Certainly, if you are building ecommerce from scratch, then you should consider harvest as the base of your future ecommerce web application. But, and this is probably your case, in ecommerce scenarios we evenly see legacy ecommerce portal, which does the job, and your role is to give some impulse as software developer in your IT department to ecommerce integration evolution. In this case you are moving away from emailing orders “involuntarily” from ecommerce to Fantastic Plains users to somewhat like batch overnight ecommerce Sales Invoices and Payments processing or even in ultimate case to real time Invoices creation triggering from ecommerce to Dynamics GP SOP module. Standard PHP based ecommerce shopping carts also make customer profile on the glide or update existing customer. In this case integration goes to Receivable Management Customer Master file in Fantastic Plains. Let’s take a look at technical side or programming tools:
Posts Tagged ‘Integration’
Dynamics GP eCommerce Integration Notes
Monday, March 1st, 2010Dynamics GP Integration Partner Chicago, San Diego News: eConnect programming
Sunday, February 28th, 2010Microsoft 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
Dynamics GP Ecommerce Programming and Integration Notes
Friday, February 26th, 2010Microsoft Dynamics GP is open to ecommerce programmer via eConnect SDK, as well as Microsoft SQL Server programmability tools (typically Stored Procedures and Views). Previous to you dive into technical project of eConnect programming, please, review Fantastic Plains Integration Manager module and its customization options: VBA scripting of Previous to Document Commit (as very common modification point) event; you can schedule IM integration with Windows Macro or deploy free and ready for buy applications, extending basic Windows Macro with bonus functionalities. Dynamics GP Integration Manager based (for version 10.0 and future versions 11.0 and up) on eConnect technology (in addition to supporting ancient OLE Server integrations), meaning that IM integration should be able to achieve the same goal with less efforts. And as you should expect the same limitations for eConnect as you have for Integration Manager – most evenly manifesting limitation is eConnect and Integration Manager Batch Posting incapacity. Now straight to the Fantastic Plains eCommerce Developing topic:
1. eConnect is Software Development Kit, written in SQL Stored Procedures (encrypted), it allows you to program GP master records (Customer, Vendor, Employee, GL Account, Inventory Item, Address, Project, Budget, etc.) and so-called Work Transactions: SOP Quote, Order and Invoice, POP Buy Order, GL Transaction, Employee Paycheck, Inventory Adjustment and Transfer, to give the thought. eConnect is friendly and requires very fleeting learning curve for Microsoft Visual Studio .Net C#, VB and other .Net compliant languages programmers. Bonus pluses if you have XML, SQL Scripting skills
2. Sales Order Processing and Inventory Control modules and tables. These two are the most standard in ecommerce integrations. SOP tables have SOP prefix (well-known SOP10100 transaction header and SOP10200 lines), and Inventory INV (INV00101 – item master and INV00102 Quantity master) respectively. Sometimes, especially in ancient Fantastic Plains ecommerce legacy integrations you find Invoicing module (IV prefix)
3. Posting problem. In ecommerce application you evenly want to do all the way transaction processing: Sales Invoice creation and modification, applying credit card payment deposit, allocating merchandise, approving and posting Sales Order Processing batch (or individual transaction). Here, you will hit the wall and realize that Posting functionality is not included in eConnect or Fantastic Plains Integration Manager. There is no shortcut here (we assume that you are Not Dynamics GP Dexterity software developer with tons of programming experience, including Dexterity Source Code Programming), you will need to buy Dynamics GP Add-On, we recommend Dynamics GP Posting Server, also known as Autopost
4. Dynamics GP eCommerce SQL Scripting. If you have the opinion that your ecommerce integration routine is very simple and eConnect is too cumbersome and heavy in being considered for deployment, you can always rescue to SQL direct insertion statement. Please review GP table structure: Dynamics GP -> Settings -> Resource Description -> Tables. Or, simply install GP Software Development Kit from CD #2. Dynamics GP Business Logic might be too complex for intuitive programming, so if you will get the buggy situation, consider making test transaction in GP user interface and review the records in GP tables. If you prefer proven set of stored procedures – we place forward them as Order Connector, feeding data into SOP tables
5. Feel free to call us on Microsoft Dynamics GP eCommerce integrations concerns: 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com
Dynamics GP Integration: Great Plains Technology Partner Notes
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010If you have Microsoft Dynamics GP implemented in your organization and you plot to integrate GP ERP and MRP modules with your other IT systems: ecommerce, Sales Ordering, CRM, EDI Purchasing, Supply Chain Management, you should get initial introduction to Dynamics GP Integration Tools: Integration Manager, eConnect, Dexterity, Import Utility, direct SQL Scripting. In this article we will not be covering Dynamics GP ISV third party add-ons. It might look a bit technical to IT boss, and at the same time you, as programmer may expect more technical details, as we are trying to keep weigh:
1. Integration Manager. This tool is very friendly to GP User, and if this is your role, plus you are familiar with GP master documents and transactions types, you should try to build simple integration, use existing sample integrations as a reference and study materials. If you are on GP version 10.0, IM has two types of Connectors: traditional OLE based (require login to the GP workstation as OLE Server and launching IM from there – integration works with the current company) and eConnect (they are built upon eConnect technology stack, should be a way faster, do not require GP workstation, however you will need special procedure to install eConnect connectors, especially Admin domain account or your GP local server Admin account; if by whatever reason you change eConnect Account Password, please change it in also in Administrative Tools -> Component Services -> COM+ Applications – > Properties – > Identity – this is one of the most questioned questions). If you reckon about IM as very simple and pretty restricted tool, we want to give you advanced scenario. Consider the situation, when you have legacy Sales Order Management System in Oracle, and you need to go Sales Orders and New Customers to GP SOP module. In this case, consider to make MS SQL Server Linked Server to Oracle, and SQL Heterogeneous View, which will pull data from Oracle and will check the Invoice existence in SOP10100 (Work SOP Docs) or SOP30200 (Historical SOP Docs). This view should allow you to make ongoing integration of Customer Orders to GP. You can schedule integration with Windows Scheduling custom applications, available for moderate fee on Software market, or simply have GP IM user to launch integration every day or every few hours. Please, check with your Dynamics GP VAR on IM module license
2. eConnect. This tool is open for Microsoft Visual Studio C#, VB or other .Net programming language software developer. Initially it was dedicated to ecommerce programmers to open Fantastic Plains as back office accounting. We recommend you to look at eConnect if your current GP version is 10.0 or 9.0. If you are on earlier version: 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.0, 3.2, Fantastic Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows or Mac, please consider upgrade to version 10.0 or if you are on Fantastic Plains Dynamics, consider deploying either Integration Manager, Import Utility, Dexterity or direct SQL Insert. eConnect is simple in inclusion into MS Visual Studio project as Library, and then you should be able to program by examples, provided in eConnect SDK. In fact in Integration Manager 10.0 most of the objects are available in eConnect connector version, so you can try IM, but eConnect allows you to have more control over integration, and especially vital feature is real time integration option, where you could call eConnect methods upon ecommerce invoice and payment residency event
3. Dexterity. It is native Fantastic Plains development environment, and it has access to all the GP Objects, including master records, work, open and historical transactions, plus custom Dexterity add-ons produced tables, fields, forms and windows. You should not immediately consider to drop IM and eConnect as no longer feasible integration options, as Dex has some drawbacks – it is not open source programming language, it requires relatively long programming learning curve. You may consider to get Dynamics GP Dexterity training for your IT programmers, if you are facing huge Fantastic Plains implementation with numerous customizations and existing logic modifications, especially when you work for large organization with challenging ecommerce, logistics, warehouse management. For the rest of us, we recommend outsourcing Dexterity integration programming to Dynamics GP ISV with Dex software development factories. One of the excellent examples of Dex custom add-ons is Alba Spectrum Posting Server or Autopost, allowing you to break through eConnect limitations on incapacity to post Batches and individual transactions
4. Import Utility. This tool is in our opinion rather archaic and useful if you are on Ctree or Pervasive SQL 2000. Since Dynamics GP 8.0 the only supported DB Platform is Microsoft SQL Server: MS SQL 2000 for 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0, MS SQL 2005 for 9.0, 10.0, MS SQL 2008 for 10.0. We recommend you direct SQL insert for SQL Server based installations. IU doesn’t validate GP business logic and such is similar in its potential harm to business logic inconsistency as direct SQL insert statement
5. Direct SQL Scripting. Please, try not to be too enthusiastic about feeding data into Great Plains via SQL Query Analyzer. Consider the fact that eConnect is written in SQL Server encrypted stored procedures and likely the intended SQL feeding is already covered in one of its Procedures. Consider to invest some time in eConnect training, as if you do integration in eConnect libraries, versus custom SQL scripting – business logic validation should not be an issue, as eConnect is replicating Dexterity business logic. If these advises are not applicable to you, please go ahead with SQL scripting. Dynamics GP Tables structure could be found in GP SDK (install from CD#2), plus here: Dynamics GP -> Setup-> Resource Description -> Tables. We strongly recommend to be very conservative and try your integration first in the test company or in Fabrikam Lesson Company – here try to penetrate similar transactions in GP user interface and then review how records were recorded in the tables and irrevocably then start your coding
6. Dynamics GP Integration in International environment. Please note that GP is generally localized and supported in English speaking countries: USA, Canada (including French Quebec version), UK, Australia, South Africa, Oceania, New Zealand, India, Pakistan or English Business Specking South East Asia, plus it is translated and partially localized for Spanish specking Latin America. GP has potential to be translated to non-Unicode compliant languages: Russian, Lithuanian, German, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Turkish, etc. But we recommend you to consider ERP tax code compliance question. In some international situations SAP Business One with GL or transactions integrations to Dynamics GP might be better option, especially if SB1 is localized for your country
7. Alternatives to Dynamics GP Fantastic Plains. If you feel that GP is too expensive, consider Microsoft Small Business Accounting or if this is too simple, consider SAP Business One. If you believe that GP is too poor in its functionality, consider switching to next amount in Microsoft Dynamics ERP harvest hierarchy – AX, formerly known as Axapta
8. If you need bonus help, please call us: 1-866-528-0577, internationally 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com or skype: albaspectrum. We would be pleased to give you your industry case from Fantastic Plains customization and integration perspective, as well as to give you second opinion, if you are not pleased with your current Dynamics GP Partner support amount
Dynamics GP ecommerce Integration Technologies: notes for Programmer
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010We assume that in your case you have established Microsoft Dynamics GP (also known as Fantastic Plains Dynamics in the past) and use it in production for accounting, Sales Order Processing, AP, AR, distribution and logistics. Plus you have working ecommerce website, where integration to GP is very loose: maybe it triggers email to Picking and Packing department, or Sales Order Processing people. In this small publication we want to review relatively open for end user or in the case of software developer – not hard to start integration coding. We do not specifically review here differences between B2B and B2C ecommerce scenarios in Dynamics GP, please review our past articles. There are ready for use solutions, we assume that you by now did this homework and chose to preserve your investments into your current eCommerce web application, and all you want to do is robust integration:
1. Real Time versus Batch Mode integrations. Real Time ecommerce transactions go to GP Sales Orders or Invoices is certainly cool to have, but if this is not unquestionably required, we recommend you first to reckon about Batch Mode ecommerce integration. Batch mode means, that ecommerce may have some lookups for your customers if item is available in one of your warehouses (via simple SQL query to your Dynamics GP Company database), but ecommerce transactions are went to GP Sales Document only once per day, or maybe every hour, if you are larger ecommerce retailer
2. GP Integration Manager. This tool is very friendly to Fantastic Plains users, and it could be extended by programmer via VBA event driven scripts. IM is first choice if you are plotting integrate in Batch Mode. Please, do not be mislead by some GP consultants, that IM is for text files only. For advanced ecommerce integration to GP we recommend you to base IM data queries on SQL Server Views (Advanced ODBC based query) and the View itself looks at the existing GP orders and lines and into new ecommerce document – in that case your scenario could be completely automated. Plus IM integration could be called involuntarily via Windows macro third party tiny applications (or you can buy Integration scheduling tool from Microsoft Business Solutions, check with your Dynamics GP Partner on that). We helped implement scenarios for large Computer IT integrator and warehouse, where all transactions are coming through B2B ecommerce website on PHP/Linux and GP Integration Manager is scheduled to run every 20 minutes to be close to real time mode integration. OK, now if you reckon IM is too simple, let’s go on to eConnect
3. eConnect SDK and technology for Dynamics GP. If you are C# or VB.Net ecommerce programmer or programming savoir-faire web master, please review eConnect, as it has set of libraries, which could be added to your MS Visual Studio web projects and you could make, edit, delete virtually all GP Master records: customer, vendor, GL account, Item, Address, Employee, and work transactions: Sales Invoice, Buy Order, Buy Receipt, GL Transaction, Customer Payment. Please, note that you cannot post GP Batches (such as standard in ecommerce scenarios Sales Order Processing Batch) – if you need complete automation with Batch Posting you need to consider Alba Spectrum Posting Server or Autopost. Also, eConnect doesn’t cover some rather historical modules, such as Invoicing (usually Fantastic Plains Customers prefer more robust Sales Order Processing module). And plus, eConnect from Dynamics GP doesn’t cover third party Dynamics GP ISV modules, which you may deploy – consider to check with you Fantastic Plains ISV partner if they have extensions for eConnect. If you are on Dynamics GP 10.0 and 9.0 – eConnect is the way to go, but if you are on older version, consider to upgrade to GP version 10.0 prior to deploying eConnect in your ecommerce integration programming
4. Beyond eConnect. If you believe that your integration is SOP only and it is very simple, we place forward Alba Spectrum Order Connector. This tool supports all current versions: 10.0 and 9.0 plus older versions: 7.5 and 8.0. You can also combine some Fantastic Plains Dexterity programming to alter business processes in GP as bonus help to Integration. We are trying to discourage you from considering direct SQL Server Stored procedures coding, as eConnect by now have this work done for you – its initial layout is encrypted MS SQL Server Stored Procedures, plus consider the fact that Dynamics GP Business Logic and Data Flow is complex, and its database is not protected from inexperienced SQL programmer – you can compromise data integrity and incur bonus unexpected expenses in involving GP Technical consultants to do data recovery and repair
5. How to get help? Please, feel free to call us: 1-866-528-0577, outside of USA: 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com We are very technical and real Dynamics GP Dexterity, SAP Business One SDK programming gurus. We have Fantastic Plains Software Development Factory and could support unlimited Dynamics GP Customization and Programming needs. Plus we speak English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and not only as native speaking sales folks, but as real technical consultants. If you prefer skype: albaspectrum
Ecommerce to Dynamics GP Real Time Integration: Order Connector
Monday, February 15th, 2010If 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
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
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