If you are eCommerce programmer and plan to dive into Microsoft Great Plains e-commerce web design and software development world, we recommend you some initial topics to consider as preliminary research. If you have experience with Microsoft C# or VB.Net programming, it might not be enough to work with GP, because Great Plains has its own proprietary platform, Great Plains Dexterity (now this IDE is named Microsoft Dexterity).
Dexterity has special constrains on GP tables structure, it also restricts GP ReportWriter functionality, also if you had some exposure to customization tools, such as GP Modifier, you should suspect to see Dex scaled down engine behind Modifier or even Report Writer. So, these are some cautions on being overly too optimistic as .Net programmer. However, let’s now go and review development tools, SDKs and scenarios:
eConnect VS Development. eConnect should be primary e-commerce programmer development tool. You should have some basic knowledge in SQL scripting and stored procedures – this will help you to program eConnect, as eConnect logic is realized in encrypted SQL Stored Procedures
Direct SQL ADO programming. If you need light touch to GP database (DYNAMICS and company database in SQL Server 2005), you may try SQL direct scripting and envelope them into ADO.Net calls. If your custom logic goes beyond simple data update or inquiry, we recommend to you think first about eConnect option, end if you find this is really not what you can afford, then go ahead and try low level (or direct SQL Query Analyzer) SQL scripts
GP Integrations Programming. If you are assigned to Great Plains Integration project, please review first GP Integration Manager, where GP business logic is validated for each integrated object. If out of the box IM should be extended with custom modified logic, please try to rescue to VBA IM scripting, where you can do “before document”, “before record”, “after document” and other even oriented scripts
Microsoft Dexterity learning curve. We think this is not really practical, however GP has training class in Fargo, ND, which you can attend and become certified Dexterity developer, please confirm with MS Dynamics subdivision, as we are not Microsoft and MS can change its schedules and plans at wish
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com/help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains clientele US nationwide: California, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Washington, New York, Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin. Local service is available in Chicago, IL and Houston, TX metropolitan areas
