If your back office Corporate ERP application is Microsoft Dynamics GP, former versions were also known as Microsoft Fantastic Plains and Fantastic Plains Dynamics, and you have in-house urban ecommerce web application with bits and pieces catalogs with advanced price lists (especially in B2B ecommerce scenarios), shopping cart, credit card processing, we want to present you this small publication in the form of FAQ and orientation session. We are writing for IT managers or even accounting professionals, who are choice makers in Corporate ERP application selection and its integration with eCommerce production website:
1. Real Time versus Batch and Quasi real time integration modes. Real time means instant ecommerce shopping cart transformation to Microsoft Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing Invoice (or Sales Order) – Dynamics GP SOP module is one of the most standard platforms for ecommerce transactions integration. Batch processing or quasi real time typically when you either schedule Fantastic Plains Integration Manager to run integration every hour or integration be initiated by Fantastic Plains user. Real Time ecommerce to Microsoft Dynamics GP integration is typically programmed in eConnect SDK or in advanced scenarios you can deploy custom preprogrammed SQL Stored Procedures
2. eConnect Dynamics GP SDK. eConnect lower technology amount is set of encrypted SQL Server Stored procedures, imitating Microsoft Dynamics GP (Dexterity) business logic. eConnect libraries could be included in Microsoft Visual Studio .Net project (typically C# or VB, as eConnect sample codes are available these two programming languages). eConnect is certainly quicker, as it is coded in Stored Procedures, especially comparing to Dexterity. But, considering the complexity of business logic, that eConnect has to imitate, it might be slower to simplified SQL Stored procedures, which are powerful enough to integrate several types of ecommerce shopping carts into SOP invoices – this is the case of Alba Spectrum Order Connector
3. Order Connector. Let’s assume that your ecommerce shopping cart targets Fantastic Plains Sales Order Processing Invoices, and you are not using such complications as Series or Lot Numbers, multicurrency, back ordering, etc. Let’s assume that you ecommerce bits and pieces are air force or habitual taxable sales bits and pieces, available in your default inventory sites. Please, check with us on restrictions, and if they (the restrictions) are not a concern, we are pleased to place forward extremely quick ecommerce to Microsoft Dynamics GP real time integration product
4. Order Connector and Fantastic Plains versions. We have our connector, early from Fantastic Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise version 6.0 for Microsoft SQL Server (sorry, it is not available for Pervasive SQL or Ctree based Fantastic Plains Select versions). If you are Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 or 9.0 you can deploy eConnect for ecommerce integration, but if you are on legacy versions: 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0 – we recommend you to upgrade to more recent versions, or if this is not possible due to budget restrictions, we invite you to try our Order Connector for ecommerce integration programming
5. eCommerce Automatic Batch Posting in Dynamics GP. Both tools: GP Integration Manager and eConnect do not allow you to post batches, as this routine is supposed to be in the hands of Microsoft Dynamics GP user to review, approve and post the batch. If you certainly need to do all the work frankly from ecommerce web application, we recommend you to buy and deploy Alba Spectrum Posting Server, also known as Autopost. Posting Server is Microsoft Dexterity Source Code Dexterity programmed application, which requires you to dedicate GP workstation and one permanently logged in Fantastic Plains user. Dynamics GP batch posting is done in exactly the same fashion as Fantastic Plains Dexterity Dynamics GP user interface initiated batch posting
Posts Tagged ‘Ecommerce’
Ecommerce to Dynamics GP Real Time Integration: Order Connector
Monday, February 15th, 2010Dynamics GP ecommerce integrations: eConnect, Posting Server notes
Saturday, February 13th, 2010It is evenly excellent thought to start ecommerce from scratch, but for some of us it doesnâ??t work as we work for established ecommerce retailers and wholesalers, where ecommerce application might be custom urban and hosted on Linux/PHP/MySQL, Oracle or a further non Microsoft solution. In this situation you would rather consider custom integration with existing ecommerce web site and we want to share with your some highlights. We are trying to write this small publication for programmers and IT people as a review:
1. eConnect SDK. If you are comfortable with Microsoft Visual Studio C#, VB or a further .Net language programming, plus you are fluent with XML and have excellent SQL querying background, you should take a class or try self study on eConnect. With this Software Development Kit you can program virtually all core modules Fantastic Plains objects: GL Financial statement, Customers, Vendors, Employees, Addresses. SOP Invoices, Buy Orders, etc. eConnect might seem a bit complex, especially when you are very courageous and want to try coding custom SQL Stored Procedures, in this case, please consider the following fact â?? eConnect is written in SQL Stored procs (that are encrypted) and you probably do not want to do it second time, especially taking into significance the fact, that in Microsoft Business Solutions programmers have access to all the Dynamics GP Dexterity source codes and got appropriate training
2. eConnect Posting restriction. eConnect doesnâ??t post Dynamics GP batches, as this is how Fantastic Plains architecture was built. Batch posting is prerogative for GP user, who supposed to review the batch (print batch edit list report), get sufficient evidence that all the transactions are right and ready for posting and then post the batch from Fantastic Plains user interface. If you really reckon that you need to post GP batch from ecommerce application frankly, please read the next paragraph about Dynamics GP Posting Server, or Autopost
3. Fantastic Plains Posting Server. We urban this Add-On in Dynamics GP Dexterity, it deploys native Dex posting routines and by doing so eliminates the problems with Software QA, as it is not exposed to programming bugs. Posting Server or Autopost is for Software Developer and it allows programmers to flag Dynamics GP work transactions batch for posting. Batch posting checker is running every few minutes and it looks at batch ready for posting table and if batch is there, it triggers Dynamics GP fixed batch posting routine
4. SQL Scripts in ecommerce integrations. We have several scripts collections, one of them is Order Connector, which allows you to deploy scripts to go ecommerce orders or invoices to Dynamics GP SOP Orders and Invoices accordingly. Order connector runs quicker in our opinion that eConnect methods, as we are not validating all Dynamics GP business logic and instead give you green light with simple Orders and Invoices
5. If you have concerns, or want to get more info, see presentation, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com
Dynamics GP eCommerce Custom Integration Notes
Friday, February 12th, 2010Microsoft Dynamics GP, formerly this ERP and MRP application was known under Fantastic Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise name, is very standard among mid-size businesses and it is natural to turn it into ecommerce back office. If you are launching your ecommerce from scratch, please consider deploying existing Fantastic Plains ISV Partners harvest or add-ons. But, and this might be why you are reading this small publication, your ecommerce web application is working and you have to program integration connectors to Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing, Inventory Control and Receivable Management modules. Let’s come through the options:
1. eConnect programming. GP is hosted in Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 2008 or earlier, so you can permanently program eConnect via MS Visual Studio. GP eConnect is Software Development Kit with libraries, that you can deploy in your integration C#, VB programming project. It has sample codes, so that should be all you need. Some familiarity with XML and Dynamics GP objects could be recommended: SOP Invoice, Customer, Inventory Item, etc.
2. Dynamics GP Integration Manager. For GP version 10.0 we see a lot of integration bases are now rewritten in eConnect as general observation, but IM is end user friendly (to some extent of this term of course) tool. If you are OK with integration, initiated by IM user or with scheduled integration (via Windows Macro utilities from small software development vendors, etc.), then you may choose to implement Integration Manager solution and close the question
3. Order Connector. This product allows you to deploy ecommerce integration in the case, when you do not want to come through eConnect programming learning curve, or you are on older GP version: 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, or you believe that eConnect performance is not too cool for real time integrations. This product is set of SQL Stored Procedures with simple set of parameters to make your live as SQL programmer simpler
4. Posting Server or Autopost. If you have requirements to post SOP Documents all the way through General Ledger, you probably by now realized that both eConnect and Integration Manager do not allow you to Post, they do not have the functionality and methods to post. And this is natural restriction of original Fantastic Plains Dynamics architecture, where transaction and batch approval and posting are coupled together and left in the hands of GP user. Posting Server deploys one user license and is add-on to existing Dynamics GP workstation. It checks GP server if new batches are approved for being posted every few seconds and initiates Fantastic Plains Batch Posting process if new batch is ready for processing
5. Dynamics GP Business Portal. Here you can deploy ecommerce in B2B scenarios. Order Management module in BP is natural base for such a project. Current version of Business Portal is 10.0 (looks like MBS synched it with Dynamics GP versioning) Please, note that older Fantastic Plains ecommerce extensions, such as eOrder (ASP platform)are no longer available and you will have to migrate such solutions to Dynamics GP Business Portal, which is now Microsoft Sharepoint application. In Dynamics GP Order Management module you can deploy Bits and pieces Catalogue and Price List, reflecting original Dynamics GP Inventory Price Lists
6. Dynamics GP Dexterity ecommerce programming. Dexterity is former Fantastic Plains Dynamics architecture and it is still one of the fundamental stones in Dynamics GP platform. In Dex you have unlimited power over Dynamics GP objects, including posted transactions, in fact Autopost is Dexterity custom application, which is programmed with Fantastic Plains Dexterity Source Code access. You should consider Dexterity customization route if your ecommerce integration requirements are really challenging and you need access to the objects, coded in Dexterity add-ons (Dynamics GP ISV or your former in-house Dexterity customizations)
7. Sorry for being laconic, but it is the restriction of the article genre. How to get bonus info and help? Please, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com
Dynamics GP B2B, B2C eCommerce tools: Business Portal Order Management and ISV add-ons
Thursday, February 11th, 2010If you are in committed ecommerce integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains ERP application, we want to place forward you this article with highlights on Dynamics GP web based Business Portal and its ecommerce module Order Management, plus some highlights on Fantastic Plains eCommerce ISV and technology partners custom add-ons. eCommerce is very diversified and it is evenly too complex for simple ecommerce product to cover numerous requirements, that businesses in various industries might have. Microsoft Business Solutions offers Dynamics GP Business Portal Order Management (for Fantastic Plains 7.5 and earlier this product was known as eOrder, but it was redesigned from scratches on Business Portal platform). Business Portal is certainly cool management and future technology orientation, but if you find it too limited in customizability (the same limitation was applicable to eOrder, where you would have to customize existing ASP pages in InterDev to adopt new logic, and every version upgrade required you to reapply these changes), then you should appeal to Dynamics GP ISV community and try to find appropriate ecommerce extension, or connector product. We made the research and figured out that ecommerce integration is underserved for both Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains and Dynamics AX Axapta harvest, where at this time you can come to the close, that third party add-ons have domination
1. Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Portal, for B2B. If you have GP implemented you know the price of user license, it is akin to k$1. The thought of web base Business Portal is simple – you add ten times more users to Dynamics GP database via web application, where use license cost will be ten or even five percent of the fixed GP user license. BP could be connected via internet browser and it is natural expectation that you would attract your USA country side, or international employees, B2B customers or Vendors to your BP web site and have them do ERP, MRP, Sales and Purchasing routines in the least. Previous to we leave BP significance, we want to mention about Electronic Document Delivery module for BP. This module allows you to enable specific customers or vendors for their invoices to be delivered to them via email. In sort of kick off scenario Business Portal requires infrastructure to be hosted internally, but with some limitations it could be outsourced. If you are hosting Exchange Server (even in Windows 2008 Small Business Server scenarios), you should consider to get some knowledge about SSL Certificates for Microsoft Exchange 2007, 2003, this is especially applicable when you deploy OWA with MS Exchange 2007
2. If Dynamics GP Business Portal Order Management is not doing the job – then please try to reckon about connector approach, where you as Software Developer or ecommerce programmer will have complete control and the product you about to buy will help you as friendly connector or the library in your ecommerce application. Our company Alba Spectrum offers Order Connector to connect you ecommerce shopping cart to Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing documents: Sales Order, Invoice, Quote, Return, Back Order
3. eConnect programming. This software development kit was introduced in 2003 and at that time it was dedicated to ecommerce programmers, but it is now expanded to cover most of Fantastic Plains master records and work phase transactions. Previous to you dive into eConnect programming, please review GP Integration Manager – this tool is also in process of being redesigned on eConnect technology, and it should be excellent option if you do not need real time integration, and batch integration one a day or every hour is OK. There are options to schedule Integration Manager integration to run involuntarily with Windows macro add-ons, available from third party developers (in some cases free), or you can buy IM scheduling tool from Microsoft Business Solutions. Both IM and eConnect should be excellent options in B2B and B2C (business to business and business to customer) ecommerce scenarios. If you need advanced eConnect custom ecommerce programming project done, please feel free to call us. eConnect should be friendly to Microsoft Visual Studio C#, VB developer with some excurse to XML and SQL Stored procedures
4. Posting Server. Alba Spectrum Porting Server or Autopost allows you to proffer eConnect logic with GP batches posting. This is theoretically optional feature, but if you want to post your batches frankly from your ecommerce C# or VB.Net application Autopost allows you to do the job
5. B2C ecommerce bonus notes. We recommend you not to invent the wheel and take one of the leading and usually reasonably priced harvest as the base for you ecommerce web site, shopping card and credit card or other sorts of payment processing. Then, you should program integration in eConnect, or simply buy connector to Dynamics GP. We would be pleased to resolve your integration to GP issues with our Order Connector or even tune it for advanced logic. In the case of small business ecommerce operations, you can export customer orders log to EDI compliant or even text file, which could be then imported via Fantastic Plains Integration Manager. You may reckon to get some help in synchronizing GP Pricing and Promotion Campaigns on your ecommerce website
6. eCommerce for legacy GP versions. Theoretically ecommerce integration is possible for Dynamics GP eConnect compliant versions (in our opinion GP 10.0 and 9.0, with some restrictions to GP 8.0). eConnect was introduced for Fantastic Plains 7.5 in 2004. We recommend production eConnect integration for Dynamics GP 10.0 and 9.0, if you are on lower version, please consider to give us a call on upgrade scenarios and options
7. How to get help? Please, feel free to call our office at 1-866-528-0577, if you are outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918, or email us: help@albaspectrum.com We speak English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, including Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Filipino. Please, be aware that Dynamics GP is not UNICODE compliant application, and if you need help in having GP Screens to be translated to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and other hieroglyph based characters language, this is not possible. We would be pleased to make Chinese precious stone Reports out of your Dynamics GP system with the help of third party Dynamics GP ISV tools, such as NJ Star. If you are trying to consider Fantastic Plains for your Brazilian subsidiary, we would have to discourage you and question you rather to consider SAP Business One, which is localized for Brazil. Fantastic Plains Dynamics GP is also not localized for Russian market, we invite you to call us to help you know ecommerce and Corporate ERP options in Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belorussia, Moldova, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Uzbekistan
Econnect Ecommerce Posting Server for Dynamics Gp
Thursday, February 11th, 2010If you are eCommerce .Net c#, VB or SQL developer, you need to know eConnect â?? Microsoft Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains SDK for e-commerce developers architecture and limitations. eConnect was specially built up for eCommerce programmers, but at the same time it complies to GP Dexterity architecture frameworks, such as GP batches and transactions posting is GP user prerogative. If you as eCommerce designer plot to post Gp transactions or batches involuntarily from your e-commerce web application, you will nee either Albaspectrum autoposting server or program Fantastic Plains Dexterity source code with your internal programmers or Dex subcontractors. If you expect eCommerce website just to make so-called working orders or invoices in backend ERP Fantastic Plains SOP Sales Order Processing module, then you are fine with eConnect development and use only. But if you only expect GP to fulfill invoices with goods delivery, then autoposting might be required. The rest of this article is dedicated to technology highlights:
1. Autoposting as Microsoft Dynamics GP Dexterity source code application. There is the way to command GP engine to post specific batch in any GP module: GL, SOP, POP, AR, AP, Payroll, Inventory control. But if you reckon this is simple solution, this is not the case, you need at least 5 years of Fantastic Plains Dexterity programming with exposure to source code (DYNAMICS.DIC with all the sanscripts code not stripped out)
2. After Hours Posting in GP user interface. This is natural solution, when you have limited number of orders per day, letâ??s say 20 or up to 100. In this case if order size is feasible to sustain your business, you can hire Fantastic Plains users, who will manually post your daily or weekly Sales Orders batches and transfer them for fulfillment and consignment to shipping department.
3. eCommerce integration to GP notes. There are several tools for you to consider, each has pluses and minuses as you can expect: eConnect â?? if you have developers inhouse, consider first eConnect as it is what Microsoft Business Solutions recommends in long run. If you reckon you are low amount orders per day business, consider Fantastic Plains Integration Manager (10-1000 transactions, maybe more if you consider IM automated integration with some custom logic to launch IM)
Great Plains Automatic Batch Posting From Econnect Ecommerce Application
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010Alba Spectrum Autoposting Server is excellent enabler for GP batch auto posting from eConnect integration application as well as if you are deploying SQL or PHP coding to integrate your eCommerce web site with Microsoft Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains. Alba Spectrum is about to announce new version of Auto Posting Server release date with the list of new features. This publication is to describe general functionality of Posting Extension:
1. Batch Posting. It is done via Fantastic Plains Dexterity native code fragments call. Autpopost is Dex add-on. If you are programmer, what you need to do is to insert work transactions in the batch in GP (typically via eConnect, as it has encrypted stored procedures to make customers, vendors, SOP invoices, etc), and then place batch record into Autopost table – this will trigger batch posting process. Autopost checks table status every few seconds and if new record is found, batch posting process is initiated
2. Batch Origin. If you are thinking from eCommerce perspective – you are probably about SOP Transactions batch. But batch origin might be of any core GP module: POP, AP, AR, GL, Payroll, Inventory, Invoicing, etc. If you need batch posting, originated in add-ons or ISV GP extensions, please check with us, as each GP customization partner makes its own way of batch posting scenario
3. New Features. New Autopost release will include: email notification, posting error logging and automatic startup. Please check with us in two weeks from now as we plot to release detailed specs for new features
Ecommerce Dynamics GP or Great Plains Solution Notes
Monday, February 8th, 2010 There is no needs to reinvent the wheel or bicycle, in the significance that ecommerce web front out-of-the-box applications exists and you could simple to deploy Shopping Cart, Online Catalog, Credit Card Payments, Inventory Stock Status lookup. We should be able to help you in integration of existing ecommerce web front with Dynamics GP – we have multiple tools and codes, used in the past and ready for tuning in your ecommerce environment. We recommend you to consider eStore, where we have successful integration cases with Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains. But, if you have your in-house urban custom ecommerce solution in Linux/PHP, .Net, MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle or any other web server or DB platform, we should be able to help you in integration to Dynamics GP. Please read the paragraphs not more than for orientation: 1. Order Connector. Here we have a set of SQL Stored Procedures, integrating ecommerce Sales Order Processing and AR transactions to Fantastic Plains Dynamics. Being coded in SQL Stored Procs, this product (or better classify it as Solution, as it is a tool and SDK for ecommerce developer), Order Connector shows real time integration performance for huge number of ecommerce transactions per hour. The nature of ecommerce transactions is typically simple and repetitive, so you do not need gray functionality in your SDK and integration vehicle 2. Posting Server. Alba Spectrum Autopost or Batch Posting Server is written in Dynamics GP Dexterity and it allows you to post or schedule for posting GP Batches frankly from your eCommerce or eConnect web C#, VB or SQL driven application. We really deploy Dexterity engine and one user license for Posting Server and you should not have concerns about complex posting business logic in Dynamics GP as Dexterity engine will do exactly the same job as if you would initiate posting in GP User Interface 3. eCommerce eConnect Integration Programming. We encourage you to order Dynamics GP eConnect programming and software developing training, if you are ecommerce full time or consulting programmer for mid-size or large ecommerce organization with Dynamics GP as Corporate ERP. eConnect is SDK and it allows you to make, modify and delete Master records: Customer, Address, Vendor, GL Account, Employee, and Transactions: Sales Invoice, Quote, Order, Customer Deposit and others. eConnect doesn’t post GP batches, please read paragraph 2 for Autopost, which does exactly that 4. Please, give us a call: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com
There is no needs to reinvent the wheel or bicycle, in the significance that ecommerce web front out-of-the-box applications exists and you could simple to deploy Shopping Cart, Online Catalog, Credit Card Payments, Inventory Stock Status lookup. We should be able to help you in integration of existing ecommerce web front with Dynamics GP – we have multiple tools and codes, used in the past and ready for tuning in your ecommerce environment. We recommend you to consider eStore, where we have successful integration cases with Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains. But, if you have your in-house urban custom ecommerce solution in Linux/PHP, .Net, MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle or any other web server or DB platform, we should be able to help you in integration to Dynamics GP. Please read the paragraphs not more than for orientation:
1. Order Connector. Here we have a set of SQL Stored Procedures, integrating ecommerce Sales Order Processing and AR transactions to Fantastic Plains Dynamics. Being coded in SQL Stored Procs, this product (or better classify it as Solution, as it is a tool and SDK for ecommerce developer), Order Connector shows real time integration performance for huge number of ecommerce transactions per hour. The nature of ecommerce transactions is typically simple and repetitive, so you do not need gray functionality in your SDK and integration vehicle
2. Posting Server. Alba Spectrum Autopost or Batch Posting Server is written in Dynamics GP Dexterity and it allows you to post or schedule for posting GP Batches frankly from your eCommerce or eConnect web C#, VB or SQL driven application. We really deploy Dexterity engine and one user license for Posting Server and you should not have concerns about complex posting business logic in Dynamics GP as Dexterity engine will do exactly the same job as if you would initiate posting in GP User Interface
3. eCommerce eConnect Integration Programming. We encourage you to order Dynamics GP eConnect programming and software developing training, if you are ecommerce full time or consulting programmer for mid-size or large ecommerce organization with Dynamics GP as Corporate ERP. eConnect is SDK and it allows you to make, modify and delete Master records: Customer, Address, Vendor, GL Account, Employee, and Transactions: Sales Invoice, Quote, Order, Customer Deposit and others. eConnect doesn’t post GP batches, please read paragraph 2 for Autopost, which does exactly that
4. Please, give us a call: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com
Microsoft Dynamics GP eCommerce: Sales Order Processing integration and Autoposting
Thursday, February 4th, 2010If you are ecommerce developer, who is integrating ecommerce web front application with Dynamics GP (evenly referred historically as Fantastic Plains Dynamics or eEnteprise), you probably target SOP or Sales Order Processing Invoice as target in GP for ecommerce customer shopping cart. Customer Credit Card payment becomes customer deposit to invoice and each item bought becomes Invoice Line item. If you are using Microsoft Visual Studio C# or VB.Net web project for ecommerce application, then natural way for you to deploy Dynamics GP sConnect libraries and SDK (help info, available in eConnect) to review and imitate code samples. This technology should work in both B2B (where you make real customer, or work only in restricted partner channel) and B2C (where you send all the invoices to so-called Walk In customer, and if required add just new Walk In folk address). In this small publication we want to review other options and Automatic Batch posting technology frankly from ecommerce eConnect application:
1. Microsoft Dynamics GP Integration Manager in ecommerce scenarios. This tool could be either called on demand or scheduled with the scheduling application available for buy from Microsoft Business Solutions, or you can deploy third party (evenly free) Windows macro type of small shareware applications available in open software market for download and tryout. If you schedule IM to do ecommerce to GP integration say every twenty minutes – this method might be a way more powerful (assuming that GP plays master role for Inventory Bits and pieces maintenance and update and Pricelists). If this is the case – IM can make or update such objects as Customer, Address, Inventory Item, Comments to Customer, Invoice, Invoice Line, Shipping Instructions. With Dynamics GP 10.0 Integration Manager deploys eConnect connectors, which are very well-organized from performance standpoint (but eConnect SOP connector doesn’t have SOP Return, but you can realize return via IM OLE technology based SOP connector and for future versions of Dynamics GP IM we hope that that gap will be patched). Integration Manager also does the job, even if your ecommerce is hosted in Linux/PHP/MySQL. In this case you can either use thwart platform ODBC bridge, or have Integration Manager integrate text or XML ecommerce shopping cart exports. And as the a further excellent note about IM – if you deploy Advanced ODBC Data Sources in IM, you can base them on Microsoft SQL Server Linked Server to Oracle, Lotus or a further non-Microsoft DB platform, which is ODBC compliant and which could be joined in SQL Server View
2. eConnect. This tool opens the door to real time ecommerce integration to GP, if this is a touch, that is unquestionably required. eConnect might be more flexible comparing to Integration Manager, but it might require more programming time to cover all expected (and unexpected) ecommerce customer events. If real time aspect is not critical, eConnect advantage could be bonus flexibility, when eCommerce application is playing master role (new bits and pieces, price lists, discounts, internet promotions are initiated in your ecommerce application and then propagated to Dynamics GP, as you post new ecommerce shopping carts and download them to Fantastic Plains)
3. Dynamics GP Automatic batch posting frankly from ecommerce eConnect or Linux based application. eConnect by its architecture works with GP master records and so-called Work Transactions, where you place work SOP invoice (ecommerce shopping cart image) to the bath for GP user (choice maker or approver) review, approval and posting frankly in GP user interface. Dynamics GP is mid-market Corporate ERP and it has layers of security and approval cycles, and eConnect doesn’t allow shortcuts in batch auto posting on eConnect amount. We recommend you to deploy Alba Spectrum Posting Server which imitates batch approval and posting initiation through Dynamics GP User Workstation. Even if you are sending shopping carts from Unix, Linux/PHP platforms, you can still delight in Posting Server functionality, as all you need to do is to populate SOP10100, SOP10200 and other SOP work tables (we have Alba Spectrum Order Connector product, which allows you to do this work on SQL Stored Procedures amount) and mark the batch as ready for being posted in custom Batch Prepared for Posting table. Posting Server deploys native Microsoft Dexterity (formerly known as Fantastic Plains Dexterity) batch posting initiation internal procedures
4. How to get bonus help? We encourage you to search in google for Dynamics GP video demos and presentations. Our web engineers are deploying web casting technologies, similar to the ones used in Youtube and Google Video to provide free Dynamics GP internet video presentations. Feel free to call or email our office. Service is available virtually Worldwide via remote relations, web sessions and phone conferences. We will be pleased to travel to your USA, Canada, Brazil or international based office or facility, if required. Our consultants speak English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Filipino and other languages
Dynamics Gp Ecommerce Partner Newsflash: Econnect Integration And Autoposting
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Fantastic Plains Software Dynamics, or new name for this ERP and MRP application is Microsoft Dynamics GP at this time has multiple ecommerce programming and integration tools: eConnect, Order Connection set of stored procedures, populating Sales Order Processing Invoices or Sales Orders, Fantastic Plains Dexterity add-ons, such as Batch Posting Server, which is fantastic extension to eConnect, allowing you to post Sales and other modules batches frankly from ecommerce web application. This small publication is not intended to go deep into technical details, it is rather for IT managers of mid-size companies, typically responsible for ecommerce to Dynamics GP integration projects:1. Microsoft Dexterity programming tool. This tool lays in the foundation of Dynamics GP: Fantastic Plains user workstation code is Dex application in fact, and Dexterity places certain requirements on Dynamics GP tables (DEX_ROW_ID, for example). If you are Dynamics GP customer, where GP is implemented, then Dexterity projects likely to be subcontracted to Dynamics GP Technology Partner. Alba Spectrum Autoposting Server is coded in Fantastic Plains Dexterity, similarly you can order custom Dex add-ons to add new functionality or improve GP business logic2. eConnect ecommerce Fantastic Plains integrations. In this case, you, as mid-size or smaller ecommerce organization with your own IT and programming resources deploys eConnect as Dynamics GP Software Development Kit. It is not really simple or self explanatory, you got to be familiar with Fantastic Plains objects architecture, but it is doable and you are not the first programmer and not the last one3. Automatic Batches Posting in Fantastic Plains Dynamics GP. Alba Spectrum Autopost GP add-on does this job. It is using Dex source code programming and it should be capable to post the batches in core GP modules: SOP, POP, PM, RM, GL, UPR, Inventory, Invoicing. It is also capable to post batches in Dynamics GP ISV coded modules, but it is not guaranteed, you should check with us on the specific add-on and posting logic
Great Plains Autopost: Programmable Batch Posting in Ecommerce Integration
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010If you are eConnect developer, who is curious about Sales Order Processing batch posting options, this article should give you highlights. eConnect as SDK at the end of the way calls encrypted stored procedures, which allow you make, modify, delete so-called master records: customer, vendor, employee, customer address to give you few examples. Plus it allows you to make so-called work transactions: Sales Invoice, which is especially standard in e-commerce programming and integration scenarios. But it is evenly the need to push transaction to Microsoft Dynamics GP SQL database all the way through, meaning to post Sales invoices and returns batches from eCommerce application. eConnect out of the box doesn’t post batches and this is the restriction of the architecture, or as it was initially designed:
1. Batch posting technical side. What is really happening in Fantastic Plains when GP user hits post button? Well, GP engine, which is Microsoft Dexterity (former name Fantastic Plains Dexterity), calls its internal procedures and these procedures go Invoice records from work tables: SOP10100 and SOP10200 (there are more tables, we are giving these two for illustration purpose only) into SOP30200 and SOP30300. But this is only part of the tale. When posting is done in Sales Order Processing module, Dex transfers posting to Receivable Management module, where it makes records in RM20100 and others. Then it makes Cash Deposit with Receipt in Bank Reconciliation module (if deposit was applied, such as Credit card payment) and even that is not yet the end of the tale. Irrevocably it makes (and even posts if settings are to post through GL) General Ledger transactions. You can imagine, that eConnect as being only top of the iceberg, is too light weight SQL scripting collection to do all the GP autoposting business logic
2. But anyhow – why GP doesn’t proffer eConnect with batch posting logic? Well, the answer is simple – posting is subject for management approval and holdings removal. Plus, posting should have audit trail on who physically pressed posting button and when – eCommerce application is robot and it is probably reasonable to confine eConnect to transaction creation only
3. Autoposting Server. This application allows you to place produced batches into queuing table. Autopost monitor the table and if it finds record there, it initiates GP Dexterity internal posting logic. In this case batch posting process is in control of C# or VB eConnect developer