Can't remember Customer or Vendor numbers?

Many Dynamics GP users have to work with non-intuitive numbering schemes for Customers, Vendors or Items. This can slow down data entry and force the user to use lookup windows instead of being able to move ahead with heads-down data entry. Well there is an easy answer to this problem, SmartFill by Rockton Software.

SmartFill allows you to do a Google style search to find your key data in Dynamics GP. You can type part of the Name, Description, or WHATEVER you know into any ID field, and then SmartFill intuitively discovers the correct ID and types it in for you. No lookup required! Find accounts by typing in part of their description or just a partial segment. Find employees by typing in their first or last name, or even their address! Find customers by phone, address, name, or even information stored in outside databases!

Features
Works with all Customer, Vendor, Item, Account, and Employee fields throughout Dynamics GP and any 3rd party product. Also works with any other Primary ID you can think of - including those in 3rd party products.

• Want to search by other fields? No problem. Search by city, phone, or whatever you want!
• Provides a short list of all matches if there is more than one match, so you can choose from a filtered list.
• Allows both Begins With and Contains lookups

Pricing
SmartFill is only $150 USD per user plus enhancement plan


If you would like to learn more or see a quick demo, please contact us at Collins Computing. We recommend this to all of our clients and they cannot imagine using Dynamics GP without this awesome tool.

It is time to head to Atlanta

Convergence 2010 is upon us. This should be a great year in Atlanta, especially for Dynamics GP customers. This will be the official launch of Dynamics GP 2010. I hope that you will be there. I will try to post some blogs during the conference with news and updates. Everything kicks off Saturday with the Welcome Reception and then keynotes on Sunday morning.

Stayed tuned for updates directly from Atlanta.

Lookup Windows in GP 2010

As I have been going through the beta release of GP 2010 I have been trying to come up with business examples for the new features. One of the features I looked at was the addition of a default view in the lookup windows. The following explanation if from the What's New documentation.
Lookups
You can define and save a default lookup view for your master records by selecting the Set as Default View option from the View menu or using the right-click menu in the lookup window. The default view you select will be the view displayed when you open the lookup window the next time.
So how can I use this?
I am a salesperson and I enter orders for my customers in Sales Order Entry. I would be easier if the customer lookup only displayed my customers. In the past, I used VBA to set this type of view, but with the release of GP 2010, I will be able to set a default view.

First, I create a favorite in Smartlist.

Second, you select the favorite in the Customer Lookup window.

Finally, you set the favorite as the Default View.

This setting is by user and it will remain as the default until you select another default view.

This new feature works with all master record lookups. Users will now be able to advantage of their Smartlist favorites in their lookup windows.

Gaps in Management Reporter

As you are probably aware of by now, Management Reporter is replacing FRx Reporter with the release of Dynamics GP 2010. Many users have looked forward to this release for a while, but unfortunately not everyone is going to be able to immediately move to Management Reporter. There are some features of FRx Reporter that have not yet made it into this release of Management Reporter. Here are some of the gaps that have been identified.

• Currency Translation (this will be available for Management Reporter in the GP 2010 Feature Pack, but that will probably not be available for about a year)
• Forecaster Integration (this might also be in the Feature Pack, but in the short term you could use the transfer tool to move Forecaster data into the GL)
• 
  
  Row Linking
  • You can use dimension sets to handle exceptions that cannot be accommodated by using ranges and wildcards.
  • You can also create multiple dimension links in a single row format. This method works for consolidations and situations in which row definitions are similar and dimension codes are different.
• 
  
  WebPort
  • You must have a Management Report client to view the reports. The option would be to print the report to Excel
• 
  
  Email
  • Again you would need to run reports to Excel and attach files to email.
• Report Manager – the Report Library of Management Reporter will allow external files, but it is a manual process.

If these are areas you are currently using in FRx Reporting you need to consider your alternatives before moving to Management Reporter. Overall Management Reporter looks to be very strong and easy to use. FRx users will be able to quickly create reports and they will certainly see an improvement in performance.

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Dynamics GP 2010

10 – Upgrades are Easy: Proven by beta customers going live

9 – Leverage Other Technologies: 64 Bit (especially Management Reporter) Workflow on Windows Sharepoint Foundation (the free version)

8 – Integrate Systems Better: Improved Web Services

7 – Connect Easier with People: Using Office Communicator

6 – Create mini applications: Using the new features of Extender

5 – Tailor Your List Pages: Navigation List Builder (extended feature of SmartList Builder)

4 – Create Professional External Documents: Using the new Word forms

3 – Work with over 90 Build in SRS Reports:

2 – Get More Out of Excel: Using new features of Excel Report Builder

1 – Better Insight: Dashboards and KPI's with Drill Back

A first look at Management Reporter

As you probably know by now, Management Reporter is replacing FRx Reporting with the upcoming release of Dynamics GP 2010. I have heard concern from a lot of customers and consultants, because they know FRx and are worried about having to learn a new product.

I have finally had a chance to look at a beta copy of Management Reporter and it looks like it will be a great solution. Needless to say I cannot cover all of the features and benefits of Management Reporting in this short article, but I do want to cover a few of them.

First, it still uses the building blocks we have grown used to using in FRx. Rows, Columns and Trees.


You may also notice from the screen shot that the interface is very different from FRx.  The interface is very similar to Outlook and Dynamics GP.


The new interface includes both navigation panes and toolbars.


One item that is nice to see is "Undo/redo". 




The row definition window looks very familar and includes the same information we are used to entering in FRx.

Here is an example of the Column Definition window.

The Report Catalog from FRx has been replaced by the Report Definition.  It is simply a change in the name as the information and fields are very similar to the Report Catalog.


Some of the other new features with Management Reporter are:

• Column Page Breaks
• Ability to insert graphics into headers and footers
• Report Libary - a centralized storage facilityor your published reports

The first thing our consultants wanted to know was, "Will Management Reporter run on a 64 bit system?"  The answer is YES!!!!  Management Reporter is developed using the Microsoft .NET Framework and C# for native 64-bit support.

Management Reporter also is designed around a multi-tiered architecture with server-side processing.  This will allow the users to generate and process reports using server resources to dramatically improve performance and free up workstation resources while reports are processing.

I have only spent a short time looking at Management Reporter, but I am impressed by what I have seen.  I believe customers and consultants are going to be happy with the new solution.

Sales Order Entry Solution for Dynamics GP

You use Dynamics GP and it is your job to enter Quotes, Order and Invoices, but after using Sales Order Processing you are sure there must be a better way. The search features for finding customers and items are limited. You have to open up several windows to see historical orders and invoices. You need additional software if you accept credits cards or have matrix inventory. It just seems the SOP is not as user friendly as it could be.

Well there is a solution available to answer your concerns with SOP and it even helps with POP, Inventory and Reporting. The solution is SalesPad. It is available from SalesPad Solutions, LLC.

There are too many features in SalesPad to discuss them all here, but I wanted to discuss a few.
First is the Customer Card. This is a one stop solution for your customer service department. They can see all information about the customer, including addresses, notes, A/R, item history, sales documents and open sales documents. They can also create and see user defined fields, special pricing and recurring sales information.

Second is the Order Entry window. You can access the Order Entry window directly from the Customer Card. The Order Entry window shows all of the header information as well as all of the line items. You can even lookup items and bring multiple items onto the order with one click of the mouse. You also have a visual cue (red line) is the line item is out of stock. You can generate a purchase order directly from the sales order.

These are just a few of the many features in SalesPad. Other features include Workflow, Credit Card Processing, Special Pricing, Matrix Inventory, Sales Analysis Reporting, User Defined Fields, Counter Sales and many, many more.
If you would like to see a demo of SalesPad or would like additional information just drop me an email.
In the near future I will post online demos of SalesPad.

Microsoft Convergence – Early Bird

Early Bird Registration Ends March 3rd!

You're still eligible for the early-registration discount! Just register before March 3rd, 2010, and you can take advantage of a $300 per person savings off the regular registration fee!

Microsoft's "Special Group Rate" hotel rooms are going fast - book early!

New Sessions Added to the Session Catalog!

Attend Convergence 2010 Atlanta & receive 20% discount on additional modules, additional users, & transition to BRL. Offer Details

What do the Super Bowl and Convergence have in common?

Well I just finished watching the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV.  It was a great game.  I was excited to see the Saints win.  Not just because it was the first time they had been to a Super Bowl or because of everything the city has been through, but I wanted Sean Payton (head coach) to get the win.


And why did I want Sean Payton to get the win? 


Because Sean Payton will be speaking at Microsoft Convergence in Atlanta and it will be great to hear from the coach that brought his team back from an early 10 point deficit, had the guts to start the second half with an onside kick and also go for a two point conversion.   


Sean will be presenting in a business leadership session on Sunday, April 25.  He will also be speaking about his foundation www.paytonsplayitforwardfoundation.com  I am sure it will be a great session, but this will be only one of many great sessions.  It is not too late to register.  Go to www.microsoft.com/convergence


I hope to see you there.

Upgrading to Dynamics GP 2010

As I am sure you are probably aware by now Dynamics GP 2010 (Version 11) is due to begin shipping in May. You might not be planning on upgrading right away and I certainly understand that, but you should still be taking some steps to prepare for the upgrade.

The first item you should address in preparing for the upgrade is to make sure you are on the upgrade path.

Update Paths

Dynamics GP 9 - 9.00.0371 (Hotfix KB 971017) or later

Dynamics GP 10 - 10.00.1368 (Service Pack 4) or later

NOTE: There is no direct update from Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains 8.0 to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010. You must update to Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 or Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 first.

 

So now is a good time to work with your Microsoft partner to make sure you have the correct service pack so you will be ready to move to Dynamics GP 2010. Also keep an eye on CustomerSource for announcements of GP 2010 as the launch approaches.

What is DCO?????

You may have heard Microsoft or your Dynamics GP partner talking about "DCO", but you have no clue what they are talking about. We all know Microsoft is known for their acronyms and "DCO" is another one of them. "DCO" is Microsoft Dynamics Client for Office. It is a light user for most employees in a customer's Dynamics implementation. It contains a right to access the Dynamics database directly, and a variety of product specific capabilities that make it useful to most employees in a customer organization.
With the recent announcement of pricing changes for Dynamics GP 2010, they also announced new capabilities for "DCO". "DCO" will include:

• Business Portal Employee and Customer Users
• Analysis Cubes
• Analysis Cubes Library
• Management Reporter Viewer
• 
  
  BI Components
  • Executive Centers & Dashboards
  • Excel Reports
  • SRS Reports
• Order Management
• Requisition Management
• Project T&E
• Field Service Suite
• Human Resources Management Self Service Suite
• Database Access License

"DCO" is available for both Business Ready Licensing Editions, Advanced Management and Business Essentials. Availability for BE is new as of Dynamics GP 2010. "DCO" is not available on Module Based Licensing, Professional or Standard Editions.
If you would like more information on "DCO" please contact your Microsoft Dynamics partner.

New Price Changes for Dynamics GP

With Dynamics GP 2010 currently in beta and due to release in May, Microsoft has also announced some upcoming pricing and packaging changes for Dynamics GP. The changes are scheduled to go into effect on May 1, 2010.

Detailed information on the changes can be found on PartnerSource and CustomerSource, but I will try to give a quick outline of the changes. Overall the goal of the changes is to simplify the pricing and increase the overall value of the solution.

• Additional modules will be included in Business Essentials
  
  • Field Level Security, Account Level Security and Electronic Banking Suite will be included in the BE Foundation Pack.
    
  • Modifier and Dynamics Client for Office will be available to BE as A La Carte modules.
    
• Management Reporter will be the replacement for FRx.
  
  • Two SKU's for Management Report Designer and Viewer
    
• Consolidate Modules – some modules will be consolidated into suite offerings. The individual modules will no longer be available. Existing customer current on their maintenance plan will receive the suite if one or more of the modules are licensed at the time of the change (May 1, 2010). The new suites are as follows:
  
  • Manufacturing Suite available via AM A La Carte (AME)
    
    • Capacity Requirements Planning
      
    • Engineering Change Management
      
    • Job Costing
      
    • Quality Assurance
      
    • Sales Configurator
      
    • Sales Forecasting
      
  • Distribution Suite available via AM A La Carte
    
    • Advanced Distribution
      
    • Advanced Picking
      
  • Risk Management Suite available via AM A La Carte and BE A La Carte
    
    • Audit Trails
      
    • Electronic Signatures
      
  • Integration Suite available via AM A La Carte and BE A La Carte
    
    • Integration Manager
      
      • Integration Manager - Financials & Distribution
        
      • Integration Manager - Financials (GL,RM,PM,FA,BR,Payroll,Project)
        
      • Integration Manager - Distribution (POP,SOP,INV)
        
    • Developer Toolkit for Microsoft Dynamics® GP
      
      • eConnect
        
      • Web Services
        
  • Customization Suite available via AM A La Carte and BE A La Carte
    
    • Developer Toolkit
      
    • Dexterity
      
• Consolidate Enterprise Reporting – There will be 3 options:
  
  • Enterprise Reporting Base Pack
    
  • Enterprise Reporting Designer User
    
  • Enterprise Reporting Viewer User
    
• Add External Connector to price list – This license allows external non-employee non-validated people access to the Dynamics database.
  
• Remove modules from price list – the following modules are being removed from the price list. Existing customers will continue to receive support and licenses to use these modules for Dynamics GP 10.0.
  
  • Crystal Reports
    
  • Electronic Document Delivery
    
  • Field Service Anywhere
    
  • Microsoft Demand Planner
    
• Improve Dynamics Client for Office (DCO) – several Business Portal and Business Intelligence modules will be rolled into the DCO license. There is a lot that will be included in this area and I will cover it in more detail in a separate article.
  

 

So in addition to the new features you receive with Dynamics GP 2010, you may actually receive access to new modules when this pricing goes into effect. It will depend on the modules you are currently licensed for at the time of the changes. Also, none of these changes will affect your protected list price for your maintenance plan. If you have any questions about the changes be sure to check with your Microsoft Partner. As additional information becomes available I will attempt to post the information here.

Initial thoughts on Dynamics GP 2010

I have had an opportunity to take a look at Dynamics GP 2010 (aka Dynamics GP 11). The actual release is scheduled for May 2010. I have only spent a few hours looking around and I have not had an opportunity to load Sharepoint 2010 yet, so I have not been able to play with the new dashboard features.

There are some nice new features; such as, consolidating multiple budgets, budget transactions and the ability to exclude inactive records from lookup lists. I would have to say the number one feature is the ability to use Microsoft Word 2007 to print and email invoices, packing slips, orders and purchase orders. There are several templates that ship with the software and you can also modify them or create new ones. I am sure this is a features many long time users will really appreciate. I know we all love Dynamics GP Report Writer, but if you can use Word and even email the forms I guess I will give up the Report Writer.

I am looking forward to getting a look at Management Reporter. This is the new financial statement report designer that will be replacing FRx. I did get an initial look at Management Reporter last year when it was part of Performance Point and I certainly liked the new interface. Also Management Reporter will be able to run 64 bit, so I am sure many IT departments will like that. Hopefully the beta of Management Reporter will be able soon.

I am going to continue working with GP 2010 and will let you know soon what other features will be coming.