Microsoft Dynamics GP Dexterity Customization Quality Assurance overview

GP has pretty adaptable and complex application business logic, consider the specific of serial and lot number tracked inventory items over the ones, that are not tracked as a good example.  Our point is this – if you order Dexterity customization without providing testing environment with the copy of your real data – you may be disappointed with the quality and begin to blame dex development partner in poor quality of developers.  Well, what should be done to facilitate decent QA?

• Test Company.  You simply backup your production company database and restore it into previously created test company on the same SQL server environment.  You should understand SQL and GP security model and how it is realized via SQL logins and their access to the databases.  Please, remember – you have no control over GP user password in SQL as user password, which you use in GP is actually encrypted in SQL and the only user which password is the same is sa (SQL Server system administrator)
• Remote desktop and VPN.  Assuming that your company db size is over several gigabytes and so it is not practical for dex development partner to copy it and work with the replication, you should agree on remote desktop connection to your server.  This will increase the chance that ISV MBS partner tested dex customization to the extent, that you can deploy it in production environment
• Upgradeability.  This side is typically not on the scenes as the problem initially and it is related to the understanding of Microsoft Dexterity pluses and minuses or what are trade ins for going deeper to superseding GP original business logic: Alternate Great Plains Windows, Dexterity Triggers, Custom Tables – all these are contributors and should be analyzed from the position of future GP version upgrade – customization should be also upgraded and revised, you can not just insert GP new version CD and follow the upgrade Wizzard
• Customization Source Code.  DYNAMICS.DIC or EXTRACT.DIC with dexterity sanscript code not stripped out – if you don’t have these – you are at the mercy of your former Great Plains Dexterity customization partner and if you have bad payment habit with them – chances are high that it is questionable if your modified business logic is upgradeable or somebody could further advance it.