Microsoft Great Plains Implementation – overview for IT Director/ControllerWritten by Andrew Karasev
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•Historical Data conversion - this is optional, in order to do historical data conversion you need to know basic Great Plains tables structure (Setup->Tools->Resource Description->Tables Structure). This is similar to surgery - so you probably need outside consultant to help you. If volume of historical data is small - you can deploy Great Plains Integration Manager and then post records in modules. •User Training - we are just listing this item - it is up to you to decide on way to train your users •Using Two Systems in Parallel - this is recommended. You should print reports from both systems during this test period and compare results •Customization - typical areas of customizations: Invoice form, Crystal Reports, pulling info from multiple databases, including Great Plains database, Great Plains forms modification with Modifier/VBA, Great Plains Dexterity forms and logic customization, integration with CRM, RMS and other business systems, web publishing from Great Plains tables, EDI with your suppliers, SQL Data Transformation packages Do I need consultant? We strongly recommend you to use consultant in following cases •You have identified need for Great Plains Dexterity customization •You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools •You are doing migration from Great Plains Accounting to Microsoft Great Plains •You have to create a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports •You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnterprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued •Your Great Plains has more than 20 users in this case mistake may lead to serious business problems •You don't have support for your old Great Plains - then you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for upgrade Good luck with installation, implementation, upgrade and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! 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 Upgrade – version 8.0 overview for IT Director/ControllerWritten by Andrew Karasev
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•SQL - you may have some stored procs for data integration, EDI or like - if addressed tables will be changed in new version then you need to analyze your SQL code. The good news is - Microsoft Business Solution doesn't make a lot of changes since version 7.0, because Microsoft is now trying to merge products it owns: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta - and so has different priorities •ReportWriter - MBS doesn't change tables, but it keeps changing Dexterity formulas used in ReportWriter original reports - this is problem in so-called Modified Reports upgrade - usually you have these reports modified: SOP Blank Invoice form, SOP Blank Picking ticket, etc. If report can not be upgraded - it should be redone in new version with some exceptions. •Crystal Reports - nice thing about Crystal Report - id doesn't need to be upgraded (if fields in tables exist in new version - which is usually true statement) What is upgrade for third-party modules? Your Great Plains may have so-called third party modules: Mekorma, Kampdata, Horyzon, Wennsoft, Avalara, Truepay, Trinity, Intellisol to name a few Third party modules may have their own utility for upgrade. You just need to know that your third-party is ready for new Great Plains version - if not - you just wait and stay on old version. What is migration from Ctree/Pervasive.SQL 2000 to MS SQL/MSDE? MBS has migration tool. You need first to install Great Plains on SQL Server with exactly same account/segments structure and then install migration tool (it is Dexterity chunk) on your ctree/Pervasive workstation - then, when you integrate chunk - you will map it to target SQL-based Great Plains Company, select all system and company tables, click button and it will move all your tables one-by-one. In case when your Great Plains ctree/Pervasive has third parties - you need to check if vendor has migration tool - otherwise you have to do manual move, use SQL Linked server to your legacy data Do I need consultant? It is probably good idea to have consultant to do upgrade. We strongly recommend you to use consultant in following cases •You have Dexterity customization •You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools •You have a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports •You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnterprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued •Your Great Plains has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over weekend - if it fails - you have business problems •You don't have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for upgrade Good luck with upgrade and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! 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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