OLAP for Dynamics GP

Many users and partners often overlook the fact the Microsoft delivers prebuilt OLAP cubes for Dynamics GP.  Another name for the OLAP cubes is Analysis Cubes.  The cubes provide a data warehouse of Dynamics GP data.  The data warehouse can be used for reporting in Excel or through other reporting tools.  Until recently, these cubes were somewhat limited.  However, we the latest release of Analysis Cubes for Dynamics GP 2010 R2, Microsoft removed the passwords from the SSIS packages. 

Now partners or customers may make modifications to the SSIS packages in order to change how data is acquired from Microsoft Dynamics GP and brought into the data warehouse.  While these modifications are not supported by Microsoft, it still allows customers to add additional information they may need to create their specific reports.

Also with the latest release, Microsoft added a cube for Analytical Accounting.  This provides another method of reporting against Analytical Accounting codes.

One way to access the cubes is through the PivotTable Creator.  TOOLS - ANALYSIS CUBES - CREATE PIVOTTABLE REPORTS.

One the Report Filter, Report Rows and Report Values are set, the Pivot Table can be opened in Excel.

Once the PivotTable is open in Excel it can be further modified.  Users can now go directly to Excel to run the PivotTable as it is directly connected to the OLAP cube.

However, it is important to remember that reporting against OLAP cubes is not real time.  The information is only as current as the cube.  Usually scheduled jobs are created and set to run on a nightly basis to refresh the data.

Hopefully this gives you some information on using the latest OLAP cubes with Dynamics GP.

Is it starting to get cloudy?

As we begin to approach winter, it is common to hear the weatherman say it will be cloudy.  That may bring thoughts of cold and gloomy days.  We always prefer the weatherman to tell us it will be sunny.  However, the mention of the cloud relating to computer systems should not bring about thoughts of cold and gloomy days.

Being involved in presales, I meet with many companies that are looking for ways to improve their company and recover from the cold and gloomy days of the economy.  Many of these companies have limited cash and resources, so the idea of implementing and deploying an on-premise ERP system is not something they can tackle.  This is where a "cloudy" environment might help.

By implementing an ERP system in the cloud, companies can minimize their initial investment, which may lead to a shorter payback period and higher ROI.

Cloud ERP systems allow companies to:

·         Minimize the initial investment by avoiding upfront hardware and software purchases.

·         Get up and running quickly by using faster deployment options.

·         Manage company cash flow by providing low, predictable costs that scale with actual use of the solution.

·         Scale the solution as needed, since many cloud providers will adjust user counts and modules as needs change.

·         Free up internal IT staff for tasks that provide more value to the company.

·         Offer remote access, so employees can work from wherever they have internet access.

In addition, many cloud providers offer companies the opportunity to try the solution before they purchase.  This also lets users understand the solution and see it work with their data before the commit.

While Microsoft does not currently offer Dynamics ERP solutions directly in the cloud, many partners have a solution.  At Collins, we offer Dynamics GP, Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM in the cloud, and we offer a 30-day trial option.  To learn more, check out http://collinscomputing.com/cloud-solutions_online.html.

                                                                                                    

More free bullets for PSTL

In my last article, I looked at the free PSTL tools available for the Dynamics GP Purchasing Series.  In this article I will continue looking at the free PSTL tools.  As a reminder, PSTL is the Professional Service Tools Library for Microsoft Dynamics GP.  The powerful suite of tools provide great flexibility in working with Dynamics GP.  There are over 40 tools available, and 15 of them are actually free.  The other tools typically cost between $750 and $1,500, with special pricing available for bundles or the entire suite.

The additional free tools are in the Sales, Inventory and System Series.

SOP PO Number Check:
This tool adds important functionality to Sales Order by checking Customer PO Numbers for duplicates as data is entered into the PO Number field on both the SOP Entry window and the SOP Customer Detail Entry.

Different rules can be defined for each SOP Type with the choice of five different warning types.  The warnings include: Do Nothing, Warn, Warn and Ask, Warn and Reject, Warn and Password.  It is also possible to create a customer warning message.

Territory Modifier:

This tool changes territory IDs in the system.  The result is a new territory ID with no loss of data.

Territory Combiner:

As a company grows and reorganizes, it is common to restructure sales territories.  With the territory combiner tool, it is possible to combine a territory ID into another territory ID without losing any work, open or history records.  After the combination, the old territory is removed from the system.

Item Reconciler:

This tool increases performance when performing item reconciliation maintenance.  Only those items that need reconciling will be reconciled using the PSTL.

Menu Inquiry Utility:

This tool allows you to see all of the commands on the menus, hidden or not, and helps identify where those commands come from (which product) and other properties of the commands.

Update User Date: (*GP2010 only)

This tool automatically updates the User Date at midnight.  This tool can be useful when the solution is left open on a machine overnight running integrations or other processes.

Copy Company: (*GP2010 only)
I have previously written about this tool in my Easy way to copy company blog.

In future articles I will look at other tools used by many Dynamics GP users.  Remember PSTL is available for download from CustomerSource.

PSTL - The often overlooked weapon for Dynamics GP

PSTL is the Professional Service Tools Library for Microsoft Dynamics GP.  The powerful suite of tools provide great flexibility in working with Dynamics GP.  Since the toolkit is no longer on the official Microsoft price list, many people may overlook it. There are over 40 tools available, and 15 of them are actually free.  The other tools typically cost between $750 and $1,500, with special pricing available for bundles or the entire suite.

In this article I will take a look at the tools in the Purchasing Series that are available for free. 

POP Cost Defaulter:
This tools defaults the Standard Cost or the Current Cost into the Purchase Order Entry window instead of the vendor specific Last Invoice Cost.



Default Add Item POP/SOP:
This tool automatically marks the Add Item option in Sales Transaction Entry, Purchase Order Entry, POP Receiving's Entry and Purchase Invoice Entry.

Doc Date Verify:
This tool verifies that document dates fall within a valid fiscal period when entered in Payables Transaction Entry or Receivables Transaction Entry.  If the date does not fall within a valid fiscal period, the user receives a message and they are not allowed to continue until the date is in a valid period.

Decimal Place Tool:
Adjust the Check Amount in words to two decimals, for both Payables and Payroll checks.  This tool is useful when the currencies are changed to more than two decimals.

Payables Select Checks Combiner:
This tools allows a user to consolidate checks to the same vendor when users are appending to an existing checks batch.  This is a value if users build batches of checks based on different number and date ranges.

Payables Minimum Check Utility:
This tool add a new option to the Select Checks window.  Users can pick a minimum amount, and it will prevent any checks from being created under the selected amount.

Minimum PO/Receipt Number:

Prevent purchase order processing from defaulting the next PO or receipt number to a number that is previous to the current PO number.  This is useful when an existing PO number is deleted.

These are just a few of the free tools available in the PSTL.  PSTL is available for download from CustomerSource.  In future articles I will look at other free tools, as well as many of the common tools used by many Dynamics GP users.

Easy way to copy a Dynamics GP company

Professional Service Tools offer many wonderful tools, but one that can come in handy especially if you need to do some testing.  The tool is Company Copy. 

This tool allows the SA user to copy setup and report option information from one company to another company within Microsoft Dynamics GP. You can choose the modules for which information will be copied from the source company to the destination company.

This offers a quick way to start a test company, or to create a second company with similar setup requirements, vendors, accounts, customers, etc.

Take a look at all Professional Service Tools have to offer.