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Dynamics GP Supply Chain Management: Implementation, Integration, Customization
Supply Chain Management automation for your Corporate ERP system in by all means very serious step and complex project. SCM often includes so-called Warehouse Management System in its core functionality, plus various extensions, usually based on Barcode laser scanning technologies. Sometimes SCM features might be referred as Logistics or even Distribution. In this paper we assume, that you have Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise) already implemented in your organization, or you are in decision making, selecting new Corporate ERP/MRP application, where Great Plains is one of the candidates – we will use Dynamics GP terminology. Before we go into details, please be aware that Dynamics GP is recommended for mid-size and smaller businesses, however it is very flexible and capable to automate even large publicly traded and even multinational corporation, as it is based on Microsoft SQL Server database technology, which is scalable and competitive with its rivals, such as Oracle, IBM DB2, MySQL/Linux. Sometimes prospective customers consider Dynamics GP as more budget oriented ERP system, comparing to Dynamics AX (formerly known as Axapta), capable to bear large volume of transactions. OK, let's go to details:
1. Before you launch SCM implementation checkpoints. First of all, be sure that you are on the latest version of Dynamics GP, or at least on the version supported directly by Microsoft Business Solutions. We are writing these lines in November 2010 and current version is GP 2010/11.0 and supported by MBS are versions 10.0 and 9.0 (for 9.0 support should expire somewhere in Summer of 2011). The cost of version upgrade is probably the fraction of what you may expect in Supply Chain Management implementation, and it is wise to be current with potentially maximum level of support directly from Dynamics GP technical support team at Microsoft (if something goes wrong, you probably do not want to hear from Microsoft tech support team something like – sorry, we no longer support your version, you should contact your Dynamics GP reseller on version update)
2. Where SCM business logic resides in Dynamics GP? In so-called Distribution suite of modules, including Inventory Control, Bill of Materials, Purchase Order Processing, Sales Order Processing and several others. However be aware that SCM requirements might be very unique and you may expect that some of the business logic should be implemented through SCM and WMS add-ons, especially where you expect to deploy such technologies as barcode scanning, EDI (Electronic Document Interchange)
3. Solution oriented approach in SCM implementation. Supply Chain Management is not something defined by government or industry standards (at least at this time, 2010 and several years going to the future). SCM products are out there and available through Dynamics GP ISV channel, but you should expect only certain percentage of your SCM requirements are met and the rest should be done via custom programming and modifications on the base of Dynamics GP Distribution modules and probably also by altering SCM products. Of course, customizations should be something to avoid, but they might be recommended in the case, when required logic is not available or the product, that might have it is too expensive to purchase (where you might need only tiny portion of the product to be implemented – in this scenario it is easier to take custom programming route)
4. Warehouse Management System. This topic deserves its paragraph. WMS is often considered as the core in the SCM theory. Warehouse Management includes three parts: Inventory Replenishment, Sales Order Fulfillment, and Inventory Adjustments and moves from one warehouse to another, plus WMS is completely barcoding based. WMS for Dynamics GP is available in two flavors: external WMS with connectors, moving WMS originated transaction to Dynamics GP distribution modules; and the second flavor is Warehouse Management Extensions, working directly out of GP tables. Please, see our dedicated publications, where we compare external WMS and extensions: pluses and minuses
5. Customization and Integration tools selection in SCM project. We believe that this topic is important, as not every tool might be seen as something exposed to longevity and not every Dynamics GP VAR (especially newly emerged on the MRP software consulting market) could be neutral in recommending one tool over another. In our opinion, the safest way it to restrict your custom part to Dynamics GP Integration Manager – this tools has more than ten years of successful history and is geared to keep its positions in the future (it has adopted such new technology tweaks, as eConnect connectors, whatever happens in the future with eConnect, we believe that Integration Manager should be able to keeps its integration background technology and connectors proof). Second tools we recommend to consider is Microsoft Dexterity (initially known as Great Plains Dexterity). Dex is at this point and during the whole history of the Great Plains Dynamics was the core technology and Integrated Development Environment with its own scripting language Sanscript. We do not recommend you to do heavy Dexterity customizations, but small tunes and business logic modifications are the way to go. The tools we do not recommend are VBA/modifier (as it is based on legacy pre Microsoft.Net technology and at one of the historical moments Microsoft recommended to abandon VBA scripting – something around 2006, however later on the message was deemphasized). We also do not recommend heavy programming for Extender, as Microsoft Business Solutions shares the copyrights with eOne (Australia based Dynamics GP ISV) and eOne retains the Enterprise version, where you can deploy Dexterity Sanscript codes into Extender objects business logic
6. Dynamics GP SCM for Multinational Corporation. Please, take conservative approach and do not rush into Great Plains international implementation, until you understand your options. Please, know that Great Pains Dynamics was acquired by Microsoft in earlier 2000th, late 1990th, later on Microsoft Business Solutions acquired Navision Software (probably to get a share in European Corporate ERP market) and as a bonus ERP/MRP application it got Axapta (at the time of the acquisition Axapta was owned by Navision Software). Axapta (rebranded as Microsoft Dynamics AX) was the most flexible to address international Corporate ERP market, supporting such features as Unicode (Chinese, Japanese, Korean hieroglyphs) and this was the natural chose for Microsoft to push Axapta on the international Corporate MRP markets. Having said that, please know that Dynamics GP Great Plains is available in English speaking countries, including South East Asia, where English is used as the language of business. Plus Dynamics GP is available in Spanish speaking Latin America (not in Brazil, where they speak Brazilian Portuguese). And it is also available in Canadian Quebec province (Montreal) in French. There are also Dynamics GP flavors available in Arabic across the Middle East and Northern Africa. If your region is not listed, we recommend you to research Axapta Dynamics AX or consider other small business ERP packages, such as SAP Business One
7. To request further support, please call us 1-866-528-0577, [email protected] We need to discuss your cards in order to recommend you the best solutions, which is not contingent to our preferences. 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
About the Author
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com [email protected] 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving GP customers USA and Canada Nationwide: California, Minnesota, New York, Quebec, Ontario, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Virginia, Florida, new Mexico, Iowa, Indiana, Alaska, Hawaii. Local service is available in Houston/Dallas: Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy, Galveston, Sugar Land; in Chicago: Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Romeoville, Batavia, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Rockford, Elgin, Crystal Lake, Joliet, Hinsdale, Lisle, Montgomery, Oswego
Ideaca Listed Among Top Finalists for the 2011 Microsoft Dynamics Retail Partner of the Year Award
Toronto, ON, Canada - Ideaca (www.ideaca.com), a Canadian based consulting firm that helps customers through a portfolio of management consulting, advisory, implementation and support services, announced today that they have been selected as a finalist for the Microsoft Dynamics Retail Partner of the Year Award.
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Microsoft Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing Module in eCommerce and Warehouse Management
Before you decide on purchasing and implementing new Corporate ERP application, we assume you do your homework, including reading various reviews and user's opinions. This publication is intended to give you some initial info on Microsoft Dynamics GP, sometimes also referred by its historical name – Great Plains Dynamics, we will give you high lights on Sales Order Processing (SOP) module: settings, transactions, its openness to customization, integration, reporting and how it might be involved in ecommerce and warehouse management scenarios. We tried to be reasonably technical (your IT department, programmers, report designers) and at the same time understood on the controller level or even business owner:
1. General functional review. SOP gives you the power to automate your sales cycle, starting with Quote, then working all the way through negotiation (including hold options, where quote price negotiation might be blocked by Sales director) and transforming Quote to Sales Order (or directly to Invoice, if Order fulfillment is not a concern). Order allows you to pick and pack items (or possible find replacement parts). Order also has Allocation feature (also often referred as Fulfillment in WMS lexicon). There is also Backorder mechanism, allowing you to order missing parts from suppliers. When Order is fulfilled – it is transformed into Invoice. Sales Document has access to Inventory items, plus in some cases you may use Service items (they do not require allocation, but you can still track Quantities Sold in reporting and inquiries) or even so-called non inventory items (simply free style text on the SOP document lines). Returns are also entered in SOP transaction entry form
2. SOP Settings. Here you specify defaults, such as site ID (or default warehouse to allocate or pick items against the SOP transaction: Sales Order or Invoice). In data entry defaults you specify such parameters, as what to do in the case of Quantity Shortage (Override Shortage, Sell Balance, Backorder Balance, etc.). You have the option to name user defined fields (and you can force them as required in Dynamics GP Modifier module). You also can define process holds – hold is placed automatically if you assign it to SOP Type ID and can be only removed by authorized Dynamics GP user, as specified in the hold's settings. Plus – additional features, we are trying to be reasonably laconic.
3. Sales Order Processing customization. The most popular modification tools are Microsoft Dexterity (also often referred as Great Plains Dexterity), Modifier with VBA, Visual Studio Libraries for GP (often you need to be also familiar with Dexterity to be efficient in extending Great Plains screens by C# or VB.Net programming, especially in such capacities as introducing and adding new table directly in Dex)
4. SOP integration tools. We recommend Dynamics GP Integration Manager, which is open to end user and only requires introduction level training; plus IM has good exposure to integration logic alteration via VBA event handlers. If you are focused on real time integrations, IM has the options to schedule integration to run in quasi real time, say every 15 minutes. Another tool, or rather SDK is Dynamics GP eConnect, where you can add eConnect libraries directly to your Microsoft Visual Studio project and trigger creation, change or deletion of Great Plains master records (Customer, Vendor, GL Account, Addresses, Employee, Inventory Item, etc.). Obviously in both IM and eConnect programming scenarios you can pull data from non-Microsoft DB platforms, such as Oracle, DB II, Progress, Pervasive SQL, MySQL – they just need to be ODBC compliant
5. SOP Reporting. The most popular report you typically want to modify is Invoice, where you usually place your company logo, disclaimers, fit it to your company custom envelop for mailing. These modifications are done in Dynamics GP Report Writer. Also you have numerous SOP related reports in SSRS (Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services), we also often see Great Plains customers to deploy Crystal Reports, MS Access, direct web publishing. With Dynamics GP version 2010 you will see more options with Excel reports. If you plan to design reports in Crystal, you should probably review Dynamics GP table structure – it is available either via GP SDK or if you are in user interface simply follow this command: Dynamics GP->Tools->Resource Descriptions->Tables. You should be able to find info about such tables as SOP10100 (SOP Header for work document), SOP10200 (SOP line for work document), SOP30200 (SOP header for posted document), SOP30300 (SOP line for posted transaction)
6. SOP and eCommerce. SOP transaction is one of the most popular targets for e-commerce shopping cart integrations (such ecommerce shopping cart platforms as Magento/PHP, ASP .Net Storefront)
7. SOP and Warehouse Management System. WMS opens Dynamics GP for Barcode scanning; such feature as Order Fulfillment is done with direct integration to SOP Invoice or Sales Order without automatic allocation – your WMS user (warehouse worker with Barcode scanner) does the allocation manually on the warehouse floor
8. SOP and EDI (Electronic Document Interchange). If you are large or midsize manufacturer or wholesaler, chances are high that you are requiring your customers or franchisees to place their orders via EDI channel. EDI media often works via FTP, email, http post. EDI in this scenario creates and allocates SOP Invoices or Sales Orders (or sometimes just allocates or fulfills in EDI jargon)
9. Dynamics GP availability internationally. It is available in English speaking countries: USA, Canada, Australia, UK, New Zealand, plus it is available in South East Asia where English is used as the language of business: Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, also in Oceania. There is Canadian French version for Quebec/Montreal. Dynamics GP is also available in Spanish for Latin America and Caribbean basin
10. Contact info. Call us 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918. We are Dynamics GP Integrator, Customization, Reporting and generic implementation company. We also absolutely support all the versions of Great Plains, starting from Great Plains Accounting for DOS, Windows and Mac and ending with current version Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010. By the nature of our market niche we are serving to you USA, Canada nationwide and internationally. Local walk in service is available in Southern California (San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles), Houston, Chicago, Western Michigan (St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Holland, South Haven, Saugatuck, Grand Haven, Ludington)
About the Author
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com [email protected] 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving GP customers USA and Canada Nationwide: California, Minnesota, New York, Quebec, Ontario, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Virginia, Florida, new Mexico, Iowa, Indiana, Alaska, Hawaii. Local service is available in Houston/Dallas: Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy, Galveston, Sugar Land; in Chicago: Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Romeoville, Batavia, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Rockford, Elgin, Crystal Lake, Joliet, Hinsdale, Lisle, Montgomery, Oswego
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