Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP application, formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnteprise, has so-called ReportWriter module as preferred choice for integrated form modification: SOP Blank Invoice, Purchase Order, Sales Tax Report, GL Trial Balance to give you few popular examples.
RW is preferred and simplest due to the fact, that you can print Sales Invoice right from the GP user interface. Of course, reports themselves could be designed in other tools: Crystal, SSRS, but in this case you would need to call them via VBA scripts or implement Dynamics GP Add-On. Let’s review RW technology side to get better understanding on why problems would occur and how to fix them:
1. Reports.dic. This dictionary is first created when you modify existing (or add new) report in Report Writer. Tools->Customize->ReportWriter, or modify this report from report screen printout. You may have the question – where original report is hosted? It is in Dynamics.dic – GP metadata dictionary. Now, you have two options of having RW modified reports – either store Reports.dic on each individual computer or store them in central location on your Server. The second way is in our opinion preferred, especially for mid-size GP users environment with five and users. Centralized location allows you to make reports design once and then have all the users to share the same reports in one central Reports.dic dictionary file
2. Reports.dic corruption scenarios. Shared files are good, when you have them in read only model. However Dynamics GP requires each user to have at least modify rights. And, again, think – this is just a Windows Operating System file. Imagine now, that one of the users decides to modify report, when other Great Plains users are printing modified reports. Each user places certain lock while accessing Reports.dic, and as this is not an SQL type of environment, where all the lock levels are formalized – you could expect file corruption
3. Reports.dic corruption symptoms. With Windows XP or Vista Dynamics GP workstation you typically see error message like this: Microsoft Dynamics GP has encountered a problem and needs to close. Then, modified report might be either printed or not, depending on the corruption level details.
4. The fix. Have all Dynamics GP users log off. Rename Reports.dic to something like OldReports.dic, login GP and go to tools->customize->Report Writer, select product Dynamics GP, click on Import, pick the source – in our case OldReports.dic, on the left side move all the reports and click Import
5. Good luck. If you would like to get additional help, please call us 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com
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