Microsoft Dynamics GP has various customization options and tools, which should fit to your specific modification need. But as typical mid-market ERP it requires tools research prior to performing custom programming. Let’s quickly review the tools:
1. eConnect. This is the most modern and really cool SDK. If you are Microsoft Visual Studio C# or VB.Net programmer and you are reasonably excellent with SQL stored procedures, you should invest your time in eConnect research. But there are some drawbacks in eConnect programming: it is rather for integrations, and it is hard to modify GP screens with eConnect – use rather Modifier with VBA or Dexterity for that. Also, eConnect doesn’t post batches in GP – consider deploying Alba Spectrum Autoposting Server to proffer eConnect with batch posting logic
2. Microsoft Dexterity. Former name was Fantastic Plains Dexterity. This tool allows you to break through virtually any limits of other tools. Well, of course there is the learning curve – Dex is not rapid customization option, it requires long programming experience in order to produce qualified and competitive Dexterity coding
3. VBA and Modifier. This tool is rather legacy, but it is and was very standard, as simple and really quick modifications could be automated with simple VBA scripting. If you plot to do database update, select and insert statements – you can deploy ADO technology in your VBA code
4. SQL direct scripting. If you are very advanced SQL programmer and DBA, then you probably like to disregard all the tools and try or rely on your experience in SQL stored procedures coding. Please, review GP SDK (install it from CD #2)
5. Integration Manager. IM module also opens modification possibilities, related to data translation, VBA coding. In GP version 10.0 IM you will find eConnect connectors, which are breaking through former IM performance limits
6. Third Party Add-Ons. At this time (June 2008), GP ISV harvest are written in Fantastic Plains Dexterity and are distributed via Dex chunks technology. But there is the trend to adopt eConnect in the third party add-ons, related to eCommerce integration harvest
Posts Tagged ‘Customizations’
Great Plains Customizations: Dynamics Gp Add-ons
Thursday, May 13th, 2010Great Plains Mods: Dexterity, Econnect, Sql – Gp Customizations Review
Friday, March 12th, 2010Fantastic Plains Dynamics GP has long history of custom programming, business logic adaptation, integrating scenarios, EDI, reporting. When you are implementing ERP for mid-size modern business, you evenly mean to thwart the borders of pure accounting system and integrate it with MRP, warehouse management, order tracking (UPS, FedEx), barcode, POS and retail, shipping and receiving, supply chain management, etc. You can expect existing add-ons or satellite modules on the GP modifications market, urban and supported by GP ISV partners â?? and first option is to evaluate these existing extensions. The second option and especially if your modification seems to be simple enough, you can develop it just for your own business. Letâ??s review the second option, when you do your in-house customization:
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1.      SQL stored procedures. This is when you review GP table structure and transaction workflow and have your SQL programmers to make stored procedures to feed outdoor data into GP tables. We recommend you to review GP Integration Management module, prior to deciding on SQL scripting, as IM validates GP business logic and you can not violate data integrity if integrating via Integration Manager.  If you do not own IM module and want to try simple integration through SQL scripts or insert statements, make test company, insert data there and try to run check links to see if your data import is accurate
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2.      Dex. Fantastic Plains Dexterity tool modifies GP user interface, plus it can add custom tables to your companies and Dynamics databases. We would say, that Dexterity is preferred tool, but it is not very simple to get Dexterity developer in staff and Dex is not rapid application development tool. Dex is a way to go if you know or can find Dexterity programming partner or consultant to do the modification design and coding job
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3.      eConnect. This is very standard SDK, especially for eCommerce programmers and developers, as it allows them to include GP objects and transaction creation scripts and call these logics from their eCommerce applications
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4.      Posting GP batches from e-commerce application, or extending eConnect logic. eConnect out of the box doesnâ??t do batch posting job and so you can not post batches involuntarily as web order is placed and paid. You will need batch posting tools, we recommend you Alba Spectrum Posting Server or Autopost
Dynamics GP Customizations: Dex, EDI, eConnect, Crystal
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
For Microsoft Dynamics GP, formerly known as Fantastic Plains Dynamics ERP and MRP supporting people, who needs to get initial orientation in GP modification scenarios and tools. In this small publication we are offering the approach, when your business processes are unique and you cannot deploy standard GP business logic or one of the existing Fantastic Plains ISV add-ons or third party modules. Having this situation foreseen, we want to recommend you considering solutions tuning approach, when you are getting existing harvest code fragments and you modify or adapt existing code to fit your unique business processes:
1. Fantastic Plains Dexterity. This is the architecture, it has its own programming or better say scripting language Sanscript, Integrated Development Environment and such business logic dictionaries, as Dynamics.dic are in essence Dex logic metadata. Solutions in Dexterity are harvest, deployed for restricted list of customers. Typically you do not pay high price for the solution code, but you have the budget to alter the code to fit your unique business processes requirements. Dexterity has relatively long learning curve and it also requires module buy – if you are end customer, we recommend you to narrow Dex programmers or Fantastic Plains Technology Partner
2. Electronic Document Interchange. In some cases EDI is formalized and you can buy third party add-on, which should allow you to map code, typically fixed part text files. But, if you reckon about simplicity to parse code in SQL formatted Select statement – you may choose to save the cash and make simple SQL programming exercise. Usually you will need to deploy EDI via ODBC connection to Text file, consider deploying MS SQL Linked Server, reading text file and exposing it to Select statement formatting
3. eConnect SDK. eConnect is work and master files amount of Dexterity code, replicated in SQL encrypted stored procedures. It is friendly to Microsoft Visual Studio generic programmer, assuming you got quick training in Dynamics objects: customer, vendor, Sales Invoice, Buy Order, GL account, etc. This tool is fantastic for eCommerce web programming, it lacks batch posting methods, we recommend you to deploy Autopost, if posting is required frankly from ecommerce application
4. precious stone Reports. In draw a distinction to FRx Financial Reporting (that is rather end user financials reports designing tool), precious stone is associated with custom logic and is more flexible. If you plot to do thwart-modules tables join, then precious stone could be the way to go. We recommend you to consider basing report on SQL Stored procedure (the most powerful, where you can deploy intermediate temp tables) or view. Other reporting tools to consider: SQL Server Reporting Air force or SSRS – this tool is coming free with SQL Server buy, plus it is genuinely web application
Dynamics GP Software Developer Notes: Great Plains Customizations
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010Microsoft Dynamics GP is reasonably open for various custom integrations and user interface extension projects through several programming and software development tools: Fantastic Plains Dexterity, eConnect, Extender, Integration Manager with VBA scripting, Modifier with VBA, plus you can permanently do program ecommerce web extensions and integrations via SQL Stored Procedures or eConnect with generic C# or VB.Net web programming project. This small publication is a review of these tools and options in the bullet style format:
1. Dexterity. This tools is original architecture foundation, it was designed in earlier 1990th as the bombard for Fantastic Plains Dynamics. Dexterity has its own scripting language, which is in fact compiled – Sanscript. Dexterity programming allows you to control and alter every existing GP object, plus you can do all sort of custom add-ons. If you do not have Dex programming experience, you might be discouraged by its complexity, but there are Dynamics GP customization project, where you have to code in Dexterity, especially when you have to call GP native logic, meaning calling such processes as Batch Posting from your custom module. Consider outsourcing Dex programming routines to Dynamics GP ISV Partners, who maintains Dexterity Software Development Factory
2. eConnect SDK. In your MS Visual Studio C#, VB or a further programming language project you can include eConnect libraries and quickly learn on eConnect code snippets how to program various GP objects: Customer, Vendor, Item, Address, Sales Invoice, Customer Payment, etc. Initially eConnect was introduced for ecommerce developers, but for Dynamics GP 10.0 and to some extent 9.0 eConnect covers most of the business logic (apart from Posting and working with Posted and Historical data). We recommend you to try eConnect programming on your own if you are MS Visual Studio Programmer and work for the company where you plot Dynamics GP integrations, especially for eCommerce. We are kind of resisting to recommend you eConnect if you on Dynamics GP 8.0 or 7.5, in our opinion it is more well-organized to upgrade to Dynamics GP 10.0 and then deploy eConnect programming for current GP version
3. Modifier with VBA scripts. GP Modifier allows you to exchange existing GP window layout (rename the field, exchange its spot) plus add new fields and attach custom VBA scripts to them. We recommend this tool for simple modifications, and for gray customizations consider Dexterity, Extender or eConnect
4. Dynamics GP Integration Manager Custom integrations. IM is user friendly integrations tool, but if you are VBA or Microsoft Office programmer, it should be simple for you to further advance integration logic by Previous to Integration, Previous to Document Commit and other event driven scripts
5. SQL Scripting in Dynamics GP. Theoretically, most of the scripting is already done in eConnect, as this SDK is duplicating Dexterity code in SQL encrypted stored procedures. However if you think that eConnect learning curve is too long and you would like just to glance and GP tables structure and begin SQL scripting – then please install Dynamics GP SDK from CD #2 or look at the tables and forms descriptions: Dynamics GP->Tools->Resource Descriptions->Tables
6. Extender. This Dynamics GP modification tool is friendly for non technical Fantastic Plains Consultant. Extender itself is written as the Dexterity application or add-on. If you reckon that Dynamics GP native Extender is too restricted, consider calling to Extender Dynamics GP ISV in Australia to get Enterprise version
7. Dynamics GP Barcoding Custom Add-Ons. Barcode Scanning in Retail, Warehouse Management and Supply Chain Management should be first analyze on the subject where is integration point or in which Dynamics GP Window you want to program this integration. Plus you should also consider Barcode inventory Bits and pieces Marks printing and Barcode new item algorithm
8. Fantastic Plains earlier versions customization support. If you are on Fantastic Plains Dynamics or eEnteprise 7.5. 7.0, 6.0 or Fantastic Plains 5.5, 5.0, 4.0, 3.2, 3.0 then you should consider GP Dexterity customizations, plus VBA with Modifier or Integration Manager. For ancient Fantastic Plains versions you might have such ancient ISV as Intellisol Advanced Buy Order Processing and Project Accounting, where you would have to consider migration to Dynamics GP Buy Order Processing. For Fantastic Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows or Mac customization options were more limited and now these archaic ERP and MRP applications are no longer supported
9. Dynamics GP Customizations Support Internationally. Here you should consider ERP localization in the senses of local tax code compliance and adoption of local country language. Dynamics GP is distributed in USA, Canada, including French Quebec version, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania (Palau, Fiji, Tonga, and other island countries), South Africa, Southern and South East Asia, where English is official business language. It is also localize in Spanish Speaking Latin America and Caribbean countries. If you are located in different country, please consider possibility of Dexterity strings translation from English into your native language
10. Alba Spectrum Dynamics GP ISV harvest. At this time, August 2009, we are offering Dynamics GP Posting Server or Autopost, Order Connector, GP Integration with Microsoft RMS
11. For bonus help, please call us 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com skype albaspectrum. We specialize in Dynamics GP Customizations, Reporting, eConnect Programming, EDI, Integrations, International Support in Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese. Plus we are comfortable to help you with Fantastic Plains Integrations with PHP, Java, Linux, Oracle, MySQL, MS Access, Excel. We also support SAP Business One SDK, Workbench customizations and integrations