Implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP in Multinational Corporation

If you own Dynamics GP or older Great Plains Dynamics user licenses in USA, Canada, UK, technically you may create as many companies, and by doing so open accounting systems for foreign subsidiaries (assuming that you are hosting them on the same Microsoft SQL Server in the Headquarters and providing remote access via Citrix or Terminal Server).  However in real life you have to do your homework first on such questions as Dynamics GP localization availability for your targeted country or region, local language support in Great Plains User interface.  Let’s review the details:

1. Corporate ERP localization scope.  It includes two moments: compliance to the country tax, business legislation and availability of the user interface on the local language.  If your local language is not currently supported, we can always translate screens (for ASCII compliant languages – most European, plus all Africa, Arabic, Russian, other East European countries) or recommend add-on, which enables non-ASCII compliant languages (UNICODE languages, based on hieroglyphs, such as Korean, Japanese, Chinese and many others).  The second part of the Localization is more difficult to implement on the base of one customer, as business legislation might be too complex, especially in larger countries, such as Brazil, Russia, China – where Dynamics GP is not localized at this time (we are writing these lines in December 2010 and current version is GP 2010), and MBS so far do not have the plans to expand Dynamics GP international offering

2. Where Dynamics GP stays internationally.  It is available in English speaking countries, and in the countries, where English language is in use in business relations (South East Asia, Africa, India, partly Arabic World).  In French Dynamics GP is localized for Canadian Quebec province (Montreal).  And plus Great Pains traditionally is available in Latin America and Caribbean basin, where you might need some tunes to comply to the most currently issued regulation documents, but localization should be pretty much current

3. China.  Corporate ERP for China is at this time a difficult question, as Great Plains Dexterity doesn’t support Unicode and UTF-8.  If you are looking at the solution allowing you to support Chinese hieroglyphs entering and printing only, please take a look at such products as NJ Star.  We can help you with printing report in Chinese out of NJ Star save documents, designed in Crystal Reports.  We do not recommend Great Plains as local accounting for Chinese subsidiary, especially when you have to file tax return and are exposed to audit by Chinese authorities.  Instead, we recommend you to look at the Worldwide Corporate ERP brands, localized on the Chinese market, such as Microsoft Dynamics AX Axapta or SAP Business One

4. Brazil.  Our company was invited by Microsoft Business Solutions in Brazil (Sao Paulo) to localize Dynamics GP version 7.5 back in 2004 for Brazilian Market.  In a year or so, MBS in Sao Paulo changed its plan and decided to promote Dynamics NAV Navision instead.  And even this is not the end of the story.  When Microsoft realized that Dynamics AX Axapta is even more flexible and powerful, it reoriented its Dynamics consulting partners in Brazil to get certified in AX and push Axapta.  So, at this point Dynamics GP is no longer available in Brazil.  We recommend you to review and see executive demos of Dynamics AX, as well as SAP B1.  In our practice we have successful stories when customer with Dynamics GP as its Corporate ERP in US headquarters implemented SAP BO in Brazil and then integrated its Brazilian subsidiary on GL level transactions via Dynamics GP Integration Manager

5. Russia.  In Russian Federation at this time we see strong positions for the local Corporate ERP and MRP software, such as 1S Accounting (1S Buhghalteria).  If you have small subsidiary, according to our insiders, such packages as SAP Business One are not strong enough to compete with 1S, especially in the area of Russian tax legislation, which is extremely complex.  For larger subsidiaries, especially associated with Manufacturing, we recommend to take a look at Axapta Dynamics AX

6. For additional information, please feel free to call us 1-866-304-3265 or 1-269-605-4904 (this number works for international customers) or email us help@alba866.com  We serve you USA/Canada nationwide via remote support (web sessions and phone/Skype conferences).  Local service is available in Western Michigan, Chicagoland, Southern California (LA, Orange County, San Diego), Houston area of the state of Texas