September 26, 2005

An Update on the New Name for Great Plains

Microsoft had a Live Meeting type of meeting on the new Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 – formerly Great Plains 9.0.

Being arithmetically challenged, I miscalculated the started time by one hour and tuned in just in time to download the slide show. Well at least I saved an hour of time.

Going through the slides their tact is the new name of Dynamics GP today. In 2008 they expect to finish Project Green (green for cash?) and all four current product lines, (Dynamics GP, Dynamics AX, Dynamics SL and Dynamics NAV) will be consolidated down to one product, Dynamics. That’s a very tall order and the deadline is only three years away.

They expect to have the new Dynamics GP logo on all product and new Dynamics GP brochures by November/ December of this year. I take that to mean that Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 will like ship in the same time frame. I’m sure everyone will be overjoyed to do an upgrade over the year-end period.

I wish I could give you more, but that’s all I have for now. They’re supposed to have a Dynamics GP 9.0 sub site up as of today, but so far, I can locate it.

Posted by Ted at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Client Upgrade

Let me talk about more uplifting items.

I recently completed a client upgrade from the Pervasive database to Great Plains on SQL server 8.0. Theirs was a fairly minimal installation. They’re running General Ledger, Payables Management and Bank Reconciliation.

I rather wish I could tell you how much of a struggle it was, but it went pretty smoothly. They use FRx extensively, but the FRx reports migrated very smoothly. The only problem was we couldn’t find one of the budgets for a while, but that was easily corrected.

Posted by Ted at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

More on the New Name

Microsoft has given me a little more information about the name change. It seems they did their market research and found the name “Dynamics” tested very well. It tested well across international geopolitical, cultural, and linguistic environments.

Their feeling is, the new name will help to sell more software. I’m all for that. I have no basis for criticizing name changes. For those who have known us in the past, they know that Eastern Business Solutions was not our first name. I applaud their efforts to help us VARs sell more software.

With the new name I am reminded of the phrase, “The king is dead, long live the king.”

Posted by Ted at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

Great Plains Service Pack 3 Released

Microsoft has just announced the release of Service Pack 3 for Great Plains 8.0. If you are current on your enhancement plan, you can download the service pack through CustomerSource. Of course, if you are NOT current on your enhancement plan, Service Pack 3 is unavailable.

To get a list of items they fixed with this service pack, click here.

Posted by Ted at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2005

Great Plains Gets ANOTHER New Name

The marketing people at Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to change the product line names. Previously it was the Microsoft Business Solutions division and the four product lines were Axapta, Great Plains, Navision, and Solomon.

That’s been changed. The new names are Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and Microsoft Dynamics SL.

The new release for Great Plains 9.0 this fall, is now Microsoft Dynamics GP. I don’t know if it’ll have a version number to or not.

Great Plains USED to be called Dynamics. Then they changed it to Great Plains. Now it’s back to Dynamics again. This is getting confusing.

Posted by Ted at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2005

Microsoft Great Plains - V9.0 New Features

Here are some of the new features for version 9.0 of Microsoft Great Plains.

• Home Pages Based on Industry Roles: Customizable role-based home pages provide employees in professional services, distribution, retail, and public sector companies with a dashboard tailored to their daily tasks—including reminders, KPIS, and links to specific reports, feature guides, windows, or SmartLists. Microsoft Great Plains 9.0 includes more than 20 customizable roles, ranging from Accounting Manager to Order Processor, IT Operations Manager to Dispatcher. (Ed. Note: I’m not sure how this will play out. It looks like you will need to be running the Business Portal for this to work. The Business Portal requires SharePoint Services. SharePoint Services requires you have IIS and ASP installed – sigh. One thing leads to another. To repeat myself, when I get my hands on a CD I can better evaluate different features.)

• SQL Reporting Services: Deepen analytics capabilities with the ability to extend data formats and access SQL reports from within Great Plains. SQL Reporting Services are compatible with Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005. (Ed. Note: I expect Great Plains to be using SQL Reporting Services more in the future. I anticipate they will eventually use it to replace the aging Report Writer module. Letting the user run SQL reports from inside Great Plains is the camel’s nose under the tent.)

• Simplified Report Navigation: Help eliminate the need to chase down reports from across your system with the Report List, which includes Great Plains Report Writer reports, SmartLists, and SQL Reporting Services reports. Users can quickly find and launch the reports they need, with options to find, restrict, and perform multiple actions for reports contained in the list. (Ed. Note: This sounds good, but until I see it I don’t know how it’s going to play out. Finding the report you’re looking for has always been a challenge in Great Plains. I would offer a solution, but I don’t know what I would do.)

• My Reports: Designed to give users personalized access to the reporting options they use most often, My Reports enables users to select reports from the Report List—including SQL Services Reports--customize them as needed, and then store them for one-click access. (Ed. Note: If this is what I think it is, it’s an excellent idea. Giving each user a customizable list of frequently run reports will really improve the usability of Great Plains.)

• SmartList Integration with Letter Writing Wizard: Make full use of the powerful query capabilities of SmartList by exporting specific customer lists and records to Microsoft Word to quickly create letters and reports with the Letter Writing Wizard. (Ed. Note: This sounds pretty cool. With SmartList you can select a list of customer, vendors, or employees you want to send a form letter to and then merge it into Microsoft Word. Very cool.)

Posted by Ted at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2005

Great Plains System Manager - V9.0 New Features

Here are some of the new features for version 9.0 for the Microsoft Great Plains System Manager.

• Mass Deployment: With Release 9.0, system implementers can easily create an installation package for a customized, configured version upgrade that can be installed by running a single file. Partners and IT staff can then use the tools and applications they are familiar with to push the deployment out to all clients, eliminating the cumbersome process of installing the Great Plains client on individual workstations. (Ed. Note: You can already create an installation template, but you have to run the template at each station that runs Great Plains. This looks like you can have the installation install itself automatically. I will be interested to see how this works.)

• Automatic Client Updates: Ensure that all client workstations stay up to date with the correct service packs. Release 9.0 enables administrators to select, approve, and post Service Packs for automatic deployment across all client workstations at a site. When an update is posted, users receive an e-mail alert.(Ed. Note: I like this idea. I take it that I can simply install a new service pack or such on the server and it will automatically update the stations. If that works, that is sweet.)

• Setup Checklists: Simplify and improve accuracy and efficiency for setup. We’ve enhanced Microsoft Great Plains setup windows with a clearly defined set up structure, a suggested order for completing setup steps, and the ability to assign windows or groups of windows to users for completion. (Ed. Note: This could be very helpful or not. It depends on just how good their suggested steps are. The proof in this pudding will be the eating of it.)

• Small Business Server Integration: Microsoft Great Plains Standard now integrates with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 ensuring quick setup and one-click installation.

Ed. Note: The Microsoft Small Business server (SBS) is a really good deal for clients – with an exception. Your asking a lot of the hardware to run everything that comes on the SBS. Microsoft Exchange is a pig. SQL Server is too, but at least I can limit how much memory it uses. If you’re going to run SBS, put in at least 4GB of RAM. You would also be well served with a couple of Xeon processors too.

Although you can run Great Plains on the MSDE database, that is not my preference. The MSDE database gives you none of the SQL tools that full fledged SQL Server do. That limits how much I can help the client.

Posted by Ted at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2005

Sales Order Processing (Order Entry) - V9.0 New Features

Here are some of the new features for version 9.0 in the Microsoft Great Plains Sales Order Processing (Order Entry) module.

• More Targeted Order Lookup: Locate orders more quickly by limiting your search to specific order types. (Ed. Note: While this has some value, I find that most users already know the order number they’re looking for. Still, until I actually see it, I can’t make a good judgment)

• Line Items Override: Remove or replace line items quickly and easily and without special editing actions by simply retyping over the current line. (Ed. Note: I think this is pretty cool. As of now, when you type in a wrong item number, you have to click the Delete Line Item button, put the cursor back to the item number field and re-enter the correct item number. I gather, from this description, you can now just type right over the previously entered item number. That’s nice and I can imagine the programmers had to jump through more than a couple of hoops to make it work.)

Posted by Ted at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

August 22, 2005

Inventory Control - V9.0 New Features

Here are some of the new features for version 9.0 in the Microsoft Great Plains Inventory module.

• Inventory Usage Enhancements: Gain visibility into exactly where inventory is used to help you analyze sales, transfers, and materials used for manufacturing. A new Quantity Sold Inquiry window will help you drill-down to see the details of each transaction that reduced inventory, including accounts that have been debited and credited. (Ed. Note: This sounds real wiz-bang, but I’m unsure just how useful it will be. As I keep saying, until I get my hands on a copy, all I can do is regurgitate what they tell me)

• Real-time Calculation of Moving Average Cost: For inventory that uses the Average Perpetual valuation method, Microsoft Great Plains can calculate the item’s Current (Average) Cost—as many times as the purchase receipt changes—and then simultaneously generate general ledger adjustments. (Ed. Note: I have one client that uses Moving Average Costing. Wait make that two clients. This is another of those, until I see I can’t figure out what they’re talking about.)

• Stock Status Report: Gain visibility into positive stock in your warehouse with an optional report that excludes zero or negative inventory. (Ed. Note: I think you can already do that. On the Stock Status report screen there is a check-box to include zero or negative quantities. Perhaps this has been changed to two check boxes. One to include zero quantities and one to include negative quantities. That would be a help as I usually wind up modifying the report to include negative quantities but not zero ones.)

• Stock Count and Discrepancy Alerts: Maintain an accurate stock count schedule with system alerts that remind you when items are due for stock count. Investigate stock discrepancies quickly with system notifications that help you to resolve differences between an item’s reported status and physical presence in the warehouse. (Ed. Note: I wish I could get more clients to do regular stock counts. Perhaps this will help.)

• Inbound Logistics: Simplify item receipt of inbound inventory by moving items into a specific bin in a single step. Quickly determine which bin to use based on bin priorities and maximum capacities and accept or override system recommendations. (Ed. Note: This could be a help where clients have multi-bin turned on. That’s where you can track how much is in each bin location. One drawback has been that you can ONLY receive to one bin. This tells me you can set up a receipt bin for each item and receive directly to that bin. That could be a time saver.)

Posted by Ted at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2005

Collections Management - V9.0 New Features

Here are some of the new features for the Microsoft Great Plains Collections Management module.

• Custom Collection Letters in Microsoft Word: Write collection letters tailored to your customers using Microsoft Office Word 2003.

• Invoice Queries: Query invoices that contain a partial payment or no payment applied.

• System Reminders: System prompts alert employees to next steps and unfinished tasks.

I like the idea of using Word for the collections letters instead of the editor in the Collections Module.

Until I see it, I’m not sure what they are talking about in the Invoice Query.

The System Reminders are a good idea. I need all the reminders possible just to make it through the day without dropping too many plates.

Posted by Ted at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2005

Bank Reconciliation - V9.0 New Features

New Features for the Microsoft Great Plains Bank Reconciliation Module include the following:

• Cut Checks on the Fly: Keep balances up-to-date with the flexibility to cut checks immediately as you need them.

• Void Date Check Reconciliation: Voided checks show as unreconciled until the void date is reached rather than at the transaction date for better control of your cash flow.

• Reconciliation Reports: Improve efficiencies for the reconciliation process with automated prompts for outstanding checks reports.

CAVEAT: I do not have the software yet. These are just bullet points I get from the Microsoft Business Solutions website.

Posted by Ted at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2005

Microsoft Great Plains 8.5 Now 9.0

I see that Microsoft Great Plains 8.5 has been rechristened Microsoft Great Plains 9.0. It is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2005. Last I heard that would likely be this October.

Here are the highlights of this release.

• Expanded, flexible automation and online capabilities improve speed and accuracy for completing business tasks across the full range of your operations, with the assurance that your solution can adapt quickly to processes for distribution, manufacturing, project management, field service, HR/Payroll, and financial management

• With centralized setup, installation, and upgrade functionality, Microsoft Great Plains 9.0 can significantly reduce IT administration, minimize installation disruptions, and help ensure that your system stays up to date across all client workstations.

• Personalized report navigation enables easy sharing of information in multiple formats and delivery methods. Enhanced viewing, drilldown, and inquiries for financial, manufacturing, and distribution information equip employees to better serve customers, make smart task decisions today, and plan more effectively for tomorrow.

• Employees now have access to industry-specific, relevant visibility into information and applications with role-based home pages that can serve as a dashboard of information for professional services, distribution, retail, and public sector companies.

• With Microsoft Business Portal 3.0, you can take advantage of the latest technologies to set up extranet deployments that give customers security-enhanced, role-based views of critical information, as well as the ability to create their own extranet and intranet pages.

I’ll flesh out more details in the future.

Posted by Ted at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2005

The 2005 Bottom Line at Microsoft

You may have heard that Microsoft, whose fiscal year ends June 30, finished on a high note. Sales were just a smidgeon under $40 billion with profits of $12.5 billion. That ain’t bad. Any business with profits over $30% of sales is a great business. I know people that would kill for a net of half that amount.

Alas, the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) division did not fare as well. They finished the year with sales of $803 million and a loss of $76 million. From what I read they don’t expect the MBS division to be profitable any time soon.

My suspicion is that Project Green is sucking up a lot of cash. That’s the project that plans to meld Great Plains, Axapta, Solomon, and Navision into one code base. Programmers are not cheap to start with. With the economy improving they are likely getting more expensive all the time. On top of that, the task is a formidable one.

I was wondering if this strategy is a good one. Proctor and Gamble probably sells 10 different brands of soap. Having multiple products has a strategic advantage in the each can server different segments of the market.

But software is not soap. Software requires enormous work to maintain it and improve it. If all four product lines could be consolidated into one, product support costs would drop dramatically. It would also make integration with the Office series that much easier.

It’s a good thing Bill has very deep pockets.

Posted by Ted at 03:48 PM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2005

Migration from a Legacy System

I was doing some telephone prospecting when I stumbled upon a user that is still running an old Real World application. It turns out he is interested in migrating to Great Plains. Although I have done several migrations from the old GPA to Great Plains, I have never done a Real World one.

I contacted Great Plains to see how much they would charge to do that. They referred me to a company Vertical Migration Solutions, LLC. It appears that the migration business is at such a low point, they are farming that out to a third party.

One interesting point from this is this company can apparently migration from almost any software system to Great Plains. They have something they call a Universal Migration Application Tool.

Posted by Ted at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2005

The Pricing Link is Gone

I've taken down the pricing link. Microsoft Great Plains was very unhappy with it there. They asked me to take it down and I complied.

For now, at least, if you want to know how much Great Plains will cost you, please contact me and I’ll respond.

I may well put the pages back up, only without the prices. This way, at least you’ll know what modules are available.

As the man said, “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Posted by Ted at 09:28 PM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2005

How to do Poor Man's MRP in Great Plains

I did a Crystal report for a client that they use to determine what to order. It took us quite a bit to develop this report, but it has proven to be very handy. It uses historical sales data as well as inventory availability to recommend what to buy.

The report had one drawback. They use the Bill of Material module to do some very simple assembly. The report did not reflect those requirements. It now does.

We set the vendor for all the BOM items to the client. That way they can run the reorder report to determine what they need to assemble.

They then put Bills into Microsoft Great Plains Assembly Entry. Those assemblies are saved as “Not Released.” Those pending production batches are treated as On Order quantities by the re-order report so they don’t plan more than they need.

The report also summarized the components used in those production batches and includes them as requirements along with other inventory availability.

Now they can run the report to decide what to make, enter what they plan on assembling, and then run the report for the components to see what they need to buy.

I call it a “Poor Man’s MRP System.” However, if their manufacturing requirements were more than just simple, they would need to purchase the full manufacturing suite.

Posted by Ted at 05:16 PM | Comments (0)

June 06, 2005

Update Client Financial Statements

One client is running several companies in their Microsoft Great Plains. I spent some time with them formatting their financial statement. They then wanted to copy those financial statement formats from the one copy to the others.

I queried Microsoft’s Tech Support and they identified the following tables that I needed to update: AF40100, AF40101, AF40102, AF40103, AF40104, AF40105, AF40106, AF40107, AF40108, AF40109, AF40110, AF40200, and AF40201.

I made sure there were not financial statements set up in the other companies. Then I used the SQL DTS (Data Transformation Services) function to copy the data from the one company to the others.

It worked very smoothly.

I know I could have set them up with FRx. It does a very nice job of formatting financial statements. But I find that for clients with simple financial statement needs, the Advanced Financial report writer in Microsoft Great Plains seems easier for them to understand.

My more technically savvy users take to FRx quite nicely.

Posted by Ted at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

June 02, 2005

Price Lists Updated

I have just downloaded the most recent price lists from Microsoft and posted them in the links at the left. I don't know what, if anything changed.

That said the caveat remains. Use the prices for illustrative purposes only. When you're ready to buy contact me so I can confirm the pricing with Microsoft.

Posted by Ted at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2005

Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0

Here's some of the features that are new with Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0. The features below are related to the Sales Order Processing module.

Print historical sales documentsYou can print a range of historical documents using the Print Sales Documents window. Documents are moved to history when they are transferred to another document, posted, or voided. You can’t reprint packing slips and picking tickets for documents that have been moved to history.

Reprint picking tickets and packing slip
If picking tickets or packing slips have been printed before, you can choose to reprint those picking tickets or packing slips. If you choose not to reprint previously printed picking tickets or packing slips, only the picking tickets or packing slips that haven’t been printed before will be printed.

Selling discontinued items
A setup option has been added to the Sales Order Processing Setup Options window to allow you sell discontinued items in Sales Order Processing. This option must be marked to enter discontinued items on orders, back orders, or invoices. If this option isn't marked, you can't sell discontinued items. If you decide to sell discontinued items, you won't be able to override the quantity shortage for discontinued items. The quantity allocated for discontinued items will be the balance of the quantity in inventory.

View quantities that are available to promise
Available to promise (ATP) means that an item is in stock and can be promised to a customer. You can see how much inventory or projected inventory is not committed to customer orders and is available. ATP is calculated for an item from the latest document date to the earliest document date for all supply orders, including sales orders, sales fulfillment orders/invoices, purchase orders, inventory transactions, inventory adjustments, inventory transfers, and manufacturing orders.

You can view available to promise information for items in the following windows.

• Sales Transaction Entry window
  
• Sales Item Detail Entry window
  
• Inventory Batch Entry window
  
• Inventory Available to Promise Inquiry window
  
• Item Transfer Entry window

Enter or change back ordered or canceled quantities
You have the option to enter or change information in the Qty to Back Order and Qty Canceled fields in the Sales Order Fulfillment window by marking one or both of the following options in the Sales Order Setup window, the Sales Invoice Setup window, and the Sales

Fulfillment Order/Invoice Setup window:

• Enable Quantity to Back Order in Sales Order Fulfillment
  
• Enable Quantity Canceled in Sales Order Fulfillment

Ensure that quantity to invoice equals quantity fulfilled
You can mark the Override Quantity to Invoice with Quantity Fulfilled option in the Sales Order Setup window, the Sales Fulfillment Order/Invoice Setup window, and the Sales Invoice Setup window to display the same quantity in the Quantity to Invoice field in the Sales Transaction Entry window as is displayed in the Quantity Fulfilled field in the Sales Order Fulfillment window. This ensures that the quantity invoiced equals the quantity fulfilled for orders.

Ensure that bill quantity equals quantity fulfilled
If you mark the Override Billed Quantity with Quantity Fulfilled option in the Sales Invoice Setup window, the billed quantity on a fulfillment order will always be equal to the quantity filled when the quantity filled is greater than zero. This ensures that the quantity billed equals the quantity fulfilled for fulfillment orders/invoices.

Assign document statuses to fulfillment orders
If you’re using sales workflow, you can set up document statuses to assign to fulfillment orders. These document statuses indicate typical document processes, such as printing picking tickets, picking out goods from inventory, printing packing slips, packing and shipping goods, and sending invoices to customers.

You also can reverse the document status of fulfillment orders. You can move the document status back one status at a time. For example, suppose you printed a picking ticket for a customer order, but didn’t verify that the items were removed from inventory. Suppose also that your customer calls to add an item to the order. You can reverse the document status from Status 2 to Status 1, and then continue with the regular process. Fulfillment orders can have up to five statuses.
Orders will have a status of New, In Process, or Complete. See the Sales Order Processing documentation for more information.

Use named printers at picking sites
If you’re using advanced picking, you can specify a default printer for a site. This is necessary only if you want a different printer to be used for a specific site for one of the following picking tickets or packing slips:

• Sales Orders - Bulk Picking Ticket
  
• Sales Orders - Packing Slips Printer - Blank
  
• Sales Orders - Packing Slips Printer - Short
  
• Sales Orders - Packing Slips Printer - Long
  
• Sales Orders - Picking Tickets Printer - Blank
  
• Sales Orders - Picking Tickets Printer - Short
  
• Sales Orders - Picking Tickets Printer - Long

Picking ticket enhancements
Additional picking ticket features allow you to:

• Print indicators when a picking ticket has been previously printed
  
• Print bulk picking tickets
  
• Sort picking tickets by bin

Picking ticket enhancements are referred to in the documentation as advanced picking.
Previously printed indicators When you reprint a picking ticket, the word REPRINT will print at the top of the report. If you print a bulk picking ticket and then an individual picking ticket, items displayed on both picking tickets will be displayed with two asterisks (**) and a reprint icon.

Bulk picking You can print bulk picking tickets for fulfillment orders and invoices. A bulk picking ticket displays the items and quantities needed to fulfill more than one fulfillment order or invoice and the location of each item for a batch of items. A summary line for each item and the total quantity required is displayed on the picking ticket.

Sort by bin If you’re using advanced picking, you can select to sort individual picking tickets by bin sequence. If you’re using advanced picking and multiple bins, you can select to print default bins or all available bins when a default bin isn’t found.

Picking instructions IDs
If you’re using advanced picking, you can set up instruction IDs and enter picking instructions. Picking instructions can include information such as the sequence that items should be removed from inventory.

You can assign the instruction IDs to a customer record and item record. When you print a picking ticket that includes the customer ID and item ID, and you marked the Print Picking Instructions option in the Print Sales Documents window or the Sales Document Print Options window, the instructions also will be printed.

Copy sales transactions
A Copy button is now available in the Sales Transaction window. Use this button to copy lines items from sales document for use on another.

Posted by Ted at 04:58 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2005

Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0

Here's some of the features that are new with Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0. The features below are related to the Inventory module.

Manufactured dates and expiration dates
You can use the Lot Attribute Entry window to enter a manufactured date and an expiration date for an item that tracks lots even if you aren’t using lot categories.

Item and vendor item descriptions
You can enter up to 100 characters of text for item and vendor item descriptions. You’ll have to modify reports to view the entire 100-character description.

Trace serial numbers and lot numbers
Use the Serial/Lot Trace Inquiry window to track the life cycle of serial or lot numbers. A life cycle trace allows you to view all the transactions that include serial- or lot-numbers by their document date. This shows how a serial- or lot-numbered item was used from the day it was received to the day it left your business. You can use a life cycle trace to find a specific serial or lot number, find items with serial or lot numbers received from a specific vendor, or find items that use serial or lot numbers shipped to a specific customer.

You also can use the Serial/Lot Trace Inquiry window to trace the recall of serial or lot numbers. A recall trace can show which customers purchased an item with a specific serial or lot number. You can use a recall trace to show the location of items with serial or lot numbers, including the bin.

If a transaction in a life cycle trace is a manufacturing or assembly transaction, you can use the Serial/Lot Bill of Materials Trace window to view the serial- or lot-numbered items that were consumed (used) in creating a serial- or lot-numbered item. You also can view serial- or lot-numbered items that were produced (assembled) that use serial- or lot-numbered items.

On-order quantities
You can click the On Order link in the Item Quantities Maintenance window or in the Item Inquiry window to open the Purchase Order Processing Item Inquiry window. An On Order Qty field has been added to the Purchase Order Processing Item Inquiry window to view the on order quantities for each line item.

Allocated quantities
You can click the Allocated link in the Item Quantities Maintenance window or in the Item Inquiry window to open the Item Allocation Inquiry window. The Item Allocation Inquiry window shows how item quantities have been allocated.

Available to promise
Available to promise (ATP) means that an item is in stock and can be promised to a customer. ATP information shows how much inventory or projected inventory is not committed to customer orders and is available. ATP is calculated for an item from the latest document date to the earliest document date for all supply orders, including sales orders, sales fulfillment orders/invoices, purchase orders, inventory transactions, inventory adjustments, inventory transfers, and manufacturing orders.

You can open the Available to Promise window and view ATP information for items by using expansion buttons in the following windows.

• Sales Transaction Entry window
  
• Sales Item Detail Entry window
  
• Inventory Batch Entry window
  
• Inventory Available to Promise Inquiry window
  
• Item Transfer Entry window
  

Limit transactions displayed in the Inventory Document Numbers lookup window
If you are using advanced lookup windows, you can limit the number of transactions that are displayed in the Inventory Document Numbers lookup window. For example, if you enter June as the batch ID, the transactions for the June batch will be displayed in the Inventory Document Numbers lookup window.

View item stock information
You can use the Item Stock Inquiry window to view a current balance of the total stock quantity for an inventoried item and the transactions that affected the stock quantity of that item. You also can view the balance of each quantity type for the item, such as the quantity on hand and quantity allocated.

Assign minimum shelf life attributes
If you are using sales workflow and the item is tracking lots, you can assign minimum shelf life attributes to the item and use those attributes to determine whether or not the item meets the minimum shelf life when the item is received.

Adjust prices by percent of list
If you are using extended pricing, the price type of Percent off has been changed to Percent of List. If you use Percent of List as a price type, you can increase prices to an amount greater than the list price.

Enter multiple manufacturer’s numbers
You can enter manufacturer’s item numbers for an inventoried or discontinued item and select the manufacturer’s item number that you purchase most often. For example, assume that a vendor obtains the same interchangeable item from several manufacturers, but you want to purchase items made by a specific manufacturer. By entering a manufacturer’s item number for the item and selecting it as the primary number, the manufacturer’s item number you specified will be printed on the purchase order.

Consolidate lot numbers
If a transaction decreases lot number quantities, you can consolidate lot numbers by selecting to sort them by lot number or expiration date in the Item Lot Number Entry window, Item Transfer Lot Number Entry window, or the Item Bin Transfer Lot Number Entry window. You also can consolidate lot numbers in the Lot Number Inquiry window.

Enter negative prices in price sheets
If you are using extended pricing, you can enter a negative net price in the Price Sheet Detail Maintenance window.

Copy item records
A Copy button was added to the Item Maintenance window that can be used to copy an existing item record as a starting point for creating a new one.

Posted by Ted at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2005

Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0 Seems Fast

I ran a client’s year-end close for the General Ledger last night. I estimate he had some 330,000 transactions in the prior fiscal year. The year-end close took about 15 minutes. And I ran this on a workstation, not the server.

That’s very fast. Although this client has a very nice server, I think it has more to do with the Version 8.0 code. Prior to version 8.0, Microsoft Great Plains supported three databases: Ctree, Pervasive SQL, and Microsoft SQL Server.

With the introduction of Version 8.0, they have dropped all support for Ctree and Pervasive. This has allowed them to optimize the code to take advantage of many SQL features. I think the very fast fiscal year-end close is one result of that optimization.

Although version 8.0 seems to load on the station slower than prior versions, once loaded it seems to do database intensive activities more quickly.

Posted by Ted at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

New for Microsoft Great Plains 8.0

Here's some of the features that are new with Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0. The features below are related to the Receivables Management.

Write off outstanding debit or credit amounts
You can use the Write Off Documents window to write off outstanding credit or debit balance amounts for one or more customers. You can specify a writeoff limit and cut-off date, and whether to create a credit or debit memo for each customer or document. Use the Write Off Preview window to mark or unmark customers to include in the writeoff process.

Set customer priorities
You can assign from one to 99 priorities to your customers; 1 is the highest priority and None is the lowest. When you allocate items in the Sales Automatic Order Allocation window, you can choose to allocate items by customer priority.

Select default order fulfillment shortage option
You can select a default order fulfillment shortage option—None, Back Order Remaining, or Cancel Remaining—for each customer.

For example, suppose you create an order for widgets and enter 10 in the Original Quantity field, 10 in the Qty Ready to Fulfill field, and 0 in the Qty Fulfilled field. However, when you fill the order, there are only 8 widgets available, so you enter 8 in the Qty Fulfilled field. The Qty Ready to Fulfill field also will display 8.

The default entry for the remaining quantity will be backordered or cancelled, depending on the option you selected. You can override the default entry when a shortage occurs.

Track additional customer address information
You can enter site, salesperson, territory, and additional user-defined information for each address. If salespeople are assigned to specific locations, such as states, it’s possible that a customer might have different salespeople for different locations.

Ship complete orders only
If the customer doesn’t accept partial shipments of Sales Order Processing documents, you can mark the Ship Complete Documents option in the Customer Maintenance window. Partial line item quantities won’t be transferred in Sales Order Processing if the customer doesn’t accept partial shipments.

Posted by Ted at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2005

New for Microsoft Great Plains 8.0

Here's some of the features that are new with Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0. The features below are related to the General Ledger.

Back out and correct posted transactions
You can back out posted transactions. When you back out a transaction, a new transaction is created that reverses the debits and credits of the original transaction. You also have to option to create a correcting transaction using the debits and credits of the original transaction as a starting point for the new transaction. Posted transactions that you can back out include standard, reversing, clearing, and quick journal transactions.

You also have the option to allow users to reverse transactions that originated in other modules. However, if you reverse or void a transaction in General Ledger that was originally entered in another module, that transaction is reversed or voided only in General Ledger.

Copy posted transactions
You can copy posted transactions using the debits and credits of the original transaction to create a new transaction. You can copy standard, reversing, clearing, and quick journal transactions, as long as they’ve been posted.

Posted by Ted at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2005

Additional Modules Promotion

Microsoft has a promotion coming up to encourage users to add more Great Plains modules to their installation. They’re calling it the 123 Discount Campaign.

The promotion starts May 15, 2005 and runs through June 24, 2005. It gives you 10% off the list price for any module. This excludes additional user licenses. They have a separate promotion for that.

If you purchase two more modules, you get 20% off the list price. If you purchase three or more modules, you get 30% off the list price.

Just remember to add the 16% enhancement fee to your order total. This enhancement fee is never discounted and is 16% of the list price. However, it is always prorated to your renewal date. If you have six months before your enhancement fee is up for renewal, it would be 8% instead.

I think this is one of their better promotions. Click on the pricing links on the left to see if there are any modules you want to acquire and use with this promotion. If you’re not sure which modules you already own, contact me and I’ll give you a list.

June 30, 2005 is the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year. They’re pressing everyone to make their numbers look good.

Posted by Ted at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

May 03, 2005

Posting Entries to the Closed General Ledger

I’ve had two clients in as many days call and tell me they needed to post adjusting entries to 2004 and they had already closed their General Ledger.

I told them just to post the entries to the prior year and Microsoft Great Plains would automatically bring those updated balances forward to the current year. They both seemed rather incredulous that it was that easy. One even thought they’d need to re-close the fiscal year.

I assured them everything was fine and it really is that easy.

Posted by Ted at 09:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2005

New for Microsoft Great Plains 8.0

I thought I’d highlight some features new to Microsoft Great Plains version 8.0.

Letter Writing Assistant
You can use the Letter Writing Assistant to create letters in Word that you can send to customers, vendors, or employees using Great Plains data and Word document templates. Examples include collection letters, credit application acceptance letters, proposal cover letters, letters to dispute charges, and employee memos.

You can use prewritten, preformatted letter templates or create your own. Start the Letter Writing Assistant by choosing the Write Letters button in the Customer Maintenance, Customer Summary, Vendor Maintenance, Vendor Credit Summary, Employee Maintenance, and Employee Summary windows or choose Reports >> Letter Writing Assistant. Letter templates are stored in the Letters folder within your Great Plains directory. Any changes you make to existing templates, or any new templates you create, are stored only on the local machine.

Deleting Stranded Users
It used to be that if your station locked up while you were in Great Plains, you would need to have another user delete your session before you could log back into Great Plains.

That is gone. Now, if you lock up while in Great Plans, when you log back in again, the system will tell you that you are already logged in and ask if you want to view your login. You just need to click “Yes”. You will see you prior session, you can delete it and then log in as usual. I find this a lot easier on users.

Posted by Ted at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2005

Some news about Microsoft Great Plains 8.5

Microsoft Great Plains is expected to release version 8.5 in October of this year. I’ve just found a couple of technical tidbits about it.

There will be only two upgrade paths to version 8.5. You can upgrade directly to 8.5 from either version 8.0 or 7.5. If you are running a lesser version than 7.5, you’ll need to upgrade to 7.5 first and then move to 8.5.

Microsoft Great Plains 8.5 will also support Microsoft SQL Sever 2000 and SQL Server 2005. Support for SQL Server 7 will be dropped.

Posted by Ted at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2005

Additional Users Promotion

Microsoft has a promotion in play that gives a discount if you want to add more users to your Microsoft Great Plains. Here is the discount schedule.

• 1 additional user, 10% off
  
• 2 additional users, 15% off
  
• 3 or more additional users, 20% off

To get the list price just click either link on the left. Remember to add the 16% enhancement plan. That is always calculated from the list price. Microsoft never discounts the enhancement plan.

This offer expires May 20, 2005. As always, you must be current on your enhancement plan to take advantage of this offer.

As a reminder, you may also need to add more SQL users too. You must have at least as many SQL users as you do Great Plains users.

Posted by Ted at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2005

Microsoft Great Plains Price Lists Updated

I just downloaded and update the Microsoft Great Plains prices lists. You can view them by clicking on either of the two links in the left panel.

I have no idea what is different from the previous prices list, but now they are current.

However, the caveat remains, use them for estimating purposes only. If you want a quote, please contact me so I can clear any number with Microsoft.

Posted by Ted at 03:46 PM

April 21, 2005

Notes from my Microsoft Meeting

I've been trying to translate what was covered at the Microsoft Business Solutions meeting into words that you would understand. I'm finding that rather difficult as they paint is such broad brushes that when they're done, I say to myself, "What did he just say?"

The speaker was Satya Nadella. He’s one of the Vice Presidents at Microsoft Business Solutions. I don’t totally understand their corporate structure so I can’t be more specific than that. He struck as a more technically savvy person than you usually find at that level. This was a talk he had obviously given before.

He said that Microsoft was reaching for “Affordable Adaptability”. He said there are three pillars to this.

• Low Cost
  
• Rich Functionality
  
• High Adaptability

I wish I could flesh out these points in more detail for you, but it’s difficult. Low cost is in the eyes of the beholder. But to that point, I will tell you, I have see the cost of Microsoft Great Plains drop quite a bit over the last three or four years.

Rich Functionality means they plan to give you a lot of things the software can do.

High adaptability means they plan on making the software a flexible as possible so that you can mold it to your business.

He said they plan on keeping a rich stable of third party developers to extend what Great Plains can do.

In summary I would say that over the last few years Microsoft Great Plains has declined in price while they’ve added more features and power to the software. Many, if not most, of those features have come from third party developers. Microsoft has seen fit to purchase those products and include them with the product.

In many cases those are now separate modules which you must buy. In other cases, for those users that have remained current on their enhancement plans, those new products have been included in the clients’ software at no additional charge.

I'll have more for you later.

Posted by Ted at 10:31 AM

April 19, 2005

Version 8.5 due in October

I was at a Microsoft Business Solutions meeting this afternoon. The speaker was Satya Nadella, one of the Microsoft Business Solutions Vice Presidents.

As time goes on, I'll try to translate what he said into words that we can all understand and pass them on to you. But I can give you this little tidbit.

Microsoft Great Plains 8.5 ships in October 2005.

Posted by Ted at 07:50 PM

April 13, 2005

How much RAM is enough?

As I get more and more Microsoft Great Plains installations running on Microsoft SQL Server, I’m starting to make some conclusions about how much server a client needs.

SQL Server is hungry for resources. It is always best to have a server dedicated to just SQL Server. I feel that server should have at least 2GB of RAM. If you are also running Microsoft Exchange on the same server, then you should probably have 4GB of RAM.

The Microsoft Small Business Server comes with SQL and Exchange for a very reasonable price. But I feel you should populate it with a healthy amount of RAM.

Posted by Ted at 03:23 PM

April 05, 2005

Another Great Plains Version 8.0 Upgrade

I completed a Microsoft Great Plains upgrade from version 7.5 to 8.0 last week. Since they were already on SQL Server, the upgrade went pretty smoothly.

They have a multi-user Crystal Reports and I upgraded that to version 10. Sadly, we don’t have version 11 yet.

The only problem was the Blank PO form. There is a bug in the Blank PO form. The ship-to address does not print. But that is easily fixed. I also modified it to match what they had been printing previously.

Since I have a pcAnywhere connection to their server, and I had previously copied the Microsoft Great Plains Version 8.0 CD to their server. I was able to run the upgrade from home overnight. Then I showed up early the next morning to complete the process.

With Microsoft Great Plains, I need to do a virgin install on one station. I set that station to all the defaults I need and then make an installation template from that station.

Then it’s just a matter of going to the other stations, uninstalling the old version and installing the new version from the template on the server. It runs very smoothly and saves time. It also picks up any third party applications that have been installed.

Then I spent some time showing them some of the new bells and whistles in the new version.

In a brief conversation with them this morning I asked them how they felt about it.

They like it.

Posted by Ted at 01:42 PM

March 30, 2005

Client Upgrade

I just completed a client upgrade from Microsoft Great Plains 5.5 on Pervasive to 8.0 on SQL Server.

I went to the client site last Friday to install SQL Server and copy the Great Plains CD’s to the server. I also installed GoToMyPc to their new server so I can access it remotely. Then, after they closed Friday night, I started the upgrade.

First I copied their data to the new server, but still in version 5.5. I ran the file maintenance to make the data as clean as possible. Then I started the 5.5 to 7.5 upgrade.

Saturday morning, I reviewed the progress and both companies (they have two) had upgraded successfully. I install and set up the two companies in the SQL server and started the Pervasive to SQL Server migration running.

Later in the day I reviewed the Pervasive to SQL migration and found complete and successful. That’s when I install version 8.0 and started that upgrade running.

Sunday morning I reviewed the 8.0 upgrade and it too looked good. I ran check links on the smaller company and the started check links running on the larger company.

Sunday night all the data maintenance was done. I was unable to upgrade the reports dictionary and left that for Monday morning.

Monday morning I upgraded the reports dictionary from 5.5 to 7.5 to 8.0. A few forms need to be tweaked, but it went smoother than expected. Then did a CD installation on a station. From there I created an installation template and rolled out the client side installation to all the other station.

The rest of the day was spent tweaking the system were necessary and training users on the new interface. The 5.5 to 8.0 jump is a very big one and I’m afraid most users where going through some culture shock.

But, they didn’t beat me up too badly. Besides, I expect that and I have a pretty thick hide. I showed them some of the new whiz-band features and some users were impressed.

This is a relatively new client for me. They previously used a different Great Plains reseller. I don’t like to speak evil of the dead, but I would have set them up quite a bit differently.

Unfortunately this is not the first time I’ve come into a situation where I took over from someone else and I’m just surprised many people don’t think through all the implications of setup and offer the user some of the various options.

I feel I can do quite a bit to help this client reduce some of their workload while giving them better and quicker access to key data. But clients sometimes choose not to pursue potential benefits for multiple reasons. Sometimes it’s the money. At $140+ per hour for my time, it can be expensive to do. Also, many clients are so absorbed by the day-to-day operations that they can’t see the benefit from what Great Plains can do.

I fight those same constraints in my own professional life. I’m guilty of the same sins as my clients, so I understand.

All I can do it so plant seeds and water them from time-to-time.

Still, from what I see, I think I can do some very nice work for this client and I think they’ll be pleased with the results. But that is ultimately their decision.

Posted by Ted at 12:02 PM

March 29, 2005

A Little More about Project Green

I recently came across something by Satya Nadella, one Corporate Vice Presidents at Microsoft Business Solutions (Great Plains). He spoke about “Project Green”. Project Green is Microsoft’s project to consolidate Great Plains, Solomon, Navision, and Axapta all into one code base.

He said they have interviewed over 2,000 business people in one-on-one interviews to see what they want in their business software. Satya uses the term “Affordable Adaptability”.

He went on to say, that Project Green will ship in two waves. The first wave will go out between 2005 and 2007. This will include a common user experience, portal, business intelligence integration and a web services layer.

If that description doesn’t confuse you, you obviously weren’t paying attention.

He says the second wave will start shipping in 2008. I’d use his descriptions, but even I can’t figure out what he’s talking about.

In attempting to translate what he says, it looks like the Business Portal will become the primary method users will access their software. He also says that the reporting is going to be through the SQL Reporting Services.

I don’t consider the last part bad. Although I’m very partial to Crystal Reports, you can’t expect Microsoft to not tout their own solutions. Also, I won’t be sorry to see Great Plains Report Writer evaporate. It works, but it’s not the best tool in the drawer.

The next generation of Great Plains or whatever they wind up calling it is going to be oriented towards user roles. That is, the order entry person will get certain screens and functions, while the Payables person will get a different set.

It appears the Microsoft is very aggressive about putting their business software where businesses want it. Although it may be difficult to figure out what Satya is saying, he is obviously enthusiastic.

It looks like the future with Microsoft will at least be interesting.

Posted by Ted at 02:33 PM

March 25, 2005

New Payroll Tax Updates Released

Payroll Tax updates have been released for Great Plains versions 7.0, 7.5 and 8.0. If you're running payroll, you can download the updates from CustomerSource.

Of course, you must be current on your enhancement plan to access them.

Posted by Ted at 09:30 AM

March 23, 2005

Two Great Plains 8.0 Extensions: SmartList Builder & Extender

Microsoft Business Solutions has purchased the rights to two third party add-on from eOne. The two products are for Great Plains and they are calling them Version 8 extensions.

SmartList Builder
One is called SmartList Builder. It allows you to create even more SmartLists than currently come with Great Plains. You can create virtually any query in the SmartList and even link in tables from Third-Party Applications. I suspect, some knowledge of SQL is required to use this product.

Here’s the official list of bells and whistles

• Create SmartList objects for Microsoft Great Plains and 3rd Party dictionaries.
  
• Add calculated fields to SmartList Objects
  
• Add Summarized SmartList Objects
  
• Ability to add “go-to” windows to User-Defined SmartList Objects
  
• Share SmartLists by exporting and importing via XML

Extender
The other extension is called Extender. This allows you to add new windows to any Great Plains window, add new fields to windows, create new lookup windows and more without writing any code.

Here’s the official feature list

• Link additional windows, even those from 3rd party
  
• Easily attach new data entry, notes or inquiry windows
  
• Optimize data entry by adding or customizing lookups
  
• Create consolidated views of information form Great Plains tables and Great Plains Extender windows
  
• Attach multiple notes to a Great Plains window (ed. Note. Do we really need more notes on any window?)

I discussed Extender with someone who is a Dexterity programmer and has used Extender. Microsoft Great Plains is written in Dexterity. He praised the Extender developer team. Extender is, of course, written in Dexterity. He was amazed they could do so much with Dexterity to create the Extender product.

That said, he stated it has limitations. He went on to relate a tale of woe, I won’t repeat here. Suffice it to say, Extender works very well for relatively simple projects. But if you get too involved, Dexterity is the solution of choice.

The Other Shoe
I just have two reservations for these enhancements.

1) They could complicate the upgrade process. When version 9.0 is released, not only will we be upgrading Great Plains, but we will also be upgrading these add-ons.

2) Microsoft has an OEM agreement for these, they have not purchased them. My worry there is, OEM agreements can evaporate. Then clients could be stuck with an orphan. I’d feel a little more comfortable if Microsoft had purchased them outright.

Maybe the Aussies are better negotiators and felt they could make more money selling them piecemeal as opposed to a lump sum.

Although I have some reservations, I don't see them as show stoppers. I think you should take a serious look at these enhancements to see if they would improve your productivity.

Look at the prices lists links to see what it'll cost you.

Posted by Ted at 10:21 AM

March 22, 2005

New Microsoft Great Plains Pricing

New price lists for Microsoft Great Plains have been released. You can find them on the left panel. Just click on Great Plains Professional Pricing for Great Plains Standard Pricing.

The ony changes I know of have to do with the recently released Version 8 extensions.

More on those later.

Posted by Ted at 03:59 PM

March 21, 2005

Project Green gets pushed into the Future

Microsoft’s next generation of Great Plains is getting pushed more into the future. It seems that even Microsoft, with all it billions of dollars, has limitations.

One of the things I read is that Microsoft Business Solutions, the division that has Great Plains, lost $29 million on sales of $211 million. That’s not good.

Microsoft is pursuing two projects: Longhorn and Green. Where do they get these project names?

Longhorn is the project to replace Windows XP and Windows 2003. Project Green is to combines Great Plains, Axapta, Solomon and Navision into one common code base.

Microsoft has pledged to support your Great Plains through 2013. For more details, click this link.

Posted by Ted at 09:39 AM

March 18, 2005

Great Plains Reports Released

Microsoft Great Plains will release eight free reports for use with the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services...

These reports are...

• Open Orders
  
• Commissions
  
• Customer Profitability
  
• Inventory Value
  
• Open Purchase Orders by Vendor
  
• Back-Ordered Quantities without Open Purchase Orders
  
• Manufacturing Employee Capacity
  
• Manufacturing Work Center Capacity

The Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services is included with your SQL Server 2000. To get the Reporting Services up and running you will need the following components.

Report Server – A web service that handles report management and Processing. It connects to a SQL Server database.
Report Server Database – Your Great Plains Data
Report Manager – A web-based tool for managing Report Server.
Report Designer – They recommend using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.

Users do NOT need the Visual Studio .NET to view the report.

I sat through a half-hour online demo of how you put a report together. As you may know, I’m a large fan of Crystal Reports.

In watching the video and comparing it to Crystal, I can only conclude it is a different tool. In the demo they can only show you so much. The sample they gave was not very complicated.

I guess I conclude I’m not ready to abandon Crystal at this time. If someone wants some reports from the Reporting Services, then I’m pretty sure I can come up to speed pretty quickly on it.

If you’d like to view some of the video yourself, click on this link. When you have page up, click on the link that say “RSDemoAuthoring Download”.

Posted by Ted at 11:47 AM

March 16, 2005

Great Plains and Adobe Acrobat

A little bit ago one of our clients upgraded to Microsoft Great Plains 8.0. Last week I was back for some follow-up.

One of the things the client wanted to make sure was working was emailing documents out of Great Plains as PDF files.

In Great Plains you can print a PO, customer invoice or anything to the screen. After printing to the screen, you can just click on Send To >> Mail Recipient (PDF). Click here to see the screen.

When you do that, Great Plains will launch Microsoft Outlook and then insert the document you have on the screen as a PDF attachment to your email. You have only to enter the email address and appropriate text and send to your recipient.

This was not working as advertised. You must have Adobe Acrobat Writer installed for this to work. We did have it installed, but some stations were Acrobat 5.0, some were Acrobat 6.0 and some were Acrobat 7.0.

We queried Microsoft Great Plains tech support and they said they had not fully tested Acrobat 7.0 compatibility. In our own testing we found conflicting results. We found that if the document was a big enough PDF, Adobe choked creating the PDF and we received an error message:

“When you create a PostScript file you have to send the host fonts. Please go to the printer properties, "Adobe PDF Settings" page and turn OFF the option "Do not send fonts to host Distiller."

It was a long hard struggle. In the end, we put everyone back on Adobe Acrobat 5.0. It was the only version that worked all the time. It was also a lot faster than Acrobat 6.0 or 7.0. The client was less than pleased that we had to use the older version, but reliability took precedence over latest and greatest.

Posted by Ted at 12:30 PM