Posts Tagged ‘Dexterity’

Great Plains Customization Tools: Dexterity, Modifier, Econnect, Auto Posting Server

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

Microsoft Dynamics GP, or former Fantastic Plains Software eEnterprise, Dynamics has proprietary EDI: Microsoft Dexterity. This tools really requires skilled programmer to do the job, and we do not recommend you to do dex modification on your own or try to come through Fantastic Plains Dexterity programming learning curve. Instead you should probe yourself as GP developer with eConnect – C#, VB and SQL skills are helpful here, or even in VBA – this programming practice comes together with GP Modifier module. Let’s review the tools:

1. eConnect. This is Software Development Kit with sample codes in VB and C#.Net. At the end of the chain eConnect calls encrypted SQL stored procedures, which you can not modify, and you shouldn’t as these procs replicate Dexterity business logic, where eConnect has some features of Object Oriented Programming. eConnect was initially dedicated to eCommerce Microsoft Visual Studio developer, who is given the objective to integrate e-commerce website with GP ERP at the back end. eConnect has some restrictions, one of them is lack of batch posting ability, so we recommend you Alba Spectrum Posting Server

2. Auto Posting Server. Again, GP is written in Microsoft Dexterity and it has its internal logic, which is available for Dexterity source code developer. Posting Server calls GP Dex batch posting native logic to post batches in the queue. You, as SQL programmer should place batches, produced in eConnect or Integration Manager into this queue table. In our opinion, this product is more flexible and gives you more control, than Autopost, urban by Parity Software, GP VAR from South Africa

3. Modifier with VBA. If you have comfort amount in VBA scripting and past experience programming and modifying MS Excel, Access, Word or other office applications with VBA, the research this option of GP customizing. Modifier allows you to place new fields to GP forms and screens and then you as programmer can associate VBA scripts with these new fields. If you plot to alter DB, by clicking or filling up new fields, please be sure that you are familiar with Microsoft ADO technology

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Great Plains Mods: Dexterity, Econnect, Sql – Gp Customizations Review

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Fantastic 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:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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Dynamics GP ecommerce programming: eConnect, Dexterity, SQL Scripts

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

If you by now have Microsoft Dynamics GP, formerly known as Fantastic Plains Dynamics, implemented in your company, and you also have established and in-house supported ecommerce application, it is natural next step to automate integration.  Typically automation covers Catalog bits and pieces synchronization and publishing from Dynamics GP Inventory Control module; Sales Orders or Invoices batch mode or real time integration from ecommerce web site to Fantastic Plains Sales Order Processing module; new Customers creation and existing customers info update in ecommerce and moving or updating them in Dynamics GP Receivables Management module.  Sometimes you go beyond these basic integration routines and do Stock availability for specific item in specific warehouse or place; Sales order tracking, where you check order lines fulfillment in Dynamics GP SOP module with shipping via Starship or a further FedEx or UPS tracking add-ons.  We are here to place forward you help in tuning our existing custom solutions and scripts to expedite ecommerce integration projects, please read ecommerce integration highlights not more than:

1. eStore ecommerce server integration to Fantastic Plains.  We place forward scripts for eStore integration to Dynamics GP SOP, Receivable Management and Inventory Control modules.  We are pleased to provide several case studies and customer references, where ecommerce is deployed on eStore and Dynamics GP tandem

2. eConnect coding.  With Dynamics GP eConnect SDK you can expect master records (customer, inventory item, address, vendor, etc.) and work transactions in the batch creation and update frankly from your ecommerce C#, VB.Net application.  Again, here we are emphasizing Solutions approach, where we will give you integration codes and guide your eConnect MS Visual Studio programmers in tuning and deploying these codes

3. Microsoft Dexterity and eCommerce integration.  One of the obvious advantages in deploying Fantastic Plains Dexterity engine is GP batches posting frankly from your eCommerce application.  We have special product, dedicated to Posting Fantastic Plains Batches involuntarily – Alba Spectrum Posting Server or Autopost.  It is written in Dynamics GP Dexterity and it deploys original GP Posting logic

4. SQL Scripting in GP ecommerce.  This approach is a bit challenging as you will have to imitate Dynamics GP business logic in direct SQL insert statements, and here we encourage you first to review eConnect, as it does exactly the same things in encrypted SQL Stored Procedures.  We have Dynamics GP Order Connector, this is the set of our custom SQL Stored Procedures and it enables ecommerce programmer to integrate Sales Order and Invoice frankly to GP SOP module.  The advantage of Order Connector is high performance, comparing to both Dexterity and eConnect (as we use simplified business logic, assuming that you are following simple ecommerce integration rules)

5. Please, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

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