eStore Advantage for Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains leverages Microsoft eConnect to provide seamless integration into Great Plains back office. Here are some of highlights of eStore Advantage, and how it extends eConnect’s EAI interface to provide a complete end-to-end solution.

Reduced Deployment Time: Microsoft eConnect is a powerful tool for Great Plains back office integrations. Although it provides a robust XML interface, system integrators still need to be familiar with MBS Great Plains table structures and field names. eStore Advantage simplifies Microsoft eConnect’s XML document interface by providing an easy to use business object layer. Application developers don’t have to know about Great Plains or eConnect, they just utilize provided objects to implement their business logic. All underlying integration issues are handled by eStore Advantage, thus reducing deployment time and learning curve associated with eConnect implementations.

Connected / Disconnected Modes: The eStore Advantage framework is designed to operate in both disconnected and connected environments. In disconnected mode information is exchanged through Nodus Web Service hosted at back office, in cases where web service is down or not available, messages are queued at front office till communication is restored. In connected mode all data follows to back office without being queued, however web service can still be deployed if deemed necessary.

XML-based Architecture: Designed for easy maintenance and durability eStore Advantage Business Objects utilize XML for serialization, queuing and data transport between front and back office environments. It not only offers existing storefronts, web solutions, and custom applications ability to integrate with back office environment, but also provides developers a powerful infrastructure for their electronic commerce and enterprise applications. Customers don’t have to worry about different eConnect intrinsic XML documents types and field names. They have flexibility to define their own fields, and customize how they are mapped to eConnect documents. In addition they have ability to access custom tables defined within Great Plains or an external database.

There are thousands of web sites, books, CD-ROM's, cassette tapes and various other forms of communication devoted to topic of Internet marketing. The majority of these sites profess to offer "secret strategies" and "killer tactics" which promise to increase your chances of having success on Internet. Of course you must fork over your hard earned cash for these wonderful pearls of wisdom. (Many of which turn out to be nothing more than pyramid schemes and other scams)

With all of these so called experts lining up to take your money and fill your head with dreams of making easy millions you may find it difficult to filter out facts from fiction. I will take unenviable role of fact giving, bubble burster and tell you flat out, "There are no secrets to successful Internet marketing!"

Let me repeat myself, I said, "There are no secrets to successfully Internet marketing"

Successful marketing, whether its online or off, requires careful planning and a lot of hard work. And no amount of marketing will ever meet with success if product being marketed is a bad one. This is especially true of web sites, which carry remarkable distinction of almighty back button. I know this from first hand experience with companies that have spent ridiculous amounts of money to market web sites which were basically unusable.

Now that your dreams of sailing around ocean sipping margaritas, while an Internet cash machine deposits six figure sums into your bank are thoroughly dashed, lets explore some of common issues associated with true Internet marketing success as well as a few of many misconceptions.

The same principles that govern off-line marketing practices apply to online marketing. Research, Planning, and Analysis.

Research:

Determine what makes your product or service stand out from crowd. What do you offer that competition doesn't? How do your prices compare to others in market? What features of your product are one of a kind? All of this information will help in designing your web site to reflect a unique selling proposal. A unique selling proposal answers customer's question, "What's in it for me?" Gather all information possible that answers this question and use it in planning your web site.

Planning: Develop a marketing strategy for your web site.

Are you selling merchandise online? Are you advertising a service? Who are your customers? You must determine exactly what it is that you want your website to accomplish. Example: If your web site is focused on making it easier for potential customers to learn about your services, focus your attention on offering as much information about your services as possible. Price comparisons of your competition, directions to your business location, contact information, testimonials, etc.,are a good place to start. Plan your web site around a central goal.