Friday, October 28, 2011

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.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

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.