:INSTALL A:. This will load the FIELD.DDF, FILE.DDF and INDEX.DDF files into that company directory. These must be installed directly in the company’s data folder (ex. GPDATA) that you wish to set up the data source for, otherwise you will not be able to see your data.

 

4.       GPA Migration Path to Great Plains 7.5.  If your business is flourishing and you would like to walk away from archaic Corporate ERP, such as GPA for DOS or Windows (support was terminated by Great Plains Software in 2001, Microsoft Business Solutions, current owner of Great Plains Dynamics offers discount for migration, typically 40% of the GPA modules owned by your organization), please call us for upgrade path info and reenrollment into Microsoft Dynamics GP annual enhancement program

 

5.       New Company License Key in GPA.  If you would like to open new company in Great Plains Accounting, please give us a call, we will send you Dynamics GP Partner Change Form, when we see your records in Microsoft Business Solutions Customer database, we can generate new reg key, associated with your new company name

 

6.       GPA knowledge base level support.  Virtually every error was documented and resolved during the GPA support era in late 1980th through early 2000th.  All we need from you is exact error message and description of your actions to reproduce this error, the rest is our job - we should recommend you matching solution or the next step to further identify the error nature.  Please, note that there is no way to purchase new modules or add new users to your GPA licensing, as Microsoft shut GPA licensing DB down in earlier 2000th

 

7.       How to get GPA help?  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