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As ERP applications go to the web and user work in Internet Explorer to perform MRPdata entry and inquiry routines, we think it would be worth to describe commonscenarios of implementing Microsoft Business Portal for Dynamics GP. We supposethat your company has several hundred employees, who potentially may use BusinessPortal. The advantage of having these people use BP versus work in MicrosoftDynamics GP directly is licensing cost. If your company is smaller in size, thenyou should evaluate BP deployment, in our opinion at this time BP requires strongMicrosoft oriented IT department, familiar with such technologies as SQL Server,Sharepoint, .Net C# programming, GP ReportWriter, FRx reporting, hosting in extranetenvironment secured BP server, MS Exchange Requisition Management. If potentially all your office employees are creatingpurchase requests: computers, furniture, office supplies, etc  RM is the module foryou to implement. It has pretty flexible approval hierarchy structure where you cansubmit purchase request to your approver, approver might be changed by purchaseapproving management, if desired (direct approver takes two weeks off situation, orthe like). When you will be doing implementation, you will figure out that RM andDynamics GP are actually two  separate , however integrated applications, so, whenyou do query in BP RM on the whole Requisition life cycle, starting with creationand then approvals, transferring to Purchase Order (which is now in GP), Receivingand Paying off the vendor invoice. This means the report or life cycle query shouldbe designed as cross-modules and as such directly in MS SQL Server, linking yourcompany DB with DYNAMICS db (where RM tables reside for BP 3.0) HR and Employee Self Service. If you implement Payroll or HR or both PR & HR foryou Microsoft Dynamics GP, then extending this with BP Humane Resources ManagementSelf Service Suite might be natural extension. Here you people could update theirpersonal information including W-4, request vacation (if you have MS Outlookextension for BP HR  they can do it directly in Outlook). Also, if you havecontractors in staff, they will be able to submit their hours (however notassociated with projects, be realistic here in expectations  you need ProjectAccounting and TimeCard & Expenses Entry extension for BP  this is different moduleof BP). If you have technicians in the repair shops, this might not be very goodidea as BP requires Active Directory user login to access BP. Order Management. If you sell to your relatively narrow set of permanentcustomers and you can maintain relatively compact catalog of your product, you maybenefit in implementing OM module. Here, you should know upfront, that customersrequire Active Directory login and Customer ID in GP in order to place the order. If you plan customer orders to be placed by your Sales People, then this is not thecase. Active Directory setup for your customers requires you to enforce IT securityand support extranet environment Backup Scenario. BP GP modules store their data in DYNAMICS and Companydatabases. Probably these modules are predecessors of the future GP modulestransformation from Microsoft Dexterity to .Net. So, besides Sharepoint backup  you will simply need the above mentioned DB backup in regular fashion  either asscheduled SQL job or included in tape backup.
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.comhe lp@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving Microsoft Dynamics GPUSA and Canada nationwide: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Windsor, New York,San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Pittsburg, Toledo, Indianapolis,Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Seattle, San Diego, Phoenix, Austin. Local service is available in Chicago and Houston metros: Rosenberg, Katy, Richmond,Dallas, Galveston, Sugar Land, Naperville, Wheaton, Plainfield, Aurora, Wheaton,Downers Grove, Lisle, Oakbrook, Morris, Marseilles, Joliet, Montgomery, Oswego,DeKalb. With reasonable travel we serve Springfield, Bloomington, Normal, Peoria,LaSalle, Ottawa, Dixon
