Andrew Karasev
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is now renamed into Microsoft Dynamics GP, as well as Microsoft Navision into Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Axapta into Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Solomon into Microsoft Dynamics SL and Microsoft CRM into Microsoft Dynamcis CRM. Of course Microsoft has the plan to select the most marketing attractive name for its ERP products, however the other side of the renaming may be in the plan to move Project Green forward. At the final phase of Project Green Microsoft might drop GP, NAV, AX, SL and CRM extensions and make final version name to be simply Microsoft Dynamics. Interesting fact that Great Plains Software, which was the first candidate for Microsoft ERP software acquisition had Great Plains Dynamics brand, so probably Microsoft is plying retrospection card, in any case Microsoft technically owns GPS Dynamics brand anyway. In this small article we will give our retro view on Great Plains Dynamics customization, development and reporting.
1. Great Plains Dexterity this is proprietary programming language and technology, designed back to earlier 1990th with the goal to build platform independent graphical accounting package Great Plains Dynamics. Dexterity itself is written in C (following popular those days hope that C will provide platform independence). You can install Dexterity from Great Plains 7.5 CD #2. Obviously it requires a lot of learning / training, but it allows your custom piece be seamlessly integrated with Great Plains interface. Nowadays, however and this is a good thing most of Great Plains installations are moved to SQL Server so you can use Dexterity for custom forms drawing only and make the buttons run SQL stored procedures.
2. Modifier with VBA. Unfortunately you have to purchase this tool and get new registration keys. If you are familiar with VBA customization for Access or Excel you have all the skills needed then you just attach your scripts to the buttons and fields on GP forms (you can modify these forms with Modifier or just tough them with it).
3. Continuum for VB/Delphi we dont recommend this tool, because it is using Great Plains as OLE server and you probably dont want to be trapped by old technology.
The plains are not forgiving. Anything that is shallow—the easy optimism of a homesteader; the false hope that denies geography, climate, history; the tree whose roots don’t reach ground water—will dry up and blow away.
—Kathleen Norris (b. 1947)
4. Crystal Reports. Great Plains has its own ReportWriter, but its functionality is limited you cant do cross modules reports (you cant link Sales and Purchasing tables in one report, for example). So you use Crystal. The GP tables structure is in Tools->Resource Description->Tables and you are in control. Feel free to create views and stored procs directly in the companies databases it doesnt hurt the Dexterity engine
5. Direct web publishing from Great Plains SQL databases, using Visual Studio.net and your language of choice (VB. Net, C#, J#, etc). Plus you probably want to have several SQL stored procs.
6. eConnect this tool is type of SDK with VB.net samples. It allows you to feed data into Great Plains and was primarily created for eCommerce developers.
7. Integration Manager it is end-user tool for importing to GP, however if end-user meets some challenges in the integration you as a developer can help with VBA scripts. IM validates 100% of business logic and uses hidden GP forms so it maybe slow for big on-going integrations, when you have thousands records per day in this case you rescue to eConnect or directly to SQL store procedures.
8. SQL queries - as a developer you have unlimited potential in using SQL queries, because the database in MS SQL Server. Be careful, it is kind of surgery - you can easily delete all your customers, by executing: DELETE RM00101
The westward march has stopped, upon the final plains of the Pacific; and now the plot thickens ... with the change, the pause, the settlement, our people draw into closer groups, stand face to face, to know each other and be known.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
Happy customizing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
About the author:
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, VB/C##. Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.