SCM Custom Extensions for Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains

If you are mid-size organization, engaged in Warehouse Management, Merchandise Automatic Replenishment, advanced Barcode automated Order Execution (Order Assembly, Picking and Packing, Finished Goods Returns and Disassembly), you may expect certain level of custom programming in implementing Supply Chain Management Solution for Microsoft Dynamics GP.  We already described in several publications specifics of Great Plains Warehouse Management, Barcoding, Consignment, integration with Retail Application, Inventory Cycle count.  In this paper we will try to give you generic SCM approaches and options, especially when you came to the conclusion, that existing out-of-the-box Dynamics GP SCM packages do not provide required functionality:
1. External Application integration with Dynamics GP versus extending Great Plains screen in Supply Chain Management application.  This is probably one of the first questions or topics for your homework.  There are great SCM self sufficient systems out there on the Corporate ERP software market and if you think that reasonable integration to Dynamics GP is OK, you can decide to take that route.  In Dynamics GP there are several integration tools to consider.  In the simplest and probably the most recommended scenario, consider GP Integration Manager module, where you can integrate CSV or tab delimited text files as well as via Advanced ODBC query - whatever could be exposed via ODBC bridge (including cross platform DB queries: Oracle, DBII, PHP/MySQL/Linux, Pervasive SQL).  You can also explore Dynamics GP eConnect to move records from SCM system to GP.  In the case of eConnect you have more control, including real time transaction integration triggering options (eConnect libraries could be included into your MS Visual Studio C#, VB application, where you program your custom integration)
2. Extending native Dynamics GP Screens and business logic to achieve Supply Chain Management goals.  Microsoft Dynamics GP itself has very rich business logic, especially in such modules as Inventory Control (items transfer between the sites, cycle count, cost and price control), Bill of Materials (for light discrete manufacturing, including production on demand or order execution), Purchase Order Processing (especially with Purchasing Configurator - this module might be the core of your SCM Inventory Replenishment), Sales Order Processing (where you can capitalize on order execution steps, including order or invoice line allocation/fulfillment, backorders) - to give you several reasons to consider.  You may pose the question for your management team - we already bought Dynamics GP Business Ready licenses, where a lot of our SCM required logic is already included - we just need to enable Barcode automation to make Great Plains friendly for your Warehouse workers.  If you decide to take Dynamics GP existing business logic extension route, here are the tools for you to consider: Microsoft Dexterity (this is Great Plains architecture with its own scripting language Sanscript and Integrated Development Environment, you have no limits with Dexterity, except probably the fact that Dex requires experienced programmers, who are preferably familiar with Dynamics GP Source Code).  Second tools could be Modifier with VBA - it is not .Net compliant but still does wonderful job or extending Dynamics GP screens with new editable fields, push buttons, etc., where you would need to animate these new objects with VBA scripts.  VBA allows you to push data to Dynamics GP tables via ADO technology
3. Barcoding Focus.  In Dynamics GP every screen where you have editable fields could be subject for Barcode integration (or where you would like to upload barcode scanner batch).  The reason to consider custom add-on programming here is simple - each Corporate ERP application screen has several types of editable fields: Drop Down List, Check Box, Radio Group, Edit Field and plus these fields should be filled in determined sequence.  Barcode scanner is capable to fill scanned code into Edit Field, and it requires custom logic to automate the rest of the Screen business logic
4. International SCM focus.  Microsoft Dynamics GP is localized in most of English speaking countries: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, South Africa, plus it is localized to some extent in Spanish speaking South and Central America and Caribbean basin,  It is also available in French in Quebec/Montreal.  Dynamics GP is also translated to Arabic.  In the countries and regions where GP is not localized: Brazil, China, Russia, Japan, Continental Europe, Korea - we recommend SAP Business One
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