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

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:02:41 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP, or former Great 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 Great 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 technique 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, created in eConnect or Integration Manager into this queue table. In our opinion, this product is more flexible and gives you more control, than Autopost, developed by Parity Software, GP VAR from South Africa

3. Modifier with VBA. If you have comfort level 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 plan 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 Var Newsflash: Posting Server and Automatic Batches Posting

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:40:26 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP is popular ERp platform for eCommerce applications and business portals, where you have established shopping cart with customer registration, product catalog surfing and items picking functionality. Assuming that customer pays by credit card right away, and you then send Sales Order Processing Invoice to Great Plains through eConnect programming logic – there is good idea to finish all the work in Dynamics GP, such as apply deposit against invoice and post SOP Invoice or Batch. However eConnect, and this is limitation of Great Plains Dexterity architecture, doesn’t have functionality to post GP batches. You need Alba Spectrum Posting Server or Autopost. Please read product highlights:

1.       Dynamics GP Dexterity source code programming and batch posting. As the developer or SQL programming, all you do is place the batch name to the queue table, triggering GP that batch is ready to be posted. Then, seeing batch in the queue, Posting Server initiates exactly the same posting process as if user hits Post Batch in GP user interface. Please, note – as we use GP Dexterity posting logic, posting server is very reliable in GP version upgrades

2.       GP modules covered. As we are using native Great Plains Dexterity posting logic, all modules are covered, where you have batch or transaction posting functionality: SOP, POP, General Ledger, Payroll, Inventory Control to give you good examples

3.       Posting Server over stored procedures designed from scratch. If you have SQL programmers in IT department, the idea might be great on the first glance, however simple comment like that may be discouraging. Great Plains ERP application was written in Great Plains Dexterity shell, and it took several years of efforts for Great Plains Software back in earlier 1990th with large development team to make it happen. Batch posting logic is crucial and we could estimate that posting programming porting is close to 30 percent

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Ecommerce For Dynamics Gp Notes: Econnect Batch Posting

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:41:58 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP is becoming very popular 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 good SQL and XML skills to program Great 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 Great Plains business logic there). In this small publication we would like to share with you ecommerce coding experience and Dynamics GP automatic batch posting from eConnect application directly:1. Older versions of Great 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 Great Plains annual maintenance program, consider deploying Sales Order Connector, or set of SQL stored procedures, created for ecommerce web developers of older Great 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 often hear from ecommerce programmers the question – why eConnect doesn’t have the tools and logic to post Great Plains SOP Batches (as well as post batches in other Great 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 create work transactions, in Great Plains these are newly created invoices or sales orders, placed in the batch and submitted for Great Plains user review and posting. In order to trigger Dynamics GP batch posting from eConnect application directly – you have to deploy Great 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 Great Plains Batches: GL, Inventory, Payroll, AP, AR, SOP

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Dynamics GP ecommerce integrations: eConnect, Posting Server notes

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:42:07 +0000

It is often good idea to start ecommerce from scratch, however for some of us it doesnâ??t work as we work for established ecommerce retailers and wholesalers, where ecommerce application might be custom developed and hosted on Linux/PHP/MySQL, Oracle or another non Microsoft solution.Â In this situation you would rather consider custom integration with existing ecommerce web site and we would like to share with your some highlights.Â We are trying to write this small publication for programmers and IT people as a review:

1.Â eConnect SDK.Â If you are comfortable with Microsoft Visual Studio C#, VB or another .Net language programming, plus you are fluent with XML and have good SQL querying background, you should take a class or try self study on eConnect.Â With this Software Development Kit you can program virtually all core modules Great Plains objects: GL Accounts, Customers, Vendors, Employees, Addresses. SOP Invoices, Purchase Orders, etc.Â eConnect might seem a bit complex, especially when you are very brave and would like 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 consideration the fact, that in Microsoft Business Solutions programmers have access to all the Dynamics GP Dexterity source codes and got appropriate training

2.Â eConnect Posting restriction.Â eConnect doesnâ??t post Dynamics GP batches, as this is how Great Plains architecture was built.Â 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 correct and ready for posting and then post the batch from Great Plains user interface.Â If you really think that you need to post GP batch from ecommerce application directly, please read the next paragraph about Dynamics GP Posting Server, or Autopost

3.Â Great Plains Posting Server.Â We developed 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.Â Posting Server or Autopost is for Software Developer and it allows programmers to flag Dynamics GP work transactions batch for posting.Â 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 regular batch posting routine

4.Â SQL Scripts in ecommerce integrations.Â We have several scripts collections, one of them is Order Connector, which allows you to deploy scripts to move ecommerce orders or invoices to Dynamics GP SOP Orders and Invoices accordingly.Â Order connector runs faster 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.Â If you have concerns, or would like 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

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:44:49 +0000

If you are eCommerce .Net c#, VB or SQL developer, you need to know eConnect â?? Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains SDK for e-commerce developers architecture and limitations. eConnect was specially built up for eCommerce programmers, however 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 plan to post Gp transactions or batches automatically from your e-commerce web application, you will nee either Albaspectrum autoposting server or program Great Plains Dexterity source code with your internal programmers or Dex subcontractors. If you expect eCommerce website just to create so-called working orders or invoices in backend ERP Great Plains SOP Sales Order Processing module, then you are fine with eConnect development and deployment only. However 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. However if you think this is easy solution, this is not the case, you need at least 5 years of Great 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 Great Plains users, who will manually post your daily or weekly Sales Orders batches and transfer them for fulfillment and shipment 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 think you are low level orders per day business, consider Great 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

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:40:56 +0000

Alba Spectrum Autoposting Server is good 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 Great 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 Great 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 create 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. However 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 plan to release detailed specs for new features

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Automatic Batch Posting in Great Plains Microsoft Dynamics Gp Overview

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:43:29 +0000

If you are ecommerce developer and program web site integration with back office accounting system, Microsoft Dynamics GP, then likely you are deploying eConnect SDK software development to move placed orders and customer payments to GP Sales Order Processing module. eConnect does wonderful job – it creates or updates customer record, creates SOP batch and customer invoice with deposit in the batch created. So far everything is beautiful, now you need just as small step to accomplish your work, post the batch created right from your e-commerce application, and here you got surprised by understanding that eConnect doesn’t post batches, it doesn’t has this functionality. We would like to review Autoposting Server, designed and maintained by Alba Spectrum Dexterity development team

1.       GP Dexterity Source code involvement in the batch posting. Dynamics.DIC dictionary has native GP Dexterity functionality to post batch of various origin and in essence all the origins. However it is not obvious, even for Great Plains Dexterity programmer with decent experience in coding on how to design autopost and how to deploy native Dex posting logic. GP Autopost resolves this dilemma and all you need to do as programmer is to place batch record into custom batch posting status table

2.       Posting all the way automatic from your e-commerce website. In GP posting path is defined in posting settings. If you set GP to post SOP invoices all the way through AR module to GP General Ledger – complete automating will be achieved

3.       Third Party Add-Ons batch posting. Add-Ons, designed by GP ISV partners have their own ways to create and post batches within their satellite modules, however when transactions in the posting cycles will reach Great Plains, Dexterity posting process will take over and so there is high chance that Alba Spectrum Autopost will do the job. We encourage you to check with us

4.       Microsoft Dexterity Customizations. If you need customization design, support or upgrade, we are happy to help you with it through our Microsoft Dexterity Software Development Factory

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Great Plains Econnect Posting Options Overview for Programmer

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:42:05 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics GP is open to ecommerce programmers and web site developers via SDK, named eConnect.Â eConnect is bound to the rules of Great Plains Dynamics architecture, which require you first to create work document (Sales Order or Sales Invoice, these are likely to be created 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.Â At this point we expect your disappointment, as you would like, as ecommerce programmer to get higher level of control and push invoice all the way through, meaning that you would like Sales batch to be posted automatically from your ecommerce application.Â Letâ??s review your options:

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

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

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

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Econnect Posting Extension: Alba Spectrum Autoposting Server

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:45:25 +0000

If you are ecommerce developer, who are programming in C# or VB.Net with some SQL stored procedures, then more likely you are deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP eConnect SDK to integrate eCommerce website with Microsoft Great Plains. There are certain restrictions in eConnect, and they are in essence related to Great Plains Dynamics architecture. One of the restrictions is inability to post Sales Order Processing batches from your eCommerce web development project. Alba Spectrum is proud to offer GP Posting Server, which deploys Microsoft Dexterity native posting logic. Here are some highlights:

1. GP Dexterity posting engine. All you need to do as developer is place the batch records, which is ready to be posted into queue table. Posting is done the same way as in native GP interface and by the same technology – Great Plains Dexterity. Dex is the shell and it interprets business logic from its dictionary – DYNAMICS.DIC. All the source sanscript code in this dictionary is stripped out and if you, as Dexterity programmer would like to call native posting logic, you must have access to Dex source code

2. Supported modules. As Posting server deploys Dex internal logic, there are no restrictions on the origin of the batches to be posted. In many cases you can even autopost batches with origin from GP add-ons or third parties, developed and supported by GP ISV

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Great Plains Autopost: Programmable Batch Posting in Ecommerce Integration

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:44:02 +0000

If 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 create, modify, delete so-called master records: customer, vendor, employee, customer address to give you few examples. Plus it allows you to create so-called work transactions: Sales Invoice, which is especially popular in e-commerce programming and integration scenarios. However it is often 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 Great Plains when GP user hits post button? Well, GP engine, which is Microsoft Dexterity (former name Great Plains Dexterity), calls its internal procedures and these procedures move 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. However this is only part of the story. When posting is done in Sales Order Processing module, Dex transfers posting to Receivable Management module, where it creates records in RM20100 and others. Then it creates 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 story. Finally it creates (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 anyway – why GP doesn’t extend 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 restrict eConnect to transaction creation only

3. Autoposting Server. This application allows you to place created 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

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