Great Plains Reseller: eConnect Integrations and Customizations highlights

Aug 29
19:53

2008

Andrew Karasev

Andrew Karasev

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Microsoft Dynamics GP could potentially go beyond its out-of-the-box standard functionality and you as software programmer and developer could deploy it as ERP platform for your company ecommerce, EDI, wholesale and other extensions and integrations. aa

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In this publication we would like to concentrate on eConnect programming and technology.  Please,Great Plains Reseller: eConnect Integrations and Customizations highlights Articles note that eConnect should be considered as solid SDK for C# and VB.Net developers, however for older versions of GP, such as 7.5, 8.0 and probably even 9.0 – we recommend you to upgrade to version 10.0, prior to investing into eConnect research and programming:

1.       GP 10.0 Integration Manager.  Here you already have eConnect connectors in place.  If you are familiar with old OLE based IM, then you need to know that eConnect Integration is per company, opposite to the old way when you login the company and run integration just for this company.  Plus, cancelling old restrictions – Integration, based on eConnect connector doesn’t require you to run Great Plains client workstation.  If you are OK with what Integration Manager gives you, then you probably should stop reading.  For the rest of us, please know – if you need custom fields population via IM, then you have to deploy old way ADO in before document commit script

2.       Beyond IM.  Deploying eConnect, you can combine GP data feeding with eConnect methods and custom tables updating via SQL custom stored procedures or update statements.  In this scenario eConnect becomes one of the players

3.       eConnect technology.  You probably already have read bunch of whitepapers and technical manuals, where you saw multiple eConnect technology layers.  At the beginning of the way, eConnect has a set of encrypted SQL stored procedures, allowing you to create, update and delete GP objects

4.       eConnect restrictions.  Here you need to know GP architecture and especially batch posting logic.  Batches supposed to be posted by GP users exclusively, this is why eConnect doesn’t have posting features.  In order to post batches from your eCommerce, EDI or another programmed application, you should deploy Alba Spectrum Batch Posting Server

5.       eConnect and GP Dexterity.  Dex can call DLL libraries, and so eConnect could be exposed to Dexterity customizations.  This is especially helpful for GP developers, who are trying to automate Great Plains intercompany transactions via dex custom add-ons

6.       Technology notes.   If you are not technical in GP integrating projects, this article could be potentially too challenging to read through.  However we believe that IT technicians, who are facing the GP integration project would benefit from reading this publication