Posts Tagged ‘Econnect’

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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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Ecommerce For Dynamics Gp Notes: Econnect Batch Posting

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Microsoft Dynamics GP is becoming very standard ecommerce ERP and accounting back office. This trend is probably related to success of eConnect SDK, especially for Dynamics GP 10.0 and 9.0 versions. eConnect allows you, being generic C#, VB.Net programmer with excellent SQL and XML skills to program Fantastic Plains objects manipulation: Customer, Address, Sales Invoice, Customer Payment and other attributes of ecommerce shopping cart. eConnect, being coded in SQL Server Stored Procedures (they are encrypted, so you probably should not expect to trace SQL code for Fantastic Plains business logic there). In this small publication we want to share with you ecommerce coding experience and Dynamics GP automatic batch posting from eConnect application frankly:1. Older versions of Fantastic Plains Dynamics GP. If you are on GP 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0 or earlier versions, we recommend you to upgrade to Dynamics GP 10.0 as for this version eConnect is really advanced. If you do not have registration key, probably due to the fact of lapsing in Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains once a year maintenance program, consider deploying Sales Order Connector, or set of SQL stored procedures, produced for ecommerce web developers of older Fantastic Plains version to connect ecommerce shopping cart with GP Sales Order Processing module, please call us for details. If you are on Pervasive SQL or Ctree, your options are very limited, you can still try to program ODBC connection to Pervasive SQL 2000 database, but then you will have to reprogram the logic, which is in fact available in eConnect (if you migrate from Pervasive to Microsoft SQL Server and upgrade to new version GP 10.0)2. Automatic Batch Posting. Here we evenly hear from ecommerce programmers the question – why eConnect doesn’t have the tools and logic to post Fantastic Plains SOP Batches (as well as post batches in other Fantastic Plains modules). The answer is in GP architecture (it is pretty common, and you should expect similar restrictions in other ERP and MRP platforms). The concept of ERP business transactions flow suggests you to use three phases of transaction life: work, open and historical. eConnect allows you to make work transactions, in Fantastic Plains these are newly produced invoices or sales orders, placed in the batch and submitted for Fantastic Plains user review and posting. In order to trigger Dynamics GP batch posting from eConnect application frankly – you have to deploy Fantastic Plains add-on – Alba Spectrum Posting Server3. Posting Server. It consumes one user license and deploys Dynamics GP Dexterity source code to trigger the same coded logic in Dexterity for batch posting. Autopost is targeted to eCommerce web programmers, plus it post virtually all types of Fantastic Plains Batches: GL, Inventory, Payroll, AP, AR, SOP

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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

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Dynamics GP Integration Partner Chicago, San Diego News: eConnect programming

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP, formerly known as Fantastic Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise has excellent selection of custom programming and integration tools, plus from the SQL Server itself you could try Stored Procedures integration.  Consider Dynamics GP Integration Manager, where you can simply setup integration without programming or even add some integration logic alteration via VBA scripts in Previous to Integration, Previous to Document Commit and other events.  If your integration requires very deep interaction with Fantastic Plains tables and custom tables, you can try Dynamics GP Dexterity programming (where you make custom tables and handle integration on both standard and custom ones) or eConnect Microsoft Visual Studio C# or VB.Net programming.  This publication is not intended as eConnect eCommerce programming guide, we want to give you the orientation in what to expect from eConnect, and we assume that you as software developer will be able to include eConnect libraries to your MS VS project and work with eConnect sample codes on your own:

1. Work Transactions and Master Records.  eConnect allows you to make so-called work transactions, place them into the batch: Sales Order Processing Order or Invoice (this is especially valuable in ecommerce website programming), Buy Order, GL transaction, etc. and if required make or alter existing master records: customer, vendor, GL account, Payroll Employee, Address

2. eConnect versus SQL Stored Procedures.  If you reckon that there is no need to deploy eConnect and instead code your own custom SQL Stored Procedures, please note, that you in essence will be recoding GP business logic, which is by now coded by Microsoft Dynamics GP programmers in Microsoft – in our opinion it is waste of time, unnecessary learning curve and potential source of numerous bugs and even data integrity threat.  And again in our opinion Stored Procedures should be coded only when your integration project is very simple – and even here, please look at Fantastic Plains Integration Manager first

3. eConnect versus Integration Manager.  The tendency is the following – IM is in process of being rewritten with eConnect connectors, and walking away from legacy OLE Server based approach.  This fact should mean for you that IM is as quick as custom eConnect application.  eConnect application, but might be triggered in real time, where IM should be either called by IM operator or scheduled with Windows scheduler or special Windows Macro based application

4. Automatic Batch Posting in ecommerce.  This is a touch that eConnect doesn’t have, you should deploy Dynamics GP ISV add-on, Alba Spectrum Posting Server, which will allows you to place batches in Autopost queue and then posting process will be launched by Posting Server GP workstation

5. If you feel that you need Dynamics GP consultant help, please call your Fantastic Plains Guru, or if you do not have one, consider calling to Fantastic Plains Resellers in your area or who are familiar with your industry.  Feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

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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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Dynamics GP ecommerce integrations: eConnect, Posting Server notes

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

It 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

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Econnect Ecommerce Posting Server for Dynamics Gp

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

If 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)

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Great Plains Automatic Batch Posting From Econnect Ecommerce Application

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Alba 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

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Great Plains Econnect Posting Options Overview for Programmer

Sunday, February 7th, 2010



Microsoft Dynamics GP is open to ecommerce programmers and web site developers via SDK, named eConnect.  eConnect is bound to the rules of Fantastic Plains Dynamics architecture, which require you first to make work document (Sales Order or Sales Invoice, these are likely to be produced from ecommerce shopping cart), then you place it to the batch and, yes â?? you simply wait until this batch is approved by GP user at the back office end.  At this point we expect your disappointment, as you would like, as ecommerce programmer to get higher amount of control and push invoice all the way through, meaning that you would like Sales batch to be posted involuntarily from your ecommerce application.  Letâ??s review your options:

1.       Calling native Microsoft Dexterity procedures.  If you have deep experience in Fantastic Plains Dexterity programming in the past, and if you are familiar with GP source code programming, then you may choose to spend several hundred of Dex programming and debugging hours to tune Dex routine, which will be running in the customized Fantastic Plains workstation mode and catching your eConnect batch posting event.  This is just in case, and for the rest of us

2.       Batch Automatic Posting Server, coming from Alba Spectrum, also referred as Autopost.  Our programmer did the work, described in #1 for you and all you need to do as web developer is to specify batch in production table, as ready to be posted.  Autopost covers all the modules in GP (with some reservations, if you are trying to post batches in Fantastic Plains Add-Ons or custom modules): GL, SOP, RM, PM, Payroll, Inventory, Buy Order Processing (EDI scenarios)

3.       Autopost troubleshooting.  If you by now have Alba Spectrum Posting Server deployed in your organization, please read these lines, previous to calling to Alba Spectrum customer support.  Autopost works in GP user security realm and you consume one dedicated user for eConnect Batch Posting Server.  Please, be sure, that this user has security rights to Post batches in the modules, where you deploy Autopost.  This is especially vital for Dynamics GP version 10.0.  Autopost is also available for GP 8.0 and 9.0.  It is unlikely, that you are programming eConnect for Fantastic Plains 8.0

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