Dynamics GP Projects: or How to Customize my Corporate ERP

When your new Corporate ERP system is implemented and you are now in production phase, entering transactions, printing reports from Great Plains, there is less support required directly from Dynamics GP implementation consultants.  However, you may decide to launch customization or integration project, where you need software development team, experienced in such technologies as Microsoft Dexterity, eConnect, SSRS or Crystal Reports, Integration Manager, GP SQL table structure.  If this is what you plan to do, you may think about the nature of the projects for Dynamics GP and what kind of consulting firm might be the best choice.  Your first step is probably to call to your Great Plains consulting partner and check with them – maybe they have Dynamics GP projects and software development department and programming force.  But you should be re ready to face the lack or very little level of expertise and proven cases of having something like that done in the past (as chances are high that these people main stream of revenue comes from initial Dynamics GP software licenses, and initial implementation of the application).  This is not the end of the World, there are other types of Dynamics GP consulting firms:

1. Project Oriented Dynamics GP Firms.  These organizations typically do not pursue initial Dynamics GP software selling, at least they see it as second or even third priority.  These firms are rather stuffed with project managers, Great Plains Dexterity programmers, who are also experienced in VBA coding for Integration Manager and Modifier.  Plus another specific of that form of business – GP technology partner often has to serve its clients USA, Canada nationwide and even internationally, as there might be not enough projects in the specific region or business metropolis.  In the case, when you are multinational corporation (it is popular move in business development nowadays, when even smaller firms have to cross American border and open subsidiaries in Mexico, China, India, Brazil, or you name the country) Project organization should also follow your developing and help you with overseas manufacturing facilities to be integrated with your Corporate Accounting.  As your advantage, modern internet search technologies, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing (MSN) are very smart and they can give you a list of your potential Dynamics GP Project oriented firms to choose from via structured search (where you typically insert Dynamics GP, then project, probably programming and maybe your industry or couple of keywords for the project nature)

2. What are the first steps in the project?  There is chicken and egg dilemma (nobody has an easy life nowadays - smile).  When you are planning the project, there are two equally important points: Programming instrument and the Consulting firm.  And the way to figure out the right instrument, you have to call and talk to the sales engineering folks in the firms from the list.  Of course most of the technology oriented firms, engaged in Dynamics GP Project business would like to get the contract signed with them, but at the same time, you should get the feeling on the tooling.  In the past, like in earlier 1990th through the end of the XX Century, most of Great Plains Dynamics customization projects were coded in GP Dexterity, then some in Modifier with VBA and some in Integration Manager with VBA and Advanced ODBC queries (allowing to cross database platform border and join data tables in such non Microsoft platforms, as Oracle, MySQL/PHP, Pervasive SQL).  But in earlier 2000th Great Plains Software and its successor Microsoft Business Solutions introduced new tools, such as eConnect SDK, Extender (this is product acquisition from Australian Dynamics GP ISV eOne), and several tools, based on eConnect libraries enabling Dynamics GP for Microsoft Visual Studio C# and VB software development projects.  This is why it is important to hear multiple opinions (and not to trapped in the situation, when somebody, who knows, say only Dexterity tells you that he will program all your projects and you will be happy with the results).  And as the last sentences, before we move to the next paragraph – you need to be sure, that the Project related Modification tool is not too proprietary and if something happens in the future with your chosen Dynamics GP Project organization, you can always find the replacement on the technology consulting market

3. Dynamics GP Project Management recommendations.  Now we assume that you have selected the right tool and chosen the best programming firm to do the job.  If you are large organization, we recommend you to assign internal project manager (preferable in MBA degree in computer science and even with Project Management Certifications, such as PMI or equivalent).  Second recommendation is to prepare test server with the copy of your Dynamics GP production company database mounted (this is a big facilitation for Dexterity programmers to run their Sanscript codes and debug them in the environment maximally close to the one you have in production).  Plus Quality Assurance (QA) is more efficient in this case

4. Dynamics GP and Corporate ERP market place.  Great Plains Dynamics and its successor Microsoft Dynamics GP should be a good fit for most of the industries (except probably process manufacturing, where we recommend you to take a look at Dynamics AX Axapta, specially positioned for that type of customers).  From our consulting practice, Great Plains was successfully implanted and customized in Healthcare, Staffing, Placement and Recruiting, Religion Organizations, Non-For-Profit, Telecommunication, Pharmaceutical, Supply Chain Management oriented firms, Beverages, Distribution, Precise Tooling, Military Supply, Trading firms (Commodity, and Stock trading), Retail Chains, Membership Services, International Trade, Freight Forwarding, Warehouse Management, Picking and Packing, Ecommerce, various Barcoding and Logistics businesses.  In our opinion, if you are large firm or publicly traded company Dynamics GP is a bargain Corporate ERP system, where you can save on Software licenses and still get very reliable database platform behind (Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or 2005 in 64 bit edition are really the champions with such technologies, as Clustering, Replication, Fail Over)

5. Integration Manager and special consideration to such projects as EDI or Ecommerce integrations.  Obviously, there are turnkey solutions for Dynamics GP EDI or ecommerce, however they are typically expensive and often require you to trash your existing ecommerce website or in-house programmed EDI (Electronic Document Interchange) application.  Here we would like to share the secret about ecommerce implementation for Dynamics GP.  Yes – very large chunk of the projects is implemented in quasi real time via calling Integration Manager integration (which moves B2B or B2C ecommerce shopping cart to Dynamics GP SOP Invoice with Customer Deposit in the form of Credit Card payment).  Now let’s look at EDI.  Electronic Document Interchange packages for Dynamics GP typically cover all or the majority of EDI protocols, while in your case, you may need only one to be covered.  Universality and compatibility conduct the higher cost.  The alternative is to setup GP Integration Manager integration to handle EDI or do it directly in SQL Stored Procedures

6. Dynamics GP International Projects specific.  Here you have to consider and really honor local language and local country business related legislation (taxes, customs code, required invoice form and annual corporate tax filing requirements).  As we could tell you from our international Dynamics GP and former Great Plains Dynamics consulting practice – in smaller countries you may expect international GAAP to be a governing law, however in regional powers, such as Brazil, China, Russia, India you should expect a lot of the rules, where international GAAP is pretty much replaced with local ordinance.  Dynamics GP is localized in English speaking countries and in the Spanish speaking Latin America, but it is not localized in such regions as Russian Federation, Continental Europe (in UK it is localized), China, Brazil.  Arabic World stays a bit aside – here you have various flavors of Dynamics GP add-ons, opening Arabic alphabet in the user interface and reporting

7. For additional information, please feel free to call us 1-866-304-3265 or 1-269-605-4904 (this number works for international customers) or email us help@alba866.com  We serve you USA/Canada nationwide via remote support (web sessions and phone/Skype conferences).  Local service is available in Western Michigan, Chicagoland, Southern California (LA, Orange County, San Diego), Houston area of the state of Texas