Microsoft Dynamics GP Customization Tools Selection – overview for developer

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains was renamed into Microsoft Dynamics GP and became part of Microsoft Dynamics strategy in September 2005.  Former name of the strategy was Microsoft Project Green, where the idea was to introduce so-called Microsoft Business Suites: Financials, Distribution, Human Resource, Manufacturing, etc.  In our opinion Microsoft reserves the rights to alter the next steps of Microsoft Dynamics realization and the shapes of the next wave of the merging ERP (Axapta, Great Plains, CRM, Navision, Solomon).  This is why the developer has to analyze the development tools, if she/he wants to provide the longest possible longevity to the custom logic.  Let’s look at the dilemmas:

• “Fat” versus “Thin” client.  Here we reveal “Fat” client technology – it is Microsoft Dexterity with DYNAMICS.DIC – dictionary (all objects for core functionality: table, procedure, function, form, window, string, etc are defined here).  Thin client is Business Portal approach (we are not talking about Citrix way here, because in Citrix you usually open the same Fat Dexterity client) or web client.  The dilemma of web client is – Dexterity is not web-enabled technology and such questions as GP security realm, accessing business logic (coded in Great Plains Dexterity) is complicated if not possible at all.  Plus – if you look at licensing structure – user licenses are actually simultaneous “fat” clients connections, controlled by Dexterity technical logic.  Imagine – you need to extend SOP Entry screen logic – you can only realize it accessing Fat client and adding custom logic there through dexterity, Extender (or in Visual Studio, programming relevant GP Object – but again it will go to Fat client extension and Dexterity has more control over its own realm).  When Microsoft Dynamics GP will offload Fat Client logic to Business Portal, then you will be using more thin client or web development to do the job, it is not actual today and probably Dexterity has another several years to stay on the first position.
• Probability of the Paradigm Change.  Could you expect in 1995 that something like .Net, or XML Web Services will show up on the scene and make Graphical Platform and database independence (Oracle, MS SQL Server, Sybase, DB2, Ingress) actuality obsolete?  This was only a decade ago.  Now – the paradoxical question – would you think that such paradigms as Java/J2EE/EJB and .Net plus XML Web Services will stay for another decade?  We don’t know.  At the same time, such old-timers, as Microsoft Dexterity or former name Great Plains Software Dexterity stay robust and alive since the beginning of 1990th.  Please look at Microsoft tools, such as VBA (Visual Basics for Applications) – it was scripting language, designed in 1990th and now it is pretty much phased out.  In other words, we don’t know and can’t predict the longevity of current paradigms and axioms in IT and Programming industry.  Maybe the answer is this – Dexterity was designed to stay through technological cataclysms, while new tools were designed to serve current needs and commercialize current technology trends.
• Reporting.  Let’s look at ReportWriter, which is Dexterity-based tool and Crystal Reports.  Report Writer has huge number of customization across the Great Plains clients community: SOP Invoice Long form, Purchase Order with company graphical logo, AP Check form to name a few.  Crystal Reports were the tool of choice when ReporWriter can’t do the job, to remind the story – Crystal was Industry Standard tool, capable to deliver stunning graphical quality and excellent database independence and heterogeneous linking.  Nowadays Crystal is deemphasized for Microsoft Dynamics Project – Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services are in the preferred position.
• Balance.  Again – what will be the future?  It is not clear and what kind of agenda (even if it is not consciously placed behind by the tool architect) is behind it – you as developer should think through the time and minimize the risk for your custom logic upgradeability and the dependence of “modern” technology trends, which have high chance to be abolished in the short future. 

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