Great Plains Installation: overview for IT professional

Jun 14
20:35

2008

Andrew Karasev

Andrew Karasev

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Microsoft Dynamics GP installing process is straight forward and simple if your company deploys versions 10.0 or 9.0. If you are still on earlier version or on Pervasive SQL or Ctree: 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5 or 5.0 – then installation requires either to be done by professional consultant or GP support person should be available on the phone during installation phase

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Version 8.0 is also relatively simple,Great Plains Installation: overview for IT professional Articles however we heard some complains on ODBC connection creation.  Let’s review installation phases:

1.       New Server Installation.  This is when you are coming through implementation process.  It is very unlikely that you do it in-house – GP requires professional consultant for initial installation, data conversion and implementation

2.       Moving GP Server from one computer to another.  There is special technical article on Microsoft customer source website to do so.  If you are experienced SQL DBA, then all what this article does is transferring SQL logins and DB security for GP databases – this should be good hint for DBA folks

3.       GP user workstation installation.  Insert GP CD#1 and follow installation wizard.  Versions 9.0 and 10.0 will create ODBC DSN for you automatically, so if you are reading wizard questions – you should be fine.  Earlier versions require ODBC manual creation – please read installation manual

4.       Customization Installation.  If you have add-ons or customizations (typically written in GP Dexterity and distributed as Dex chunk), be sure to copy the chunks into GP user workstation directory

5.       Reports Dictionary location.  If you are installing GP in mid-size or large organization, the chances are high that you are sharing REPORTS.DIC.  Prior to install new GP workstation, please review Dynamics.set file for working users.  This setup file should give you the idea where shared dictionary is located and how to modify Dynamics.set file on new workstation

6.       FRX.  FRx financial reports: Balance Sheet, P&L, Cash Flow, including reporting trees and consolidated reports should be installed with special attention to ODBC settings for the company and SYSDATA folder location.  Please review the settings for existing and working FRx workstations first

7.       Crystal Reports.  If you have them, then installation is simple – just install Crystal Reports designer and then instruct user how to open reports from your network shared folder

8.       Integration Manager and eConnect integration connectors.  If you are also installing IM tool, then know that for version 10.0 you have a set of eConnect conectors, requiring you to specify domain name and userid for eConnect user.  eConnect gives you the option to speed up integration, however it requires you to specify DB name in integration, meaning that you eConnect integration will work for just one company only.  This is not really a big constraint as you can always copy integrations and have them tuned to work with your multiple companies as required