Modern Corporate ERP application is not something isolated. The majority of new implementations require connection with the legacy parts of your IT infrastructure. Even when you plan to discontinue legacy applications, you do it in the evolutionary manner, step-by-step.
ERP integration is recommended methodology. Today we would like to review Great Plains integration tools and scenarios. This paper is not intended to be very technical and it might be recommended to company management team for setting up the goals for the integration project homework. Let’s begin with integration tools review:
1. Integration Manager. This instrument validates business logic and is data compromise proof. Having long years working with IM, we would like to reassure that everything, that you can do in other integration tools you can do directly in Integration Manager (one exception is Dexterity). Integration Manager is end user friendly and at the same time it is open for advanced SQL Queries, VBA event driven custom scripts, incoming parameters translation. Latest versions 10.0 and 2010 have eConnect connectors, making IM performance in fact the same as direct eConnect programming. There are some areas, where IM doesn’t have integration options, Invoicing module for example, but eConnect doesn’t work with Invoicing as well. If you have to do Invoicing direct integration, consider Dexterity programming. However before you go this direction, please know that Sales Order Processing module has the same functionality plus additional features, where both IM and eConnect are in your disposition
2. eConnect. Its libraries could be included into your Microsoft Visual Studio .Net web project, where can find code samples in C#, VB and C++. Initially it was introduced around 2003 for ecommerce programmers as the tool to enable ecommerce shopping cart integration as SOP Invoice or Sales Order with potential customer deposit/credit card payment. Modern day eConnect covers most of the modules: General Ledger, SOP, POP, Receivable Management, Payable Management, US Payroll, Inventory Control, Project Accounting as the top of the list. If you need to program integration from non-Microsoft operating system or environment, such as Linux/PHP/MySQL, Oracle, Mac, please read the next paragraph about web services
3. Web Services. This is abstraction level, which allows you to call eConnect methods via HTTP post or SOAP. Such technologies as SOAP allow you to call eConnect and manipulate GP master records and documents from Linux, Unix, Oracle, Macintosh platforms, or virtually from everything that supports web service call technology
4. Dexterity. This is the architecture of initial Great Plains Dynamics and it is still the foundation of modern Dynamics GP. There are no limits for Dex programmer on what could be modified, altered or added to this application business logic. However, Dexterity is semi proprietary and its Sanscript programming is not recommended for somebody, who is not working for consulting firm, as the learning curve might be a show stopper. We would like to come through on of the Dexterity integration extension example – Posting Server. Alba Spectrum Posting Server allows you to schedule the batch for automatic posting directly from your MS Visual Studio project or from another software development environment. Posting Server is programmed in Dexterity with extensive reference to the Source Code
5. Direct SQL Insert Statements. GP doesn’t prohibit direct SQL insertion, however this is not something you should try right away, as being excited about SQL programming and making initial steps in your new ERP table structure and data flow discovery
6. Table Import tool. This is rather similar to SQL direct insertion, this method was great for non MS SQL Server DB platforms for earlier Dynamics versions, especially 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0 on Pervasive SQL 2000 and Ctree. We would only recommend it for historical versions, where direct Microsoft SQL Server Query Analyzer is not available
7. Case Studies: eCommerce. Here in our experience we have to confess, that Integration Manager does perfect job in quasi real time shopping cart integration scenarios. Theoretically it is possible to pull paid shopping carts directly from MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft Access or other ODBC compliant database, but in reality the majority of our ecommerce customers preferred to do every few minutes shopping cart export into coma or tab delimited text file and then pull it into SOP transaction via scheduled IM integration (every several minutes as well)
8. Case Studies: Manufacturing. Imagine you are mid-size production company with existing in-house developed simple MRP system. It might be Microsoft Access, FoxPro, Visual Basics, MySQL/PHP. Now – you would like to post Bill of Materials all the way through GL in GP automatically. We recommend Alba Spectrum Posting Server with Workflow, where initial integration could be done in Dexterity Sanscript programming and the rest is our traditional Posting Server features
9. Case Studies: Healthcare Nurse Placement industry. The challenge was to send billable time and expense reports into GP, where we recommended posting into Project Accounting Timesheets, Expenses. The set of SQL Stored procedures was created to move timesheets and expenses into PA document batches
10. Case Studies: International Business or Multinational Corporation. Headquarters in Chicago had GP as its Corporate ERP system, while in Brazil it is not localized and we recommended SAP Business One with the daily GL transactions consolidations via Export to Excel in SB1 and import via IM to Great Plains
11. Case Studies: Collection Agency. Here your customers are reversed into your vendors. In our experience we did in in the Integration Manager via VBA scripting and Names Translation (vendor to customer translation could be done in Excel and then loaded into IM integration)
12. Case Studies: Advertising Agency. Here you have the problem of overselling advertising space to your new customers, who could easily go bankrupt and block your collection efforts. At the same time, you would like to keep these customers and prospects to enter the advertising space. There is Collection Management module, recommended for your environment
13. Some advices on the international projects. Please, check if GP is localized for your targeted country. In general – it is localized for English, Spanish (except continental Spain, sometimes Brazil is mistreated – they speak there Brazilian Portuguese, not Spanish), Arabic speaking countries. If you are in Russian, Serbian, German, French (except Quebec province in Canada), Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean speaking country, consider alternative Corporate or Small Business ERP package. We recommend you to take a look at Dynamics AX Axapta or SAP Business One. In Brazil, consider also Microsiga, while in Russian Federation we recommend you to take a look at 1S Bukhgalteria
14. Support domestically in the USA, Canada, Mexico and internationally. This option is possible via Web Sessions, Skype or Phone conferences and direct visits onsite (in the case of the large scale project). Our consulting team speaks English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Filipino. Feel free to call us 1-866-304-3265, 1-269-605-4904, or email help@efaru.com
Dexterity Customization for Dynamics GP Evaluation Level Paper
When you are developer it is always a good idea to read technical manuals. But if you was just assigned to the IT team to decide if Dexterity is the right tool to customize your ERP application then first you need something which is in style of ‘easy reading papers’ or FAQ
Planning Dynamics GP Customization in Large Corporation
If you are reading this page then chances are high that you were not able to find ISV add-on and need customization project. Let’s talk about planning, quality assurance and future event such as version updates.
Dynamics GP Invoice Logo Attributed to Specific Company or Crossing the Borders of Three SOP Forms
Initial Great Plains Dynamics architecture had three SOP Invoice forms: Long, Short and Blank. Modern GP is popular in scenarios where you have more than three companies under one business entity umbrella
