Microsoft Great Plains Data Conversion – overview for developerWritten by Andrew Karasev
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4.Data Transformation Services (DTS) – Good tool for importing your third party data into staging tables in GP - then you can pull them in using either stored procs of Integration Manager. You can also deploy this tool for EDI export/import. 5.Great Plains Dexterity Conversion Utilities. If your legacy data sits in old Dexterity customization on Ctree/Pervasice.SQL/Btrieve - you can create custom Dexterity conversion utility, which will read table in Ctree/Btrieve and will move it to SQL based new custom Dexterity table. In this scenario - you need Dexterity customization upgrade as well. (Great Plains Dexterity - is programming language and technology of former Great Plains Software - Microsoft Great Plains is written in Dexterity) 6.MS Access – if you are doing one time conversion and your legacy has old ODBC compliant platform - you can use MS Access to create linked tables there - or import into MS Access. 7.SQL Linked Servers – you can do direct SQL queries to other ODBC compliant platform via SQL Linked Server (including ORACLE, UNIDATA, Pervasive SQL, Ctree, etc) - you may need to familiarize yourself with OPENROWSET command in Transact SQL. This is also good option if you need cross-platform Crystal Report - pulling data from SQL Server and third party databases on same report. 8.MS Excel - yes - sometime you can use it for legacy data massage before feeding it into Great Plains. 9.Warning - do not place existing GP tables into Replication! - you will have upgrade issues. Happy converting! if you want us to do job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Dallas, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.
| | Microsoft Great Plains Integrations - tips for developerWritten by Andrew Karasev
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2.Great Plains Dexterity integration with Great Plains process server. This is more advanced and recommended approach, however it requires advanced Dexterity programming skills and access to source code. The idea behind is simple - you populate so-called triggering custom table and then check it from Dexterity custom application every 5 seconds or so. If record is there - then you process it. Processing is usually Dexterity source code stored procedure call. Great Plains uses similar logic when you post batch and see status in Process Monitor window. If you don't have source code - you can try to do best guess with Microsoft Great Plains Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.Great Plains Integration Manager. This is end user tool and is easy to use. However - it uses Great Plains as OLE Server and calls Great Plains forms behind scenes. As result - it is very slow - we recommend using integration manager when you have up to one thousand transactions per day. 4.eConnect – it is type of Software Development Kit with samples in VB.Net. Obviously development environment should be Visual Studio.Net. eConnect will allow you to integrate master records - such as new customers, vendors, employees, etc, plus you can bring transactions into so called Great Plains work tables (eConnect doesn't allow you to bring open or historical records - you need to post work records in Great Plains, same limitation applies to Integration Manager above) eConnect is rather for ongoing integration. It was initially created for eCommerce application integration to Great Plains. Happy integrating! if you want us to do job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Dallas, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.
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