Microsoft Dynamics GP Customization Notes

In this small article we would like to concentrate on legacy tools, especially on such issues as strategic Microsoft Dexterity customization, integration, reports upgrade and switch to the current of future customizations technologies.  As you know Microsoft Great Plains or former Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise was renamed into Microsoft Dynamics GP and current version Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 so-called “fat” client still uses Great Plains Software legacy programming language or shell – Microsoft or Great Plains Dexterity

• Legacy Features.  Great Plains Dexterity was designed on several fundamental idea, popular in the beginning of 1990th – computer graphical platform and database platform independence, and logically as you might remember the stake was on C programming language, as the hybrid of assembler and at the same time more generic programming or high level language.  Obviously if you decide to stake on one – you have to sacrifice or disregard the other.  In the case of Great Plains Dexterity we see the following problems: lack of Unicode support (making it not a good choice for international expansion), DEX_ROW_ID – in SQL Server database – each dexterity table must have this field, used by Dexterity engine internally, inflexibility in ReportWriter or Dex reports, where you have to use only key-based links.  Plus graphical interface is kind of outdated – again it is based on C transferable graphics
• eConnect & web services.  With the progress of Project Green or now Microsoft Dynamics project, there is the potential need to resolve multiple database kernels for several Microsoft ERP: Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon with unified interface, utilizing .Net or its successor.  eConnect allows developer to manipulate Microsoft Dynamics GP objects through programmable .Net interfaces.  If you will deploy web service envelopes then you potentially can be independent from programming language and computer technologies, and so manipulate Microsoft Great Plains business logic from your front end application of choice, including eCommerce, EDI, J2EE, Oracle, Business Intelligence (BI), etc.
• Dexterity Customization Upgrade.  It is probably not reasonable to spend large budget to switching to new technologies in one step, however you should consider step-by-step switch.  We recommend you to deploy eConnect and web service interfaces as much as you can, plus try to switch reporting from Dexterity to SQL Server Reporting Services
• Crystal Reports.  As you can conclude – Microsoft will be recommending SRS versus Crystal Reports, and you probably remember, that Crystal was the reporting tool of choice for older Microsoft Great Plains versions: 5.5, 6.0, 7.0 and 7.5
• New Tools.  Extender, Excel, Explorer and other “end-user-friendly” tools.  In this article we definitely recommend you to do your intuitive discovery, but we concentrate on programmer approach and instruments.

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