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If you deploy Microsoft Great Plains ERP for your company, you may consider theoptions to contract GP developer or technical consultant to help you withcustomization logic upgrade, developing, data migration or conversion, complexreporting, integration with external application such as Microsoft Retail ManagementSystem (MS RMS), for example. Prior to making your selection decision, you shouldknow GP under laying technologies and programming tools, to be sure that you can askthe right questions. Microsoft Dynamics GP is successor of former Great PlainsSoftware Dynamics and eEnterprise (former name is Dynamics C/S+). In this smallarticle we will walk you through the customization tools: Microsoft Dexterity, former name is Great Plains Dexterity  this was the heart ofGreat Plains Dynamics, and it is still the architectural tool. When you look atDYNAMICS.DIC, DYNAMICS.SET, DEX.INI files  these reflects Dex architecture. If youhave legacy dex custom logic, developed for you in the past and if you want thislogic to be upgraded to new version of your MS Dynamics GP  you probably shouldseek for the developer, who is familiar and has experience programming MicrosoftDexterity SQL Stored Procedures. We intentionally emphasize traditional tools, over newones (such as eConnect or Visual Studio.Net development extensions), expecting thatyou have legacy integration. Stored Procs were very popular when Great Plains wasin transition from Ctree/Btrieve (later on Pervasive SQL Server) to Microsoft SQLServer 6.5, 7.0 and 2000. Stored procs do bulletproof job for all versions of GPand SQL Server (including SQL Server 2005). When you check programmer skills in SQLscripting  you should take into consideration if applicant has GP table structurefamiliarity: GL00100  GL Accounts Master, RM00101 RM Customer Master, PM00200  PMVendor master are good examples of basic tables  candidate should be at leastfamiliar with these tables eConnect. Initially developed for eCommerce programmers, eConnect helps you withintegrations to GP, however, it is typically good idea that eConnect developer isalso familiar with Dexterity tables structure and can potentially extend eConnectwith SQL scripting Reporting. Such tools as SRS (MS SQL Server Reporting Services), Crystal Reportsusually need underlying SQL view or stored procedure, where you link multiple GPtables to produce dataset for the report. In report you group the record set andprovide parameterization Legacy Tools. Modifier with VBA and Integration Manager (with VBA scripting). Weplaced IM here as it is currently under redesign process, where it will be deployingeConnect stored procedures in the future
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.comhe lp@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving GP customer USA andCanada nationwide via remote support. Local service is available in Chicago, IL andHouston, TX areas: Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Batavia, Glen Ellyn, Elgin,Romeoville, Oswego, Montgomery, Joliet, Downers Grove, Lisle, Westmont, downtownChicago and Dallas, Rosenberg, Katy, downtown Houston, Galveston, Sugar Land.
