Microsoft Dynamics GP Customization Support and Recovery Service

GP Integration Manager advanced customization with VBA events handling scripts, simple or Advanced ODBC data sources, Great Plains Macros (including such cases, when you are moving ongoing transactions and master records into such modules as Fixed Assets), complex reporting (FRx, SSRS, Crystal Reports, Report Writer), this small publication should give you initial highlights on what to do next and how to get further help:
1. Dexterity customization recovery.  Great Plains Dexterity custom programming was very popular in earlier 2000th and we see large number of Microsoft Dynamics GP customers with Dexterity custom add-ons.  If this is your case, please review your Dynamics.set file to locate custom module there (usually it has you company name listed in the name of the module), then find your Dexterity customization source code somewhere on your file server (or request it from your initial Dexterity programmer) - usually Dynamics.dic or Extract.dic with Dexterity Sanscript codes not stripped out (when you integrate Dexterity chunk - source codes are automatically stripped out and there is no way to recover them).  If you are not comfortable and need help in reviewing your Microsoft Dexterity customization, please feel free to call our office, see phone and email below
2. Modifier with VBA modification recovery.  In order to analyze your GP system and find out if it has Modifier modifications, please review your Dynamics.set file and see if you have modified forms dictionary (Forms.dic for main product) and if you have files with VBA extension in GP directory (these files would contain VBA scripts).  In our statistical observations, VBA and Modifier are less popular, comparing to Dexterity customizations, however Modifier customizations could be extremely complex, especially when your former VBA developers used elements of Continuum (including Dexterity Sanscript codes into VBA scripts and switching GP modules contexts, from Dynamics to Intellisol for example).  if you got one of these complex Modifier scripting examples, we recommend you to re-haul your Great Plains user workstation to port custom logic to newer tools: eConnect, Dexterity, Extender
3. Integration Manager historical integration recovery and upgrade.  IM for earlier versions of GP was based on Great Plains workstation as OLE Server (before introduction of eConnect).  You may expect light or heavy VBA event handling scripts in Integration Manager integrations, which could be dependent on unique UNC Path parameters and hardcoded User ID and Password.  If you have eConnect connector based integration, attempt to port it to new computer should be combined with eConnect installation on that new hardware (please read eConnect documentation, especially related to Control Panel Component Services).  Integration Manager could be perfect tool for Quasi Real time ecommerce integration to Dynamics GP, where you base your Source on Advanced ODBC Query (SQL Server View, including heterogeneous, where data is pulled from MS SQL Server and Oracle)
4. Dynamics GP Reporting.  For older versions of Great Plains Dynamics (8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 4.0, 3.2, including Great Plains on Pervasive SQL / Btrieve or Ctree/Faircom) reports were traditionally designed on Great Plains Report Writer (GP module programmed in Dexterity).  Newer versions of Dynamics GP (9.0, 10.0 and 11.0 - expected release in May 2010) has more options for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and more traditional reporting tools, such as Crystal Reports, Microsoft Access Reporting and MS Excel.  All the versions of Great Plains and Microsoft Dynamics GP deploy FRx Financial Reporting for such reports as Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss , Statement of Cash Flow and plus consolidated versions of these reports.  FRx also allows you to base report on so called Reporting Tree (consolidation by company or by account segment or account wild card or segment mask).  If you have to consolidate foreign subsidiary, which is on different Corporate ERP platform, such as SAP Business One or 1S bukhgalteria, you can export foreign branch financial statements or GL trial balance to Excel and consolidate Excel worksheet with Headquarters P&L or BS in FRx
5. eConnect SDK for Microsoft Dynamics GP.  Initially this tool was introduced for Great Plains eCommerce programmers to open up back office Dynamics GP accounting for ecommerce shopping cart integration.  Since then (2003) eConnect went through the gradual evolution and in our opinion it came to its maturity in Dynamics GP version 9.0 (better to deploy eConnect for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 as this is current version as we write these lines in December 2009, new version of GP 11.0 will or should be released in May 2010)
6. Great Plains Customizations in International Environment.  Before being purchased by Microsoft, Great Plains Software made substantial efforts to expand in Europe: France, Germany, UK, Ireland, Spain, Poland, Austria, Russia.  However, since the time when Microsoft Business Solutions acquired Great Plains Software and its satellites: Navision and Axapta, MBS strategy changed.  And this change is not a surprise - Navision was one of the leaders in Europe in late 1990th and as you could guess there is no sense to compete with Navision on European ground.  Axapta, being initially developed and introduced by Damgaard Software in Denmark (perfect cluster of Corporate ERP and accounting application firms: Navision, Mac Hansa, Maconomy, Axapta).  Currently Axapta is sort of rising star for Microsoft Business Solutions Worldwide and Navision has good positions in Europe and Dynamics GP is trenched in USA, Canada and English speaking World
7. SAP Business One Rising Star.  This small and mid size business Corporate ERP application with elements of CRM, Service Management, Manufacturing and Discrete Production, eCommerce.  SB1 is localized and certified with Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian tax agencies, plus you can switch languages from English to Russian or Chinese or Brazilian Portuguese